Conflict Managment and Resolution - Research Paper Example

? Running Head: CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND RESOLUTION To compare and contrast the approaches to conflict management and conflict resolution from the perspective of a manager and transactional leader Student Name University Name Organizations often encounter situations of conflict. About 20% of the conflicts result into aggressive behaviors and end up into substantial tangible and intangible loss to the organizations. Milan, Dorion and Matos (2012) found 23 conflicting issues in the distribution channel of a Brazilian manufacturing company and 7 conflict sources. The United States Figure Skating Club has provided that in order to prevent and to manage conflict to avoid negative consequences, it is important to understand the nature of conflict and what it is (p.8). Traditionally, a situation where there are differences of views, complaints, disagreement is considered as a conflict. In contemporary organizations, the human resource department is responsible for identifying conflicting issues and devise solutions to mitigate them properly. Furthermore, the concept of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is also synonymous to conflict resolution and is becoming an important aspect in the emerging organizations (Constantino & Merchant, 1995). Kazan (1997) postulated that conflicts can be resolved through "reasonable compromise aids" regardless of its confrontational nature. This is based on the theory that conflicts are based on subissues which if identified and fixed properly can help mitigate the entire conflict in a matter of time. There are two models through which conflict management and resolution is perceived. The harmony model postulates that conflict management aims to minimize the conflict. It ensures that the mutual obligations are fully observed and proper order of the status is maintained. In case of harmony model, the conflict resolution can be achieved through accommodating and avoidance style. Kazan (1997) argued that "less emphasis is placed on procedural justice as on maintenance of face of self and others" (p. 338). Furthermore, the concept of third party is the backbone of conflict resolution through harmony model. On the other hand, the regulative model requires that the third parties intervene formally to resolve a conflict. This paper aims to compare and contrast the transactional leadership and manager’s approaches to conflict management and resolution. In order to achieve this aim, the paper will conduct a literature review of the researches conducted till date that have explored the transactional leadership and manager’s approaches to resolving and mitigating conflicts in a workplace. A manager is a person who has to manage the workforce and to make them achieve organizational objectives. A manager has to plan, organize, lead and control. Leading is the core function of management. However, a manager is always a leader but a leader is not always a manager. The transactional leadership is a type of leadership style in which the leader perceives that people can be motivated through rewards and punishments only. This is the most common type of leadership style and widely adopted in contrast to charismatic and transformational leadership style. Every manager has to face conflict issues that takes place while they are performing their roles. In this regard, they have to undertake steps to handle these conflicts and to resolve them in a manner that is beneficial to the organization. Nevertheless, there are various approaches to conflict management and resolution that varies according to their outcomes and nature. For instance, Hendel, Fish and Galon (2012) conducted a research study of Israeli nurse managers in general hospitals to analyze their choice of strategy whilst managing conflict and their leadership style. The primary reason for undertaking the research was the fact that nurse managers encounter conflict. The conflict management style determines the degree of effectiveness of the managers. Increasingly, the organizations are realizing the importance of adopting effective conflict management strategies to handle and prevent conflict situations. In pursuance of this rationale, 90 nurse managers were interviewed though Form 5X-Short, Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, demographic data and Multi-Factor Leadership Questionnaire. Hendel, Fish and Galon (2012) study found significant results that the head nurses consider themselves less transactional and more transformational leaders. Furthermore, the primary and common strategy of conflict management was compromise which is a lose-lose strategy. Likewise, Zhang, Cao and Tjosvold (2011) are of the view that transactional leadership style is less effective in managing conflicts. Instead, transformational leadership style has the ability to enhance team interaction and coordination to achieve organizational goals. The authors developed a model based on the data collected from 108 teams in Chinese large enterprises. The study found that the transformational leadership that aims to manage conflicts within teams can help them perform better and achieve higher organizational objectives. On contrast, Korabik, Baril and Watson (2012) undertook a study of manager's style of managing conflict in a workplace to conduct an examination of the gender differences due to the perception of subordinates of the leader's behavior. The authors tested leaders having managerial work experience through evaluation results of leaders and their subordinates. The study found that in global self-reported conflict management style had no gender differences whereas, those leaders having no managerial experience, the results showed that men were less compromising, obliging and integrating than women. In other words, Korabik, Baril and Watson (2012) found that the men adopt transactional leadership style while managing conflicts at their workplace. Like, they consider the elements of reward and punishment as important factors in managing and resolving conflicts. The study also found that the leadership styles adopted and their subsequent outcomes were the same between both genders. This study shows that the approaches to conflict management from the managers and transactional leaders point of view are gender biased. The females are more towards transformational leadership roles than the transactional ones as the latter involves definite rules and guidelines to follow. In case of failure to comply with the guidelines can result in severe punishments that are against the nature of females in most of the cases. The study also shows that male managers are more focused on adopting leadership style that can help them achieve multiple benefits and no loss (Korabik, Baril & Watson, 2012). On the other hand, the female managers are interested in achieving a method that helps them resolve the conflict at any cost. Similarly, Holmes and Marra (2004) undertook a study to examine the leadership styles used to manage the conflicts in meetings. The study found that good leaders choose conflict management strategies that effectively address the transactional and relational goals to attain the organizational objectives. According to this study, the effective practice of managing conflict in the workplace is achieved through the transactional leadership style. This style allows the leaders to focus on the definite plans, measures and set directions that are given to the employees. The employees are also informed about the incentives of achieving the required standards and the subsequent penalties for failure. Thus, making it easier for the leaders to identify the potential causes of conflict, develop methods to avoid future disputes and resolve the existing problems effectively. The nature of conflict and its diversity has demanded a uniform set of process to resolve disputes that arise in a workplace and in legal cases. For instance, the large number of intellectual property right cases and their sensitive nature has required a speedy, cost-effective and mutually binding solution to the intellectual property rights stakeholders. ADRs include mediation and arbitration which allows the intellectual property rights stakeholders to resolve their disputes in a matter of days and at very little cost instead of seeking justice from the Courts. In this wake, Teague, Roche and Hann (2012) undertook a study to examine the level of ADR practices in Ireland companies to resolve the conflict in workplaces. The study found that the diffusion of ADR practice flourishes in US companies and their commitment to human resource management. From the findings of the literature review of various research studies, it is found that the transactional leadership style is widely practiced with effective conflict management results. However, there are gender differences among the adoption of transactional leadership. Furthermore, ADR practice is adopted by leaders and managers to resolve the conflicts in their workplace and among organizations. References Constantino, C.A., & Merchant, C.S., (1995). Designing Conflict Management Systems. Lavoisier. Retrieved 24 February, 2012 from http://www.lavoisier.fr/livre/notice.asp?id=OLSWL6AORX3OWO Hendel, T., Fish, M., & Galon, V., (2012). Leadership style and choice of strategy in conflict management among Israeli nurse managers in general hospitals. Journal of Nursing Management, 13(2): pp. 137-146. Retrieved 24 February 2012 from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2934.2004.00525.x/full Holmes, J., & Marra, M., (2004). Leadership and managing conflict in meetings. Pragmatics, 14(4). Retrieved 24 February, 2012 from http://elanguage.net/journals/index.php/pragmatics/article/viewArticle/444 Kazan, M.K., (1997). Culture and conflict management: A theoretical framework. International Journal of Conflict Management, 8(4): pp. 338 - 360. Retrieved 24 February, 2012 from http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1659954& Korabik, K., Baril, G.L., & Watson, C., (2012). Manager's conflict management style and leadership effectiveness: The moderating effects of gender. Sex Roles, 29(5-6): pp. 405-420. Retrieved 24 February, 2012 from http://www.springerlink.com/content/p751387hr80615g7/ Milan, G.S., Dorion, E., Matos, J.A.R., (2012). Distribution channel conflict management: A Brazilian experience. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 19(1). Retrieved 24 Ferbuary, 2012 from http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=17015190&show=abstract Teague, P., Roche, B., & Hann, D., (2012). The diffusion of alternative dispute resolution practices in Ireland. Journal of Economic and Industrial Democracy, 33(1). Retrieved 24 February, 2012 from http://eid.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/02/06/0143831X11424767.abstract 'USFSA', (2010). Conflict Management and Conflict Resolution Guide. USFSA. Retrieved 24 February, 2012 from http://www.usfsa.org/content/ConflictManagement.pdf Zhang, X-a, Cao, Q., & Tjosvold, D., (2011). Linking transformational leadership and team performance: A conflict management approach. Journal of Management Studies, 48(7): pp. 1586-1611. Retrieved 24 February, 2012 from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2010.00974.x/full Read More