Conflict Resolution and Organizational Culture - Case Study Example

Conflict Resolution and Organizational Culture Conflict Resolution: a) Thomas Kilmann’s Conflict Modes: This is one of the major models that has been developed and is one of the best for conflict resolution. The author developed a Conflict Mode Instrument which has been has regarded as an important tool that has been developed in the past for the measurement of the response of an individual in situations that involve conflict. The figure below (Figure 1) illustrates the model that has been developed by the authors and provides a clear understanding of the model. The author has developed a TKI, i.e. Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, which can be used by people to analyze their mode of dealing with issues. Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (Kilmann) Kilmann has clearly brought out that every person tends to behave different in times of an issue and conflict. He explains that all the conflicts and resolutions of conflicts is based on the behavior of the person. He classifies this into two main types, a) assertive, i.e. where the person focuses on ‘my’ needs and desired outcome and agenda, while the other one is b) Cooperativeness, where the person focuses on ‘others’ needs and mutual relationships. The author explains that based on these two dimensions; there are five different modes that people tend to respond in for the conflict situations. These are as explained below: i) Competing: This is the first of the five possible outcomes. People who fall into this category are to self focused and will take any step possible to win their own position. Here the person tends to do anything to defend the position that they believe is correct or also simply to be able to win. ii) Accommodating: This is a situation where the person is unassertive and cooperative. This is where the person tends t forget their own needs and concerns for others and the individuals tend to be selfless and generous and ever yielding to the other person’s views iii) Avoiding: These kind of people fall into the unassertive and uncooperative category. Here the person does not try to pursue his own issues nor does he pay attention to the other individual and hence tries not to deal with the conflict at all. Here there is an behaviour which mainly is trying to postpone the issue, or simply trying to withdraw from a threatening situation. iv) Collaborating: Here the person tends to be both assertive as well as cooperative. The aim here is to ensure that the concerns of both parties are satisfied. The author explains, “Collaborating between two persons might take the form of exploring a disagreement to learn from each other's insights or trying to find a creative solution to an interpersonal problem” (Kilmann). v) Compromising: Here in this case the individual tends to be moderately assertive as well as cooperative. The main aim here is to find a mutually acceptable solution for the parties and the solution needs to be partially satisfying to both parties. This behaviour falls between being competing and accommodating. As the author explains, “Compromising gives up more than competing but less than accommodating” (Kilmann). The aim here is to find a middle ground solution to the issue at hand. b) The measure of assertiveness connects with the measure of cooperativeness in a conflict resolution when the resolution is a compromise. An excellent example of this is where the conflict is between a manager and an employee. The employee is unwilling to work in the night shifts due to personal issues, however the manager requires someone to cover for the night shift. The compromising situation here is when the employee puts forth a proposal to work for the late evening shift instead of a full night shift and the manager agrees to the proposal. This way both the parties meet at a central decision and both show a measure of cooperativeness and assertiveness in the resolution of the conflict. c) The PRAM model is a technique that has been developed in order to create a win-win situation for all parties in the conflict. The model can be illustrated as follows: PRAM Model (Ricky W. Griffin) This method of resolving conflict is one of the most effective models as here the focus is not on winning or losing for any one party, instead the method advocates a ‘win-win’ situation for all. This is allows both parties to look out for each other and work towards a mutually agreed solution for the benefit of both. This allows reduced ‘good guy’ or ‘bad guy’ issue and there is a more stable and focused approach from all parties thereby making it a smooth negotiation and also reducing the conflict. Organization Culture a) Organizational Culture is an essential part of the success of any company and the impact it has on the company is quite high. Over the past there have been a number of different theories that have been designed and discussed by several authors like McGregor, Ouchi, Peters and Waterman. Theories like the X& Y theory by McGregor, Z theory by Ouchi and the Management Theory by Peters and Waterman, bring out how the management of a company can be impacted by the culture of the organization and the employees approach to the job. All these theories have a major significance in the current times as well. The theories relate to the behavioral aspects of the employees. These are still an important to be considered in the current times as well as the behavior of employees is directly related to the performance of the employees and the organization as a whole. Hence these theories are an important part of the current day organizations as well and contribute to the growth of the organizations to a great extent (Ricky W. Griffin). b) Culture has been examined and analyzed at different levels by different researchers. The choice of definition depends upon the goals of the investigator. Culture differentiates one group of people from another and provides a sense of identity (Schein). Cultures are deep-seated and pervasive. The theories by Schein emphasize on the adaptation of change are not possible without affecting culture. Hofstede maintains that culture distinguishes one group or category of people from another and this is because of the collective programming of the mind (Schraeder, Tears and Jordan). Societies developed set patterns and beliefs which allows them to live harmoniously together. It is hence important to note that culture can be expressed as an informal control mechanism which defines the behaviour of individuals within an organisation (Schraeder, Tears and Jordan). c) As has been clearly understood culture is an essential aspect of every business, hence developing an effective organizational culture. The development of a strong and effective organization culture is dependent on the managers of the company as well as the employees. The entrepreneurs need to ensure that a clear set of rules and regulations are set down and documented for the organization and all employees need to work in accordance with the documentation. There are two main factors that impact the organizational culture, i.e. the values of the founders and the demand of the industry. Hence for developing an effective organizational culture the founders need to be the ones who set down the rules and regulations based on their view and aspiration for the business and secondly based on the industry demand. The important aspect that needs to be considered is that for successful and effective organizational culture it is essential that the company adjusts to the industry it operates within. Works Cited Kilmann, Ralph H. Conflict and Conflict Management . 2010. 25 August 2010 . Ricky W. Griffin, Gregory Moorhead. Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations. Mason: South Western, 2010. Schein, E H. Organizational Culture. 1998. 24 August 2010 . Schraeder, M, R S Tears and M H Jordan. "Organizational culture in public sector organizations." Leadership & Organization Development Journal (2006): 492-502. Read More