Level of Conflict
The conflict, in this case, involved two employees, one has just completed one month on the job, David, and a transferee from another department. The standard of conflict involved here is a personal one. The organization puts a special consideration whenever a conflict involves members of different gender. As such, the mediation involves different gender personalities.
Personality and Style
The fiery personality of Judy could be the reason towards the conflict. However, David also has an outspoken character, which could prove problematic. The parties involved engage in a collaborative style of solving differences (Sourcesofinsight.com, 2011). Although an accommodating style would have worked, collaborate style was the best in this case as all parties could come to an amicable solution.
Relationship; the Physical and Psychological Context
The two conflicting individual relationship is personal. The warring parties have not worked together before thus the occurrence of interpersonal conflicts as they struggle to grapple with each other’s shortcomings and are not fond of each other. They have not figured out a way of working in harmony. A peaceful manner in which both parties co-exist must be established due to the nature of their work, which is dependent on each other for effective service delivery to clients. The conflicting parties hold similar positions in work thus, they each bear the same responsibilities, and obligations thus no individual yields power/control over the others on work affairs. Trust among the parties is nonexistent, as the accused party does not change despite being cautioned against her odor while the accuser does not trust her willingness to reform thus reporting her to the appropriate authorities.
Structural Factors
The working environment here is also a catalyst for this conflict. Working in a cubical office keeps the employees close, and hence odor issues could easily emerge. In future, expansion of the working space could help reduce conflict issues.
Messages/Feedback.
The fact that Dave has decided to seek a mediator is an extra step towards solving the conflict. That demonstrates correct communication tactics being used. While interviewing the claim specialist, he provides detailed information on the issues being addressed. It is easy to read from her nonverbal communication gesture, the lack of personal difference between them though the characters of the two workers differ.
References
Sourcesofinsight.com, (2011). 5 Conflict Management Styles at a Glance. Retrieved 8 February 2016, from http://sourcesofinsight.com/conflict-management-styles-at-a-glance/
