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... in unresolved anger, personality clashes, unclear roles, and problems of efficiency (De Janasz et al. , 2002). The key to averting destructive conflict and replacing it with constructive conflict is to address the conflict as soon as it is recognized. It is important to deal with the conflict before it becomes unmanageable. Once the team has recognized that a conflict exists, it must transform the conflict from a personal conflict to an organizational one (Gary, 2003, para. 5). By taking this action, the team can minimize personal feelings as much as possible and concentrate on finding a constructive solution.
Removing personal feelings from the equation can help the group look at the conflict more clearly and work to find a solution. Scenario Conflicts Now that we have an understanding of what causes conflict and how it can affect a work team, let us analyze the scenario discussed earlier in this paper. There are two primary conflicts. The first conflict is between the employees, veterans vs. new hires. The veteran workers feel as a result of their loyalty they have earned the right to have priority over the new hires in regards to vacation requests and work shifts.
Many of the senior people feel that the newer employees have not paid their dues to earn the right of hours since the senior employees had to work the not so desirable hours when they first came into the company. They feel that the new employees want immediate earned rights and it becomes an ethical issue to them. As states, It hardly seems fair to the people that have done their time to earn those small but monumental rights. As you can guess, the new hires feel this is unfair because everyone does the same job so there should be no such thing as seniority. Veteran workers believe the new hires are disrespecting a time-honored tradition, and believe the new hires are trying to circumvent the tradition for their own selfish benefits.
Whereas, new hires believe granting vacation time and work shifts based on seniority discriminates against them because they are newer and younger employees. The second conflict of the scenario is a conflict between management and employees. There will always be some level of conflict between management and employees at any company, but in this case, management has exacerbated the problem. Management made changes to the work groups in an effort to find a fair way to assign vacation days, and at the same time, create a more flexible scheduling system. Employees do not see it the same way. They feel betrayed.
Veteran employees see the vacation policy change as an attack on tradition and feel the company is discounting all the years of service the veterans have dedicated to the company. All the employees see managements decision as a disregard for their feelings because they all voted for fixed shifts, but their vote was ignored. If The Conflicts Are Not Addressed Why is it important to address the conflict at all? Is it possible that management can simply ignore the problem and force the employees to adapt? Management could take this tact, but it is clear that this is not the correct course of action.
Allowing destructive conflict to go unchecked is dangerous. In this scenario, the rift between new hires and veteran employees could result in the inability for the two groups to work together. The varied shift changes can possibly result in sleep disorders, and leave workers more stressed and anxious. A stressed employee, especially one who feels the company is to blame, can cause discord in the workplace. Some employees might have childcare issues, class-scheduling conflicts, or even lose a second job because of the inconsistent work schedule.
As a result, the employees begin to lose respect for management because management appears to not care about the employees personal lives. Employee dissatisfaction may result in increased employee turnover, leading to staffing problems and increased training costs of new employees. Employees may intentional undermine management through sabotage and work slowdowns. This division may ultimately lead to company wide problems.
Diminished work levels, inefficient processes, and unproductive employees will eventually lead to an inefficient, unproductive company. Suggested Resolutions A. The company could keep original process of seniority regarding vacation time and work shifts, but must understand that results of such an action may be detrimental to the company, as stated previously. By keeping the original process management can justify any complaints by stating it was the choice of the employees. It hands the responsibility over to the employees. B.
If the groups must be broken up, ensure that each group is broken up with the same ratio of new hires/ medium timer/ old timers. This change can help create consistency throughout the work teams. C. If shift hours must be changed, assign each employee to one shift and not a varied shift every month.
D. If management absolutely needs flexibility, then hire a few employees (rovers) who do not mind varied shifts and give variance pay (higher pay per hour) as compensation. It would make the hours more appealing and give a way out for those who do not want to work them. Summary Conflict inevitably affects every work team.
Diversity can be a main cause for conflict, but if the team manages the conflict effectively, conflict can be a productive force. Conflict used constructively can result in great improvements for a company and its employees. The scenario presented in this paper illustrates how a conflict managed incorrectly may eventually result in discord among employees and diminished returns for the company. Conflict addressed early and constructively helps to avoid a problem from mushrooming into an even greater dilemma.
Whatever the solution, management needs to recognize the employees wants and needs and balance it with its own needs. Through collaboration, everyone wins and there is a greater chance for a long-term solution with long-term benefits. References De Janasz, S. C. , Dowd K. O. , & Schneider B.
Z. (2002). Interpersonal Skills in Organizations. New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 241 - 259.
Gary, L. (2003, May). Bury Your Opinion, Shortchange Your Team. Harvard Management Update, 15259595. 8 (5), Retrieved December 18, 2004 from University of Phoenix Online: web ug = sid+ 08 E 6 D 568 % 2 DA 6 B 9 % 2 D 4 FB 9 % 2 DBBBF% 2 D 6 CC 6151 D 25 C C% 40 session mgr 2 +AEF 0 & us = sm+KS+or+Date+A 4 A 8 & uso = st% 5 B 0 +% 2 DAN++ 9649312 +tg% 5 B 0 +% 2 D+db% 5 B 0 +% 2 Df 5 h +op% 5 B 0 +% 2 D+hd+False+DDD 1 &cf = 1 &fn = 1 &rn = 1 & Noble, J. (2004). The Business Case for Diversity. Retrieved January 9, 2005 from Diversity@work Online: web National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. National Occupational Research Agenda. (1996, April).
Nora Priority Research Areas. Retrieved January 5, 2005, from web Porter, S. (2003). Managing Conflict in Learning Teams. Retrieved December 16, 2004 from University of Phoenix Online: web Smallwood, B. (n. d. ). Handling Conflict in the Workplace Constructively.
Retrieved January 7, 2005 from The Sideroad. com: web Building/ conflict-in-workplace. html Swales, C. (2002). Overcome Team Conflict. Retrieved January 7, 2005 from Monster. com: web
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Research essay sample on Conflict Resolution In Work Teams
