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Managing Conflicts in the Work Place
By Admin | May 13, 2008 -->301 views
This very sensitive area of management that affects your day-to-day working needs to be handled rather delicately. But before that we need to objectively understand the different kinds of conflicts that may arise in the workplace.
Territorial conflict (who does what within the same work environment)
Policy conflict (how a particular job is done)
Personality conflicts (diverse working styles)
Picturize this:
Jackson is hardworking, diligent and utterly committed to his job and organisation. He’s also very sociable, cracks jokes easily and has a rather informal way of coming across to others. Everyone in the office right from his seniors, colleagues and juniors call him ‘Jack’. He barges in easily into a colleague’s office, likes to have open discussions and believes in a friendly and communicative style of working.
Rita and Jack are thrown together on a project. Immediately problems arise. She believes in sticking to a work schedule that has never failed to yield results in the past. So when Jack misses an appointment in order to accommodate another colleague who he believes has the potential to contribute a better idea, Rita is visibly upset. She is also very uncomfortable with his too-familiar and over-optimistic approach. Her no-nonsense and businesslike working style had always translated into good business for the firm in the past and she views Jack as a possible hindrance to the successful completion of the project. Both are valuable to the organisation and their distinctive contributions over the past few years have been substantial. But, each wants to be the boss.
Jack is exceptionally good at negotiations and clinching lucrative deals, while Rita has a flair for detailing and accuracy. The management realises that an effective combination of their individual talents would be a success if only each could manage conflicts with each other in the workplace. Instead of giving an ‘ultimatum’, a mentor is appointed who skilfully manoeuvres an informal discussion involving both, into resolving sensitive issues. Since she is a senior who is trusted by both Jack and Rita, she is able to convince them to examine the following:
- Is resentment in the workplace against the other present? Often people do not want to acknowledge that they are actually resentful. Once they recognise this, then they are more open towards working to resolve it.
- Does this resentment translate into “I don’t like her/him!”? Often workplace conflicts become personal and it is important to understand the reasons that lead up to this situation.
- Can this conflict be resolved by clearly specifying individual job descriptions? Instead of simply outlining the general needs of the project and leaving them to work it out among themselves, the mentor helped them to agree upon mutually divided jobs and goals.
- Does a certain type of behaviour create conflict and misunderstandings? This is where a reasonably friendly discussion could get positively sticky and it is up to the mentor to dissolve confusion between the two by helping them to understand and even appreciate each other.
- Is there a lack of trust in each other’s abilities and intentions? This is where each needs to examine where the conflict stems from. If the other is viewed as a threat to his or her growth in the organisation, further conflicts arise.
- Is there a way in which each can work amiably without sacrificing the goals of the organisation? This calls for a lot of introspection, question-answer sessions and even individual counselling which can yield very positive results because the mentor makes them realise how valuable each is and how they could collaborate and reap fruitful results.
Other Readings:-
Managing Conflict in the Workplace
Managing Conflict in the Workplace
Workplace Conflict Resolution: People Management Tips
Conflict Resolution Management (CRM)
Why You’ll Want a Mentor Outside the Ivory Tower, Too
Topics: Productivity & Work-Life Balance |
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