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Dispute resolution and conflict management
Reflection on conflict management
Dispute resolution and conflict management
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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-resolveable 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 religio...
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...) Managing conflict in teams and examining hiring assumptions. Source: Camping Magazine, Sep/Oct96, Vol. 69 Issue 1, p17, 2p, 1bw. Available: www.wls.lib.ny.us/databases/ebsco.com 06/10/99
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Lundine, Susan (1998) Management consultants offer conflict resolution advice. Source: Orlando Business Journal, 01/23/98, Vol. 14 Issue 35, p15, 2p, 1 chart, 3bw. Available: www.wls.lib.ny.us/databases/ebsco.com 06/10/99
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Weeks, D. (1992) The eight essential steps to conflict resolution: preserving relationships at work, at home, and in the community. New York: Tarcher/Putnam.
O’Rourke, J. & Collins, S. (2008). Managing Conflict and Workplace Relationships. New York: Cengage Learning.
Abigail, R. A., & Cahn, D. D. (2011). Managing conflict through communication. 4th Ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
As human beings, we experience conflict in our everyday lives. It is a natural phenomenon of our personal and professional existence, that it becomes an inevitable component of human activity. In today’s ever-changing business environment organizations, conflict resolution styles are seen as culturally defined event. The success and efficiency of channelling conflicts, whether in a positive or negative manner, can affect the nature of it as being beneficial or destructive to us. However, if it is properly managed, it can in fact ‘increase individuals innovativeness and productivity’ (Uline, Tschannen-moran & Perez, 2003) while offering ‘interpersonal relationship satisfaction, creative problem solving, the growth of a global workforce and domestic
According to the Theorists as groups turn into teams, most conflict happens in the “storming” stage of team development (De Janasz, Dowd & Schneider, 2001). First, one must understand what conflict is. Capozzoli (1999) cites Boulding’s 1962 definition of conflict as “a situation of competition in which the parties are aware of the incompatibility of potential future positions and in which each party wishes to occupy a position which is incompatible with the wishes of the other.” Conflict can be either constructive or destructive to the team and can be created in several ways. Conflict must be analyzed and understood for the team to resolve it.
Hocker & Wilmot, 2007, Poole, & Stutman, 2005 Folger and 2007 Cahn& Abigail. "Interpersonal Conflict and Conflict Management." Devito, Joseph A. The Interpersonal Communication Book. Boston: Pearson, Allyn & Bacon, 2009. 276.
Interpersonal conflict is very common with many relationships. It occurs when two people can not meet in the middle or agree on a discussion. Cooperation is key to maintaining a healthy debate. More frequently; when dealing with members of your own family, issues arise that include conflict and resolution. During this process our true conflict management style appears “out of thin air”. (Steve A. Beebe, 2008, p. 191).
...he who, what, where, why and when methodologies of conducting reprimands, redirects and reinforcement of motivation. Chapter 7 showed me how to manage any type of conflict within the workplace regardless of the situation in an expedient, safe, and effective manner. I also enjoyed learning more about conflict management, strategies used in handling conflicts, and the relationship between each level of conflicts and organizational outcomes.
Make conflict work. (2008, May 24). Winnipeg Free Press, G.1. Retrieved March 14, 2015, from ProQuest Central database. (Document ID: 1485216051).
workplace include greater total resources, greater knowledge band and a greater source of ideas. However, these advantages can also bring on conflict within teams and the entire workplace. Varney (1989) reported that conflict remained the number one problem within a large company. This was after several attempts were made to train management in conflict resolutions and procedures. However, the conflict remained. The conflict possibly remains because the managers and leaders did not pay attention to the seriousness of the issue. In order to maintain an effective team, leaders and team members must know and be proactive in the conflict resolution techniques and procedures.
Thomas, K. W. (1992). Conflict and conflict management: Reflections and update. . Journal Of Organizational Behavior, 13(3), 265-274.
Conflict is unavoidable and connected to a world where different ideas and opinions are challenged. Negative conflict occurs when voices are not expressed appropriately, discussions are not in control or different parties reject moving forward with a solution. There is difficulty resolving disagreements because there are multiple reactions to disputes. However, a positive conflict supports debates without a destructive outcome. They improve communication, introduce principles that are important to others, and reduce chaos. On the other hand, the approach that a person uses to address conflict dictates the outcome they receive. Methods for resolving conflict include avoiding the problem, smoothing out a situation, competing against the ideas
Stulberg, J. B. (1987). The Mediator's Job. In Chapter 4 of Taking Charge/Managing Conflict. Pp. 31-41 Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
Conflicts and disputes are one of the major aspects in society that need to be dealt with on a regular basis. When these conflicts and disputes arise in the workforce, at home, in an institute, or/and in public, there needs to be some form of resolution in order to resolve and maintain a peaceful environment. Conflicts are a part of a healthy relationship, however at times, these conflicts need to be resolved using a conflict resolution process. Although there are several processes that can be used to solve conflicts, mediation and advocacy are two of the most common conflict resolution processes that can be utilized to come to a harmonious conclusion or resolution. Even though mediation and advocacy may seem to fall under the same category, these two are individually and specifically used for certain problematic scenarios as they both uniquely utilize distinctive skills and steps.
Swinton, Lyndsay (2006). Workplace Conflict Management: Strategy for Successful Resolution. Retrieved November 14, 2010 from http://www.mftrou.com/workplace-conflict-management-strategy.html
Conflict exists in every organization as a result of incompatible needs, goals, and objectives of two people while aligning to the overall business requirements. Though disagreement is linked with negative impact, the approach has healthy considerations (Leung, 2008). For instance, some conflicts create an avenue for the exchange of ideas and creativity to meet the set organizational purposes. However, damaging disagreement in organizations results in employee dissatisfaction, turnover, and poor services and reduced productivity. The paper establishes different types of interpersonal conflict and key resolution strategies used to address the problem. Human resource managers need to have the capacity to identify different levels of conflicts and the best methods to negate them.