Conflict Management
MBA 525DL
INTRODUCTION
Each of us has a characteristic personality which is formulated early in our lives. Our Personality reflects our unique wants, needs, and values. It is this uniqueness that causes each of us to approach conflict differently. Just as each of us have a characteristic personality, we also have a characteristic style or manner on how we approach conflict resolution. Being aware of the particular style that suits you and understanding it's strengths and weaknesses will be key aspects to successful conflict management.
We are all capable of preventing, managing and solving conflicts in a peaceful manner. What many people don't realize is that well-managed conflict can actually be a force for positive change. There is no need to suppress, avoid or transform conflicts. Neither should conflicts be allowed to explode into violent actions. Knowing how to manage conflict peacefully is as important as knowing how to read, write and speak.
Conflict resolution techniques are also dependant upon good leadership skills. Sharpening these techniques and developing better leadership skills becomes important because of the costs that are associated with conflict. These costs are well-documented and not always measured in monetary value. They can also include high turnover, absenteeism, grievances and lawsuits. How you successfully solve difficult situations as a person or leader will determine the ultimate costs that conflict can bring.
This paper will give an abbreviated view of how individual personality effects the different approaches taken by conflict managers, the costs resulting from poor conflict management techniques and key techniques for developing better conflict management skills.
MAIN PART
Persons differ in their sensitivity to comments or actions of others, as well as their ability to deal with the stress created by a conflict situation. While it is important that we are sensitive to how we affect others, there is much virtue in not taking offense easily ourselves. Our self esteem is very fragile and by learning to deal effectively with conflict we essentially build a strong base for the self esteem that we possess.
As employers or employees we often try to be on our best behavior. We do this out of concern for how our peers may perceive us. Instead of dealing with conflict head on we tend to sweep problems under the carpet until the unresolved conflict builds and has to be confronted. When conflict is poorly dealt with and avoided the outcome can turn into contention. This creates bitter feelings, antagonism, alienation, disregard and competition.
Our personalities dictate how we will handle the conflicts that we encounter. Abraham Maslow (1982) said that "if the only tool you ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
As employers or employees we often try to be on our best behavior. We do this out of concern for how our peers may perceive us. Instead of dealing with conflict head on we tend to sweep problems under the carpet until the unresolved conflict builds and has to be confronted. When conflict is poorly dealt with and avoided the outcome can turn into contention. This creates bitter feelings, antagonism, alienation, disregard and competition.
Our personalities dictate how we will handle the conflicts that we encounter. Abraham Maslow (1982) said that "if the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see each problem as a nail." Likewise, if you have only one predominant conflict resolution style, there are inherent limitations or blind spots. We often are too quick to assume that conflict will have no possible mutually acceptable solution. This often leads us to solve our conflict by:
* Fighting it out - This can lead to anger, bitterness and workplace violence.
* Yielding - By constantly giving in to conflict, yielding can lead to an individual to stop caring and withdraw psychologically from the situation.
*
* Avoidance - This tends to weaken relationships and most of the time only delays the eventual confrontation.
Conflict is a fact of life for individuals and organizations. Wherever choices exist there is going to potential for conflict. Organizations spend millions of dollars annually on mediation and legal expenses. Some of the costs associated with conflict that were recently reported in an article written by Herman Consulting, 2003, (http://www.hermanconsulting.com/pages/serv_conf_%20costeff.html) are:
* Time Spent by Managers Attempting to Address Conflict: A recent study of managers ("Managers as Negotiators" by Carol Watson and Richard Hoffman, Leadership Quarterly, 7(1), 1996) demonstrated that 42% of their time is spent negotiating agreements to end conflict.
* Decreased Individual Productivity Due to Distraction: The consequent productivity losses per employee could be 20% to 30% or even higher.
* Decreased Decision Quality (Collective Productivity): Collective productivity in the form of decisional quality is also impaired during conflict. Decisions made in conflict-laden situations are typically inferior to decisions made in contexts of cooperation.
* Employee Turnover: Employee turnover poses an onerous cost to organizations. This is because of such constituent costs as (1) the lost productivity of departing employees; (2) the lost productivity of vacant positions pending the hiring of replacements; (3) the costs of recruiting and selecting replacements; and (4) the costs of training replacements.
* Reduced Employee Motivation: Conflict decreases employee motivation which, in turn, reduces productivity.
* Absenteeism: Absenteeism results from job stress and one of the greatest job stressors is conflict.
* Increased Health Costs: Illness correlates with stress and therefore with conflict. Increased illness results in higher health insurance claim rates and thus higher company insurance premiums.
Some experts believe that conflict represents the largest reducible cost in many businesses, yet it remains largely unrecognized (Dana 1999, Slaikev and Hasson 1998).
Organizations need to be able to identify and satisfactorily resolve conflicts early. This early action will lead to increased employee satisfaction, reduce turnover, all culminating in significant cost savings that translate directly to the bottom line.
Whether dealing with work related conflicts or personal conflicts an individual will need to develop sound conflict resolution techniques to be successful. Some useful conflict management skills include:
* Understand why conflict in the workplace happens.
* Know how to change your perspective of conflict.
* Identify the most common workplace conflict situations and intervening before they fester.
* Identify the different ways people deal with conflict.
* Use a "Win/Win" approach in a conflict situation.
* Take personal responsibility for dealing with conflict, diversity, and disagreement.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
One thing becomes very clear when it comes to potential conflict, wherever there are choices to be made, differences will potentially arise. These differences can result in challenges, opportunities or contention. Organizations are finding it increasingly difficult to consistently turn differences into opportunities. One of the keys will be for organizations to strengthen supervisors leadership skills. This would include training to better recognize the different personality traits and how they differ when dealing with potential conflict.
Supervisors will need to be attentive to the costs that are related to poor conflict management. These costs can not always be easily measured from a monetary standpoint. These costs take the form of high turnover, absenteeism, grievances, decreased productivity, increased health costs and lawsuits. By becoming more proactive instead of reactive to conflict supervisors can circumvent what many experts feel is the largest reducible costs in organizations today.
When faced with conflict organizations will find that developing conflict management skills will be crucial to successful conflict resolution. Organizations can develop simple and effective techniques to help create positive solutions and strengthen relationships that arise from conflict. These techniques may include first understanding why conflict in the workplace happens, knowing how to change their perspective of conflict, identifying the most common workplace conflict situations, identify the different ways people deal with conflict, Using a "Win/Win" approach in a conflict situation, and taking personal responsibility for dealing with conflict, diversity, and disagreement.
REFERENCES
Maslow, A. (1982). Toward a psychology of being (p. 55). Princeton, NJ: Van Nordstrand.
Herman Consulting, 2003, The Cost Effectiveness of Conflict Resolution, (http://www.hermanconsulting.com/pages/serv_conf_%20costeff.html)
Dana 1999, Slaikev and Hasson 1998, page 152, The Cost of Conflict
in the Workplace, from the January 2000 issue of The BCC Connection, the official publication of the Business Consultants Collaborative.
"Managers as Negotiators" by Carol Watson and Richard Hoffman, Leadership Quarterly, 7(1), 1996
OTHER SOURCES
Walton, R. E. (1987). Managing Conflict: Interpersonal Dialogue and Third-Party Roles (2nd ed.) (p. 108). Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
Fisher, R., Ury, W., & Patton, B. (1991). Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (2nd ed.). Penguin Books
Deetz, S. A., & Stevenson, S. L. (1986) Managing Interpersonal Communication. New York: Harper & Row Publishers.
6
2
