The work environment within
organisational management is dynamic and stressful. Conflict can be expected
when two or more stakeholders have different opinions or interests. It can
occur, and team managers can spend much time managing it and the resultant
fallout. Conflicts happen for many reasons, such as schedule priorities, scarce
resources, political or technical reasons, and personal issues.
Conflict resolution can build trust and sometimes bring new ideas and opportunities if appropriately managed.
Proper conflict resolution can differentiate between positive and negative
outcomes, and an incorrect solution can negatively affect an organisation.
If a team manager fails to resolve
conflicts effectively, their team Members will lose trust in them and each
other, weakening the team's ability to work together and detracting from an
organisation’s success. A team manager must deal with conflict before it is
beyond repair. The following are a few consequences of improper conflict
resolution:
- Low team morale.
- Negative impact on the team manager’s authority.
- Increased number of personal clashes.
- Low productivity and efficiency.
- Low-quality work.
A team manager must often monitor and
resolve conflicts quickly to prevent them from becoming significant. There are
typically five conflict resolution techniques, amongst others:
- Withdraw/Avoid.
- Smooth/Accommodate.
- Compromise/Reconcile.
- Force/Direct.
- Collaborate/Problem Solve.
To discuss each technique in more
detail:
Withdraw or Avoid: In this conflict resolution technique,
a team manager can avoid the conflict or retreat and allow it to resolve
itself. This technique is beneficial when low stakes are low and the conflict
will likely disappear, and can be used in the following cases:
- Individuals involved in the conflict are not
significant stakeholders.
- The issue can be a manageable time
investment.
- An intense argument has already
happened, and individuals need time to cool off.
- If the team manager does not have
enough information to use other techniques.
This technique saves time that a team
manager can invest in other productive activities. It is an excellent approach
to apply to low-level conflicts, giving the team manager enough time to prepare
if the conflict re-emerges.
However, withdrawing from or avoiding a
conflict may weaken the team manager's position because parties may assume that
the team manager has an unfair bias and lacks the skills and authority to deal
with disputes.
The main issue with this conflict
resolution technique is that it could be argued that it is not a dispute
management technique because it avoids conflict when it arises. A team manager
needs to act quickly to avoid the negative impacts of disputes and arguments.
Smooth or Accommodate: This technique deals with finding
areas of agreement, tries to smooth the situation, and circumvents challenging
discussions. In smoothing, a team manager gives more consideration to one party
than the other.
The team manager tries to downplay the
seriousness of the situation and behaves as if the problem never existed. This
technique is helpful in the following cases:
- More time is needed to deal with the conflict.
- When a temporary solution to the problem is required.
- If the conflict is minor and
involves less influential stakeholders.
This technique requires little effort. A
team manager can focus on essential issues while ignoring unimportant
arguments. The situation can be handled simply while bringing harmony, creating
goodwill, and providing enough time to find a permanent solution.
Suppose a team manager needs to bring a
balanced approach to smoothing. In that case, one party may take advantage of
the situation since the team manager is giving them more consideration, and
members of the party not being accommodated may question the team manager's
authority or stop reporting conflicts. This technique is not recommended as it
often weakens the team manager’s control.
Compromise or Reconcile: A team manager takes suggestions from
both sides and tries to partially satisfy both parties. This technique is valid
when the stakeholders involved in the conflict hold equal power. A team manager
may use this technique in the following cases:
- All parties involved in the
conflict need to win.
- When the team manager has an equal relationship with
both parties.
- Collaborative and forcing
techniques have yet to work.
- When a team manager needs a
temporary solution to move forward quickly.
This technique brings quick results,
lowers stress, and keeps all parties placated until a permanent solution is
found. A team manager can solve a conflict and gain enough time to find a
better solution. However, this technique only generates trust in the short run.
All parties remain unsatisfied, and the
conflict could resurface at any time. Morale is not being built. The team
manager may be required to intervene sooner to ensure all parties abide by the
agreement.
Force or Direct: A team manager agrees with one party’s
viewpoint and enforces their wishes. This is a win-lose situation and risks
demoralising the team. This conflict-resolution technique can be used in the
following cases:
- When a team manager needs a quick solution.
- Where it is easy to define when one
party is correct and the other is incorrect.
- When the stakeholders on the conflict's losing side
are unimportant.
- If the relationship with those
stakeholders is not essential.
This technique provides a quick solution
to the problem. It requires almost no effort from the team manager and may help
establish the team manager’s authority. However, using this technique may leave
a negative impression of the team manager and result in opportunities lost from
the opposing party's viewpoint. A team manager must refrain from applying this
technique with high-power stakeholders, as sometimes it may backfire and worsen
the conflict.
Collaborate or Problem Solve: In this technique, a team manager
discusses the issue with all parties to agree on a solution while considering
multiple viewpoints. The team manager may use this technique in the following
cases:
- When a team manager wants to
incorporate multiple views.
- If the people involved in the conflict are
influential.
- When a consensus is required.
- If the team manager wants to
distribute responsibility equally to all parties.
This fundamental problem-solving
technique gives a final solution to the conflict. It brings consensus,
commitment, and shared responsibility for the outcome. This technique creates a
win-win situation as it builds confidence in the team, earns respect, and
establishes authority.
A team manager cannot use this technique with all conflicts when they need a quick solution, because it takes time and effort. It is generally used for disputes which may severely affect an organisation.
Conflicts exist throughout an organisation as people battle to find solutions
to arguments, disputes, or differences of opinion. They can occur as people
struggle to find their place within a team, for political reasons or because of
a genuine difference of opinion based on their knowledge surrounding the
dispute at the time it occurs.
People involved in disputes become
fixated on winning the battle, come what may, leading to wasted time and effort
that could be more effectively used to achieve the organisation's aims and
objectives. Dispute resolution skills can be used to great effect to reduce
this impact on organisational cohesiveness.
How and when differences of opinion are
settled affects the morale of the rest of the organisation and the reputation
of the team manager within whose area the dispute occurs. The key is to resolve
the dispute as quickly as possible to the satisfaction of all concerned and
prevent it from affecting organisational efficiency and effectiveness.
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