Cause Of The Conflict Lois example essay topic

Wherever a difference in opinion exists, conflict will manifest. Conflict is as old as the world and appears in every aspect of our lives. Conflicts are one of the reasons for war. Many marriages have ended in divorce because of conflict. Conflict is prevalent between parent and teenage children.

It is a part of the human relationship. Therefore, the workplace is not exempt from conflict. Conflict is not always negative. Positive results can come from conflict. Dave Murphy explains in his article "Prize fighting / The right kind of conflict can help workers thrive" (San Francisco Chronicle Sept 1, 2002 pg J. 1). He quotes Lynn Eisaguirre as saying "We tend to have an attitude that if we have conflict in the workplace, something is wrong.

It's normal. It is an opportunity for us to come up with a more creative solution. Creatively managing conflict is a skill-just like learning how to use a computer". Lynn Eisaguirre informs us conflict can help organizations increase their performance. Reylito A.H. E lbo writes in his article "In the Workplace" (Business World, Manila; Sep 18, 2002 pg 1) managing conflict in the workplace is a five-step process and it is administered in a group setting with the two sides in attendance. The five steps to conflict resolution are: identify the conflict and the impact, find the cause of the conflict, brainstorm different methods to resolve the conflict, formulate and review the plan for resolving the conflict, summarize the plan.

Identifying the Conflict and the Impact "Collect data. Know exactly what the conflict is about and objectively analyze the behavior of parties involved". (Tools for Teams, Building Effective Teams in the Workplace, L. Thompson, E. Aranda, S. Robbins, p 241). The manager or facilitator will open the meeting by identifying the situation while revealing the data collected and uncovering the facts. The opening of the meeting for discussion will set an atmosphere for focus and direction. The facilitator will begin with a summary of the events that may have contributed to the conflict.

The details of the events are not important in this forum. The discussion of details could lead to sidetracking and finger pointing. The purpose of the meeting should be clear and concise. It is important to express all the perspectives of everyone involved including those not directly involved in the conflict. Conveying this message is best achieved by using words such as "we" and "together". Set ground rules to ensure that the discussions run smoothly.

Some of the ground rules suggested at one of the websites used for management training at United Healthcare are: 1. Avoid interruptions 2. Let each person participate in the feedback 3. Make no assumptions about motives 4.

Encourage truthfulness 5. Confidential information stays within the group 6. Encourage the participants to admit mistakes. (web) Once the purpose of the meeting and the ground rules are established, the commitment to resolving the conflict is next. Encourage the participants to confront the issues and to provide resolutions. It is important for the persons involved to agree a conflict exists and a resolution is necessary. Participants must understand the resolution is their sole responsibility.

The manager is only the facilitator or guide to resolving the issues. Find the Cause of the Conflict Finding the cause of the conflict involves clarifying the events preceding the conflict. This is a very delicate area. The participants may become emotional and may begin to place blame on each other. Reiterating the purpose of the meeting will assist in keeping the fact-finding portion on track. Asking direct questions is a process used to clarifying the situation.

To ensure that each person's perspective is considered, active listening is imperative. Once all perspectives are heard, the information must be summarized and verified with the participants to avoid inaccurate and irrelevant information. Information should be documented in a table for future reference. It will also assist as the progress to resolution is monitored. Brainstorm Ideas for a Plan to Resolve the Conflict Participants in a conflict will adopt a resolution plan when it is a product of their design. Therefore, this step in the conflict resolution is perfect for gathering ideas from the participants and building on the ideas.

The ideas of the participants will provide ownership of the success or failure of the plan. Therefore, encourage the participants to find a realistic solution to the conflict. The responsibility of the Manager or Facilitator is to ensure that the participants have adequate resources and support. Formulate and Review the Plan for Resolving the Conflict Using the ideas captured in step #3, formulate a plan for resolving the conflict.

The ideas selected should reflect the consensus of all the participants. Some of the issues to be addressed are: 1. What are the tasks? 2. Who will perform the tasks 3. What are the required resources for each task?

4. What will be the vehicle to track progress? Summarize the Meeting Upon completion of the plan, a review of the decisions is conducted. The assignments are confirmed with expected target completion dates. The review should be done by one of the participants to reiterate their responsibility to the success of the outcome. Confirm some of the important aspects of the plan for emphasis.

Follow-up dates must be set to ensure that progress is on target. A positive closing to the meeting is imperative to emphasize the concept of a team effort. Anecdote As a Project Manager, my team is responsible for conducting analysis on many aspects of the benefits provided by United Healthcare. The project team consists of six analysts. Three are located here in Phoenix, two are in New York and one is located in Alabama. One of the most recent directives currently in progress is to analyze the different ways benefits are applied and claims are paid based on product.

This project was assigned to Lois and Candy who are located in Phoenix. Candy is one of the top performers on the team. She grasps new concepts and processes very well. Lois is not as proficient at processes and she comprehends at a slower pace. The personalities of the two individuals are not complimentary. Candy is very out-spoken and sometimes her responses can be brusque.

In addition, Candy feels that everyone should grasp concepts as quickly as she does. Lois is not as vocal as Candy until she is provoked. Sometimes Lois' outburst can be unsettling. We met to design the end product, the grid to capture the data and the procedure to conduct the analysis. Lois and Candy were responsible for providing the intricate details such as the information to be captured and the formatting of the information within the grid.

They met, discussed and decided on the formatting issues. When Lois finished her portion of the project, it was Candy's responsibility to combine the two reports. It was my responsibility to summarize the data in a table. As Candy proceeded to combine the information into one worksheet, she noticed that Lois had not followed the agreed upon formats. Candy went to Lois to discuss her report.

Of course, Candy's delivery was in the brusque manner that is true to her personality. Lois (who is very emotional) was true to her personality. She waited until Candy left her desk and she began to slam papers and drawers and mumble under her breath. I went over to her and asked her to come with me to a room where we could discuss her attitude. After we had finished, it was evident that there was a conflict and it need to be managed. A meeting was scheduled with Candy and Lois.

The principles of Managing Conflict in the Workplace discussed in this paper were applied. We identified the conflict and the impact. Lois was upset with Candy and the project was not going forward because the communication had stopped. The lack of communication was going to delay the completion of the project We found the cause of the conflict Lois felt that Candy was disrespectful when she approached her about the incorrect formatting. Lois indicated that Candy was loud and displayed an attitude of arrogance. Lois agreed she had misunderstood some of the formats they discussed.

She admitted that she should have clarified them before proceeding. Candy did not understand why Lois felt her delivery was disrespectful. She apologized and said that she would try to be cognizant of her attitude. We discussed ideas for a plan to resolve the conflict Candy suggested that the formats be documented in a template for easy reference. Once the formats are documented, Lois and Candy would meet to finalize the template. They agreed that neither of them would deviate from the formats in the template without consulting with the other.

Lois would review her document and make the changes to comply with the formats in the template. We formulated and reviewed the plan for resolving the conflict We outlined the tasks and the person responsible for the task. We discussed accelerated target completion dates to avoid delay in the completion of the project. We set the completion of the template by close of business the next day. Candy and Lois would meet the morning of the second business day to finalize the template. Lois would complete the review of her grid and make changes by the fourth business day.

The target dates were realistic and the ladies felt that it could be accomplished. We summarized the meeting Lois reviewed the tasks and the person responsible for each task. Candy confirmed the target dates for completion. If there were any barriers to the completion of the tasks, we would reconvene for an adjustment to the schedule. I thanked them for their cooperation. On the fifth business day, we met our objectives and we celebrated with a Pizza lunch.

Managing conflict is one the aspects of my job that I like the least. I received training about 15 years ago in the concepts of Conflict Resolution. Some of the steps have changed over the years, but the concepts are the same. The key to managing conflict in the workplace is to handle it without delay. If it is not handled immediately, the situation will grow into a personal issue with the persons involved and will undoubtedly lead to a more serious incident. Managing Conflict [On-Line] web (Tools for Teams, Building Effective Teams in the Workplace, L. Thompson, E. Aranda, S. Robbins, p 241) Murphy, D. (2002) "Prize fighting / The right kind of conflict can help workers thrive" (San Francisco Chronicle Sept 1, 2002 pg J. 1) "In the Workplace" (Business World, Manila; Sep 18, 2002 pg 1).