Having been an intern at the office of cultural affairs of the City of San Jose, I was able to partake and witness a lot of events that were held within the city. The departments at the City’s offices were mainly concerned with ensuring that event organizers would attain permits to hold events within different locations in the city. The permits required that the different organizers oblige by the rules that were set by the city’s office of cultural affairs. Despite the existence of many conflicts, there was a particular conflict that occurred between one of the biggest organizers and a different department within the offices. The event organizers were the facilitators of the Jazz Fest, which was one of the biggest events held annually in the city for a period of over 20 years. The conflict in this scenario included the differences between the event organizers, the office of the cultural affairs that grants permits and the fire department. The request and the norms of these annual events were that they acquired permits to hold the event in one of the busiest streets in the city. The pre-event went well as planned before the intervention of a new representative from the fire department who was not in support of the event’s plan. This was due to the strategic positions of the stages that would be erected on the narrow streets which would limit access to the fire trucks in case of an emergency. Despite efforts to try and convince the new fire representative that the event had over the years be held under the same plan and nothing happened. They failed to convince the fire department into accepting their plans. This is despite attempts to try and ascertain the flexibility of their stages that they could be demolished at ease if there was an emergency and the fire department needed to gain access into the event.
In this particular situation, it is evident that the sources of conflict were environmentally induced stress. This is due to the approach that the different departments take in trying to resolve the issue at hand. Individuals in this conflict present a situation where no one is willing to give an opportunity to the other to air their views which could probably assist in reaching a solution. The conflict seemed not to have made progress for some time due to the personal differences that existed between the fire department representative and the Jazz Fest organizers. This is was evident through the approach that they were taking whereby the event organizers tried to justify their plans through giving credit to the success they have had in conducting events that had result to no accidents that would require intervention of the fire department. The fire department also seemed not willing to provide a viable solution which would be significant that would help in developing a strategy enabling the fire department to have easy access into the event in case there is an accident.
The fire departments representative stands by his ground by not listening to the justifications that the organizers try to put across. The event organizers, however, use compromising style backed up by the supervisors at the office of cultural affairs due to the reputation they have and the impact that their event has on the city. Both parties are influential with perspectives that could not let them reach a suitable solution. Conflicts can be classified by evaluating whether they centrally focus on the people or issues. In this case, the conflict witnessed focused on the issues. Understanding the source or the origin of the conflict is essential (Text2 file). This would aid the formulation of reliable interventions that can resolve the witnessed conflict. Possible sources of conflicts include information deficiencies and selective application of the policies among others (Text2 file).
There are various strategies that can be utilized to address conflicts in an organization. The most effective strategies for managing conflicts include; forcing response, accommodating response, avoiding response, compromising response and collaborative approach (Text3 file 386). A collaborative approach would be the most efficient and effective way for resolving the conflict witnessed in this scenario. This is evident through the pride that both parties take in trying to justify their actions. Taking off their pride to adopt a common ground would be efficient in ensuring that a solution is arrived at to save on time and prevent further damages within the departments involved.
Improving on their dialogue through the way they addressed each other would also be a proper approach that may be useful in resolving future conflicts. This would be relevant in avoiding the occurred and irrelevant confrontations that took place. The office of cultural affairs is held hostage by both parties. Despite the economical value and a boost in the city’s revenue, the office cannot give a permit to the organizers of the Jazz Fest since this would be against the law. It is required by law that all events require an emergency detail plan in case of an accident during such events. On the other hand, the office of cultural affairs does not also want to go against the request by the Jazz Fest organizers due to the good relations that they have maintained over the years. In this context, the need for putting away pride by embracing accommodative and compromising attitudes becomes essential to facilitate proper planning of the event.
Works Cited
Text2 File, “Conflict Management.”
Text3 File “Conflict Management”
