Managing Conflict
The ability to manage conflict is undoubtedly one of the most
important skills a manager needs to possess A study of middle- and
top-level executives revealed that the manager spends approximately
20% of his or her time dealing with conflict. In most management
development programmes; conflict management was being more important
than decision making, leadership or communication.
DEALING WITH CONFLICT
Concept
Definition
Want
Desire for something
Goal
Desired ideal state of future affairs
Need
Universal necessity for survival
Interests
potential benefits to be gained by achieving goals
Conflict of interests
The actions taken by person A to achieve goals prevent, block or
interfere with the actions taken by person B to achieve goals
Conflict
“Conflict is defined as perceived incompatible differences that result
in interference or opposition.”
The traditional view of conflict is that all conflict is bad and must
be avoided. but also that some conflict is absolutely necessary for an
ithin the organisation to perform effectively. We label this
isolationist view of conflict.
Human relations view is that conflict is a natural and inevitable
outcome in any organisation.
Interactionist view of conflict that some conflict is necessary for an
organisation to perform effectively. The interactionist view does not
propose that all conflicts are good. Rather some conflicts support the
goals of the organisation; these are functional conflicts of a
constructive form. However, some conflicts prevent an organisation
from achieving its goals; these are dysfunctional conflicts and are
destructive forms.
Functional conflict supports the organisation’s goals.
Dysfunctional conflict can prevent an organisation from achieving its
goals.
Conflict strategies
When you become engaged in a conflict, two major concerns you have to
take into account are:
1. Achieving your goals. Each person has personal goals that he
or she wishes to achieve. You are in conflict. You are in conflict
because your goals conflict with other person’s goals. Your goal may
be placed on a continuum from being of little importance to you being
highly important.
2. Maintaining a good relationship with the other person(s). Some
relationships are temporary while some are long term. Some long-term
relationships are vita...
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...ill encourage you to
find solutions to the tough problems too. Keep early discussions
informal. It’s always easier to “toughen up”
than “soften down
• Emphasise the relationship. If both parties are clear that a
continued good relationship is a desired outcome, then both will work
harder towards that end.
• Limit each discussion to a few issues. Otherwise the “mountain”
will look insurmountable.
• Keep a long-term view in mind. This helps keep things in
perspective.
• Look for and foster flexibility and creativity. How can you both
get what you want? Don’t limit yourself by grasping the first solution
that suggest itself.
• Listen carefully and summarise frequently. Summarise the other’s
point of view, especially before
disagreeing.
• Adopt a “problem-solving” approach. See the dispute as a problem
to be solved rather than a battle to be won.
• Test your assumptions. Bring your thoughts out into the open so
they can be verified. State clearly your position and your
understanding of the other’s position. Making assumptions about what
the person does or doesn’t know or want can be a recipe for going round
in circles.
Players since the beginning of baseball have used some type of drug to enhance their game such as in 1889 Pud Galvin ingested monkey testosterone and Grover Cleveland Alexander used banned alcohol to enhance his game (Chafets). This should prove that baseball will never fully stop the use of PEDs, they can only cover up the ones that have. As Zev Chafets puts it “Chemical enhancement won’t kill the game; it is the cover-up that could be fatal” (Chafets). This cover up will ultimately hurt the game of baseball so the league should give the players the opportunity to use the PEDs, and if they choose not to then that is their decision ...
of which he knows, but he enjoys it being that way. He doesn’t seek the relational
To a sports fan, it might seem as if every news broadcast brings another suspension; some athlete, old or young, loses half of his or her season after failing a drug test. In professional sports, where athletic performance is the primary factor in an athlete’s salary and is practically the only aspect of the athlete that sports fans and owners care about, many professional athletes turn to performance enhancing drugs to gain a competitive edge. One sports organization in particular that has been overwhelmed with the use of performance enhancing drugs, commonly referred to as PEDs, is Major League Baseball, or the MLB. PEDs have been a long-standing issue in the MLB, keeping several of the most famous names in baseball, such as Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Roger Clemens, out of the Baseball Hall of Fame despite their stellar careers because of their admitted PED use. Before this season has even started, there have already been a multitude of players suspended for nearly a third of the season for breaking the MLB’s drug policy. But now, many people are insisting that the MLB should drastically alter its drug policy by allowing players to access PEDs to ensure that players are all on an equal footing and to make baseball more exciting. Others believe allowing PED use will ruin the integrity of baseball and will have major
Smith, Daniel P. "What to Know about GMOs." QSR Magazine Oct. 2013: n. pag. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. .
Major League Baseball (MLB) has a big issue when to comes to performance enhancing drugs. The current era of the MLB has not been firm enough with its athletes that use and have used performance enhancing drugs. The first punishment usually doesn’t stop players from doping after they come back. Players such as Jenrry Mejia, Neifi Pérez, and Eliézer Alfonzo are examples of players that have been suspended more than once, proving that the first punishment needs to be stricter. If the MLB succeeds in doing this, there will be some hope that the world of baseball will become cleaner than this current era has been and that athletes have a chance to play baseball purely. Baseball desperately needs to make a stricter anti-doping policy, including
Conflict is something that arises in any workplace and that is particularly true when speaking about healthcare and the nursing field. Conflict by definition is competitive or opposing action of incompatibles and a mental struggle resulting from incompatible or opposing needs, drives, wishes, or external or internal demands. If these conflicts are managed correctly the results can be positive as opposed to negative.
When considering your conflict management style with others, be it; personal or professional, we tend to use the style that seems appropriate to the conflict.
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.
accordingly. If we come across someone with money or someone well known, we tend to
Biblical witness centers on the Spirits activity of “binding believers to Christ, incorporation them into the church as the body of Christ and equipping the church for mission.” Despite the best effort of the Church to be the hands and feet of Christ it is reassuring to know that the Spirit is still present and working in the hearts of people outside of the church’s work. Without the work of the Spirit in the hearts of believers and throughout the word, humanity would not know the love of God. The Holy Spirit gives liberates and brings new life it unites, encourages and brings hope to a world pledged by darkness.
Look up the word conflict in the dictionary and you will see several negative responses. Descriptions such as: to come into collision or disagreement; be at variance or in opposition; clash; to contend; do battle; controversy; quarrel; antagonism or opposition between interests or principles Random House (1975). With the negative reputation associated with this word, no wonder people tend to shy away when they start to enter into the area of conflict. D. Jordan (1996) suggests that there are two types of conflict: good, which is defined as cognitive conflict (C-type conflict) and, detrimental, defined as affective conflict (A-type conflict). The C-type conflict allows for creativity, to pull together a group of people with different opinions or ideas, to combine and brain storm all thoughts to develop the best solution for the problem. The A-type conflict is the negative form when you have animosity, hostility, un-resolveable differences, and egos to deal with. The list citing negative conflicts could go on forever. We will be investigating these types of conflicts, what managers can do to recognize conflict early, and what strategies they can use to resolve conflicts once they have advanced.
Aristotle’s discussions on free will came from his theory of the prime mover. In his book Physics, Aristotle theorized that everything is always in a constant state of change, or movement. When a pen falls of a table, it is changed because it is in a different location than it was previously and also possibly scuffed up from falling to the floor. If something is moved, or changed in its composition, there has to be an ultimate higher power, or mover, responsible. This is what Aristotle called the Prime Mover, referring to God. Aristotle believed the Prime Mover to be unchanging and infinite. He exists because in order for something to be changed, there must also be a master, unchangeable thing. There needs to be a start to the chain of events that is caused by the primary, unmoved mover, or God. Therefore, God is necessary for ...
that may result in a struggle for power or position. Conflict management, therefore, can be