Answer to Question 1
Answer: Teams are integral to an organization's success largely because one individual does not have all the skills needed to compete in today's business world. In addition, if a company needs to bring a product to market before a competitor does, it cannot wait for one or two people to do all the work involved. Instead, the company must rely on a well-coordinated team, with each person doing his or her part to achieve the common goal. Individuals benefit from teamwork, too. By working on a team, you will improve your interpersonal skills, expand your personal network, and use your best individual strengths while learning new skills from others.
Answer to Question 2
Answer: Conflict can include differences in opinion, disagreements about how to handle issues, complaints about performance or fairness, criticism about the behavior of others, and personality conflicts between people who just do not get along. Conflict is one of the most significant and costly problems in a workplace. A study by CPP, Inc., a company that specializes in conflict management, found that U.S. companies spend more than 2.8 hours per week addressing workplace conflict, which adds up to approximately 359 billion in paid hours per year. When companies do not effectively address conflict and work-place incivility, the negative emotions result in wasted time, loss of productivity, poor work performance, and decreased work effort, which are also costly to an organization. They may also lead to people leaving their jobs. In fact, a study of exit interviews from people who voluntarily left jobs found that more than 50 percent of all resignations resulted from unresolved interpersonal conflict. For every employee who leaves, a business needs to hire and train a new employee, which costs at least 1.5 times that employee's salary.