Conflict Management Skills - Essay Example

 Learning to Manage 2 As with most things in life goals, dreams, and pursuits do not just happen by accident. In order to achieve these accomplishments, a plan must be created, implemented, managed, measured, and adjusted. This also applies to the topic of self. A personal management development plan should be devised in order to provide a framework, or blueprint, to follow which will help lead to the goals that a person has for himself/herself. In developing such a plan, a person should determine what his or her goals are and where he or she wants to be in the near and distant future. Starting with the goal, or destination, gives a better idea of how the plan should be devised. In creating my personal management development plan, my goal is to manage a fashion retail store after finishing at the university. Therefore, I must be able to manage myself if I want to manage others. In order to be an effect manager and leader one must be able to influence others to willingly do things with quality and standard that is above average and above the norm. A good manager is one who sets the example for others. He or she must be do what he or she expects of others and be able to do it even better and more willingly. An effective manager is both a follower and a leader and he or she should be able to direct the behaviour of his or her staff in order to accomplish the objectives of the company or business. The roles of a good manager also include helping people to be committed to achieving organizational goals and encouraging constructive change that is necessary. Effective managers need to be creative in order to provide motivation and passion to the team that he or she is building. When managing staff, it is necessary to not only develop the individual Learning to Manage 3 but also to create individuals who work as a team. Each person brings in his or her talents, skills, and knowledge. By creatively organizing, leading, and managing a good manager can match an individual’s assets with the jobs and responsibilities. Then it is possible to help individuals work as a team. There are many different learning styles. Some individuals learn better by receiving information verbally. Others learn by incorporating motor skills and yet using intellectual skills work best with various individuals. Gagne (n.d.) suggests, “…five major categories of learning: verbal information, intellectual skills, cognitive strategies, motor skills and attitudes. Different internal and external conditions are necessary for each type of learning.” People also learn better by doing and by participating actively in the learning process. Interactive learning keeps the students, or learners, involved as this type learning involves interactions, either with other staff members, students, employers, teachers, the environment, or the learning material…Interactive learning offers involvement.” There are many theories about learning. Learning theories suggest that learning is a process. There are various theories. One theory is the stimulus-response model. This is the behavourist orientation to learning. This theory states that behaviour is observable, learned by a change in behaviour, and is shaped by the environment that surrounds individuals. In other words, this theory suggests that external factors such as environmental elements determine what individuals learn Learning to Manage 4 instead of individual learning. Another learning theory is the cognitive orientation to learning. This focuses on the mental procedure, or the act/process of knowing, of learning. People who support this theory believe that learning comes from expectations, connotation, and the making of different connections. Thoughts and perceptions are viewed as a whole or a pattern instead of individual images. Individuals use knowledge and information that was gained earlier to come up with strategies and planes. Individual differences are huge factors of learning. Social learning is another way of some people view learning. The social learning suggests that individuals learn from watching each other. Learning comes from practicing and participating. By watching the consequences of others’ behaviour and choices, individuals gain knowledge and learn. (Smith, 1999.) I believe that all factors influence the way a person learns. I learn best by watching others, participating, and being involved. I believe this is the best way to use my personal and interpersonal skills. Evaluating my own strengths and weaknesses will give me a starting point in knowing what skills and experiences I have, what needs to be worked on, and what I need to modify. This requires doing a self evaluation. My experience in fashion started when I was quite young as I always loved to read through the latest fashion magazines, duplicate the latest trends, and create my own fashion designs. Then I as I got older, my studies led me to understanding business and marketing more and I realized that in everything we do, we are constantly using the processes of selling and marketing. From making a good impression with friends to landing a job, we are constantly selling ourselves. Learning to Manage 5 Wellford (2005) suggests another title for the term salesperson and a realistic look at the roles of a salesperson, “What’s needed is a trusted individual who can help a purchasing prospect make the right purchasing decision. That may be to buy from the competition or it may be to buy the best that’s on the company range of products.” A characteristic is a feature that helps to identify, set apart, or pinpoint a distinguishing mark or trait (The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2000.) All successful salespeople possess certain characteristics. According to Robertson (2005), the following characteristics are found in successful salespeople: --Persistency --Goal Setting --Asking Quality Questions --Good Listening Skills --Passion for What They Do --Enthusiasm --Taking Responsibility for their Results --The Ability to Follow Up and Keep in Touch --Knowing How to Create Value in the Product and/or Services A salesperson must also be highly motivated, trustworthy, and be ethical (follow business ethics). A positive attitude is the key in being motivated. If the salesperson does not have a positive Learning to Manage 6 attitude and is not motivated, then he/she will not represent the company and its products/services with energy and passion. Dedication will be lacking. Customers will also see this as a poor attitude and lack of motivation is very easy to detect and highly contagious. Being trustworthy is extremely important because as with other things in life, if you do not trust someone, you will not believe him/her. People buy from those they trust. This goes along with behaving ethically and following standards of business ethics and conduct. Business ethics are the rules and principles within a commercial context; the various moral or ethical problems that can arise in a business setting; and any special duties or obligations that apply to persons who are engaged in commerce. Those behaving ethically ask themselves, "Is the conduct ethically right or wrong?" (wikipedia.org, n.d.) In other words, it means to behave professionally and as the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (2005) reports, it means “to use good judgment when it comes to serving the best interests of your customers and working with your fellow employees and suppliers. In all these relationships, we must hold ourselves and others to the highest ethical standards.” Keep in mind that these principles also apply to managers and not just sales people. A successful salesperson and manager should know his/her products and services. Without knowledge, a salesperson leaves the customer guessing and questioning. There are misunderstandings as questions cannot be answered and communication is limited. Presenting the product or service in the best way possible can only be achieved by truly knowing the company’s Learning to Manage 7 products and services which will also provide ways to handle customers’ objections. Knowledge is key and knowledge can help win the sale! Managers should also possess the characteristics of being flexible and creative. Flexibility and creativity go hand in hand as each and every sales opportunity is unique and requires various skills and tactics. Companies should have guidelines, handbooks, and training procedures. However, life is not textbook perfect. Successful mangers possess creative selling procedures and are flexible in dealing with each customer and situation as they are not simple order takers and just taking an order. Creative management techniques obviously vary from company to company and from company to company. Successful and effective management also encompasses the partnership process. Managers can build successful business partnerships with their staff, customers, vendors, coworkers, employers, and other businesses by applying the previously mentioned characteristics. Successful partnerships are developed on trust, behaving ethically, assuming responsibility, possessing good listening skills, being flexible, being creative, etc. As with any relationship, these characteristics must be present in order to develop a business partnership and to keep it successful. Listening to the needs, input, and feedback of all persons involved will help make one an effect manager. Effective management requires being able to manage conflict. Managing conflict requires turning disagreement into opportunity and teaching others to do the same. Disagreement can be Learning to Manage 8 handled more effectively, lead to creative solutions, and can help staff members and others have better interaction. Billikopf 2001) lists tools that can help managers effectively deal with conflict: Two principles have contributed greatly to the productive handling of disagreements. The first, "Seek first to understand, then to be understood," was introduced by Steven Covey, in Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.1 If we encourage others to explain their side first, they will be more apt to listen to ours. Billikopf (2001) Fisher and Ury (1991): ..people in disagreement should focus on their needs rather than on their positions. By concentrating on positions, we tend to underscore our disagreements. When we concentrate on needs, we find we have more in common than what we had assumed. Ury and Fisher suggest we attempt to satisfy the sum of both their needs and our needs. When the light goes on we realize that it is not a zero sum game (where one person has to lose for the other to win). Nor is it necessary to solve disagreements with a lame compromise. Instead, often both parties can be winners. Individuals can learn how to keep communication lines open and solve challenges when things go wrong. Learning to disagree amicably and work through problems is perhaps one of the most important interpersonal skills we can develop. Learning to Manage 9 In order to do all this, a self examination must be done, as mentioned. Feedback and input must be considered. Such information can be obtained by interview procedures (asking the employer to list reasons why I was or was not hired), homework and test results, instructor and student feedback, and focusing on my relationships and communication skills with people in my life. These are just a few ways to gain information and monitor the changes and improvements that I am implementing in order to meet my goals. This can be done mentally, on paper (such as a journal), through consultation with a professional or one who can keep me accountable and give wise advice. I prefer to incorporate all of these methods in order to monitor and review my progress. Daily progress will be accomplished mentally and then jotted into a journal. Monthly progress will be jotted into a journal and submitted to a person of my choice who will guide me in the direction that I should go in order to meet the short-term and long-term goals that I have for managing a retail fashion store. Semi-annual and annual evaluation shall be performed by gathering all the recordings and entries that have been done throughout the timeframe and then meeting with my mentor, or counselor. I plan on using a software program which will help me to graph and chart my progression. For instance, part of my self management will include managing my finances. I will use QuickBooks which not only keep track of my banking transactions but will also put the growth, or lack of growth, into various bar and pie graphs. QuickBooks will also produce reports which will offer helpful information. Bibliography Billikopf, G. (2001). Conflict Management Skills. The Regents of the University of California. Retrieved 03 January 2006, from http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/ucce50/ag-labor/7labor/13.htm. Fisher, R., Ury, W., & Patton, B. (1991). Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (2nd ed.). Penguin Books, and Deetz, S. A., & Stevenson, S. L. (1986). Managing Interpersonal Communication. New York: Harper & Row Publishers. Gagne, R. (n.d.). Conditions of Learning. Retrieved 22 December 2006, from http://tip.psychology.org/gagne.html Robertson, K. (2005). Top 10 Characteristics Of Successful Salespeople. Retrieved 29 December 2006, from . Smith, M. (1999). 'Learning theory', the encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved 23 December 2006, from http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-learn.htm, Last update: January 30, 2005. The behaviourist orientation to learning. Retrieved 22 December 2006, from http://www.infed.org/biblio/learning-behavourist.htm. The cognitive orientation to learning. Retrieved 22 December 2006, from http://www.infed.org/biblio/learning-cognitive.htm. The social/situational orientation to learning. Retrieved 22 December 2006, from http://www.infed.org/biblio/learning-social.htm The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition (2000.) Houghton Mifflin Company: 2000. Retrieved 27 December 2006, from . Wellford, B. (2005). Do We Really Need Salespeople? 21 June 2005. Revenue Roundtable. Retrieved 26 December 2006, from . Wikipedia.org (n.d.). Retrieved 02 January 2006, from . Read More