Factors of Conflict in the Workplace - Research Paper Example

Communication is defined as the transmission of information from one end to another. When it is between people it is termed as inter personal communication. As people communicate there are bound to be misunderstandings. This is because the two people communicating are different in terms of their values and interests. Conflicting values and/or interests is what leads to conflict. (DeVito 2004) According to Fiore, the effects of conflict in the workplace are both widespread and with expensive ramifications. Accordingly, 24-60% of the management time and energy is spent dealing with anger issues in the workplace. The consequence of this is that there is decreased productivity, more stress especially among the employees, held back performance, a high employee turnover rate and absenteeism. However, in its most serious and worst form, anger could lead to violence and even death in the workplace. (2008) Conflict in the workplace is the result of certain factors. For instance, according to Fiore, the most important cause could be in the case where one feels taken advantage of. The employer/boss/manager may take advantage of the employees by overworking them but ultimately paying them close to nothing sometimes even not paying them at all. It could also be that the employee feels misunderstood in the workplace not only by the employer but also by colleagues. In other instances yet, the company may not clearly have interpreted its goals and values well to its employees. Conversely, the employee may have goals and values that are not in tandem with those of the organization that they work for. Thus, there are four main conflict resolution steps that employers and managers may take so as to reduce work place conflict. (2008) Sample the following scenario that has potential for conflict in the work place. A janitor is going about his daily duties in the organization that involve cleaning of not only the halls but also the restroom. He is about 45 years of age and has been a janitor for the last 20 years. On one occasion as he goes about his duties cleaning the restroom, a man in a business suit who forms part of the management approaches him and says to him, ‘you should listen to me, you appear to be an intelligent fellow. For more than 15 years you have been cleaning the toilets. Why don’t you try something else? Do something with your life and get another job?’ In response, the janitor smiles and says to him, ‘what? And leave show business?’ the man in the suit cannot help but walk away and shake his head in disbelief. Few weeks go by and the janitor and the man in the suit meet gain. Just like before, the man in the suit says the same thing as before. This time the janitors seeks to question him, why he often speaks to him like he does. Janitor: ‘I often feel like you are putting me down when you constantly ask me to do something with my life and get another job. Man in suit: I am only trying to help. Janitor: While I understand that, I would appreciate it if you didn’t ask me to get another job. I try not to let it bother me but it makes me fell inadequate. Man in suit: I apologize. Janitor apology accepted: Apology accepted. I enjoy interacting with the people I come into contact with as I do my job which is why I made fun of your comment last time. Man in suit: It was very smart and caught me off guard. I will try and be more appreciative of the job you do for us on a daily basis. Janitor: That will be very nice of you. According to Tillett, the first and the most important thing that the managers need to look into, is communication skills. They need to understand how communication is carried out in their organization. Of particular significance is the way in which they communicate and how they could be teaching their employees to communicate with each other. (1999) For instance, it is important that the use of ‘I’ as opposed to you is encouraged. The importance of doing so is that feelings and behaviors are owned up to. This is an effective way of communicating as it leads to the resolution of conflict. For example, think of how much better it sounds to hear someone say, ‘I would appreciate it if you would hear me out,’ rather than ‘you should listen to me!’ The first scenario is likely to avoid a potential conflict. However, the second scenario seems confrontational and there is a likelihood that it will lead to conflict. In our scenario above, the janitor avoided a potentially explosive situation by making fun of the situation. Had he responded angrily and rudely, it would have been a case of insubordination in the workplace despite the fact that the manager or a senior person instigated the scenario. Nonetheless, Cornelius & Faire, conflict can be effectively resolved to the satisfaction of all parties through the use of certain skills. (1989) Appropriate conflict management skills must be included. They are appropriate assertiveness, listening skills, empathy and a win/win approach. Assertiveness and effective listening techniques. In conflict management, assertiveness should not in any way be compared with aggressiveness. Assertiveness is the ability to express one’s feelings and assert one’s right in a way that is respectful of the feelings and rights of others. The reason why assertiveness may be equated with aggressiveness lies in the fact they are both direct ways of expressing one’s needs. They involve people standing up for their rights. Still, assertiveness recognizes and respects the other person with whom one is involved in a conflict with. In such a case one often respects his/herself and assumes the best about the other person. The consequence of this is that they look for a win-win situation and thus reach a compromise. This is in total contrast with aggressiveness where disrespectful, manipulative, or abusive behavior is employed. In most cases aggressiveness is retaliatory without taking into consideration the other person’s point of view. Its goal does not lie in the effective resolution of conflict rather in just the expression of emotions. Assertiveness is the middle ground between passivity and aggressiveness. A person who is passive resolves conflict by keeping it to himself. The disadvantage with this is that when it is ultimately vented out, it is usually in an aggressive manner. (Scott 2006) As far as assertiveness is concerned in conflict resolution, one should always be clear on what they need to be assertive about. For instance, the janitor’s issue at hand with the man in the suit is the callous way in which he spoke to him. As they talk no unrelated issues should be brought forth. Moreover, he should be able to repeat and clarify what he wants from the man. (Greenfield 1998) Again, the managers/employers or even fellow employees need to employ what is referred to as active listening skills. In active listening, the aim is to try and understand what the other person is saying. This involves paraphrasing what the other person is saying in order to communicate that one really understands what the other is saying. (Fiore 2008) Win/win approach. The win-win approach is the ultimate in any conflict resolution scenario. In order that a win-win approach is successful, collaboration is of utmost importance. (Claremont & Davis 2005) This is because areas of disagreement and differences are established, alternatives are evaluated and solutions elected that have the support and the commitment of both parties. In the win-win approach, conflict resolution changes from being adversarial and defensive to cooperation. Concurrently, there should be a willingness from both parties to resolve the conflict. this requires that both parties trust and are honest with each other. Again they should both be willing to trace the root cause of the problem. Finally, they must be prepared to empathize with each other. Conflict resolution cannot work where one party feel like their feelings are not validated. The A-E-I-O-U communication model can also be used to arrive at a win-win scenario. A- assuming that the other person means well. E- Expressing one’s feelings in an assertive way. I- identifying the desired outcome. O-stating the outcome that one expects. U- asking for understanding on a mutual basis. (Assertiveness and conflict resolution n.d) Empathy. Empathy is used to refer to a situation where a person places himself/herself in another persons shoes in order that they are able to understand the other person’s feelings. Empathy is all about good bonding and openness with people. When people are not empathetic with each other, they are less likely to understand each other’s feelings and needs. The best way in which empathy can be included in conflict resolution is through active listening. In this case it then becomes easy to recognize the other person’s view of the situation. Active listening as far as empathy is concerned involves; obtaining the necessary information so that there is no unnecessary communication as you set out to resolve the conflict and affirmation, where both parties should acknowledge each other’s feelings. (Conflict resolution network 2008) Effective conflict resolution using the skills of active listening, empathy, assertiveness and the win-win approach is useful in the management of such emotion as anger, hurtfulness, the need for revenge and even resentment. Emotions make objectivity hard which then means that conflict cannot be effectively resolved. For instance, the scenario of the janitor and the man in the suit, demonstrates the use of all the skills to manage the feelings especially as felt by the janitor. In the janitor and the man in suit scenario, it is evident that the situation has the potential to escalate into a potential conflict. The man in the suit says something to the janitor that is rude. While the janitor is able to diffuse the situation through the use of humor the first time. He is unable to hold it back because he feels hurt and angry. He uses his assertive skills to arrive at what can be termed as a win-win situation. The janitor is empathetic enough such that he is in the end able to understand the man in suit’s point of view. Active listening is regarded as important because it helps in reducing the emotionality of a give situation. Whenever one of the parties in a conflict correctly labels the emotions the other party could be experiencing, the intensity of the conflict is quick to fritter away. This is because the person begins to feel heard and understood. Empathy on its part leads to what is an acceptable resolution to a conflict for both parties involved. While the janitor was assertive enough in expressing his feelings and emotions, it would have been important that he not have the unrealistic expectations. From the conversation it appeared that that he expected the man in the suit to respond like he wanted immediately. The win-win approach leads to a solution that is acceptable to both parties while assertiveness helps one express his/her feelings appropriately without having to be aggressive. In the end they all help in dealing with conflicts. For instance, when the janitor asked the man in the suit if he would stop asking him to find another job, it was good that the man in the suit responded as the janitor expected. But it had he not, it would then be correct to point out that the conflict between them would not have been resolved as quickly. As far as the man in the suit is concerned, being part of the management and talking as callously as he did to a junior employee is not a good precedence. It is there fore important that the organization where the janitor and the man in the suit work embarks on training of employees on proper communication plus effective ways of resolving conflict in the workplace. (Withers & Lewis 2003) Communication is an integral part of life. However, in interpersonal communication there is bound to be misunderstandings as people’s values and interests clash at home and even in the workplace. The result is conflict but all is not lost. Through the use of such skills as empathy, active listening skills, the win-win approach and assertiveness, conflict can be resolved or diffuse and stopped from escalating. Empathy means putting oneself in the other conflicting party’s situation. This leads to understanding of where the other person may be coming from including their feelings and need which leads to the resolution of conflict. Active listening involves listening and even paraphrasing what the other person is really saying so as to clear any misunderstanding. This way the aggrieved party feels like they are being heard and understood. Assertiveness requires that the aggrieved party expresses their feelings in such a way that the other party is ale to understand and acknowledge the feelings expressed. But, assertiveness does not in any way mean aggressiveness of defensiveness. In the win-win approach, the conflicting parties are able to collaborate to reach a mutually satisfying solution. Ultimately, conflict can be resolved but only if the appropriate skills are used. this then requires that employees and even the managers are trained/educated on proper communication skills and the effective solving of conflicts. References. Assertiveness and conflict resolution, n.d., Available from: [24 November 2008]. Claremont, R & Davies, L 2005, Collaborative Conflict Management, Lansdowne, Sydney. Conflict resolution network, 2008, Conflict resolution, Available from: [24 November 2008]. Cornelius, H & Faire, S 1989, Everyone Can Win: How to Resolve Conflict, Simon and Schuster, Sydney. DeVito, JA 2004, The Interpersonal Communication Book, Allyn and Bacon, Boston MA. Fiore, Tony 2008, Resolving workplace conflict to a win-win solution, Business Know How, Available from: [24 November 2008]. Greenfield, David 1998, Assertiveness and conflict resolution skills, Psychological Health Associates, Available from: [24 November 2008]. Scott, Elizabeth 2006, Reduce stress with increased assertiveness, About.com. Available from: [24 November 2008]. Tillett, G 1999, Resolving Conflict: A Practical Approach, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne. Withers, B & Lewis, KD 2003, The Conflict and Communication Activity Book, American Management Association, New York. Read More