Destructive Communication

Destructive Communication

MGT 415: Group Behavior in Organizations

Recently I experienced a personal problem that required a group resolution. My grandfather passed away, and he was a great man. After his passing I became executor of the estate at which point I did not realize how much that would entail. I have had to partner with government agencies on behalf of his military status as well as health facilities, financial institutions, and many other places that have helped me find resolution in his passing.

During this process I made the decision to keep my grandfather’s furniture since it held memories of my childhood. Since I am not a strong person I had to constructed team to help me move his furniture from his house to mine. Many of my teammates were close friends or family members, people that I already had built trust with. We formed the team of seven people which when moving the heavy furniture typically involved four lifters two spotters and a door holder. Logistically moving the furniture we put the best drivers on the trucks with trailers to ensure the furniture wouldn’t be damaged during transport.

According to our textbook, “ Generation marks the beginning of the problem-solving process” (Coget & Losh, 2018 Ch 5.3) in this stage of the problem solving process the problem was discovered by finding new information. I believe The generation of my problem occured when I acquired the news of my Grandfather’s passing. I realised that I would need to contact many people and begin the process of disbursing his estate.

The second step to problem solving is conceptualization. This is, “…the period in which effort is spent to understand the nature and scope of the problem that was identified during the generation stage” (Coget & Losh, 2018 Ch 5.3) During the conceptualization stage I began to envision speaking with lawyers, doctors, accountants, and moving his possessions. I also began to envision the team I would need to help me with completing the affairs of his estate, such as, the movers, spotters and drivers.

The third stage involves optimization which requires, “…analyzing and critiquing ideas and solutions formed during the conceptualization period” (Coget & Losh, 2018 Ch 5.3) During this step I tried to coordinate dates and times for the most effective moving potential. I also maximized the movers capabilities by providing tools and resources such as straps and cables, handtruck, a furniture dolly, gloves, knee pads, and much more in order to facilitate maximum efficiency.

Finally the fourth stage calls for implementation, which “…marks the completion of the problem solving process . Activities at this point are focused on pitting the team’s solution into action.” (Coget & Losh, 2018 Ch 5.3) began on moving day when I scheduled the moving team, trucks, and several more people involved. When all the pieces fell into place the plan began.

During this process most people look to me for decisions on how to solve a problem. Since I am the executor of the will and his estate, I generally handle everything involving his passing. Granted in hindsight I have been very emotional since my grandfather’s passing so some of the decisions I made may not have had the best results. However, I think I have handled most of this process pretty well. Specifically during the furniture moving process I picked the lifter and spotters which I did an excellent job with those responsibilities. However, during the transportation process I decided to drive one truck load with a trailer myself. I believe this decision could have been different with more effective results. I should have let a different driver take the load to my house since I was very emotional the drive took me twice as long as it should have. A research paper about evidence-based decision making shares a, “a decision-making model that features the relationships between the critical sources of influence and the chief responsibilities of evidence-based practitioners.” (Spencer, T. D. & Detrich, R. & Slocum, T. A. 2012)

Destructive communication occurs when, “… Uncooperative and aggressive attitudes in which members engage in communications and behavior that are counterproductive to cooperation, teamwork, and conflict resolution.” (Coget & Losh, 2018 Ch 3.4) Bottling negative emotions and lashing out unexpectedly is when a person does not communicate their feelings effectively and instead internalizes all of the anger and frustration until a breaking point is reached at which point many people express their anger in inappropriate and harmful ways including anger explosions and anger repression. Anger explosions occur when, “… people have very little control over their anger and tend to explode and rages. Raging anger may lead to physical abuse or violence.” (Betterhealth.vic.gov.au) Anger repression occurs when someone may consider that anger is an “…inappropriate or bad emotions and chooses to suppress it however, bottled anger often turns into depression and anxiety.” (Betterhealth.vic.gov.au) Since I have been in a heightened emotional state lately making many decisions and answering many people’s questions has been very taxing. I have experienced destructive communication during this process.

Resources

Coget, J., and Losh, S. (2018). Group behavior in organizations (2nd ed.). [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

Department of Health & Human Services. (2014, January 31). Anger – how it affects people. Retrieved from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/anger-how-it-affects-people

Spencer, T. D. & Detrich, R. & Slocum, T. A. (2012). Evidence-based Practice: A Framework for Making Effective Decisions. Education and Treatment of Children 35(2), 127-151. West Virginia University Press. Retrieved June 3, 2019, from Project MUSE database.