The city of Bedford Falls has two men who share similar duties and whose conflicts have caused a great deal of inefficiencies and stress among the other city workers. On a number of occasions, the Director of Municipal Services has been present in situations where a conflict has occurred between Mr. Kelly and Mr. Booker. He waits them out, then when both gentlemen leave with no resolution to their differences, the Director calls upon other city employees who witnessed the conflict and asks what they feel was actually going on. The city employees will comment on being concerned about Mr. Kelly's attitude toward the employees and Mr. Booker, about Mr. Booker's attitude toward Mr. Kelly's short-comings, and how often city workers are caught in the middle of the conflicts that occur between these two. After the Director hears out the workers, no changes have yet to be noted.
Mr. Kelly was hired as a laborer approximately 10 years ago. The town hired him after he left a similar job in another location. After five years, due to a rearrangement in the management structure and the departure of several upper management personnel, he was promoted to the position of Assistant Superintendent of Public Works. He worked immediately under the Superintendent of Public Works and was responsible for assisting his supervisor in various duties, overseeing work crews, and filling in for the Superintendent in his absence. Mr. Kelly held the position of Assistant Superintendent of Public Works for 2 years and basically served as an errand boy for the Superintendent. At this time, another restructure took place and several more upper management personnel were let go. Mr. Kelly was then made Director of Public Works, which basically is the same job he already had but with a bit more responsibility. He was now responsible for assignment of work crews and personnel (approx. 40-50 employees) as needed to conduct
Conflict Resolution 3 necessary town business such as: purchasing, sanitation, water & sewer maintenance, and the like. He works directly under the Director of Municipal Services, which is basically a desk job/paper pushing version of the Superintendent of Public Works. Mr. Kelly has held this position for the last 3 years and has managed to keep his job, although not due to any efficiency of action or management skills. It is suspected he has done that with the assistance of the Director of Municipal Services, who is a personal friend to Mr.
Franklin is faced with numerous internal conflicts. The conflicts set foot right when Franklin lands a job at Wendy’s working a night shift. The conflict emerges when Franklin is required to serve his community. It is the case because Franklin who works at the Wendy’s lives a few blocks away from the restaurant which states that the customers who flock to the restaurant are among the community members who are recognized by Franklin. Franklin’s boy is a member of the Boy Scout Troop and many of the customers who come to Wendy’s restaurant are parents to boys who attend the Boys Scout Troop. Franklin feels embarrassed when the parents that he knows come to the restaurant. To avoid the embarrassment, what he does is to attempt to explain the case by stating that it is just a temporary process working at the Wendy’s at night. There is an internal personal conflict that is encountered in this segment. Franklin has to make ends meet by fending for his family but also he has to serve his community members which posses a great challenge to his desires and working at the Wendy’s. Furthermore, before the start of the job at Wendy’s, Franklin had a conflict on whether to seek for the job or avoid seeking for a vacancy. An incident to note is when he, Franklin hid his resume inside a menu before the manager walked and talked to him about the work duty at night in the
This case is about an experienced city postal carrier who has recently filled a position at a small town post office and has difficulty adjusting to a different way of life. The central characters include: Larry (the postmaster of Foster Creek), Jim (a senior carrier) and George (a senior carrier). The Foster Creek Post Office exists in a small town and the typical way of life is carried through at the post office. Harry has arrived at Foster from a fast-paced big city post office. Upon his arrival Harry is introduced to his new co-workers where he gives a shy hello and immediately begins his regular duties. Harry expresses no interest in becoming socially involved with Foster Creek and becomes further alienated from his co-workers. His remarkable efficiency and desire to complete his required work as well as any remaining incomplete work causes resentment towards his presence by the senior carriers. Larry is currently faced with the task of placing Harry with enough work to keep him occupied while maintaining harmony among the rest of the employees. His first suggestion is to lengthen Harry’s route, however the senior carriers disagree with Larry’s proposition.
Identify communication problems that have contributed to the conflict between Principal Varber and Associate Principal Howard. I found several communication issues between Principal Varber and Associate Principal Howard. First, Principal Varber spent a substantial amount of time away from campus. Although, in the beginning it was clear that the reason for his employment was to improve the relationship between the community and the school. Secondly, his failure to acknowledge his staff for their outstanding job performance when he receives community recognition about the school. It seems like he only wanted recognition for himself and not when others did well. Associate Principal Howard brought to his attention that he did not recognize his staff for their contributions for him receiving the outstanding educator award from the Chamber of Commerce. Lastly, his relationship with the administration team and staff could have been better. Mrs. Howard informed Principal Varber that the staff considered him as a “phantom” principal because of his absence. She also pointed out that he never took the opportunity to have a “real” conversation with his staff, which hindered relationships and growth of the
Another problem seems to be his morale at his current job because of the new changes that the company is implementing in the organization. Miller seems to be upset over these changes and not willing to change with the company. This has caused his morale to plummet. This could result in not only his morale to diminish but also those employees that look at Miller as a leader as a coworker. He has been there for twenty seven years and there are those that look up to Miller as figure to the company.
The Tough Guy Case Study examines the employees of investment bank Hudson Smith Gordon (“Hudson”) and their reactions to the behavior of one of its vice presidents, Chip Mazey (Yemen & Clawson, 2007). This analysis will discuss the issues of unresolved conflict among Hudson employees and possible remedies to consider. Recommendations will be provided which should be implemented by Hudson management to minimize conflict and its effects in the workplace.
This is better explained by the public servant knowing why he is doing the job and who it is benefiting, socially, and how he is impacting and making a change for the better in their own mind, personal. In the first two “chapters” of Caught between the Dog and the Fireplug, or How to
Abigail, R. A., & Cahn, D. D. (2011). Managing conflict through communication. 4th Ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Think back to the stages of conflict described in this chapter. Which stage best described the conflict between Eisner and Jobs? Was it perceived, felt or manifest?
Many people enjoy working or participating in a group or team, but when a group of people work together chances are that conflicts will occur. Hazleton describes conflict as the discrepancy between what is the perceived reality and what is seen as ideal (2007). “We enter into conflicts reluctantly, cautiously, angrily, nervously, confidently- and emerge from them battered, exhausted, sad, satisfied, triumphant. And still many of us underestimate or overlook the merits of conflict- the opportunity conflict offers every time it occurs” (Schilling, nd.). Conflict does not have to lead to a hostile environment or to broken relationships. Conflict if resolved effectively can lead to a positive experience for everyone involved. First, there must be an understanding of the reasons why conflicts occur. The conflict must be approached with an open mind. Using specific strategies can lead to a successful resolution for all parties involved. The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument states “there are five general approaches to dealing with conflict. The five approaches are avoidance, accommodation, competition, compromise, and collaboration. Conflict resolution is situational and no one approach provides the best or right approach for all circumstances” (Thomas, 2000).
A group can only be called a team if the members are actively working together toward a common goal. A team must have the capability to set goals, make decisions, solve problems, and share responsibilities. For a team to be successful, trust must be earned between its members by being consistent and reliable (Temme & Katzel, 2005). When more than one person is working on a particular task, inconsistent views or opinions commonly arise. People come from different backgrounds and live through different life experiences therefore, even when working towards a common goal, they will not always see eye to eye. Major conflict that is not dealt with can devastate a team or organization (Make Conflict Work, 2008). In some situations, conflict can be more constructive than destructive. Recognizing the difference between conflict that is constructive to the team and conflict that is destructive to the team is important. Trying to prevent the conflict is not always the best way to manage conflict when working within a team setting. Understanding conflict, what causes it, and how to resolve conflict effectively, should consume full concentration.
workplace include greater total resources, greater knowledge band and a greater source of ideas. However, these advantages can also bring on conflict within teams and the entire workplace. Varney (1989) reported that conflict remained the number one problem within a large company. This was after several attempts were made to train management in conflict resolutions and procedures. However, the conflict remained. The conflict possibly remains because the managers and leaders did not pay attention to the seriousness of the issue. In order to maintain an effective team, leaders and team members must know and be proactive in the conflict resolution techniques and procedures.
Identify the different conflict episodes that exist in this case? Who was in conflict with whom? 3 points
In order of being able to analyze the sources of conflicts regarding the clothing manufacturer, I will present the Conflict Process Model according to McShane and Von Glinow. Therefore, I will first define what conflicts are, and second present the different sources of conflicts and carve out which conflicts are involved regarding to the given case. The third step is to explain two different strategies to minimize these conflicts in future. Finally, I will provide a recommendation and conclusion.
Morrow Bernardi (1999) Resolving Workplace Disputes. Source: Canadian Manager, Spring99, Vol. 24 Issue 1, p17, 4p. Available: www.wls.lib.ny.us/databases/ebsco.com 06/10/99
Conflict is unavoidable and connected to a world where different ideas and opinions are challenged. Negative conflict occurs when voices are not expressed appropriately, discussions are not in control or different parties reject moving forward with a solution. There is difficulty resolving disagreements because there are multiple reactions to disputes. However, a positive conflict supports debates without a destructive outcome. They improve communication, introduce principles that are important to others, and reduce chaos. On the other hand, the approach that a person uses to address conflict dictates the outcome they receive. Methods for resolving conflict include avoiding the problem, smoothing out a situation, competing against the ideas