Running a branch office in the small town with two college-educated colleagues with middle-class backgrounds and three local residents from lower backgrounds will likely be characterized by disruptive challenges that may adversely affect the operation of the office as a team and thus there is a need for effective management. In running a productive and efficient team at work, there is a need to create an effective workplace and enhance positive social relations among the employees. However, the reality is that there are class differences linked to the ambiguous class position of the employees which may be a source of conflicts, discrimination, and unmet needs of each of the individual employees considering that universal processes and activities related to maintaining the team would be largely impractical (Konrad, Prasad and Pringle 7). In running the workplace and seeking effectiveness in operations, the major anticipated challenges related to class differences include developing cooperative efforts, restoring relations and positive emotions, and managing conflicts. Meeting the problems of the perceived underclass and attempting to incorporate the members into the larger workplace team is a challenging task. The basic problems emanate from socio-economic developments based on a mindset that simply renders the members superfluous and this renders the members only as marginally relevant.
Social class is measured by educational achievement and occupational prestige (Fahy 159). The reality, in this case, is that the college-educated members of the team would assume a place in the upper class and the locals assumed to be lower class. Class assumptions and depictions are correlated with discrimination and negative stereotypes such as lacking in intelligence and this may manifest in the manner in which the college educated members treat the local employees. With such as scenario, it is difficult to create a level playing field. The key challenge is that it may be difficult to channel the classism-based bluster into a cooperative effort to enhance cooperation of all the members. Practically, the college-educated members may be highly motivated towards the path of upward economic and social mobility at work and this may shift the emphasis on what is expected at work rather than what is valued. Individual aspirations of the college-educated members can compromise the value of the local members. In contrast, the local members, in addressing authority or supervisory figures, may include cynical responses and anger and this is a dilemma that relates to the difficulty in building trust and positive social relationships at the workplace. This relates to the understanding brought forward in research that poverty-related concerns consume the mental resources of individuals which trigger distracting concerns with relation to the team dynamics at hand thus affecting their overall productivity (Mani, Mullainathan, Shafir and Zhao 976). This makes it easier for the members to cooperate because they are distracted by their present situation.
The class aspect is a salient issue when there are social class differences in a team and class differences can be linked to inequality (Konrad et al. 10). The social class differences can be challenging for the individual workers because it may be difficult for the local employees to work with the college-educated employees without being intimidated owing to the possibility of insensitivity to the inadequacies of the socio-economic backgrounds of other members. In addition, the locals who may have experienced shame and humiliation pertaining to poverty and prejudices against them may feel like certain directives given to them by the college-educated colleagues may come out as an imposition which does not represent humanitarian or equitable values. According to Konrad et al., utopian glances and status quo with respect to critical Marxism principle limits alternative visions and gives power to the dominant ideology driven class groupings (12). Based on the understanding presented based on critical Marxism principle, it may be difficult for the different members to understand the socio-economic context in which individuals relate to and thus insensitivity towards each other’s feelings and perspectives may be evident. This can lead to potential conflicts because of the possibility of social class judgments and negative attitudes towards each other based on their perceived social class. Managing such conflicts can be difficult, especially considering that social class judgments are a challenge that is enshrined in the social system in which the diverse members operate.
Socio-economically disenfranchised members of a team may perceive other members from advantaged backgrounds to have bought into the American middle-class values. There may be difficulty in building trust between members, especially due to difficulty in disclosing problems for fear of being judged based on the tendency of the upper class to vilify the underclass members. In this case, the social trust may be limited and morale may be blasted thus the members may lack a sense of agency which can only come from the participation that enables people to belong and contribute to the larger team. In the work settings, it is possible that minor technical problems can be disruptive for the team and team members because it can be self-defeating when other members are deprived of critical information on the basis of being depicted as second-class team members.
Plan- Team Effectiveness Action Plan
An important point to consider in the plan is that each team member has a significant and valuable role to play. In that respect, even though the local members may not be well-educated, it is important to recognize that they have valuable insights that they can offer to the organization (Sawyer). As an orientation practice, every team member will be informed about the team procedure and job-related role and responsibilities of each member and what is expected from the individuals. Clarifying the roles and responsibilities and the team procedure helps to define roles, delegate authority, and facilitate planning. Defining roles goes beyond defining job aspects and includes the recognition of individual talent with respect to innate and job-related skills each person brings to the team. This is carried out collectively so that each team member can understand why they are on the team and the team goals can be defined and discussed.
It is also important to highlight the aspect of interdependence, communication, and conflict resolution options with respect to establishing team goals. Through structured activities and face-to-face interactions among members and using activities with a wide margin of escape rather than confrontation, members can be able to share experiences and develop trust relationships in their interactions. Building relationships can also be achieved by including diversity awareness training programs prior to the engagement of the team in work activities with the aim of bringing individual social-based differences out in the open and identifying the unique abilities and skills.
Establishing the support structures incorporates coaching activities, feedback, and needs assessment which should be done regularly. This is important at the team formation and performing stage and they may include disclosing relevant information about self and values clarification as well as developing a customized assessment plan and providing guidance and clarification to individual members. This plan will go a long way in addressing class differences because the work setting will be built based on a trust relationship, clarity of roles and responsibilities, and appreciating the diversity and background of each individual.
Works Cited
Fahy, Colleen A. “Social Class Diversity: A framework for understanding social identity perspectives.” Assumption College, n.d., pp. 158-171.
Konrad, Alison M., Pushkala Prasad and Judith Pringle, editors. Handbook of Workforce Diversity. London: SAGE, 2009.
Mani, Anandi, Sendhil Mullainathan, Eldar Shafir, and Jiaying Zhao. "Poverty impedes cognitive function." Science vol. 341, no. 6149, 2013, pp. 976-980.
Sawyer, Diane. “A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains (1 of 3).” YouTube, uploaded by butterfly121879, 11 October 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syUwFmYeSVw
