Assignment: Managing Workplace Conflicts
Unfortunately, workplace conflicts are present in most professional environments. From the office mate who lacks respect for your personal property to the boss who makes harsh demands without giving due credit, nearly everyone can share a story about situations or individuals that have contributed to stress and contention in the office. Take a moment to reflect on your own workplace as well as other places you might have been employed. What kinds of conflicts occur there and how difficult is it to identify the causes of these conflicts?
Review the Workplace Conflict report and create a plan of action that addresses how to become a more effective leader or manager when resolving conflict. Be specific in your details and include both the action to be taken and the desired result.
To prepare for this Assignment, pay particular attention to the following Learning Resources:
Review this weeks Learning Resources, especially:
CPP Inc. (2008). The CPP global human capital report: Workplace conflict and how businesses can harness it to thrive. Retrieved from https://www.cpp.com/download/item/f39a8b7fb4fe4daface552d9f485c825
To complete your Assignment, create a plan of action that builds upon the conflict situation that you described in this weeks Discussion. Please address the following:
Create an I-Statement to help you manage the conflict you discussed this week. Your I-Statement should addresses the four elements of conflict feeling, problem, consequence, and goal.
Using the Realizing Positive Outcomes section of the CPP report, discuss the best tips to help you manage this conflict.
Apply the Dynamics of Trust model, to this conflict, to help you build trust.
Explain how monetary costs affect the decision to engage in this conflict.
Discuss the role employees, managers, and leaders play in this conflict. From your perspective, is this conflict shared with employees or as manager/leader, should you play a more prominent role?
Finalize your plan by outlining your next steps in the conflict situation you have discussed.
Defining Conflict
I would describe conflict as an argument between two people or groups that harms the group or
gets in the way of thinking or achieving objectives. Intense emotions, a difference in viewpoints
or interests, and underlying personal requirements that shape your conduct are the components
that, in my opinion, must be present.
Intergroup Conflict
Last year, there was a disagreement about the school’s after-school program. One group of kids
asked me to include Halloween-related educational elements in the activities and tutoring
sessions. Even though the other group of pupils did not observe Halloween, it started to feel like
they would be left out. There was conflict among the pupils because some thought the concept
was “lame” or “dumb.” Another student claimed he was called foolish for enjoying Halloween,
while a student who didn’t observe the holiday told her parents she wasn’t permitted to partake.
As the false information spread from one parent to the next, it became further exaggerated until
every parent showed up at the school. Parents who do not observe the day due to religious beliefs
have complained to the school’s governing body about being excluded. The bullying was a
complaint from the other parents. One parent removed their child from the program due to an
argument, and the interruption made it challenging to fit in tutoring and assignment sessions.
Variables Involved in Conflict
The parents’ perception that their attitudes regarding Halloween celebration or recognition
conflict with one another are the cognitive (perspective) aspect of this conflict. When people or
[the group of kids in my position] have a shared interest and set of goals, as Mayer (2012)
demonstrated, everything is well and perceived favorably. The kids may have an unfavorable
opinion of one another when the activities or aims differ. Students who didn’t participate in
Halloween felt like their convictions weren’t necessary, strengthening their perception of the
conflict.
When one member of one group feels a certain way toward the other, even while the other team
does not feel the same way, this might result in an intergroup conflict (Mayer, 2010). Initially, I
assumed it was just a quarrel that could be swiftly resolved because confident kids were more
outraged than others. For my pupils (and their parents), conflict as action luckily did not include
violence or devastation. According to Mayer (2010), some arguments appear minor, but when
they cause intense emotions, a personal need lies at the heart of the issue. People desire to feel
safe, respected, or validated, among other demands. My pupils believed that they, too, should
feel encouraged and accepted.
Addressing the Conflict
I had to put my sentiments aside and resolve the conflict’s misunderstandings. I went to the
meeting with the parents to reassure them that no pupils had been hurt, left out, or treated poorly.
The teachers and I used what I believe to be the interest-based problem-solving strategy,
addressing needs and attempting to reach a satisfactory conclusion (Mayer, 2012). The interests
of every student were considered, and we pushed them to respect one another. The pupils could
find a comprehensive answer through negotiation and group participation.
Reference:
Mayer, B. (2012). The dynamics of conflict: A Guide to Engagement and Intervention (2nd ed.).
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. MBS Direct.
