Companies Conflict Resolution in Focus group - Essay Example

Conflict resolution in services Conflict is part and parcel of everyone’s life. All types of relationship, personal or professional, come across conflicting situations at one time or other and to maintain a semblance of peace and harmony in the relationship and developing situation thereon, it is important that the resolution of the conflict be done at the earliest. Conflicts in workplace need to be resolved early because if left long to fester, the situation can become explosive and critical for the organization.

The workplace conflicts are basically external in nature and may arise due to differences in personal and work ideologies among the workers. External conflicts comprise of situations and issues seemingly created by others and which threaten personal and professional goals and desires of a person. It is often observed that poor communication among the workers and administrators lead to conflicting situations. “If resolution to a conflict is to end properly, it must begin properly – by negotiating a solvable problem.

Therefore, the act of successful conflict resolution begins with the way the problem is examined” (Erickson). Thus, the best way to tackle workplace conflicts is to provide a neutral platform to the involved parties and thrash out the differences with a mediator with clear intention of solving it. The mediator is a person who facilitates easy communication between two warring groups or individuals with a well planned strategy. These facilitators are experts who specialize in human psychology with good listening power.

They are assertive without being aggressive and confront the problems with an open mind which inspires confidence of the individuals involved. They provide an atmosphere that eases tension among the participants and promotes a proactive session where people can put forward their opinions without the threat of a backlash. These mediators often believe in forming focus groups of individuals followed by an interactive session among the group members with the facilitator subtly guiding the group towards resolution of the dispute or conflict and help generate as many different ideas and opinions as possible within a given time schedule.

The mediators or moderators are helped by assistant moderator who takes notes and runs the recording of the discussion.Focus group is characterized by its homogeneity with relatively small number of people (normally from 8 to 12 persons) each of who are encouraged to voice their opinions. Main objective of the formation of the group is to go deep into the problem and resolve it from the root. The discussions are structured around pre determined questions that promote healthy and thought provoking exchange of ideas leading to amicable acceptance of each others opinions.

These proactive discussions frequently influence and change the preconceived notions of the people regarding various contentious issues thus providing solutions to their problems. People learn to see the issues from various perspectives thus facilitating better understanding.The session ends with a thorough analysis of the salient points of the discussions majority of which are the important inputs from the group itself. It is always advisable that the data generated through the free flowing discussion be categorized into common features for easy synthesis.

Analysis and prognosis of the synthesized data, with the active participation of the group members, frequently result in consensus on main points leading to friendly resolution of the dispute. As aptly said by McReynolds that “conflicts can be an opportunity, to learn about yourself and about others”, one can therefore, conclude successfully that conflicts provide an opportunity for a better understanding of human nature. ReferencesErickson, Milton H. Available: http://www.conflictresolutionusa.

com/conflict_resolution_process.htm [8 July 2007].McReynolds, Marcia. Making Molehills out of Mountains. Listening House Available: http://ftp.ci.vancouver.wa.us/upload/images/CMO/ConflictResolutionGuide.pdf [8 July 2007].