Different Aspects and Theories of Conflict Management - Term Paper Example

NEGOTIATION AND MANAGEMENT OF CONFLICT IN A PROJECT Introduction 3 Conflict Management 3 Different Schools of Thought 4 Project Management and Conflicts 5 Role of Project Managers 6 Methods of Conflict Management 7 Negotiation in Project Management 7 Conclusion 9 References 10 Introduction Conflicts are part of our everyday life; whether it is our personal life, social life, politics or our professional life. If conflicts are such an integral part of our lives and cannot be avoided then how we should deal with them. We cannot just ignore the conflicts because they have the tendency of escalating if left untreated. It not only hampers teamwork but also make the environment toxic and unproductive. We should strive to deal with the conflict and control it before it controls us. How to deal with conflicts is a serious matter. Some people are really good in conflict management. While others get so emotional that they are unable to even speak a single word. However the general tendency is to avoid conflicts altogether. People resort to the silent treatment which is not healthy for them or any other person involved. Conflict management is a skill most required by mangers in today’s highly competitive world. Conflicts if handled correctly through negotiations and mediation can actually be a source of self growth and increased team cohesion. Negotiation skills of the manager can convert any conflict into a good or bad one. This paper aims at studying different aspects and theories of conflict management. It will also discuss the role of managers in conflict management. Negotiation skills and its various theories and methods with special reference to project management will also be discussed. Conflict Management Project managers have to deal with conflicts on the regular basis. Grudges, rumors, negative feelings, sarcasm, gossiping are the common problems at work places. They not only spoil the organizational culture with mistrust, suspicion and negativity but also hamper productivity, efficiency and team work. This mixing of personal and professional life is harmful for organizational harmony. One view about conflict is that they should be avoided wherever possible, where as the opponents of this theory believe that the organizations should manage conflicts constructively. It improves organizational culture and induces teamwork and trust in the organization and its leadership. Different Schools of Thought One point of view about conflicts is that they are always bad and must be avoided. It only acts as distracters and waste manager’s energy. The proponents of this theory perceive conflict as a failure of interpersonal skills of the manager. It is argued that it is the failure of the manager to respond to the needs and aspirations of the employees that results in conflict. It is also believed that conflicts can always be resolved. Managers should strive to dig the causes of conflict and preventive and corrective measures should be taken to improve group and organizational performance. However the opponents of this theory believe that conflict is natural and cannot be avoided. Instead of conflict avoidance managers should strive for conflict resolution. They believe that conflicts can lead to improvement in group performance. The proponents of this theory believed that successful conflict management is not elimination of conflicts but to handle conflicts if it is hampering the organizational performance. Another perspective about conflict is that it is not only good and positive for the organization but it is necessary for organizational growth. This is called interactionist view of conflict. The proponents of this theory belief that harmonious, peaceful and cooperating group can become stagnant and resist change that is necessary for innovation, creativity and long term sustainable growth of the organization. Too much cooperation can lead to group thinking where as difference of opinion is required for growth. In such situation managers should strive to create conflict to make the group self critical and creative (Rout et al. 2007) Project Management and Conflicts There can be numerous reasons of conflicts in an organization. One of the major reasons are scarcity of resources (Finance, equipment, facilities, etc)differences in attitudes, values or perceptions, difference of opinion about needs, goals, priorities and interests, weak or lack of communication, inadequate or lapses in organizational structure, absence or lack of teamwork and ambiguity in roles and responsibilities definition. Most of these conflicts stem from project management situation. This potential of project management as a source of organizational conflict makes it a complex and difficult task. Major sources of organizational conflicts are identified as under. Conflicts over project priorities Conflict over administrative procedures Conflicts over technical opinions are performance trade –offs Conflict over human resources Conflict over cost and budget Conflict over schedules Personality conflicts It is argued that many of the above mentioned conflicts arise from misunderstandings about organizational decisions and about manager’s actions. Clearly defined organizational policy and practice can help resolve many conflicts. Another view about it believes in the role of human involvement. Proponents of this theory believe in manager’s role in openly communicating with its team members and encouraging team work playing pivotal role in conflict management. Conflicts will continue to arise no matter how well defined and designed a project is because of the variety of people involved. Human beings are central to any project and hence conflicts also (Pinto, 2009). Role of Project Managers It is argued that it is mostly the managerial actions that cause conflicts in projects. These actions include poor communication, insufficient alignment and amount of resources, lack of personal chemistry and leadership problems. Poor communication by the project manager can lead to the element of surprise and mistrust. Employees are surprised on a regular basis if they are not informed about the programs and decisions beforehand. Compliance and dissatisfaction become another issue if employees are not involved in decision making and hence are unable to understand and follow the decisions. In such an environment when project manager is not openly communicating, employees trust any rumor that is roaming in the organization that can be annihilating for the project and organizational performance. However the opponents of this theory believe that it is the job of the project manager to align all resources; human, financial and capital but organizational structure and policy also plays an important role in conflict generation. Insufficient resources can also be a cause of stress among employees. The role of manager in assigning clear cut goals, targets, and responsibilities to each employee to avoid overlapping of responsibilities and hence conflicts remains pivotal. It is also argued that it is the responsibility of the project manager to provide sufficient resources to perform the responsibilities. Another source of conflicts in projects can be the lack of chemistry among team members. This can result from conflicting values, beliefs and personalities. According to this aspect the personality of the manger plays an important role. Project managers need to select a team that has the ability to work together. Projects managers can ensure team work and desirable performance levels by playing a leadership role for their team. A leader not only leads by example but provide the direction, inspiration and motivation to work for the same goal as a team. This approach emphasizes on personal qualities of the project manger (Berkun, 2008). One view of conflicts is that all conflicts are not bad and some are rather positive. Proponents of this theory put additional pressure on the project managers that they should be able to identify constructive conflicts from destructive conflicts. They should strive to minimize destructive conflicts whereas constructive conflicts should be encouraged. If a subordinate or team member disagrees with the design or procedure of the project and comes up with a better solution. This is also a form of conflict, but constructive conflict. Such conflicts must be encouraged to improve performance (Zartman, 2008). Methods of Conflict Management There are various views about methods of conflict management as well. Regular reviewing of job description is one such method. It will ensure that job roles do not conflict and no role or job falls in the crack. Another method employed by managers is to intentionally strive to build healthy relationship. It can be achieved by regularly holding meetings and discussing challenges, accomplishments and issues with team members. Project managers should ask for regular written status reports. It will help project managers to plan effectively for the future, based upon the accomplishments and challenges faced by the team. Project managers should also ensure that there are defined procedures and methods for routine task developed with the help of the team members (Eunson, 2007). However as has already been discussed that all conflicts are nor bad and some are even good for enhancing performance, so all managerial efforts should not be directed towards conflict minimization but managers should strive to manage conflicts when they arise. There are three methods for conflict resolution namely negotiation, mediation and arbitration. Negotiation in Project Management Project management is akin to conflict management because almost all projects are based on conflicting goals and priorities. Managing these conflicts most often than not, become the most important job of the project manager. Managing conflicts require the ability to persuade others to perform for organizational benefits. Negotiation and persuasion are integral part of project management. Negotiation in project management is different from business negotiation because project leaders usually do not have the command and authority over their team members. This lack of authority puts additional pressure on the project leaders to horn their persuasion and negotiation skills to get the job done. Successful project manager should strive not only for conflict avoidance but conflict resolution as well. Project managers do not have authority hence it is more appropriate for them to lead by influence. This influence can be successfully applied by understanding the individual’s relation of risk and reward as well as the power of information. Project managers should have a clear vision about the value of the project for the organization and what reward, benefit and value the individual team member will drive from the project. With each project there is an associated risk involved not only for the organization but also for the team members. Project manager should not be able to identify them but should communicate it to the individual team members for maximum support. This will help in avoiding conflict through providing information and using influence (Turner, 2007). Once conflict arises project managers need to use the negotiation skills to diffuse conflict. Five basic principles of negotiation are People should be separated from the problem Should focus on interests and needs and not positions Be creative for search of solution that accommodate the interest of all and emphasize on common grounds Agreement should be on objective criteria and clear agreements should be drafted Be hard on the problem but use a softer approach towards people. A project manager does not only need to negotiate with its team members only but he needs to negotiate with a wider group of people that includes all stake holders. In such situations a project manager requires to adopt a win-win approach that is in the benefit of all parties concerned. This can be achieved through generating creative responses, showing empathy and yet assertiveness to get the desired result. This assertiveness should be coupled with cooperative powers to use your influence in a positive way that is acceptable to all. Another approach about conflict resolution which is not healthy at all is the win-lose approach. Where manager use authoritative measures and will only be happy with solution where he wins. (Davis et al, 2003). Negotiation and conflict management gets even more complex in international projects. International project implementation requires many adjustments such as in the scope of work, distribution of work and other specifications such as equipment installation and building etc. The chances of conflicts increase in such situations along with the role and scope of negotiations. In such situations some organizations hire the services of professional negotiators which are called arbitrator or a mediator depending on the scope and size of the project and the conflict. A mediator is a third person within the organization usually a senior manager that helps resolve conflicts. While an arbitrator is a third person outside the organization who resolves conflicts and ensures smooth flow of work (Spiess, 2008). Conclusion From the discussion above it can be concluded that there are differing views about conflict management ranging from its complete avoidance to realizing its importance in increasing organizational performance. It is argued that Projects managers play a pivotal role in conflict management through their leadership and negotiation skills. Another view is that project managers should concentrate only on policy issues and clearly defined job roles for conflict resolution. Although project managers have no authoritative powers over their team members but they can play an active role in conflict resolution through their persuasion and negotiation skills to influence the behavior of team members for organizational benefits. References Berkun, S. (2008) Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management, USA: O’ Reilly Davis, T. Pharro, R. (2003) The relationship manger: the next generation of project management: England, Gower publishing Eunson, B. (2007) Conflict management, Australia: John Wiley & Sons Pinto, Jeffery K. (2009) Project Management, New Delhi, Pearson Education Rout, Eirene L. Omiko, N. (2007) Corporate Conflict Management: Concepts and Skills, New Delhi: Prentice Hall Spiess, W., Felding, F. (2008) Conflict Prevention in Project Management: Strategies, Methods Checklist and Case Studies, Berlin: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg Turner, R. (2007) Gower handbook of project management, England: Gower Publishing Zartman, William I. (2008) Negotiation and Conflict management: essays on theory and practice, New York: Routledge Read More