Introduction

Healthcare Unlimited, LLC is facing challenges in employee relations as evidenced from conflict, lack of motivation and poor performance. As a result, the health system implementation in the organization has been troubled in the recent past. I have been appointed as the IT Project manager, and I understand the task at hand that requires me to take necessary action and come up with appropriate strategies to solve the crisis. The position of the project manager in charge of the Medical IS project is demanding, and the senior management expects positive results during my tenure. It has been made clear to me that the former administration failed to perform as expected and I am willing to improve on the areas of weakness to attain the project goals and objectives.

Case Background

The health system implementation faces immense challenges in its execution that hinder the attainment of set goals and objectives. The project is focused on the creation of a modular software package that is aimed at improving the wellness of the vendor to guarantee that preventive care is being tracked. The benefits of the project include better return on investment for the wellness vendor initiatives, improvement in vendor revenue and a decline in the inappropriate care use. It can be noted that the principal risk facing the project is that all government standards and regulations should be upheld by the vendor.

There are three significant barriers facing the implementation of the project. To start with, the Database Administrator and the architect have been involved in a high level of conflict that has contributed to a negative work environment.  Secondly, senior management has cited a high level of dissatisfaction in the way that conflict in the organization is addressed. Concerning this, there has been dismal results and lack of motivation. Thirdly, the board of directors is anxious to track the performance of the Medical IS project that will have a significant influence on the direction the company will take.  It is clear that job security is dependent on the success of the project. It is imperative to learn from the mistakes made by the former project manager including the failure to hire additional staff, ignoring the warning signs of the conflict in the team and lacking control over the decision making process. The setbacks being experienced in the project can be addressed by evaluating the skills, experience, and availability of the pivotal employees that are involved in the conflict and coming up with the appropriate strategy to solve it.

Team Dynamics

The team is in the storming stage of the five-stage development model as it is the first time that the members are working together. It is clear that the team has moved past the forming stage as the members have already been identified as well as their roles. In this stage, the team members compete among each other for recognition of ideas and status. The database administrator enjoys political connections with the organizations, and during the first meeting, he starts by defending his lateness. The other team members are displeased with this and are eager to find out the position that the team leader will take on the issue. It is evident that the architect is displeased with his utterances and asserts that he is the most self-centered and demanding team member. The database administrator openly disagrees on the architect and states that he is incompetent when dealing with project management. There are apparent differences between the team members that are common in the storming stage.

Guidance from the team leader is necessary as the members learn how to deal with the assigned tasks and challenges together and function independently and take the defined duties and responsibilities. As the team leader, I will be adept in addressing the conflict by making sure that the members learn to respect each other’s opinions and listen to each other. It will be crucial to teach the team members to be effective listening which is a significant skill that is missing in the team. It can be noted that the stage will be complete when the team members learn to listen to each other and work in cohesion for the greater good of the project. If the team does not go beyond this stage, the conflict level within the team is expected to rise further decreasing the staff motivation and morale interfering with the completion of the project. Team members should be professionally mature to ensure that they get past this stage.

Proper communication skills are lacking from the team as seen from the way that the members keep interjecting each other and launching personal attacks against conflicting parties. The database administrator starts the meeting by defending his lateness in a rude way that rubs the other team members the wrong way. Instead, the database manager could have explained the reasons behind his unpunctuality without attacking the other members. The marketing representative interjects, and this demonstrates that effective listening skills are lacking in the team. It is also clear that negotiation skills are lacking in the team as the members are interested in outdoing each other and proving that they deserve their assigned roles. They perceive other team members as being incompetent. For instance, the database administrator states that the architect is incompetent as he worked under the underperforming project manager.

The team members should be trained in various sectors to address the challenges facing the team in the implementation of the project. To start with, they should be trained in practical communication skills, and this will help them improve their talking and listening. This will help the team members learn to listen to each other and give their feedback respectfully. Secondly, they should be trained on conflict resolution which will equip them with skills on how to address disagreement efficiently with the aim of attaining the project objectives. Thirdly, they should be taught on the art of negotiation without interfering with the project aims. This is because the team members have busy schedules and should negotiate about meeting times and tasks assigned while considering the project that has a significant impact on the future of the organization.

Conflict Resolution

The cause of conflict is disagreement among the primary team members behind the health system implementation project. The conflict is mainly between the database administrator and the architect. The conflict starts when the database administrator attempts to justify his lateness which angers the other team members. The architect states that the database administrator’s busy schedule is not a justifiable reason behind the lateness. The marketing representative and joins in the conversation that gets heated as the members cannot find common ground. As the leader of the team, I have to come up with a logical solution to the conflict to ensure that the implementation of the project will be successful. The differences between team members will have to be resolved before embarking on the implementation of the project. It is clear that the members cannot find a solution to the conflict as their differences appear to be personal and deep-rooted. Consequently, they will require close supervision to promote cohesiveness.

The best strategy that can be employed in addressing the conflict will be enhancing teamwork that will be fostered by coaching the team members. An evaluation of the team members skills and abilities reveals that they are fit for their given roles and responsibilities. As a result, they should learn to work together. They should be coaching on the significant issues relating to the topic such as effective communication and negotiation. It follows that they should be taught how to listen to each other and consider the feelings and opinions of the team members. The team should start working on the project after addressing the conflict and establishing the appropriate style that can be used during the implementation. The senior management should support the approach suggested in resolving the conflict.

Leadership has been identified to be a crucial part of enhancing success in the present stage of team development, and the best approach that can be employed is coaching. This is because all members are qualified for the assigned roles and can work in cohesion following proper management of the existing problems. The team members should acknowledge the authority of the project manager and work in cohesion to come up with a solution to the conflict. The organization should offer the resources that are needed to coach the team members about the proper communication and conflict resolution. This is following the realization that the team members provide unique skills and capabilities that are valuable in the completion of the project. The team members should also be coached on motivation owing to the significance of the project to the organization.

Motivation and Confidence

The case study reveals that it is necessary to attain cohesiveness in the team to successfully implement the project and work successfully on future engagements. It follows that employee motivation is a critical factor that contributes to tangible results in the organization. It has been cited that the conflict between the Database Administrator and the Architect could have resulted in discord in the team leading in lack of motivation. The trend has been observed throughout the organization causing dissatisfaction in the senior management and the need to come up with appropriate motivation strategy to facilitate cohesiveness in the team. The approach used to address the issue should focus on solving underlying problems within the team.

Teamwork has been identified to be the best strategy that can be used to attain cohesiveness. While cooperation will be used to address the problem, it is evident that additional team members from the operations, marketing, and legal departments should be assigned on a full-time basis to avoid role conflict in the organizations. The former project manager failed to address this problem leading to a lack of cohesiveness as the team members would work on diverse projects. Teamwork should be established between the project manager and the team members. This is to pave the way for cooperation in the decision-making process resulting in motivation and improved performance in the team.

Teamwork depends on effective communication that also limits conflict in the team. It can be argued that the dispute between the Database Administrator and the Architect can be cited to competition and lack of proper communication. As previously mentioned, the conflict in the team has to lead to poor performance and lack of motivation. It is imperative to communicate with the key parties that are involved in the dispute that their actions have a ripple effect on the organization. They should be urged to address the conflict using effective communication and come up with a solution that will improve teamwork and promote cohesiveness.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the health system implementation project is seen to be a critical assignment that will have a defining role in the future of the organization. As the project manager, I will play a crucial part in addressing the challenges facing the organization ranging from conflict among the team members to lack of motivation within the organization. It has been found that the team is at the storming stage and coaching should be employed to deal with the issues facing the organization. The leadership style that is best for the present team development is coaching to equip the members with the skills that are necessary for addressing the conflict. I will have to take a strict leadership stance to ensure that all the team members are on board in the implementation of the project.