It’s amazing what Cristian Ronaldo can contribute to a team; such superstar player can single-handedly change the course of a game at any point and it’s every manager’s delight to have such a player in his team. Apart from helping the team grind out result in difficult matches through out the season, a superstar player is also a good business to the club. He is a crowd-puller and the spotlight is usually on him. The media and fans’ interest follows him to any club he signs for and that means increased ticket sales, increased sponsorship and endorsement deals for the club.
A club’s management knows how important a superstar player is to the football business and sometimes, they break the bank to pay his sign-on fees and salaries. Some superstar players earn far more than the team manager as well as other players in the club. So like a colossal, the superstar player brings both his incredible football skills and personality to affect the entire character of the club.
This is the trouble! Most time, the superstar player feels indispensable and usually displays some unprofessional behaviors. He challenges the team manager, the coaching crew; he challenges fellow players, breaking every team regulations and his negative attitude brings so much conflict into the club.
The team manager’s job is to form a balanced team, with players who are capable of complementing the effort of each other. A smart team manager understands that a single superstar player doesn’t win a match alone. You still need your team’s collective input. In fact, a collection of superstar players doesn’t ensure you win a match. If the superstar players who make up the club don’t fit, the club won’t win. What usually wins is a team! Now, a team lives, eats, sleep, fight as one, the individuality stuff is stamped out.
A team manager’s ingenuity comes to test during conflicts, especially the one that involves a superstar player. Therefore, a team manager can’t afford not to put in place conflict resolution strategies for his team, because conflicts among team members erode productivity – but it sure does arise. Sometimes, the interpretation of the team’s regulation can be very difficult, but the manager must learn to always take decisions for the interest of the entire team.
Conflict that arises in a team doesn’t take the same pattern. Therefore, its resolution style shouldn’t take some rigid pattern too. It all depends on what the matter is with the superstar player in your team.
Five Conflict Resolution Style the Team Manager Can Adopt
1)
ThThe Competing Style: The decisive, assertive approach might be summarized by the expression “We’ll do it my way.” When a superstar player’s attitude is unbecoming and clashing with many members of the team. The team manager must stamp his ground and tell-off the superstar player – “We can do without you.” Although, it doesn’t promote team rapport, the competing style can be useful for unpopular attitudes, when the superstar player want to break down the team spirit. The approach can help to end conflicts that escalate beyond hope of any other form of resolution.
2) The Avoiding Style: The team manager may take the disposition of avoiding conflict with the superstar player, when the problem results from a trivial cause or create a non-win situation among the members of the team having the conflict. The team manager believes that the problem will resolve itself with time or as event takes over. He may just allow the team members or the task ahead to help resolve the issue.
3) The compromising: It works well when conflict arises within the team and has divided the players into two opposing and equally powerful group. When the situation brings pressure to achieve immediate solution or it erodes productivity. The team manager should be tactical enough not to indict any of the group, but to find a way for each of the group to rescind some of it’s opinions, and come to a common ground, irrespective of which group the superstar player belong.
4) The Accommodating Style: Marked by active cooperation, this style can help to maintain team harmony. The team manager may choose to back down in a disagreement with a superstar player, when other members of the team have asked him to rescind his actions. He does this in the interest of the entire team. On the other hand, the superstar player may come to apologize for his actions by the insistence of the other team members. This show of respect helps to enhance team spirit.
5) The Collaborating Style: This is also an active cooperation style, with the team’s interest uppermost in the mind of the team manager.
In this style, the team manager would have to swallow his pride when the superstar player’s opinion or actions seems best for the team. The team manager can come to consensus between his own approaches and collaborate with the superstar player’s own approach to make the team more effective.
