Conflict resolution - Essay Example

Conflict Resolution Introduction Conflict resolution is a common practice in many settings in the contemporary world. Conflict resolution is described as the techniques and practices undertaken in enabling the peaceful termination of a disagreement. There are several types of conflicts, but the one to be discussed in this essay is the informal conflict between two workers in an organization. Conflicts in organizations have been a major threat to work performance and hence affecting the profitability of the organization. Informal conflict is a disagreement whereby, the parties involved in the disagreement decide to solve their differences peacefully among themselves or with a mediator rather than doing it the official way. This nature of a conflict is less costly in terms of money and less involving. The methods, which will be applied in this conflict resolution exercise, will include distancing; one of the parties in disagreement stays away from the other; negotiation; allow the parties in dispute to sit down and discuss amongst themselves on how to terminate their differences peacefully. The last technique will be the mediation process, which will involve the intervention of a third party to try to reconcile the disagreeing parties. The parties in disagreement will have to give a brief account of the incident, which led to the conflict, declare their stance as far as the incident is concerned, their feelings, concerns, and emotions as well as their views. A brief conversation has to take place between the parties where they will state their stance concerning the resolution, including their level of satisfaction emotionally, physically, and psychologically. This will give the mediator confidence and strong will to carry out other mediation processes in the future (Ramsbotham, Tom & Hugh, 2011, 15). History Williams and Cheryl have been doing a job in the same manufacturing organization for several decades and have been great friends. When their present manager is about to leave the organization, he promotes Williams, something which Cheryl does not take positively. Williams goes on about his new job as usual until a time when he decides to launch a new rule to workers he supervises. Anxiety among the workers increases since they consider the rule to make little logic to them and is possible to raise their already intense workload. Cheryl having known Williams for long, and having been friends, she expects Williams to object the rule since it is pressurizing them so much especially the junior and new recruits in the organization. The conflict between the two emerged because Cheryl considered herself fit for the promotion instead of Williams her friend. She claims to have an advantage over Williams in that she has been in the organization long before Williams came in and thus she is more experienced thanhe is. Further, Cheryl argues that Williams is exercising strict control on the subordinates only to prove his position as their supervisor, which is not right. These two are great friends; thus, one wonders where the disagreement emanated from, what will be the most suitable techniques to apply to try to reconcile them, and how easily and conveniently can this be achieved. Their conflict seems to be understandable; therefore, the possibility of a resolution being arrived at the soonest possible and conveniently is high. This will restore their friendship and hence improve the productivity of the organization for better gains at the end of the financial year. Themes/ Patterns This dispute resolution process will be carried out peacefully and in a quiet place where each party will feel comfortable and secure. The secrecy of the parties involved will be guaranteed. Each person will have time to express their concerns amicably, look for a common ground that both of them can agree on; create a future resolution other than concentrating on the history. Lastly, the parties involved will be united again and continue their job together as usual. The factors that led to the outbreak of the conflict and the methods of resolving the conflict will be reviewed (Hocker& William, 2014, 28). Cheryl’s stance: Working in a manufacturing institution for a lengthy period, Cheryl has witnessed what plans worked perfectly and what appeared to cause troubles. She was sure that the new rule introduced will not work, including raising everybody’s personal amount of work. It was obvious that the rule was fixed through senior administration; however, Cheryl had the notion that Williams could have shown a stronger objection to the suggestion, as he as well thinks it would turn everybody’s working day exhausting. Cheryl has the notion that like an individual, Williams runs short on trust and has excessively covered this through being excessively strict with several of the group affiliates; in an effort to show that he is in charge. Cheryl must understand that every organization has its own way of carrying out its functions, and thus Williams did not ask for a promotion; however, the manager saw him worthy. Williams’ stance: Williams, shocked by the promotion he gets, his self-belief grew an aimed at controlling the friends, he worked with before. Because of this, Williams notices a division in the group performance. Some of the group members do not recognize his new post as their supervisor and this undermines his job; and others decide to stay away from him. This group, which distances itself from him talks negatively about him and he feels degraded. Cheryl as well does not give him humble time to carry out his duties due to her jealousy. The obstacles encountered in this conflict resolution are developing a sense of trust again between the two parties; and how to justify to them especially Cheryl that the promotion of Williams was purely the management's decision and that nobody influenced it. The trust between the two parties has now lost since each party sees the other like a betrayer. First, Cheryl does not understand why and on what grounds was Williams promoted. Furthermore, why did Williams not object the new rule imposed by the management? Cheryl will have to be convinced that the management’s decision is final and thus one has no option other than implement it. On the other hand, Cheryl decides to curtail Williams’ job since she does not like the idea of promotion. Therefore, Williams should be made to understand that Cheryl is only jealous of him due to his new position and that he should try to call her to sit down and discuss the issue amicably. This will help them solve their differences peacefully, and if they do not agree, the mediator will intervene to create a resolution. Afterwards, if need be, one party may decide to keep distance from the other for a while to heal their wounds (Ramsbotham, Tom & Hugh, 2011, 35). Conclusion and implications Therefore, it exists clear from the discussion above that conflicts occur largely in organizations because this is where many people interact and spend much time together. People cannot be anticipated to concur with everything always. Knowing how to handle disagreements instead of avoiding them is the necessary aspect that each individual should adopt.Organizationalconflicts happen frequently; however, they can be resolved informally without the management knowing. In a conflict resolution process, each one requires having the sensationof being understood, cared for, and promoted; however, the means in which these requirements are fulfilled differ greatly. Varying requirements for feeling contented and secure form a few serious problems in our individual and expert associations. In the above conflict, Cheryl and Williams bring up the issue of the emotional realm in disagreement and the consequences are very evident. In the context of disagreement assessment and resolution, the emotional blueprints demonstrated during moments of tension would serve as a caution indication that intervention is required. When a disagreement is not properly handled, it can lead to a huge damage to a relation; however, when dealt with in an adorable, optimistic manner, disagreement offers an opportunity to reinforce the bond between the disagreeing parties. Many people when under conflicts as in the case above prefer the informal resolution method since it helps them calm the pressure and avoid publicity of the conflict, which might lead to dire consequences like loss of job, demoted, as well as heavy fines. The involvement of a neutral mediator as well serves better to terminate a conflict; however, the parties must have assurance that secrecy will be maintained and that the resolution process will take place in a safe and quiet environment. This mediation process helps each party to express their feelings, emotions, and views freely and fully, hence developing a sense of trust that the conflict resolution exercise is fair and not biased. Good communication is vital to every organization for success to be achieved. The channels of communication as well help in maintaining peaceful coexistence and understanding among the workers and management in an organization. When good communication is present in an organization, conflicts do not occur frequently; and if they occur, they are very easily resolved and the work goes on. Through knowing these skills and techniques for disagreement resolution, people can maintain their individual and expert associations firm and developing. This helps the productivity of the organization to remain high hence its profitability (Hocker& William, 2014, 56). Work cited Hocker, Joyce, L. and William, Wilmot.Interpersonal Conflict. 9th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2014. Ramsbotham, Oliver, Tom, Woodhouse, and Hugh Miall.Contemporary Conflict Resolution: The Prevention, Management and Transformation of Deadly Conflicts. Cambridge, UK: Polity, 2011. Print. Read More