Managing Conflict - Literature review Example

Running Header: Managing Conflict Name of Student: Instructor’s Name: Institution’s Name: Course Code & Name: Date of Submission: Managing Conflict I have decided to discuss on the issue of conflict and especially in the workplace since it is a very fertile breeding place for conflict. This is so because of the dynamics and interdependency of employee to employer, employee to customer or even customer to employee relationships. Conflict is a normal and healthy not to mention a natural part of everyday life and the workplace. Conflict is important in making various adjustments but if unresolved can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction, unhappiness and to other extents to depression. Behaviors such as withdrawal, resignation from jobs, dissolution of personal relations and violence can also be as a result of unresolved conflict. Communication is both a cause and remedy of conflict. Effective communication ensures satisfactory solution of disputes and can translate into happier and more productive individuals. I believe that conflict in the right setting can be of benefit both professionally and personally. Conflict if handled in the right manner and in the right setting creates an awareness of the need for change in the workplace or even in our lives as individuals. I have come to realize that the wants of every person may differ from time to time from what another person wants. This can lead to sharp disagreements and opposition of interest and ideas. Managing conflicts involves limitation, prevention and transformation of conflicts through the use of non violent methods. Having worked in a setting that involved interaction with many people, I always found the wants of my colleagues and i differing from those of the managers and top executives. They changed budgets every once in awhile and asked for reports within short notices making it really taxing. The meetings held were always tense and cold. This consequently led to either parties getting angry and saying or doing things without realizing the effect this had on employee motivation and productivity. Many professional relationships were broken caused by the underlying disagreements and dynamics. Sometime, interpretation of facts and ideas would result into heated disagreements and eventual frustration and dislike for the job. People with diverse culture and personalities working and spending too much time together might have been the cause for all this. However, I believe that if there was effective management of this conflict, change would have been implemented and worked for the benefit of all parties. I am therefore led to research on the very important topic of managing such issues of conflict in the workplace. Conflict is uniquely influenced by the work environment and can be as a result of various things. I really think that once the cause is identified, the resolution is easily found. Conflicts mostly arise due to clash of ideas and misunderstanding. Personal conflict arises when two or more persons have differing ideas on the same subject matter. Management conflict occurs when there is a problem between the workers and the management structure. Managers can also disagree in their leadership models differ. Almost every conflict involves an endeavor of individuals to meet their basic psychological needs. The basic psychological needs guide all forms of behavior. They include belonging, inner power, freedom and fun. This is universal needs which are equally important and demand satisfaction. When they are not fulfilled, the urge to behave in a manner that we hope or believe will bring us satisfaction is irresistible (Conte, Brunson & Masar 2001, p. 13). Any attempt made to resolve any conflict without careful consideration of the underlying problem will be short lived. Through my review of literature, I found out that the reasons most people argue especially in the workplace are goals and resolutions. Individuals can have multiple goals at the same time and they may conflict with each other or with other people’s goals. Serial arguments often come up which means that an issue is argued about over and over again. This means that the original conflict was never solved (McAleer 2008, p. 10-15). Gender misunderstandings and misrepresentations may also cause conflict. Assumption of the other sex often causes communication difficulties and this leads to frustration and hurt feelings for both parties. I have noticed the way it is never an intention of either sex to offend the other, but they interpret things differently and come up with different meanings. Ineffective communication is also a major cause of conflict. People remain with harbored feelings for a long time and remain bitter and unhappy. Communication has many purposes in our lives and when it is absent, people do not express their emotion and ideas and hence relationships cannot be established and consequently tasks cannot be accomplished. In my view, the conflict would have been managed better through a number of ways. One’s response to conflict is critical in determining whether it is destructive or constructive. Conflict resolution or management asserts that none of the conflicting ideas is right and aims to meet each person’s basic needs. A soft or principled response can be used to resolve conflict. The soft response involves compromise, avoidance or accommodation. Compromising is whereby both parties give up some degree of satisfaction and settle the conflict. This method is rarely satisfying since the conflicting parties have to give up their needs. It does not really satisfy the parties since resolution should meet the needs of both parties. Accommodating is about protecting a relationship and often one party defers their needs in a bid to salvage the relationship. This leads to suppressed feelings and unmet needs. The above two methods of resolving the conflict would have been better had they been used but not the best since they involve suppressing some wants .However if we used the principled responses to conflict resolution, my colleagues and i would be satisfied and moving on with our jobs. This method aims at reaching at a wise outcome cooperatively. It separates people from the conflict and is soft on the people but hard on the root cause. An objective criterion is used to reach an objective solution and create a win win situation. Collaboration is one of this techniques and involves developing a common understanding by finding creative solutions and working together. Creativity is also a principled response whereby strategies and alternatives are developed to reach an amicable solution. Diffusion is also involved and is about decreasing hostility (Conte et al. 2001, p. 15).I believe that if we used the principled response, the needs and feelings of all parties would have been considered. I prefer this method of conflict resolution since it employs enthusiasm, hope, openness and humility. The outcome of such conflict resolution will yield very positive results. The principled method of conflict resolution is hard on the problem but soft on the people. It ensures that relationships are maintained and no bitterness is experienced by either party. When using this strategy, mutual benefits are the most important and the results are based on certain fair standards .It gives both parties what each is entitled to and is independent of both parties’ will. In this method both parties still maintain their decency and respect they had before the conflict (Fisher, Ury & Patton 1991, p. 46).In return, the workplace will provide an environment conducive for productivity and performance. This will subsequently lead to employees feeling more appreciated, motivated and inspired. They will hence commit to organization’s goals and objectives. Employee turnover will decrease since organizational goals will have aligned with individual goals. Obviously, the organization’s performance will improve. I think had we used such a method to resolve the conflicts that were prevalent then, the organization would be boasting of a strong and performing work force. Conflict is inevitable in reaching solutions. A variety of ideas and approaches are required to come up with solutions and change. This are the very ingredients of conflict and according to me, conflict is a fairly unavoidable occurrence in the workplace and also in everyday life. Most of us view conflict in the negative way but if handled correctly can bring the diversity of each individual in appositive manner. Until the power of effective communication is used, one will never achieve the potential for positive outcome in the event of a conflict (Voyles, 2008 p.1). The effect of conflict will be negative if such skills are not applied constructively. Stress levels increase in the people involved. This will lead to decrease in production and poor performance. Degradation of relationships and this worsens cooperation required for desired results. The increase of possibilities of violent resolution of conflict also increases. Such effects especially to an organization can lead to disintegration. Great importance therefore has to be given to timely interventions to resolve conflicts. The result is not always negative and I have reviewed certain situations and realized that positive results are a possibility in the face of a conflict. Newer possibilities are given opportunities due to the diversity of people’s ideas. Relationships are maintained and renewed creating better cooperation. There is always a positive impact on the society at large. Productivity increase and improves in all sectors. This is because of the interdependence of most sectors. Consequently, the society will develop as a result of this positive change. At a personal level, it is important for personal achievement and presents an opportunity for growth and diversity. Managing conflicts is a critical role and requires three sets of skills. They are communication, negotiation and resolution skills. These skills are dependent on one another and cannot work if one set of skills is missing. Communication skills keep the door of communication open. Negotiation and resolution skills take one beyond the threshold of the door kept open by the communication skills(Voyles, 2008 p. 1). The main aspects of conflict resolution also include flexibility and the willingness to change. In every conflict situation, it is usually an issue of listening and also seeking to understand. It should not be about challenging but approaching the problem collaboratively. In the article “Don’t let conflict get you off course’, primary communication serves as the heart of conflict resolution and sometimes, we can use it as the sole method of conflict prevention (Miguel 1999, 69). Conflict escalation is the gradual regression in conflict from a more mature level to an immature level that is destructive and painful. The desire for vengeance and the urge to satisfy unmet needs is the main cause of conflict escalation. The longer it takes to resolve conflict, the more it escalates to worse levels. Recurring conflict can be destructive and painful on the parties and subsequent conflicts always bring the original conflict back and feelings of those involved are hurt and can resolve their conflict in violent ways. Changing conditions can also escalate conflict. How conflict escalates depends partly on institutional and cultural factors influencing it. Escalation in a way tends to collapse the time horizon and hence accelerating the pace of events (Leatherman 1999 p. 74). The theory of conflict developed by scholars argues that conflict is inherent in the world as order and permanence. Kant and Hegel helped us see each individual or a unit represents a force that is faced with counter forces triggered by the actions of these individuals. When the two meet, the result can be either conflict or cooperation depending on many factors. When the result is conflict, it is more likely to be more expensive and destructive than when it is cooperation (Bartos & Wehr 2002, p. 6). According to my own view, we are supposed to focus on less costly ways of dealing with conflict. One should also keep in mind that the more individuals present in a place the greater the potential of conflict arising. According to the literature I have reviewed, I have come to a conclusion that conflict affects all aspects of our lives and is always present at all levels of each individual’s life. Having the workplace as my main place of concern, I have realized that conflicts that arise are shaped by the unique aspects of its environment. This may vary from one workplace to another in terms of hierarchical structure of the organization and the number of people one interact s with in a workplace setting. Unresolved conflict is unhealthy as was the case with my colleagues and the solution lies only in effective handling of the situation and more importantly communication. Communication should be both vertical and horizontal to ensure conflicts are effectively resolved. It therefore makes sense for leaders, employees and all top executives to acquire the conflict management skills that will translate into increased productivity and decreased turnover of employees. Young people too need to foster an understanding on conflict and how to manage it (Ramsbotham, Woodhouse & Miall 2011. p. 259). References Bartos O. & Wehr P. (2002) Using Conflict Theory, New York: Cambridge University Press. Conte, Z., Brunson, R. & Masar, S. (2001) The art in peacemaking: A guide into integrating conflict resolution education into youths arts programs. Journal of Integrated Conflict Management, 2(3), 10-57. Fisher R., Ury W. & Patton B. (1991) Getting to yes: negotiating agreement without giving in, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Leatherman J. (1999) Breaking cycles of violence: conflict prevention in intrastate crises West Hartford: Kumarian Press. McAleer K. (2008) Conflict in Workplaces, Pasay City: ProQuest Publishers. Miguel, W (1999), Don’t let conflict get you off course. International conflict management 5(2), 51-89. Ramsbotham O., Woodhouse T. & Miall H. (2011) Contemporary Conflict Resolution, Cambridge: Polity Publishers. Voyles R. (2008). Without These Three Skills You May Fail at Conflict Management, Retrieved August 11, 2011, from http://www.adrr.com/b2/?p=89 Read More