White Pages – Conflict Management

Conflict management is an intricate aspect of interpersonal communication in the work place. Because time is money, performance corrections tend to be completed with brevity but effectively managing conflict requires the correct training, attention to detail, and preparation. We often take corrective behavior at face value however; an employee’s growth affects employee job satisfaction and therefor employee longevity. These interpersonal communication methods can help retain the best workforce possible, performance, job satisfaction. Consequently, saving the company time and money. In the following white pages, we will discuss complex scenarios, conflict management techniques and why they come as great value for long term growth for any company’s management.

How to know if your company has poor conflict resolution. Does your company have reoccurring issues? Are they resolved in a timely manner? Do they negatively affect workplace relations? Are they adequately prevented in the company’s future? If any of these problems consist in your company, most likely there is a breakdown within conflict management that could be improved. Downward communication must be strong but also understanding of the causation and be dealt with in a professional manner that prevents future occurrence.

A broad amount of interpersonal issues can arise in the workplace. Dealing with these dilemmas can be frustrating, timely, and even emotionally damaging. Let’s propose there is an employee who has been working for the company for several years. They have made a careless mistake that needs to be addressed. Confronting said employee is not as simple as chastising the negative behavior.

If the correction consists of belittling language or yelling. This can be seen as a lack of unprofessionalism. Nonverbal inferences will be taken into account Intragroup when conflict/ Intradepartment Conflicts arise. New hires determine future treatment based on how existing employees are dealt with. Utilizing ego or “I” language for example “This has become a pain in my back, that I don’t want to waste my time with!” can generate feelings of ostracism for some employees or unappreciation for other opportunities they have given up to work with your particular company.

Instead, communication methods that convey messages of personal development within the employee can create a team building environment. For example, “I understand things can become mundane or personal issues can distract us. But at the workplace we are required to be professional and complete every job to the best of our abilities.” Communication Apprehension can be negatively influenced by high levels of anxiety, avoidance or communication withdrawal, and others that tend to view those with extreme cases of communication apprehension negatively

T.R.I.P. or Topic, Relational, Identity, and Process can be used to help resolve conflict. The Topic at hand, Scheduling/budgeting ect, Relational issues; feeling unappreciated, resentful, Ego/Identity issues; glory hog or sexist nerd, The Process; line of command and communications within the organization.

Avoidance can be caused by poor interpersonal relations. Negatively communicating with others prevents co-workers from perceiving positive feedback. This in turn can manifest feelings of resentment and distain. These feelings keep up from adequately dealing with issues in the work place and are generally considered unprofessional. If employees feel like they have no chance of winning, why try? Or for that matter, when the potential for disruption outweighs the benefits of resolution.

It is important to remember to calm down and gain perspective on situations, think through how they could be appraised, and be addressed in a timely manner that communicates needed information. The long-term cost of winning almost always outweigh the short-term gains. Remember that misunderstandings occur as a natural part of organizations, that certain characteristics of social interaction should be encouraged and supported, and finally that strategic communication planning is important.