Tom Fox Dealing With Conflict In The Workplace Analysis

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Conflict is inevitable in almost any situation. In the real world, “whether we like it or not, organizations are filled with independent” individuals who have an opinion, and most people will voice it (Colquitt 422). When there are conflicts in the workplace, leaders must use their powers to maintain control and influence tactics to deal with conflict. “Dealing with Conflict in the Workplace” by Tom Fox is an article focuses on how a leader can resolve these issues the best way possible, and we will also provide some other methods suggested by Colquitt who is the author of our textbook for the class. The first situation Tom Fox brings forward is conflicted with bosses. Bosses are usually seen as a necessary evil; to some just plain evil. Some bosses are bad at their jobs and some abuse their power; causing conflict with employees and impacting the work-flow. Fox states “while it’s easy (and maybe legitimate) to blame your boss, this, unfortunately, isn’t the most productive option” (Fox). He is on the right track with Colquitt’s method by using the influencing upward skill to get the leaders and the bosses out of the conflict. Fox’s …show more content…

In this portion of the article, Fox focuses on tension. Most people hate confrontation. It is awkward, scary, but very necessary. Avoiding conflict builds up tension creating a powder keg waiting to explode. “As a leader, you want to allow for a certain amount of creative tension, but the moment that conflict becomes counterproductive, you need to act” (Fox). The reaction a person may have after avoiding the conflict may be much worse than their reaction if it was addressed immediately. Avoiding is not a good method that a leader wants to use for the conflict issue. Colquitt suggests that “compromise is perhaps the most common form of conflict solution, maintains relations between parties, and generally results in favorable evaluation for the leader” (Colquitt

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