Manager Conflict Resolution Skills example essay topic

Conflict Resolution in the Workplace Conflict Defined Look up the word conflict in the dictionary and you will see several negative responses. Descriptions such as: to come into collision or disagreement; be at variance or in opposition; clash; to contend; do battle; controversy; quarrel; antagonism or opposition between interests or principles Random House (1975). With the negative reputation associated with this word, no wonder people tend to shy away when they start to enter into the area of conflict. D. Jordan (1996) suggests that there are two types of conflict: good, which is defined as cognitive conflict (C-type conflict) and, detrimental, defined as affective conflict (A-type conflict). The C-type conflict allows for creativity, to pull together a group of people with different opinions or ideas, to combine and brain storm all thoughts to develop the best solution for the problem. The A-type conflict is the negative form when you have animosity, hostility, un-resolve able differences, and egos to deal with.

The list citing negative conflicts could go on forever. We will be investigating these types of conflicts, what managers can do to recognize conflict early, and what strategies they can use to resolve conflicts once they have advanced. Recognizing conflict in the business environment Recognizing and understanding what causes conflict in the business environment during its early stages, is the key to fast resolution of the issue. There are many warning signs. Lundine (1996) highlights five early detection signs... Romantic relationships between employees, i. e., perceptions of favoritism and morale problems can occur among employees, and there is a built-in potential for discrimination or harassment charges...

Inconsistent performance levels, i. e., fluctuation of monthly sales levels or decrease in pace / speed of work output... Excessive time spent on non-work related duties, i. e., personal phone calls or appointments, Internet surfing or excessive breaks... Pattern of unhealthy social activity, i. e., excessive drinking, and drug abuse... Changes in normative personality traits, i. e., a typically outgoing person withdraws from socialization. Some causes of conflict Warning signs are always valuable aids in recognizing when conflict may be just around the corner. Conflict can manifest itself when you mix a group people with different personal beliefs such as religion and politics.

Question an individuals personal beliefs or disagree with how they base their lives, and you are now dealing with an emotional response. This can cause a defense barrier, which can be difficult to break down. Individual goals can be included with needs and wants as another cause of conflict. The animosity generated, when an individuals goals, wants and needs are not met, can be devastating to a group. Some other nesting grounds for conflict are misunderstandings and lack of communication. Weeks (1992) states "Diversity is a healthy aspect of human society, diversity can open up possibilities, challenge us to consider alternatives, and keeps us from allowing ourselves to stagnate".

Within our diversity as humans there are differences in perceptions, needs, values, power, desires, goals, opinions and many other components of human interaction. These differences often lead to conflict" (p. 33). The importance of conflict resolution There are many benefits to implementing dispute resolution processes in your workplace: . Reducing conflict increases productivity... You are less likely to have wrongful dismissal claims of human rights or other complaints... Any complaints you do receive, can be resolved quicker and more effectively...

You " re conflict-related absenteeism rate decreases... You demonstrate commitment to your employees and foster their trust and loyalty... You hold your staff accountable for their actions. Morrow Bernardi (1999) The organization I work for at MCI, has a large number of system engineers who are IBEW union members. My experience with the IBEW and management in our group has been a positive one to say the least. If any conflicts arise, and they are not easily resolved between the manager and the union employee, the IBEW union representatives have always stepped in to handle the matters with speed and fairness.

An environment like this has promoted good morale and a good working relationship with mutual respect between the union employees and management. I believe that this is the perfect example of good conflict resolution in the workplace. (A.R.) "Destructive conflict often manifests [itself] as personal, vindictive, and it can be source of immense pain". Sreenivas, I. (1997) In my place of employment it has been my personal observation that conflict resolution of any kind is avoided. Tension and tempers flare, domineering personnel rant and rave, and rarely is much done about it; nor is anything done to prevent it. It appears that fear of an even larger conflict is to blame. Tardiness, poor attitudes, uneven work loads, undercurrents of racism are tolerated and ignored.

If a conflict resolution, or mediation center were more readily available to employees for even the smallest of complaints, without fear of retribution, I have no doubts that morale among civil servants would soar. (M.S., Friend and fellow student) Why conflict resolution skills are a crucial part of being a manager Conflict resolution skills are a crucial part of being an effective manager. Conflict resolution is used to resolve disagreements, arguing and lack of production due to bad morale within the environment. A manager who is in this type of environment must have the conflict resolution skills in order to bring their department back on track. I work with a man who was an owner of a very successful engineering company that had millions of dollars in profit a year. I can honestly say this person is the most knowledgeable conveyor engineer in the business but at the peak of his company his conflict resolution skills where lacking when he needed them most. The company closed up 9 years ago and he now is in the department I manage.

I discussed conflict resolution with him, and how he dealt with it in his company. He told me that he had difficulty with this skill. He, like many others would let conflict grow until it became a moral problem. The reason for this was because he and his staff did not know how to go about addressing conflict. Over the years he has had a chance to reflect upon what methods he could have done to correct the problems.

He realized that the only way to resolve a conflict that affects people on a personal level is to be a good listener and to know how to forgive. (B.S., friend and fellow student) Lord Herbert writes "He that cannot forgive others, breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven" Steward, L. (1998.) It's all based on people being happy. It is amazing what people can accomplish when they are happy. There is a type of conflict that a manager wants to have in his group that is beneficial to making an organization strong, and which in turn creates a positive environment. It is the type of conflict that exists in a group that needs to solve an issue or problem and by pulling together all their ideas, they modify and improve them. To be able to agree to disagree in an open forum in order to pull together resources and to improve and develop the best result possible.

A positive environment where everyone knows no ideas are bad, where a concept can be put on the table to be scrutinized for the benefit of the project. The pro / con approach that makes sure all bases are covered, to be able to disagree until a plan is generated where all agree. The success of this method is proven when all players walk away with pride in knowing that they were a part of a team that had a difficult task. The individual input that was built on, modified and added to, in order to gain the success of a job well done. The movie Apollo 13 comes to mind when I think of this.

The scene where three astronauts are stranded in the lunar landing module designed for two and they are creating too much carbon dioxide. The engineers on land are called to modify the existing air filter. A box of materials is poured onto the table. The manager of the group tells the engineers they need to make a round filter fit in a square box and that was all the materials they had to work with. Talk about conflict! Their first reaction was: "No way!" .

They worked as a group, argued, disagreed, fought, confirmed calculations, and disproved calculations but in the end they were responsible for saving the lives of three people. All due to a valuable tool called conflict resolution. This method of conflict was used as a check and balance. A team worked with the impossible to create the best. The pride these people must of felt! (A.R.) How can we develop good conflict resolution skills There are many sources available to people for training in conflict resolution. Books, videos, seminars, training courses, consultants and even web sites.

In each of these references: communication, the ability to listen and understanding are key factors in developing the skills needed to resolve conflict. There is a multitude of ground rules for successful facilitation. The most effective: . Attack problems, not each other...

Place a higher premium on understanding others, rather than being understood. 'Listen as hard as you talk. '. Speak to the whole group. Don't have inside conversations among friends or factions...

Generate, clarify, then evaluate. 'Generate ideas, issues, aspects, and alternatives first". 'Then make sure you know everyone understands each other before trying to find a solution". Donoho, Ron (1995) Methods to aid in conflict resolution Dudley Weeks, Ph. D. (1992) lists several methods to aid in resolving conflict. The eight essential steps to conflict resolution provide a road map in which to guide you (pp. 71 to 234) (1) The first suggested step is to create an effective atmosphere. The atmosphere includes personal preparation, timing, location and initial comments.

(2) Clarify perception. How you are seeing the situation and how the other individual is seeing the same situation. (3) Focus on individual and shared needs. Conflict often arises when needs are overlooked.

(4) Build shared positive power. Shared positive power actually constructs the process and moves it toward effective conflict resolution. (5) Look into the future and learn from the past. In order to succeed you need to have the ability to learn from the past and focus on the present and future. (6) Generate options.

Ideas and suggestions that when combined, meet the needs of each individual. (7) Develop "doubles" or stepping-stones to action. A "doable" is an action that incorporates the chance of being accomplished. It does not favor one party over another. It requires all members of the party to participate in order to be successful.

It meets the needs of the group without eliminating the needs of others and it uses positive power to build upon. (8) Make mutual benefit agreements. If all else fails, third party help such as mediators or arbitrators are available. These are individuals who have been trained in the field of mediation or arbitration. Several companies exist that specialize in this field. Mediation: A formal process in which an impartial third party, with no decision-making power, helps the disputing parties voluntarily settle the dispute by establishing ground rules for negotiation.

He / she opens channels of communication, articulates the needs of each party, identifies the issues, and if requested, makes recommendations on disputed issues. Arbitration: A formal process in which a third party who has been chosen by the disputing parties, renders a decision on the legal merits of the dispute. The arbitrator renders this decision after a hearing that generally involves the presentation of evidence and an oral argument. "Conciliation, facilitation and mediation are interest-based processes; the disputing parties themselves craft a resolution that meets their needs. Arbitration is a rights-based process; a third party determines the legal rights of the parties".

Morrow Bernardi (1999) While mediation is not new to labor and management disputes, it is relatively new to workplace management partly because of an overloaded legal system. Mediation gives people in the workplace the 'opportunity to clear up misunderstandings' and share underlying concerns that otherwise go unexplored. A mediator, who can be someone within the company or from the outside depending on the situation, must be acceptable to all parties and must maintain confidentiality. Brody, L. (1999) Concluding statement The lack of conflict resolution in a business environment can have a devastating effect on the people within the organization. By choosing to ignore many conflicts within their environment, they have created an atmosphere of anger, resentment, distrust, animosity, and reduced productivity. Consider an individual who starts work two hours late every morning, leaves work early, takes an extended lunch and then somehow manages to mysteriously clock in more hours worked than their counterpart.

The individual's counterparts are dedicated, at work on time, take the mandatory lunch break and stay late to complete their task. The rest of the hard working staff who follow the company policies sees this person taking advantage of the system and knows that management sees it also. Yet the management chooses to stay quiet hoping the individual gets his act together. In the mean time, resentment increases and time is lost complaining to each other about this person. As a result less work is being done. Bad morale is a very contagious disease.

Once you have bad morale, it is very difficult to get everyone back on track. It will start to snowball. An organization with management skills that can recognize conflict early and have the ability to resolve these issues in a swift professional manor will have the respect of the employees. This in turn will allow for a more productive environment by knowing that your interests are being considered. Conflict resolution occurs almost everyday in just about everyone's life.

These tools will help any professional succeed in their professional and personal life.

Bibliography

Donoho, Ron (1995) Conflict & Carter.
Source: Successful Meetings, Jun 95, Vol. 44 Issue 7, p 38, 5 p, 1 chart, 2 c. Available: web 06/10/99 Jordan, D (1996) Managing conflict in teams and examining hiring assumptions.
Source: Camping Magazine, Sep / Oct 96, Vol. 69 Issue 1, p 17, 2 p, 1 bw. Available: web 06/10/99 Levine, S. (1998) Getting to resolution turning conflict into collaboration.
San Francisco, CA, Barrett-Koehler, (p. 125) Lundine, Susan (1998) Management consultants offer conflict resolution advice.
Source: Orlando Business Journal, 01/23/98, Vol. 14 Issue 35, p 15, 2 p, 1 chart, 3 bw. Available: web 06/10/99 Morrow Bernardi (1999) Resolving Workplace Disputes.
Source: Canadian Manager, Spring 99, Vol. 24 Issue 1, p 17, 4 p. Available: web 06/10/99 Random House College Dictionary (Revised Ed. ). (revised edition) (1975).
New York: Random House. Sreenivas, I. (1997) The positive aspects of conflict.
Source: Business Journal Serving San Jose & Silicon Valley, 07/07/97, Vol. 15 Issue 10, p 21, 2 p, 1 bw. Available: web 06/11/99 Weeks, D. (1992) The eight essential steps to conflict resolution: preserving relationships at work, at home, and in the community.