Over the course of the Baldwin Grows project, our group facilitated one instance of conflict resolution between our team and the client. In a meeting, a discussion around our most recent proposal documents led to the client expressing concern over the project timeline. They seemed confused and frustrated about why we hadn’t already created a master plan within the first few weeks of the semester. They wanted to be able to begin construction as soon as possible, and assumed that we would provide graphics for this purpose sooner in order to help facilitate construction on site. 

We explained that our schedule had to align with the class agenda provided by our instructor, who was facilitating our relationship with the school. There were several intermediate projects we were obligated to complete including extensive background research on community engagement, as well as planning and executing the community engagement with students at the school. Moreover, we had provided a document outlining the semester-long schedule describing these processes. 

Our team was able to recover from the conflict by remaining calm and discussing the matter. First, we acknowledged that the clients needs are important, and that our goal is to help them succeed. Next, we identified the source of the miscommunication. Lastly, we clarified questions and reached a solution about which we all agreed. Taking the steps to complete the conflict resolution process was important in maintaining a healthy relationship with our client. It helped them understand our goals and made our team more confident in the project. Conflict resolution ultimately leads to trust, empathy, and productiveness.