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Chapter 10: Conflict Management. Introduction.
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Introduction Conflict Management is an essential part of leadership and something that leaders need to deal with. This is due to the fact that conflict can have significant impact on employee morale, satisfaction and turnover, which again impacts the organization as a whole. Therefore, conflicts have to be managed in order to retain organizational harmony even though complete balance is utopia.
Principles of Conflict Resolution Assumptions about the elements and effects of conflict: • Conflict is inevitable • Permanent suppression of conflict is impossible • Conflict can be destructive or productive • People initiate conflict to effect a structural change; people respond to conflict initiated by others to maintain the status quo • A conflict can only be explained or analyzed in relation to the context, or setting, in which it occurs • The potential for conflict increases when there are increases in other factors
Principles of Conflict Resolution There are several responses to conflict including: • Be optimistic • Be realistic • Identify the potential for conflict • Identify the value bases represented in the opposing points of a potential or actual conflict • Be certain to identify your own span of tolerance • Identify the role source of the conflict • Identify the possible and probable outcomes • Analyze your role vis-à-vis the points of view involved in the conflict • Identify the positions of those involved in the conflict • Listen to, and communicate with, all points of view
The Impacts of Leadership on Workplace Conflicts Two dimensions of interpersonal conflict: • Cognitive (also referred to as task-related conflicts) • Relational Cognitive conflict focuses on a conflict in the approach to how the work should get done i.e. differences in goals and objectives or how to reach those. In contrast, relational conflict is based on emotional incompatibilities, which means that there might be a feeling of aggression or resentment. Both kinds of conflicts are important to consider since they can create a negative environment and effect employee performance and workplace satisfaction.
The Impacts of Leadership on Workplace Conflicts The leader’s role in conflict management can be divided into three management styles: • Transformational leadership • Transactional leadership • Laissez-faire leadership. In general, the elements of transformational leadership are found to reduce conflict with the exception of intellectual stimulation. This is due to the fact that this leadership style focuses on the organization’s collective interest and not the interests of the individuals. Here, the most important thing is the leader’s ability to create a common vision and show individualized consideration.
Exercise and Practice Routines Individual reflection: People have general styles of handling conflict. These are often based on things we learned when we were very young. As we grow, we can evaluate their effectiveness and learn new methods. Take a few moments to reflect and consider whether one of these animals describes you:Ostrich: I hide my head in the sand until the conflict goes away.House dog:I timidly slouch away and chew up the furniture when no one is looking.Hawk: I fly above it all and pick my targets to attack.Coyote:I use my brains to win.Dolphin:I can fight if necessary, but I would rather swim away.Reflect back the interaction styles of the elephant, lion and fox. Each has strengths to draw upon to help resolve conflicts. Circle the strengths you recognize in yourself:Elephant: supportive, trusting, adaptable, optimisticLion: ambitious, competitive, self-confident, forcefulFox: analytic, cautious, methodical, fairDescribe how you drew upon one of these strengths to resolve a conflict.How might you apply these strengths during a potential conflict in your daily life?
Bibliography and Reference Materials Doucet, Oliver., Poitras, Jean. & Chënevert, Denis. (2009). The Impacts of Leadership on Workplace Conflicts. International Journal of Conflict Management. 20(4), pp. 340-354. Kelley, Edgar. (1979). Principles of Conflict Resolution. NASSP Bulletin. 63(11), pp. 11-17.
