Resolving Conflicts
Griffin (1994) identifies context as one of the important component of communication. Hence, conflicts appear upon different context family, friendships and especially in the workplace. The workplace is the most challenged residence for conflicts because the people in it become our family and friends at the same time. Accordingly, it shows how differing values coincide and how competitiveness unintentionally exists among co-workers. Such factors as differing values and competitiveness are just two of the many reasons why we experience conflicts even in the most unexpected moment. But in the end, communication will still be the best way to resolve it.
The first thing about resolving conflict is to find out how it has started and how much it can affect the workplace. Of course, there are the players of communication which means that they are the people involved in the conflict. As the Shannon and Weavers model of communication states, communication needs a sender, a receiver, a channel to which the message can be sent and a feedback (Griffin, 1994). Conflict affects each of these elements in various responses. In the working environment, conflicts are inevitable especially so that when people work together, they are subjected to new or contrasting ideas (Willis, 2008). This enables conflicts to just surface anytime. Conflicts can destroy relationships and hamper work operations. It can also cause mismanagement of an organization because unresolved conflicts produce mismanaged staff and mismanaged staff leads to downfall of an organization, group or company. For all we know, the workers or employees are the great contributors of successful companies and organizations.
On the other hand, leaders or managers are the key to maximum damage control and resolution. In fact, the responsibility lies on the capability of the manager to provide support for conflicting interests and actions of his or her employees. Administration is ultimately responsible for recognizing a conflict, instilling conflict resolution strategies, and for making sure these strategies are executed successfully (Willis, 2008). At the end of the day, the boss gives out a command and this decision is important. The manager as a leader also becomes the mediator. As a mediator, he or she must be equipped with a strategy. A mediator is a third party who is skilled in identifying areas of agreement, assists disputants in identifying common interests, inventing options for mutual gain, clarifying and narrowing differences, and designing settlement terms that will work for all parties (HYPERLINK httpwww.colorado.eduOmbudsUCOA t _blankUniversity and College Ombuds Association, 2001).
An online article by Summer Willis (2008) entitled Conflict Resolution Strategies in the Workforce, offers four important methods that can be used by the administrator once the type of conflict is identified the 4 Rs method, the A E I O U method, and the Negotiation method and the NORMS.
First, the 4 R of the 4 Rs method stands for Reason, Reaction, Results and Resolution. This method basically aids the leader on evaluating the situation and finally, resolving it with the cooperation of the team. It is a step-by-step process which starts with discovering the source of the conflict (reason), knowing how the team reacts on the situation (reaction), determining the impact of the situation to the organization (results) and eventually, gathering the team to decide on the best resolution method (resolution). Simply put, the leaders become the facilitators of the resolution process.
The second method is the A E I O U model which stands for Assume, Express, Identify, Outcomes and Understand. This promotes that the leader is able to control the situation by being calm and considerate. The method allows one member to communicate to the whole group his or her concerns clearly. It suggests non-confrontational solution to conflicts.
The third method called the Negotiation method involves an objective approach to conflict resolution because it encourages teammates to set aside their personal feelings from professional goals. This means that by applying negotiating techniques such as looking at the companys objective rather than personal problems, the leader is able to assert the importance of collective interest towards success.
Lastly, the NORMS stands for N-Not biased or personal interpretation O-Observable, situation is seen and touched or experienced by staff R-Reliable, two or more people agree on what took place M-Measurable, parameters of conflict can be distinguished and measured S-Specifics are not subjective, but objective and non-confrontational (Willis, 2008). This type of conflict resolution strategy brings the team together and allows them to share the same benefiting experience.
Everyone may believe that an open communication can worsen a conflict but at times it can become a room for reconciliation. This is why leaders or managers are supposed to initiate the resolution because they can actually start the conversation among team members who prefer to just keep quiet and thus, allow more conflicts to grow.
Conflict management influences individual wellbeing, group performance and organizational effectiveness (De Dreu C., Evers, A., Beersma, B. , Kluwer, E. and Nauta, A., 2001). Appropriate techniques and helpful communication strategies comprise conflict management along with recognition of conflict arousal and effects. An effective organizational communication surpasses conflict and builds strong foundation from it.
In an online article by Mindtools.com entitled Conflict Resolution Resolving Conflict Rationally and Effectively (1995-2010), the author presents two interlocking theories regarding conflicts resolution techniques (1) Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) that enumerates conflict styles and (2) Interest-Based Relational (IBR) Approach that values differences while helping people out from a confined position. The first theory states how different people use different conflict resolution styles such as being competitive, collaborative, accommodating, compromising and avoiding. Meanwhile, the IBR Approach provides some rules to follow that include keeping people and problems separate and exploring options together. Basically, the theories closely match the practical methods for resolution cited above. This means that understanding theory-based resolution strategies can bring us directly to the real life situation.
The University and College Ombuds Association The Ombuds handbook (2001) also shares some helpful strategies that can resolve conflicts. Several strategies include avoiding to speak when trapped in anger, choosing the right time and place for confrontation, being careful with how we speak to prevent misinterpretations, raising our concerns in a calm and methodical manner, allowing the other party to speak at the same time listening to him or her with respect, trying to consider the argued points, keeping reference to ongoing conflicts, preparing to talk either verbally or non-verbally, not giving up by trying to resolve the conflict again and maybe finally, letting go when we know nothing works. It is better to dismiss the unresolved relationships than hang up killing ourselves in anxiety for eternity.
When experiencing conflicts, most of us usually surrender our flag at once. But the truth is, conflicts should be giving us a leeway for speaking and standing out. This means that we must become assertive at times when we know that what we are defending is for the common good. By that, we can feel confident and positive enough that conflicts are managed in such a way that the whole workplace is not being sacrificed (Desmukh, 2000-2009, 2010).
Most conflicts are characterized by aggravation and anger which intensify the situation. As cited earlier, it is not advisable to speak our thoughts when we are in rage because it can only hurt more people than what we thought we had. A study by Julie Fitness (2000) entitled, Anger in the Workplace An Emotion Script Approach to Anger Episodes between Workers and Their Superiors, Co-Workers and Subordinates, finds various features of anger episodes in the workplace in relation to the work status or position. The study reveals that subordinates are less likely to assert themselves and amount the incident to unresolved conflict. They are usually angered by unjust treatment. Co-workers, on the other hand, are provoked by humiliation and culpable behaviors. Meanwhile, superiors are angered by incompetent workers. The results of this study are significant on the basis of identifying how to approach conflicts from different people with different situational power. This also emancipates the level of conflicts that occurs and why anger becomes the leading cause of difficulties regarding resolving conflicts. When anger still remains, we couldnt expect the conflict to be solved at once.
On the lighter side, conflicts are transformative even making us better persons in the long run. Handling conflicts are intricate when there is no cooperation among members. A good leader entails that the team members can manage conflicts on their own. Still, conflicts are part of communicating our ideas everyday and it is proper to say that only communication can repair whatever relationship has been broken out of serious conflicts.
Communication strategies especially on conflict resolution are essential guidelines to begin fixing current conflicts and misunderstandings. Yet it can often be complicated knowing our differences in attitude and human approach. These communication strategies are enlightening factors toward realizing the cost and benefits of having conflicts in the workplace.
It is a weighing scale. How much such conflict could affect How much advantage could it dispense after effectively resolving it Sometimes, we have to measure the importance of giving attention to conflicts. It is a waste of time to dwell on a conflict for so long that it is already becoming an obstacle to a certain work or even to the entire function.
Unresolved conflicts can turn personal but it is up to us to decide if we are going to go back to it over and over again. As much as possible, it is beneficial to resolve conflicts because it can leave us with increased understanding, increased group cohesion and increased self-knowledge (Mindtools.com, 1995-2010). We can always refer to our communication capstone. However, we must know that we should do our best to avoid it because a damage done is a trust lost.
Julia Wood (1999) in her book Communication in our Lives describes communication a systemic process which entails that communication starts and ends when it reaches the final step of the process. Similarly, conflicts start and end at a certain point, which may be taken either positively or negatively. Conflicting relationships in the workplace also take the same experience. Conflicts can arise and can be solved when taken the proper measures or strategies. Or, these can just end at the wrong time. Communication strategies like those cited earlier really play an important role in resolving conflicts because it is only through communication that problems and complaints are addressed. Speaking and doing nothing would actually be a lose-lose situation. We may get the situation worse or totally obliterated.
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