Conflict management is regarded as the process that aims at reducing the negative aspects of a conflict while increasing its positive aspects ( Scott, 2010). It aims at improving group outcomes and learning that include performance and effectiveness in the organizational setting ( Katz, 2010).
The nature of the conflict
The conflict, in this case, revolves around the use of bathrooms and the locker room for transgender employees. It is considered to be dysfunctional in nature because it can negatively affect the performance of employees ( Ponte, 1999).
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Escalation of the issue
As a result of the conflict, a Training Curriculum Development Team was formed to address the issue. However, it resulted in strong opinions and the issue was escalated by the organizational politics and also other issues ( Raines, 2013).
Outcomes
The outcome included heated argument between members in the previous meeting that almost became a shouting match. It’s a lose-lose outcome because no one gets what they initially anticipated from the process ( Dana, 2001).
Characters’ use and awareness of power, negotiation, and politics
Negotiation is the process where parties that have different interests and preferences try to have an agreement on the solution ( Rhodes, 2013). The characters in the case study try to use negotiation by recognizing that the issue had escalated and trying to agree on a solution. Power has also been used by the characters such as the human resource manager who stresses that he has the expertise in the issue and thus should be taken seriously ( Goncalves, 2008). Finally, there is awareness of politics as seen in the characters that are seen to be getting into a personal conflict ( Molthan-Hill, 2014).
Conclusion and Recommendations
Evidently, conflict resolution is a vital part of any organization whose effectiveness can ensure that it succeeds. Improvements in the process can be made by laying out the ground rules before solving the conflict so that the members do not drift away from the objectives of the process ( Caspersen, 2015). An applicable concept that addresses the scenario is designing an environment that would not escalate the situation to ensure that the process is effective.
References
Caspersen, D. (2015). Changing the conversation: The 17 principles of conflict resolution .
Dana, D. (2001). Conflict resolution: Mediation tools for everyday work life . New York: McGraw-Hill.
Goncalves, M. (2008). Conflict resolution: Concepts and practice . New York: ASME Press.
Katz, D. (2010). Win at work!: The everybody wins approach to confliction resolution . Hoboken, N.J: Wiley.
Molthan-Hill, P. (2014). The business student's guide to sustainable management: Principles and practice .
Ponte, L. M., & Cavenagh, T. D. (1999). Alternative dispute resolution in business . Cincinnati, Ohio: West Educational Pub.
Raines, S. (2013). Conflict management for managers: Resolving workplace, client, and policy disputes . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Rhodes, K., & Lansky, D. (2013). Managing conflict in the family business: Understanding challenges at the intersection of family and business . New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Scott, V., & Dispute Resolution Center of Snohomish & Island Counties (Everett, Wash.),. (2010). Conflict resolution at work for dummies .
