Organizational Team-Building Activities for Building Teamwork - Term Paper Example

Conflict at the Workplace al Affiliation) Conflict occurs in the event of a clash in personalities, when employees feelthey are unable to carry out their duties due to the actions of other employees and when team members have a perception of progress due to the actions of other team members. Conflict envisages an ongoing situation that is different from a dispute. If a dispute is neglected and not resolved, it leads to a conflict situation. Conflicts are an everyday occurrence in the workplace due to the ever-changing, hectic, and competitive working environment. The fact that conflict is common requires each stakeholder in the workplace to develop the necessary skills that enable him or her to manage conflict in a productive manner. What’s more, the productive handling of conflicts provides the chance for all the parties to understand the diverse nature of people working within a specific environment (Pardey, 2007). This enables them to improve their methods of working and build a solid team that reflects the mission and vision of the organization. As inevitable as the conflicts between the employees are, organizations must strive to implement a sustainable conflict resolution program. The dominance of conflict often disrupts the departmental productivity, increases the rate at which good employees quit the organization, and reduces the morale of the company. Therefore, effective resolution of the conflicts within the workplace presents a chance for the organization to capitalize on the diversity of the employees and attain a comprehensive employee retention program. The first step towards logical resolution of workplace conflicts as Mrs. R.O states, involves the identification of the cause of the conflicts. The general distinctions of the conflicts at the workplace include the constructive and destructive conflicts. The constructive conflicts constitute disputes that have more benefits over costs. Such conflicts often translate into productivity to benefit the parties that are involved in the conflict. The constructive conflicts enable the team members to come together under the basic benefits from the conflict and strengthen their relationship. On the other hand, destructive conflicts present an opposite of the constructive conflicts. Such conflicts offer more harm and destruction to the organization and often bring no growth to the company. The major contributor to this conflict is unacceptable actions by two or more participants who perform actions that elicit resentment amongst the larger workforce. The continued actions by these parties often escalate into more bitterness and eventually lead to a breakdown in the communication frameworks and a loss of vision amongst the employees. Conflict in the individual needs of workers often results into conflict. The moment workers begin to compete for the available scarce resources, power and recognition, the conflicting parties tend to endure frosty relationships. It is however normal for everyone to share the resources within the organization (Bhat, Rangnekar & Barua, 2013). Despite this, other employees have the desire to occupy the higher positions within the company. The workplace constitutes a wide range of personality differences. Such differences are associated with different gender, religious or political beliefs, diverse backgrounds, and cultures. These differences present various opportunities for the employees. Given the different orientation, communication becomes a problem within the organization. Many organizations fail to establish the boundaries within the organization that determine the freedoms of each individual within the workplace. Therefore, as communication continues to hinder the relationships of employees, the differences in personalities contribute largely to the breakdown in communication. In many organizations, a set of rules and policies exist to govern the code of conduct of each employee. This is the case for all employees in both the public and private sectors. The culture of non-compliance to the set of rules and policies is a recipe to conflicts in the workplace. Many employees disregard the need to observe the policies of the organization. As Mrs. R.O insinuates, such conflicts arise in the clash of styles under which the employees work. While other employees work best under unstructured environments, others operate best under structured environments. These workers easily stand a chance of disputing the working styles exhibited by the others. Misunderstandings within the organization arise due to differences in perception amongst the employees. Just as diversity presents differences in styles, so it does present the conflict in perceptions. It is evident that the perception of the top management about the hiring of new employees is not similar to the perception of the workers with whom the new workers will work. Many departmental workers view the hiring of new employees as an insult to their duties, while the top management views it as an opportunity to increase the competition within the department (Jehn, 1997). Therefore, it is important to highlight the perceptions of different workers in order to limit the conflict arising from misunderstandings. When the organization gives incentives, competition appears. Whereas many employees view competition as a chance to prove their loyalty to their employer, others view competition as a chance to gain authority. Competition in the workplace, Mrs. R.O says, is a sensitive issue that can be manipulative if not handled with the experience it deserves. Competition provides the organization with an array of innovative ideas, while the individual workers have an array of conflicting goals. This poses a situation in which conflicting pressures occur between departments and associates within these departments. Competition can lead to the duplication of roles as the ineffectiveness of one department translates to the failure of other departments. It is therefore important to integrate the operations of the organizations in line with the competitive strategies of the organization. The unpredictability of the policies within the organization presents a chance for the growth of conflict. In the event that a company changes its policies, misunderstandings arise as the definition of roles becomes vague. In addition to that, destructive conflicts include differences in personal values and the social environment of the workplace. In other organizations, segregation leads to suspicion, gossiping, and ultimate conflict. One of the roles of the management is to offer direction to the organization. Mrs. R.O concurs that it is important for managers to get involved in the conflict resolution process as early as possible with the aim of resolving and diffusing the conflict to suit the satisfaction of the parties involved in the disputes (Yang & Mossholder, 2004). Many organizations have come to view emotional intelligence as a requirement for managers. Emotional intelligence is an important tool that controls the emotions of employees. Emotional intelligence is significant in instilling active listening skills and controlling the verbal aggression associated with conflicting parties. The conflict resolution is a process that involves neutral approach to the problem. It is important to bring both the parties together in order to instill the perception that the solution of the problem is neutral. When people are under conflict, Mrs. R.O says, they are deeply upset about something. After the formation of a neutral resolution place, it is important to let the conflicting parties to tell their stories. By allowing the conflicting people to speak their minds, there is a possibility of finding new information that may enable the emergence solution of a natural solution to the conflict. Emotional intelligence requires the referee to lay down the ground rules that guide the basic process of telling individual stories. The manager should state that either party should desist from interrupting the other, as they will get a chance to present their opinions. In order to remove the possibilities of shifting blames, the parties should be encouraged to speak in first person (McConnon, McConnon & McConnon, 2010). The referee should identify the problem and the set of issues that contribute to the conflict. Through giving the parties a chance to outline the incidents that make them have certain perceptions, the manager is able to come up with a list of issues that need to be resolved. In the case of a one off incident, Mrs. R.O says it is important to find the underlying cause of the incident. Afterwards, the issues should be prioritized in accordance with their level of urgency. Understanding the basic facets of emotional intelligence requires the referee to understand the backgrounds of each side. After formulating a list of issues to be resolved, the manager should get each party to explain their feelings about each issue on the list. The parties should listen and talk to each other while emphasizing the need to listen to each other even more. This creates a discussion sort of environment that enables each party to understand the genesis of each point of view (Yang & Mossholder, 2004). In other situations, it is important to understand that failure to find a solution provides a chance for the parties to agree to disagree. The moment these parties get into the discussion, the referee should learn how to read their minds. Mrs. R.O says that this is not a technical or magical process but a combination of intuition and observation techniques. This is through the analysis of the individual body language and attentive listening to the emotional tone behind the words spoken by each party. The process of conflict resolution requires an amicable solution to a problem that threatens to create a stalemate within the workforce. The resolution process should device creative methods that enable people to cooperate rather than instigate more clashes. Despite the existence of conflicting tension in every process of conflict negotiation, the process should capitalize on this tension to create an environment that supports cooperation. With cooperation, according to Mrs. R.O, solutions that are more creative are born. It is normal to have personal principles that make other individuals difficult to budge. However, isolation is the best technique that enables movement for people of this character. By taking the spotlight off these people, they feel the cooperative parties have neutralized their perception of strength. This is common in the departmental or multiparty conflict resolution that has one party taking a hard line approach, which constantly refuses to compromise by rubbishing every solution presented (Nebenzahl, 2005). To find a sustainable conflict resolution, the associates need to understand their conflicting styles and learn how to accept the conflicting styles. Many organizations use personality tests to explore their diverse styles. Managers can resolve both the interpersonal and structural conflicts through different techniques. The organization can expand its resources in order to alleviate the problem associated with workflow schedules. In addition to that, the management needs to clarify the responsibilities of each department and individual. Evidently, many conflicts emanate from the encroachment of one department on the domain of another department. Clear outlines on the responsibilities of each department enable the manager to eliminate the duplication of duties and subsequent clash of responsibilities. The solution of the conflict further exists in the management’s goals to find a solution to the problem. Mrs. R.O says that the managers must respect and recognize the differences that exist amongst the group members and the individual conflict parties. This recognition enables the referee to remain objective and ensure inclusivity of all the parties. Through emotional intelligence, the managers should be sensitive to the needs of each individual. As illustrated, the conflict in individuals constitutes largely to workplace conflicts. The realization that diversity poses different motivational incentives to different people enables the management to equip itself with the best responses required by the needs of different people. The best cure for personality differences is to constitute a strong communication network, Mrs. R.O says. Through communication, the management enables the employees to establish the boundaries that define the limits of interaction and mutual understanding. Many people assume that avoiding conflict offers a chance for the dispute to gradually fade and go away. Contrary to their beliefs, prompt address of the issues improves the chances for workplace coordination and peaceful resolution of conflict. Therefore, ignorance often leads to gradual build up of emotional situations, further amplifying the risks of reduced productivity. The decision to move forward from the resolution is the major step towards ending the conflict (Mary Rau-Foster, 2000). The managers should find a possible resolution for each case. The resolution needs to focus on a myriad of issues such as the modification of the behaviors by both or either parties to prevent future eruptions of possible recurrence of disputes. The referee should get both parties to understand and acknowledge the issues and problems with their cause. With this judgment, the management enables the conflicting parties to accept the reality of diversity and enables them to move forward in line with the set rules and guidelines. In most cases, it is important to present both parties with written transcripts of the meeting. Such transcripts should obligate the parties to sign a commitment to the awareness of the issues that caused the conflict. With the increased demand for managers able to handle emotions through emotional intelligence, the revolution of emotion handling styles is critical in offering modern resolutions to conflicts. In handling high emotions, it is important to remain supportive and maintain calmness throughout the process. This helps to tame the emotions and fasten the resolution process. Many managers, just like Mrs. R.O, accept that it is important to allow employees to compose themselves in the process of undergoing emotional trauma. The safety of employees is paramount in the provision of neutral environments for listening to both parties under conflict. If individual parties want privacy, it is advisable to offer them their privacy in the presence of a counselor. Many organizations have clearly printed mission and vision statements that help to guide new employees into understanding the nature of working environment. Orientation programs help to shape the employee perception to the general responsibilities of each department in the organization (Van, Nauta, Giebels & Janssen, 1999). In structured working environments, the employees have their own structures of addressing their wants in accordance to the set rules and regulations. The same applies to the unstructured working environments that adopt an informal manner of addressing problems. Organizational team building exercises are important in building teamwork and ensuring that a majority of the employees embraces diversity. Part of the reasons why conflicts arise in the workplace is the fatigue associated to operating within a fixed environment. Many organizations have adopted off the office practices that define the character of each employee towards an exercise designed to strengthen the company. However, many managers make the mistake of leaning towards one side of the conflicting parties. Leadership requires fairness in conflict resolution, besides the necessary guidance the leaders offer in drawing a way forward from the conflict. Human resource managers should implement an employee retention program that enables the employees to stay in the organization even when conflicts are on the rise. Indeed, such programs include the participation of certain activities like sporting activities and social development projects. In conclusion, conflicts exist to emphasize the need for embracing diversity in the workplace. It is healthy to have constructive conflict within the organization to ensure accountability and perfection of duties and responsibilities. However, the extent to which conflicts get harmful is dependent on the conflicting parties allowing emotions to overrule the basic reason behind the conflict. Nonetheless, constructive conflicts should be encouraged to enable organizations to practice ethical treatment of the employee workforce for fear of losing the influential employees (Van, Nauta, Giebels & Janssen, 1999). Destructive conflicts, on the other hand, should be eliminated before they crop up into emotional blowouts that translate to operational inefficiency. References Bhat, A. B., Rangnekar, S., & Barua, M. K. (2013). Organizational conflict scale: Reexamining the instrument. IUP Journal of Organizational Behavior, 12(1), 7-23. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.davenport.edu/docview/1434052613?accountid=40195 http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/job.258 Jehn, K. A. (1997). A qualitative analysis of conflict types and dimensions in organizational groups. Administrative Science Quarterly, 42(3), 530-557. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.davenport.edu/docview/203961816?accountid=40195 Mary Rau-Foster, (2000). Conflict in the Workplace. Williamson Business magazine Retrieved from http://www.workplaceissues.com/arconflict.htm McConnon, S., McConnon, M., & McConnon, S. (2010). Managing conflict in the workplace. Oxford: How To Books. Nebenzahl, D. (2005, Dec 01). Conflicts in the workplace have huge consequences. Daily Townsman. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.davenport.edu/docview/356076975?accountid=40195 Pardey, D. (2007). Managing conflict in the workplace. Oxford: Pergamon Flexible Learning, an imprint of Elsevier. Van, d. V., Nauta, A., Giebels, E., & Janssen, O. (1999). Constructive conflict at work.Journal of Organizational Behavior, 20(4), 475-491. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.davenport.edu/docview/224881741?accountid=40195 Yang, J., & Mossholder, K. W. (2004). Decoupling task and relationship conflict: the role of intragroup emotional processing. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25(5), 589-605. Wiley Online Library. 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