CHAPTER 11 Conflict Management, Resolution, and Prevention Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved Overview What is Conflict? Conflict

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11Conflict Management, Resolution, and Prevention

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Overview•What is Conflict?•Conflict Management•Conflict Resolution•Workplace Violence•Conflict Prevention

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What is Conflict?•Anger is defined as a feeling of great displeasure, hostility, indignation, or exasperation, wrath, trouble or affliction.

•Conflict is defined as discord, a state of disharmony, open or prolonged fighting, strife or friction.

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What is Conflict?•We define conflict as a disagreement resulting from individuals or groups that differ in:

•Opinions•Attitudes•Beliefs•Needs•Values •Perceptions

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Main “Ingredients” of Conflict•The main “ingredients” of conflict include:

•Desires•Needs•Perceptions•Power•Values •Feelings

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Figure 11.1The main ingredients of conflict.

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Common Causes of Workplace Conflict•Lack of communication

•Feelings of being undervalued

•Undefined/not clearly defined roles

•Poor use of managerial criticism

•Preferential treatment

• Poor management or leadership

• Impractical expectations

• Overworked employees

• Stress

• Internal conflict

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Conflict Triggers•Different work methods•Different goals•Personalities•Stress•Different viewpoints or perspectives

•Communication is the resolution to the majority of conflicts!

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Conflict Management•The application of strategies to settle opposing ideas, goals, and/or objectives in a positive manner. •There are many ways to manage conflict. We will use a five-step approach to conflict management.

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Conflict Management•1st: Analyze what is at the center of the conflict.

•Brainstorm ideas of resolution

•2nd: Determine the strategy that will be used to resolve the conflict.

•Collaboration – results most often when concerns for others are of high importance.•Compromise – high concern for one’s own interest accompanied by moderate to high interest for the other parties involved.•Competition – high concern for one’s own interest or one’s own group.•Accommodation – low concern for your own interests, or the interests of your group •Avoidance – the conflict is avoided by both parties.

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Conflict Management•3rd: Start pre-negotiations phase.

•Both parties involved should be given the opportunity to come forth and offer a negotiation.•If neither party is willing to come forth, then an outsider, the leader must step in.•The situation should be reasessed.

•4th: Begin the negotiation phase.•All parties must be able to express their concerns and interests; they must be willing to listen to each other.

•5th: Implement the negotiations made.•Support the resolution and continue to negotiate.

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Figure 11.2Five-step conflict management process.

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Conflict Resolution•Keep the best interest of your company in mind.•Guiding principles for handling conflict:

•Preserve dignity and respect. •Listen with empathy and be fully present and identify the issues.•Find a common ground without forcing change and agree on the issues. •Discuss solutions.•Honor diversity, including your own perspective. •Agree on the solutions and follow up.•Avoid groupthink!

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Figure 11.3Commonly used conflict resolution strategies.

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Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

•Problem-solving and grievance resolution approaches to address employee relations and disputes outside the courtroom.•Provides employers and employees with a fair and private forum to settle workplace disputes.

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•With ADR a process is in place to offer the following options:

•Open Door Policy – Employees have the opportunity to meet with managers to discuss issues.•Third-Party Investigations – A neutral third-party, from inside or outside the organization confidently investigates complaints and proposes resolutions.

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•Fact Finding – A neutral third-party person or team from outside the organization examines the facts of the complaint and presents them in a report.•Peer Review – A panel of employees, or employees and managers, works together to resolve the employee complaints.

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•Mediation – Through a voluntary and confidential process, a neutral third-party facilitator trained in mediation techniques negotiates a mutually acceptable settlement.•Arbitration – disputes are settled by an arbitrator and may be either binding or nonbinding according to the wishes of the participants.

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Figure 11.4

Alternative dispute resolution process.

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Workplace Violence

•Any act of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening behavior happening at the workplace.•On the rise in recent years.•HR professionals and managers need to be more vigilant in creating a positive, safe and secure workplace environment.

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Workplace Violence•This can be significantly reduced by taking preventative measures:

•Increased security by using employee name badges.•Reducing the number of entrances and exits.•Video surveillance cameras.•Entrances with metal detectors. •Guest and employee security checks at hotels. •Complete background checks on all employees.•Noting and reporting any use of threats, physical actions, frustrations or intimidation.

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Workplace ViolenceSteps to be taken before and if violence happens are:

1.Make sure all employees know how to contact their supervisor, manager, security, and police.2.Take all threats seriously and ensure all employees have received training on how to handle a violent situation.3.Depending on the severity of the situation, employees need to remove themselves from harm’s way and contact their supervisor/manager and call security or the police.4.Do a threat assessment to determine the severity of the situation and have any suspect removed from the premises.5.Ensure all employees know the emergency lanes and procedures to evacuate the building.

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Workplace Violence•Following a violent incident, employees experience three stages of “crisis reactions” to varying degrees:

•Stage one: The employee experiences emotional reactions characterized by shock, disbelief, denial, or numbness.•Stage two: This is the “impact” stage where the employee feels a variety of intense emotion.•Stage three: This is the “reconciliation” stage in which the employee tries to make sense out of the event.

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Conflict Prevention•Conflict is bound to arise in any atmosphere that requires interdependency between people and work. •Preventing it is substantially more effective than having to undo it!

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Conflict Prevention

•Conflict is not really the root of the problem.•The root is a lack of direct, properly handled conflict.

•Beprepared to handle conflict. •Pay close attention to your employees.•Listening actively.•If it seems like a situation may lead to a conflict you should speak up before the situation gets out of hand. •Always remember to keep a sense of humor.

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CHAPTER 11 Conflict Management, Resolution, and Prevention Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved Overview What is Conflict? Conflict