Conflict Management Causes, Impact and Types of Conflict Management Strategies - Literature review Example

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS Students’ Name Institutional Affiliation Abstract Conflict management is a vital component in any organization. Conflicts are normal in business but how to manage them remains a big issue. The following literature review analyses different aspects of conflict management such as its causes, impact as well as types of conflict management strategies. Various contributions from scholars have therefore been reviewed on this matter. Recommendations have also been outlined on how workplace conflicts can be minimized in organizations. A brief summary has been provided at the end, to wind up the entire literature review. Introduction Employee relations refer to strategies put which should be put in place by an organization or a business to ensure there is good working relationship between an employer and employees (Dicker, 2003). The main aim of employee relations is to improve productivity, morale, motivation and satisfaction to all parties concerned in an organization. Further, employee relations involves problem, solving process among individuals within a work place that affect working environment (Lewis et al, 2003). Among individuals concerned include supervisors who are trained on how to solve problems and correct any poor performance or employee misconduct. In any organization or company there are different issues that concerns employees as well as employers. Some of these issues include conflict management, legal matters disciplinary issues, compensations among others (Hollinshead et al, 2003). However, the bottom-line of all these is the conflict management. It is common for disagreement to occur in an organization where many stakeholders are involved (Lewis et al, 2003). Al these issue regarding conflict at workplaces have been discussed in this literature review. Conflict management Overview As stated above, conflicts at workplace are common. It is not imaginable that conflicts can be avoided in organizations. However, they can be prevented or managed effectively to avoid impacting negative on the productivity or performance in an organization (Lewis et al, 2003). In most cases, Conflict arises between coworkers, employees as well as managers. In times of conflict, managers are expected to implement some specific measures in find resolution while at the same time ensuring that working relationships maintained at all times. These procedures give employees chance to raise their issues and ensure that a given problem is solved internally (Dicker, 2003). The process of56 conflict management also helps both employers and managers to document of problem solving in their organization and how to avoid such occurrences in future. Further, when conflict arise in a workplace , it is prudent to integrate progressive discipline and regulatory ensures as well as other requirements in order t effect disciplinary actions and resolve employee appeals and grievances. It is prudent to ensure that proper information is given to employees regarding organization goals and policies. This is one way of preventing and minimizing occurrence of conflicts at any workplace. At the same time, if efficient information is provided to employees about their performances and gross misconduct as well as addressing personal issues, then an organization can reduce workplace disagreements (Hollinshead et al, 2003). Employees should also be made aware of applicable regulations and legislation included bargaining agreements. Such measures are vital for an organization attain its goals. Conflict management between Employees As stated above in an organization where there are more people working, then disagreement must occur. The main aspect is how this conflict is managed. In most cases, naturally, people do not just go along together (Lewis et al, 2003). If one is managing employees in a small organization or business, then as a manager, one will find himself dealing with personality clashes which could include a simple issue such as a staff member paying loud music in presence of his coworker (Dicker, 2003). However, it does not matter what kind of conflict existing between employees, there are several ways of solving such issue. These suggestions have been discussed below. The first step is finding out the real problem. A manager or a supervisor should have a meeting with the parties involved in a private place (Lewis et al, 2003). An hour or two should be set aside to discuss the issue, but this depends on the gravity of the whole problem. He should listen to both sides of the argument where parties should bring put their concerns. A manager or a problem solver is not supposed to show any bias in decision making or when discussing with the parties involved. Formulation of clear steps in solving the problem After discussing the issue with parties involved they should then be requested to come up with ideas or proactive steps that both can take to end the problem (Rahim, 2011). This way, it makes them feel responsible for any breach of agreement that would later be agreed upon. In some cases the situation may be emotional and involving. A manager can consult or involve a professional mediator who should help to solve the problem. Evaluating the success It is wise to consider having a follow up meeting involving all parties after an agreement has been reached. The meeting should be geared toward following up the progress and noting if there have been any further problems (Lewis et al, 2003). Flow-up meetings should be held few weeks after the agreement. Disciplinary action can be applied incase there is an offense. This should be followed by issuing an ultimatum such as losing job, fines among others. Identifying any presence of harassment In most cases where disagreement is between coworkers, a simple issue could lead to some personality or misunderstanding issues (Rahim, 2011). However, there are instances where an issue could be more serious. Some of these include insulting another coworker on the basis of his or gender, sexual orientation or ethnicity (Lee et al, 2008). These are categorized under harassment and need more serious measures. The most common steps taken are firing the offender. It is advisable to consult an employment lawyer if one discovers that one of his employees is harassing others at the workplace. Concentrating on building a united team Further, it’s important to ensure that after a given conflict has been resolved more effort or measures are put n pace to ensure that a strong relation of teamwork is formed to avoid future reoccurrence of the problem. At the same time, strategies should be put together to know how to address the same issue ones it happens in future (Lee et al, 2008). Some of these measures include team building lessons, training on rights of every employee and so on. These steps will go along way in making employees know each other and learn to tolerate each other for a common goal. Causes Employee Conflict in the Workplace It is a common phenomenon to have employee conflict in an organization which results from differences on personality as well as values (Lee et al, 2008). It is vital to deal with employee issues as early as possible to avoid elevation or accumulation of the problem and thus maintaining healthy working relationship. It is an inaccurate assumption to believe that a conflict will simply disappear with time (Rahim, 2011). This is because a simple disagreement could grow into being a major problem that could affect whole organization or business performance (Hollinshead et al, 2003). It is therefore prudent for managers to ensure that causes of problems are noted to avoid an issue becoming unimaginable. Poor Communication Communication is one of the most important aspects in an organization. It is evident that if an organization has poor communication pan, then there will be more cases of misunderstanding and conflicts. There are many aspects of communication that can lead to conflict such as accuracy n disbursement of information, failure to communicate, timing, clarity or style of communication among others (Dicker, 2003). Poor style of communication can make employees have incorrect assumptions or believe gossips which will later bring some conflicts. It is thus important to ensure that an organization has a working communication plan to avert such occurrences and maintaining productivity. Personality differences As mentioned earlier differences in personality are one of the main causes of conflict at workplaces. Managers need to understand that employees come from different social and economic background. Therefore, having deference in ideas, values, beliefs or opinions is not strange. The basic aspect in this situation is employees to accept their diversity and learn on how to work together. Management has a lot to play in this case. Training should be organized on how to coexist at workplace with each other. Failure to understand and accept each other leads to differences and later conflict. Different in Values Values of employees are almost similar to their personality. They shape and determine an individual behavior in life. There is always a great difference in values among employees. A good example is where there is a generational gap among employees. It is common for older workers to possess different values in certain issues in relation to their younger counterparts. This is always the case in many organizations. It therefore means that the presence of differences in values is not the cause of conflict in an organization, but the failure to accept these differences is viewed as one of the main contributors of workplace disagreements. If employees don not respect or accept these differences, then some may start insulting or questioning the behavior of the coworkers leading to organizational conflict. Unhealthy Competition Competition in meeting goals in any organization is a welcome move. However, unhealthy competition is disastrous to the attainment of goals. Instead of playing part in achieving organizational objectives, the same leads to differences and conflicts which may derail such achievements. Some example of unhealthy completion includes a situation where employees compete to have awards. In this regard, an employee may do all what is possible to ensure his coworker does not perform in his work and kick him out of the race. Such actions can lead to conflict within an organization. To some extent, organizations also play part in fostering unhealthy competition, for instance when salary and competition is linked to production of an employee which results in to strong completion among employees (Hollinshead et al, 2003). Such unhealthy competition promotes individualism as well as discouraging teamwork. Types of conflict management It is now evident that conflict ion at working pace are ever preset. Management of such conflicts is important for any organization to attain its goals (Singh et al, 2011). This calls for training and skills in ensuring that mangers of conflict understand different types and ways of managing workplace disagreements (The Oxford handbook of conflict management in organizations, 2014). If an organization has a competitive team of conflict management, then it is on its way to achieving a lot. In this respect there are different types of conflict management that managers can apply in solving problems arising from employees or workplaces. These types have been discussed bellow: Avoidance Conflict Management The Avoidance style in managing conflict is one of the non-confrontational styles or approaches in solving problems (Singh et al, 2011). This style involves withdrawing or adapting a passive behavior in problem solving. The style also involves side stepping in order to prevent issues that might affect a working relationship. It is best applied when conflict seem to emanate from minor or unimportant issues. It can also be applied when one needs more time to gather more information about an issue before making the next step or decision. Manager can as well try this method when the negative impact of conflict out ways the benefits from a quick and positive resolution of the problem. However, it should be noted that problems which are not addressed in time, lead to major issues later. Therefore, working relationships can be damaged due to unresolved matters. Competitive Conflict Management Competitive style of managing conflicts an authoritative approach where one party wishes to dominate the resolution process (Singh et al, 2011). It means that only one side gets their say in the process. The process is quick ad goal oriented. Managers can apply this method when disagreements involve personal differences which are likely not to change. It is also most effective when some individuals may take advantage of those who are not able or not wiling to display competitive methods. This method is also valuable where there is need for quick resolution. Another advantage of this style is that it helps in making unpopular decisions which need to be implemented. In order to effectively use this style, managers come out clear on when, where and how things should be done to avoid stalemate. It indicated a clear boundary between a leader and a follower. There is little or no input of others in decision making process. This model can also bring more conflicts especially from the losing side. It is advisable to use it together with other styles. Collaborating Style Collaboration style is also called a win/win strategy which involves trying to find a common solution that could benefit all parties in the disagreement (Singh et al, 2011). The main aim is to ensure that all sides are satisfied. The process involves exploration of all issues, concerns, as well as considering alternative ways of solving a problem. Commitment and honesty are the basic requirements in this style. Further, the concerned parties need to bring out their problems in a non-threatening way with utmost respect and a common goal of finding a resolution. It is effective where the two parties are willing to mere their insights on the issue and find a resolution. However, the problem is the in most cases the parties involved are not willing to collaborate. Harmonizing Conflict Management This style first includes the relationship that exists between the interacting parties. In this process, one party may find itself giving in order to save the relationship (Hollinshead et al, 2003). The application of this style can be in two situations. It includes where one party is caught unaware by the other party which is well prepared. In such situations one is forced to give in and save his face to move forward. Another instance is where a client is involved. It is common practice to sometimes give in so that a business can maintain good relationship with a customer. Compromising Conflict Management Compromising style is also termed as the "middle ground” method. It involves negotiations, where parties agree to give up on something that they want. The two sides do not get exactly what they want but the come up with concessions so that they can reach a conclusion which is acceptable to both sides. It is applicable when there is no simple solution and both parties are of the same or equal stature (Dicker, 2003). In most cases it includes series of offers as well as counter offers until an agreement is reached. The problem is that the two parties are never satisfied and it may take long before a solution is met. Impacts of Conflict within an Organization As business work hard to achieve there goals, they are met with challenges including conflicts. Workplace conflicts, not only have negative impacts but also positives ones. One of the main impacts of conflicts is the mental concerns of employees. Employees become frustrated especially if they realize that there may be no solution to a problem or when their ideas are not considered (Singh et al, 2011). They end up stressed at work and in their professional performance as well as their general life. Productivity is also affected by work related conflicts. This is mostly due to much time being lost in dealing with problem, solving instead of achieving organizational goals (In Ayoko et al, 2014). The effort is therefore diverted, thus employees losing focus. An organization can therefore lose money and other resources that enhance productivity. Further, conflicts make employees to leave work or organizations. This is due to continued frustrations at their workplaces or simply due to disciplinary step. This means that a lot of skills and experiences are lost when employees leave their work (Singh et al, 2011). An organization is therefore forced to start recruiting or even in extreme cases, risk dissolution. In some of the industrial conflicts, violence has been the main manifestation of employee’s frustrations (In Ayoko et al, 2014). Violence comes as a result of escalation of conflict or lack of solutions. The result of violence could be job loses, property damage, legal battles and so on. Organizations should work to avoid such extreme cases. Some of the positive impacts of conflict include inspiring creativity and sharing and respecting diverse opinions. Conflict allows members to brainstorm and come up with creative ideas on how to solve a problem (Singh et al, 2011). Further, members fill respected if their ideas are considered when finding solution. It also improves future communication to avoid conflicts. Recommendations Training on conflict management As managers of conflict, proper training is vital. It helps got impact skills of how to solve conflicts within, an organization. Therefore organizations need to invest in training their workforce on conflict management. This should also be provided to all employees on how they should learn to work together and therefore minimize conflicts. Improving communication As noted above, communication is important in preventing conflict. Therefore, there is need to ensure appropriate communication channels in an organization (In Ayoko et al, 2014). If this is done, conflict occurrences in organizations could tremendously reduce. Formulation of employee related policies One of the causes of failure in effective conflict management is poor policies in dealing with the same. It is common sense that managers cannot be able to solve employee’s problems if there are no procedures put in place to systematically solve problems. Organizational structure should also be clear to all employees, in order to know to whom they should report their issues. Formulation of dispute resolution committees Committees should be formed to deal with matters of conflict among employees. However, this is mostly applicable to large organizations with a large number of employees. In small organization or business, several people can be tasked with that responsibility. These committees are crucial in avoiding escalation of disputes or disagreements in an organization. Conclusion Managements in any organization should learn how to deal with their internal conflicts. It is challenging for any business to achieve its goals if conflicts reoccurs in an organization. Communication remains to be the key issues in solving conflict. An organization with effective communication team can achieve a lot by minimizing conflicts. Finally, training cannot be ignored at all. It gives managers of conflict skills when dealing with employees conflicts. It also helps in ensuring that coworkers accept diversity and tolerate each other at their workplaces. References Dicker, L. (2003). Employee relations: How to build strong relationships with your employees. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin. Hollinshead, G., Nicholls, P., & Tailby, S. (2003). Employee relations. Harlow: Pearson Education. In Ayoko, O. B., In Ashkanasy, N. M., & In Jehn, K. A. (2014). Handbook of conflict management research. Lee, H. E., & Michigan State University. (2008). Communication network approaches to conflict management at the workplace and job satisfaction. Lewis, P., Thornhill, A., & Saunders, M. (2003). Employee relations: Understanding the employment relationship. Harlow [etc.: Prentice hall. Rahim, M. A. (2011). Managing conflict in organizations. New Brunswick [NJ: Transaction. Singh, P. N., & Kumar, N. (2011). Employee relations management. New Delhi: Pearson Education South Asia. The Oxford handbook of conflict management in organizations: Roche. (2014). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Read More