Resolving interpersonal conflict

How drab would life be if everyone agreed on anything you say? Its good to have everyone following you, but its no fun if those people don't place their opinions before you, if they don't heartily participate. Every human being has the right to have an opinion, and should not be afraid to express it. Now, the problem here is the issue of interpersonal conflicts. Different opinions are bound to lead to clashes. 


However, is it really a problem? I feel that interpersonal conflicts are not necessarily a bad thing. As long as they are resolved effectively, they can lead to personal and professional growth. When there are interjections in a discussion, when the team members place their view-points and argue on their correctness, it actually helps is getting the best out of the group. If everyone agreed to the leader, then how would be 'teamwork' anyways?


You might be wondering how can I rate such a 'negative' thing as positive? Please don't get me wrong here. If the conflicts are not handled with care, the results could be harsh for the entire team, leading to disruption of group dynamics and firing up personal cold-wars. Hence, its not the conflict we should worry about, but how we can resolve it is what we should think about.


Let me share with you a short story. I had gone to a boarding school for my JC. For the first time in my life, I was out of my comfort zone, into a double room with Varnan. Initially, my only concern used to be homesickness. However, soon Varnan and me started having difficulty tolerating each other. He was a nocturnal bat, while I was an 'early to bed early to rise' kind of person. Slowly, the situation turned from bad to worse.


We had a common friend Sid. He was our neighbor. It was getting difficult for him to handle the friendship. So, finally he decided to intervene, to resolve our conflict. If you were into Sid's shoes, what would you do? 

Writing an Application Letter

Job Advertisement:

	Company	Bank of America
	Job Title	Internship with Bank of Ameria- Technology Summer Analyst   Program 2011
	Location	Singapore

Overview
As a Technology Analyst, you’ll:

- Have a rich and varied working experience
- Work closely with colleagues throughout our company to build relationships
- Gain the knowledge and expertise to meet the challenges critical to building a technology career within the financial services industry
- Collaborate on exciting global projects that contribute to business success and next-generation advances


Be exposed to a broad range of technologies covering many diverse environments: 

Applications development, involving the design, development and deployment of state-of-the-art applications using Java, C++, .NET and Web Services, to power and improve our business

Business analysis, using key client-facing skills and deep technical expertise to bridge business and technology and create powerful specifications

Project and delivery management, bringing new applications online using Waterfall and Agile development lifecycle methodologies

Requirements

Strong academic qualifications are important, but you'll also need to demonstrate drive, innovation and a genuine interest in a technology career within financial markets. We accept applications from a diverse range of degree disciplines, although Computer Science and Engineering subjects are key for this line of business. Working knowledge of Java and/or C++ is essential. You’ll also need team-working, leadership and problem-solving skills plus creativity, along with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment, multi-task and interact with a variety of people. 11 weeks (23 May 2011 - 5 August 2011) Language RequirementsFluent written and spoken English  ............................................................................................................................... Application Letter:

Akash Ranka

Road,

Residence, Block, Level, Room,

Singapore- pin code.

Date: 10^th February, 2011

Respected Sir/Madam,

Application for the role of Technology Summer Analyst

I, Akash Ranka, am an undergrad student at the National University of Singapore pursuing a degree in Computer Engineering with Business and Management as my minor. For several months now, I have been keen on gaining an experience of working for a firm such as yours, as I have always been interested in the dynamic world of banking and finance technologies, and also wish to pursue management or financial studies after my current degree.

Though my experience in the past has mainly been technical owing to the nature of my degree, I have had the opportunity to be a part of Start-Up@Singapore (S@S), an international business plan competition, where I am currently serving as the Competition Director. My duties include overseeing every aspect of the competition, ranging from identifying and securing judges for the event as well as planning the various stages of the event.

I believe that the experience I garnered at S@S will serve me well during my internship, and I am certain that I shall be able to actively contribute to the firm based on what I have learnt during my time as Competition Director. I have also worked in HDFC bank which gave me a good understanding of the bank work culture, which I’m sure will help me in my internship. I have also attached my resume for your perusal.

Further, apart from allowing me to have a firsthand look into the Banking and Technology industry, I believe that an internship at your firm will help me move towards a more rounded personality, simply because of the high degree of quality of service that is strived for and attained at Bank of America.

Yours faithfully,

Akash Ranka

Enclosure: Resume