Workplace conflict is a situation whereby there is a disagreement between workers caused by the opposition in views of interests, values, and needs. At work, there are different forms of conflict. It can be among formal power and authority and the group and individuals affected. Disputes can also be over how work should be done, how to divide revenue, and how hard and how long one should work. Individuals can also dispute over jurisdictions, and this can be among departments, management and union, and individuals. Conflicts can be subtle; for example, the ones involving fighting for favor and power, personality clashes, jealousy, and role definition. Conflict can also exist within a person, these could be either need that is competing or demands, and these differ in the way individuals handle them.
Conflict affecting people at the workplace can exist between individuals, in an individual, and between groups. What often causes disagreement between workgroups is when workers in these groups fight for scarce resources, control, and status (Brubaker, Noble, Fincher, Park, & Press, 2014). These conflicts often have the same origin when it comes to conflict between groups at workplaces. To resolve these conflicts, the company must take its employees through a problem-solving process followed by a willingness to look into the issues, and the company must be ready to listen to one another. There are different types of conflicts; these include personal conflict, intragroup conflict, and intergroup conflict.
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Personal conflict is a type of conflict that exists between people. A personality clash usually causes it. These clashes often are because of family problems, drug abuse, or childcare issues. Disagreement about the core values of the company, leadership, budgets contributes to this kind of conflict (Brubaker, Noble, Fincher, Park, & Press, 2014). In order to resolve this type of conflict, a professional counselor is required. This kind of conflict gives the organization a hard time to handle and therefore, a need for a workplace mediator. However, there are a few situations where the management can handle it.
Intragroup conflict is a type of conflict that come up from groups lacking enough positions, resources, and limited freedom. Workers are looking for positions of power fight with other members for status in the group. Workers who value freedom would not want to depend on anyone and therefore have a difficult time when it comes to conformity. Intragroup conflict is fueled by winning and competing for culture in the work environment today. Instead of cooperating to achieve a common goal, workers meet to determine who has won and who has lost.
Intergroup conflict has different forms. Competition between functions, also known as horizontal strain. There is also a vertical strain that involves hierarchy such as middle management and supervisors. It tends to happen in organizations that compete a lot. Members tend to choose the smartest people and rally behind them. Views of workers, in this case, are distorted. They only follow what is viewed as useful and ignore what is viewed as bad (Leon-Perez, Medina, Arenas, & Munduate, 2015). The two groups are hostile because no one wants to listen to the opposing opinion. In this case, the decisions made at the end favor no one, and therefore, everybody loses.
So many reasons can cause conflicts. These include role conflict, romance in the office, and passive-aggressive behavior. Personal conflicts mainly result from this type of cause. This includes the many roles employees play in an organization. These roles are directly affected by personal expectations and an employee’s personality. The different roles that exist within and outside organizations are bound to combine at some point. These bring conflict due to the various roles played by individuals (Gilin Oore, Leiter, & LeBlanc, 2015). These kinds of disputes result in frustration, which in turn reduce the productivity of an organization. Conflict in an organization have adverse effects like delaying decisions made, and they also divert energy and time from the main objectives. Conflict also provokes personal abuse and interferes with empathy. There are also positive outcomes of conflict. I may lead to a deeper understanding of each other (Katz & Flynn, 2013). People depending on each other automatically leads to conflict resolution. People start to realize that the difference in each other can also be helpful.
A conflict policy is a policy intended to create a chance to resolve conflict fairly and quickly without reprisal. This policy also intends to enhance communication between supervisors and employees. As a nurse, conflict policy helps in ensuring that decisions made by management confidently arrive upon thorough review. It upholds the fact that the work environment is positive by giving supervisors the role of resolving conflict and preventing them. Conflict policy identifies company policies that should be modified or clarified. This policy directs employees who feel that they have conflict within their work environment to be assisted with the supervisor. It contains specific procedures to be followed, which are quite helpful in a work environment (Saundry, 2016).
These procedures include informal complaints and conflict resolution processes and formal conflict resolution and complaint process. Informal procedures encourage employees to discuss their issues with their supervisor first. If this does not work or if an employee does not feel comfortable, they will move to the next level of management, such as a human resource manager. If this also does not work, the employee will move to the next level of management or proceed with the formal procedure. The formal methods involve a written document and submit that to the supervisor who will then investigate it. The supervisor will do a report saying whether he or she agrees with it or not. This is then given to the employee to confirm if they agree. If so, it is taken to the human resource manager. If the issue is not handled correctly to the employee's satisfaction, then the documentation is concluded and recommendations made. This is then given to the next level of management, which will analyze the issue. A resolution is reached and given to the employee. This will continue to the topmost management until a solution is reached upon.
At workplaces, conflict resolution can be divided into stages to make the process simple. This makes it easier for management to communicate effectively and solve conflicts in the workplace easily. The first step is to identify what the issue or dispute is clear. At this stage, the aim is to make sure both parties agree on what the conflict is. To find out what this is, one needs to find out what needs are not being met. Both parties need to agree on the same thing to proceed. The next step is to establish a mutual objective for both parties. Make sure they understand what the resolution is all about. This is to channel both parties towards a common goal.
The next step is to discuss the common objective. Both parties plus the mediator brainstorm, communicate and listen to each other. After all the opinions are exhausted, it is crucial to find out what the barrier to obtaining the common goal is. At this point, the two parties will identify what caused the disagreement in the first place. It is also essential to take note of what may cause an obstacle in the future. At this point, one identifies what can be helped and what cannot be helped. For the part that cannot be resolved, a discussion of how it can be maneuvered is necessary. The next step is to agree on how best the conflict can be resolved. Solutions that every party is happy with should be considered. The final step is the acknowledgment of the solution that has been agreed upon and the definition of each party's role in the resolution.
As a supervisor, this proposed outline is intended for nurses who do not wash their hands and therefore leading to infections. The objective is that by the end of this training, nurses should have learned to wash their hands after handling equipment or patients. This training is essential because it will help in the prevention of infection. In order to deliver this message, there will be the use of demonstration and research materials from documented videos to show the effects of not washing hands after handling equipment or patients.
This kind of training is best delivered during lunch breaks when most nurses are on their break to make sure everyone gets the message. The materials needed in this case are the ones to show the documentary and a computer for a PowerPoint presentation for those who want to take notes. The final step is to use surveys to find out if the message was well delivered. Face to face interviews will also help in this situation to find out what information the nurses have learned. Question and answer tests can also be used to evaluate the nurses.
Conflict resolution policy is an important part of an organization. In most cases, it solves conflicts and ensures that work goes on smoothly. It ensures that worker collaborates and cooperate towards a common goal. Today, every organization cannot do without conflict resolution policies to help solve differences in an organization.
References
Brubaker, D., Noble, C., Fincher, R., Park, S. K., & Press, S. (2014). Conflict Resolution in the Workplace: What Will the Future Bring? Conflict Resolution Quarterly , 31 (4), 357-386. doi:10.1002/crq.21104
Chrobot-Mason, D., Ruderman, M. N., & Nishii, L. H. (2014). Leadership in a Diverse Workplace. Oxford Handbooks Online . doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199755615.013.034
Gilin Oore, D., Leiter, M. P., & LeBlanc, D. E. (2015). Individual and organizational factors promoting successful responses to workplace conflict. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne , 56 (3), 301-310. doi:10.1037/cap0000032
Katz, N. H., & Flynn, L. T. (2013). Understanding Conflict Management Systems and Strategies in the Workplace: A Pilot Study. Conflict Resolution Quarterly , 30 (4), 393-410. doi:10.1002/crq.21070
Leon-Perez, J. M., Medina, F. J., Arenas, A., & Munduate, L. (2015). The relationship between interpersonal conflict and workplace bullying. Journal of Managerial Psychology , 30 (3), 250-263. doi:10.1108/jmp-01-2013-0034
Saundry, R. (2016). Conceptualizing Workplace Conflict and Conflict Management. Reframing Resolution , 13-33. doi:10.1057/978-1-137-51560-5_2
