Meetings are critical to this small and busy shop, "The short time we get together brings the people closer, we all feel that the others are concerned for our personal needs," boasts O"Brien (2003). .
Teams are the backbone of companies large and small. Conflict will always exist when there are differences within working groups. Sometimes a stuffy office environment is not a practical location to discuss company issues before team members. Occasionally members of large companies come from long distances to meet with their peers and wish to have a more relaxed and informal setting. A solution to this situation is the ever-popular luncheon.
Banquet halls are filled all over the country housing large and small teams of people all searching to work better together. Restaurants do well from this type of arrangement. Often the need for a lunch outing will involve one or two individuals sitting down for a bite and hashing out their problems, "We love it!" exclaims Shepard Spencer (2003), owner of a popular Royal Oak, Michigan restaurant. "They come in daily to eat and argue their points. We have seen some very interesting conversations, some so heated that the staff had to ask them to quiet down. When they get ready to leave it looks to us that whatever they decided must have worked - at least their smiling," Spencer jokingly replies (2003).
Meetings such as luncheons and banquets work well to both prevent and solve conflict. These types of meetings work extremely well to alleviate conflict by bringing working teams together as a whole and getting full emotion and feelings from each individual about a particular conflict issue.
Fast communication can be achieved rapidly via the Internet or Intranet. This tool has made it much more efficient to get in touch with teammates. Problems with telephone conversations can include the basic technology of voice mail. The problem is not so much with the telephone it's with the person your attempting to reach.
