This paper discusses conflict and conflict management in a formal business organization. This is actually done by giving a short description of conflict and conflict resolution, effects of conflict and various strategies that can be put forth to fully deal with conflicts in such an organization (Wilmot and Hocker, 2007).
Such conflicts, when they occur, may thwart the smooth running of the organization, leads to poor working relations, poor performance and poor public relations. This can eventually lead to a total collapse of the organization.
Therefore, in order for the management to fully deal with such conflicts, there is need to adopt more practical strategies that can help to understand all the employees by giving them all the necessary human resource treatment. This will help to boost their morale to work hard for the betterment of the firm. (Wilmot and Hocker, 2007).
It should the primary responsibility of the top management to tactfully adopt the Myers-Briggs Framework, Carl Jung’s based ideas that advocates for the categorization of employees into various categories depending on their traits. Similarly, the management may make a good use of psychological contract in order to help the employees to identify their strengths, opportunities and help them to work harder towards achieving their set goals.
As Tung suggested, this kind of information can be got by the use of well designed questionnaires that can be used to help the organization acquire more detailed information from the employees. Such information will then be used to help the organization deeply understand the employees’ demands, ability and expectations. In return, the organization will be able to clearly state what inducements they should expect as a reciprocal of their dedicated service to the firm. (Wilmot and Hocker, 2007).
However, to achieve this, conflict resolution is paramount: it will help the organization to raise a co-operative staff with well defined roles. Hence, within this in mind, an organization can adopt the following strategies to resolve conflict:
1.) Negotiation which means a collective bargaining process that brings together the wrangling groups. Here, they come together to amicably resolve their differences. In such a situation, they will reach a peaceful agreement without an unnecessary pressure from the top management.
2.) Mediation. Mediation simply means the facing of a neutral person to act as a mid wife in negotiating peace. Such a person plays an impartial role in helping the wrangling groups to reach an amicable agreement. However, in this context, one of the parties is expected to give in for the sake of peaceful negotiation.
3.) Arbitration. This means that a conflict in an organization can be resolved by following the due process of the law. If people are in a conflict, the complainant is given a chance to lodge complain in the court of law. Here, the suspect will be expected to answer the charges put against them. If they are found guilty, they will be subjected to some form of punishment, give a fine or compensate the offended for the damages. This means that such a case can be resolved without the organization’s boundaries.
4.) Avoiding. To avoid a conflict is to escape; not to face the real problem. Meaning, when there is a problem; one decides not to face it, but to run away from it. However, this, to critics, is not the best way to deal with conflicts. It simply means deferring it.
5.) Coercion. This refers to the use of force to seek for solutions during problems. Here, the senior management may be forced to chip in by giving directives on what to do. Here, they may use a lot of force to separate the two wrangling groups and disciplinary action can be taken against them.
In conclusion, I would like to concur with the fact that peace is paramount in the prosperity of any organization. Even if Thomas Kilman argues that conflict can not be resolved, any dedicated management for any organization should do all that they can to unite the workers. In deed, this will not only bring cohesion, but also contributes to the expansion of such organizations.
Reference
Wilmot, W. and J. Hocker (2007), Interpersonal Conflict. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies
