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CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN WORKPLACE.
Term Paper ID:20142
Essay Subject:
Techniques, benefits, objectivity, solutions, arbiters, dual advocates.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Techniques, benefits, objectivity, solutions, arbiters, dual advocates.
Paper Introduction:
When there is a dispute between two or more employees, the very least a company can expect to lose is some degree of productivity. If the dispute is not resolved quickly, the productivity loss can spread to other employees as each of the parties gathers allies. Left unresolved, the dispute may escalate into the loss of valuable employees, litigation, or expensive settlements. Immediate supervisors can be crucial to the effective and timely resolution of a dispute between or among employees. In order to achieve maximum effectiveness, these supervisors must be trained to diagnose the problem, develop a solution which is acceptable to both (or all) parties, and implement that solution in a way that is fair to both the employees and the company as a whole. By examining each of these functions, and other tools which may be available to first
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For example, if a conflict eruptsamong members of a work group, it may be most effective for the entire workgroup to seek a solution since all members are effected both by theconflict and by whatever resolution is reached. This specially trained volunteer would listen to bothsides of the conflict, gather other information as necessary, and wouldseek to broker an agreement among the various parties.[7] The arbitermight come from anywhere within the organization, and these decisions wereconsidered binding unless additional remedy (such as litigation) wassought. As with gathering the initial information about the conflict,it is important that the manager be impartial during this process and takeall points of view into consideration. Such options should be pursued by the manager at the beginningof the investigation. If conflictresolution is not systematically undertaken by organizations, the companycan face a loss of productivity, a loss of key personnel, and thepossibility of litigation. Once a solution has been agreed upon, regardless of whether it isimposed by a manager, developed by an arbiter, or co-ordinated by dualadvocates, a mechanism must be built into the plan to monitor the situationand keep the conflict from arising again. Aside from maintaining objectivity, the manager must also approach thesituation with respect for not only the employees involved, but also thesituation. If there is such a framework in place, themanager should encourage employees to take advantage of it. [7]Ibid., 31. Dual advocacy mediation can take several approaches. Instead, dual advocates seek to have the participants work outtheir own solution, perhaps guided by the suggestions of the two advocates. In one, theadvocates meet with their respective clients alone, then with the otherclients, also alone. By examining each of thesefunctions, and other tools which may be available to first-linesupervisors, managers can better serve their employees and their company. In order to understand the nature of the problem, a manager must speakdirectly to the employees involved and seek to keep personal feelings fromall sides out of the issue. When there is a dispute between two or more employees, the very leasta company can expect to lose is some degree of productivity. Here, the directsupervisor has two problems: not only must the conflict itself beresolved, but its effect on other areas of the organization should beminimized. [5]Mary Beth Grover, "Letting Both Sides Win," Forbes 148 (September3 , 1991), 178. In some cases, thearbiters worked within the human resources department, and both parties ina conflict would feel that the arbiter represented the company's interestsabove all others.[8] To help overcome these problems, some organizations have moved towarddual advocacy mediation resolution.[9] In dual advocacy mediation, eachparty in the dispute has an advocate assigned to them. Another strategy for conflict resolution involves individuals who maynot be directly involved in the dispute. By not knowing that the conflict existed to begin with, themanager may have permitted unnecessary losses in productivity to be felt inother areas of the organization.[3] The manager may be aware of a dispute by direct observation. At this point,the advocates are trying to understand the underlying causes for theconflict and are seeking hints as to how it can best be resolved. "A Surefire Resolution to Workplace Conflicts." Personnel Journal 71 (May 1992), 111-114.Rottenberger, Kerry. Each party must agree to abide by a resolution, regardless ofwhether they help develop it or whether it is imposed on them. These are volunteers sought from throughoutthe organization, across all department and through all levels. As with managers serving as the focal point for conflict resolution,this approach had drawbacks. Regardless of how the dispute comes to the manager's attention, oncethe manager is aware of the conflict, immediate steps should be taken tominimize the effect on the surrounding organization. In another scenario, all four participants can sitdown together. Left unresolved, thedispute may escalate into the loss of valuable employees, litigation, orexpensive settlements. "How Do You Handle Conflicts?" Sales and Marketing Management 144 (July 1992), 32-33.----------------------- [1]Deanne G. If thedispute is not resolved quickly, the productivity loss can spread to otheremployees as each of the parties gathers allies. At the heart of any conflict resolution is good communication. The workspace problem in a cubicle is one such situation where this might be anappropriate solution. There may be a single or dual advocatemediation process in place. These may take the form of humanresources personnel who can serve as arbiters, or there may be union-baseddispute resolution procedures. Such a mechanism may bequantifiable in the form of increased productivity, or a reduction in thenumber of complaints from other workers. Solutionswhich are developed in conjunction with employees have a stronger chance ofsuccess than those imposed from above in some situations, but each conflictis different, and it is up to the individual manager to determine the bestcourse to follow. Traditionally, the manager is the focal point in conflict resolution.Sometimes the manager serves as a referee, sometimes as mediator, andsometimes as parent. With goodcommunication, employees feel confident in approaching managers or thehuman resources department about conflicts in which they are directly orindirectly involved. Simple disputes requirenarrow investigations; complex or long-standing disputes can haveramifications outside the immediate department and may require extensiveinvestigation. Recently, however, there has been a move away from themanager as focal point and toward specially trained volunteers from withinthe organization. [9]Phillips, et al, 112. Effectively and permanently resolving a dispute begins with anaccurate diagnosis of the problem. [2]Tom Brown, "Curing Those Workplace Ills," Industry Week 24 (October 21, 1991), 28. This person isresponsible for representing that employee's interests, but also forresolving the situation at hand. Immediate supervisors can be crucial to theeffective and timely resolution of a dispute between or among employees.In order to achieve maximum effectiveness, these supervisors must betrained to diagnose the problem, develop a solution which is acceptable toboth (or all) parties, and implement that solution in a way that is fair toboth the employees and the company as a whole. As with a single advocate, training of the volunteers is key to a dualadvocacy program's success. Aside from the time and money required totrain the arbiter, there was the question of impartiality. This has the benefit of keeping the manager out of the day-to-dayentanglements of the situation, and also maintains a consistent approachthroughout all areas of the organization. Before opinions can be formed andsolutions sought, the manager must hear as much about the problem aspossible.[2] In other cases, the issue will be brought to the manager's attentionnot by one of the participants, but by another worker in the same area.Again, it is important that the manager not offer an opinion, but gain asmuch information as possible in order to pursue the matter with thosedirectly involved. Goodcommunication can keep managers informed on the different resolutionstrategies and resources available when conflicts do arise. Goodcommunication can prevent conflicts from becoming deep-rooted. This requires that the parties involvedmove beyond the emotional level and are able to state their problemsobjectively. The manager isresponsible for gauging the scope of the dispute and then determing howbroad the manager's investigation needs to be. In this case, the manager takes on the role ofparent between two disputing children and sets the solution by edict.[5] In other situations, the supervisor may have the individuals come upwith solutions separately, then mediate a compromise among these proposedsolutions. By effectivelyresolving the dispute, the manager will increase the department'sproductivity and may prevent the loss of employees or incur the cost of alawsuit. A third way in which a manager may become aware of a conflict isthrough another manager. The first step toward resolving any conflict is recognizing that aconflict even exists.[1] Sometimes, one or more of the participants maybring the conflict to the manager's attention. Here, it is important that all parties in thedispute feel that the manager is impartial and objective. Remedial action should also be apart of the plan in order to provide for steps to be taken if the suggestedsolution is not effective. When this is the strategy that ischosen, the manager must also remember that not only must the employees besatisfied with the outcome, but that the solution must be acceptable to theorganization as a whole, as well. To effectively resolve disputes within an organization, managers mustbe aware of the conflict resolution procedures and strategies that areavailable within the organization. Anderson, "A SurefireResolution to Workplace Conflicts," Personnel Journal 71 (May 1992), 111. Ertel, Danny. Similarly, if the resolution seems to favorthe other employee, the manager may have a difficult working relationshipwith the other. A conflict over workspace by two employees sharing a cubiclemay seem trivial to a manager, but in fact, the work environment can be acritical issue of employee satisfaction and morale.[4] Letting theinvolved parties know that the manager respects them and their problemencourages all parties to work together to resolve the situation. Phillips, Jerry A. In this situation, a second manager may be awareof the conflict when the direct supervisor is not. When this process was first implemented, it used a single advocate toserve as arbiter. Advocatesideally work with employees with whom they are not otherwise familiar;merely bringing in a fresh perspective can be a big step toward solvingsome problems. [3]Ibid. However, it also may distancethe manager from the line personnel, and solutions worked out under thisframework may be resented since they come from outside the employees'immediate organization.[6] If the parties are members of a union, theremay be procedures within the union's by-laws which provide for conflictresolution. "How to Design a Conflict Management Procedures ThatFits Your Dispute." Sloan Management Review 32 (Summer 1991), 29-42.Grover, Mary Beth. Still another approach has the advocates meeting with theirassigned employees, then the four sitting down together. This is generally not the mosteffective solution as there is still likely to be resentment at itsimposition. For this reason, the manager must beaware of potential precedents and existing policies when resolving theconflict. If one of theparties in the conflict is on friendlier terms with the manager thananother party, whatever resolution is achieved may be perceived to favorthe one on friendlier terms. Some organizations, recognizing that conflict resolution can be costlyboth in lost productivity and in the potential for lost resources, have setup conflict resolution procedures within the framework of the personnel orhuman resources department. By carefully airing problems and focusing on solutions, rather thanfocusing on the problem, managers can help foster an environment in whichsolutions to conflict are actively sought by employees. The exact process the manager will choose tofollow will depend on the types of personnel involved, the manager'srelationship with those personnel and the type of organization whichexists. "Letting Both Sides Win." Forbes 148 (September 3 , 1991), 178.Phillips, Deanne G., Jerry A. Cooke and Amy E. [8]Ibid., 33. Depending on the exact nature of the conflict, the manager may chooseto speak with other personnel regarding the situation in order to gain abetter understanding. This technique would not be appropriate for adispute involving work space in a cubicle, but would be useful if theconflict is affecting relationships with other departments. [4]Kerry Rottenberger, "How Do You Handle Conflicts?" Sales andMarketing Management 144 (July 1992), 32. "Curing Those Workplace Ills." Indusry Week 24 (October 21, 1991), 28. The manager serves as anintermediary who can help keep the discussions on track, and who canpresent management's views on any proposed solutions. Anderson. [6]Danny Ertel, "How to Design a Conflict Management Procedure ThatFits Your Dispute," Sloan Management Review 32 (Summer 1991), 29. Aggrievedparties could feel that the advocate was not truly objective, or may nothave had the employee's best interests at heart. BibliographyBrown, Tom. As with solutions devised by a single advocate or a manager, theparticipants can elect to have the two advocates develop a solution whichis then imposed on the combating parties. With good conflict resolution procedures inplace, and with well-trained personnel, companies can overcome theconflicts are certain to arise, and become stronger and more competitive asa result. Having determined the root problem, a manager can then set aboutformulating a solution. Whenthis is the case, it is likely that the manager is only viewing thesymptoms of the problem, not the underlying cause itself. Such a jointly arranged solution gives all parties "ownership" of it andencourages a successful implementation. In this way, both parties feel adequatelyrepresented, and may be more amenable to the solution that is reached. The steps thatare followed in these situations are similar to those described above, withthe exception that a human resource representative takes the place of themanager. The manager should ask appropriatequestions to elicit as much information as possible, but should refrainfrom giving an opinion at this time. For example, in some cases, the manager will arbitrarily present asolution to which the disputing parties are expected to adhere. Cooke and Amy E. Or, the manager may be expected to handleresolutions without these other resources. In this case, it isimportant that the supervisor not take sides, but instead listen to theparticipant's view of the situation.
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