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Examples of Conflicts & Resolutions in The Workplace: Discrimination Issues

The document discusses several types of conflicts that can arise in the workplace and strategies for resolving them. It provides examples of discrimination issues, performance review conflicts, conflicts with customers, and leadership conflicts. It then discusses five conflict management strategies: accommodating, avoiding, collaborating, compromising, and competing. Finally, it outlines several ways organizations can manage conflict, including maintaining a positive perspective on conflict, establishing a grievance procedure, focusing on underlying causes rather than surface issues, and giving all parties an equal voice.

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109 views4 pages

Examples of Conflicts & Resolutions in The Workplace: Discrimination Issues

The document discusses several types of conflicts that can arise in the workplace and strategies for resolving them. It provides examples of discrimination issues, performance review conflicts, conflicts with customers, and leadership conflicts. It then discusses five conflict management strategies: accommodating, avoiding, collaborating, compromising, and competing. Finally, it outlines several ways organizations can manage conflict, including maintaining a positive perspective on conflict, establishing a grievance procedure, focusing on underlying causes rather than surface issues, and giving all parties an equal voice.

Uploaded by

surya
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Examples of Conflicts & Resolutions in the Workplace

Conflict is inevitable in workplace settings, and conflicts can arise between co-workers, supervisors and
subordinates or between employees and external stakeholders, such as customers, suppliers and
regulatory agencies. Managing conflict is a key management competency and all small business owners
should study and practice effective conflict management skills to maintain a positive workplace
environment. Reviewing examples of conflicts and resolutions in the workplace can give you an idea of
what to expect when conflicts arise.

Discrimination Issues
Discrimination can be a source of heated conflict, potentially ending in legal trouble for a company or its
owners. Discriminatory conflicts can arise from personal prejudices on the part of employees or
perceptions of mistreatment of employees. As an example of a discrimination-related conflict, imagine a
minority employee in a team setting who feels that he is consistently assigned the most menial work
tasks in the group. This employee may begin to harbor resentment against team members and
managers, eventually lashing out through decreased productivity or outright verbal conflict. To resolve
this issue, a manager could sit down with the whole team and discuss the way in which job tasks are
assigned, making changes as necessary to ensure that tasks are divided equitably.

Performance-Review Conflicts
No employee likes to receive a negative performance review, but giving negative feedback in a review
can be unavoidable based on the employee's own actions during the review period. Employees may
become angry over not receiving expected pay raises, promotions or other performance-related
incentives, and may lash out by spreading discontent through gossip and a negative attitude at work.
Employees may argue directly with supervisors during performance reviews, creating sensitive situations
that require tactful communication. To resolve a conflict arising from a negative performance review,
work directly with the employee to create a solid, time-bound plan of action to improve her
performance, and tie the completion of these goals to guaranteed incentives. Allow employees a voice
when setting goals to increase their dedication to achieving the goals.

Conflicts with Customers


Sales and customer service employees can experience conflict with customers on a fairly regular basis,
depending on the industry. A common conflict experienced by salespeople is a dissatisfied customer
who feels personally defrauded by an individual salesperson. For example, if a car salesman sells a used
car without a performance guarantee or warranty and the car breaks down on the buyer, the buyer may
return to angrily confront the salesperson and demand a refund. The best first step to solve these
conflicts is to involve a manager who has the right to offer refunds, discounts or other conciliatory
gestures to the customer unless you are in a situation where employees are empowered to make these
kinds of decisions.
Leadership Conflicts
Personality clashes between managers and subordinates can cause a range of interpersonal conflicts to
arise. Employees may feel bullied or pushed by more authoritarian managers, or may perceive a lack of
guidance from more hands-off managers. Managers with type-A personalities may set goals that are too
ambitious for their subordinates, setting them up for failure and inevitable conflict. To handle these
personality mismatches, first try to garner an understanding between the manager and the subordinate
so that each understands the others' perspective in the situation. Never treat conflict management
situations as disciplinary hearings, as if managers are inherently right and employees are inherently
wrong; this is a reliable way to lose good employees. If the two cannot come to an understanding, place
the employee under the supervision of another manager if possible.

5 Conflict Management Strategies


In any situation involving more than one person, conflict can arise. The causes of conflict range from
philosophical differences and divergent goals to power imbalances. Unmanaged or poorly managed
conflicts generate a breakdown in trust and lost productivity. For small businesses, where success often
hinges on the cohesion of a few people, loss of trust and productivity can signal the death of the
business. With a basic understanding of the five conflict management strategies, small business owners
can better deal with conflicts before they escalate beyond repair.

Accommodating
The accommodating strategy essentially entails giving the opposing side what it wants. The use of
accommodation often occurs when one of the parties wishes to keep the peace or perceives the issue as
minor. For example, a business that requires formal dress may institute a "casual Friday" policy as a low-
stakes means of keeping the peace with the rank and file. Employees who use accommodation as a
primary conflict management strategy, however, may keep track and develop resentment.

Avoiding
The avoidance strategy seeks to put off conflict indefinitely. By delaying or ignoring the conflict, the
avoider hopes the problem resolves itself without a confrontation. Those who actively avoid conflict
frequently have low esteem or hold a position of low power. In some circumstances, avoiding can serve
as a profitable conflict management strategy, such as after the dismissal of a popular but unproductive
employee. The hiring of a more productive replacement for the position soothes much of the conflict.

Collaborating
Collaboration works by integrating ideas set out by multiple people. The object is to find a creative
solution acceptable to everyone. Collaboration, though useful, calls for a significant time commitment
not appropriate to all conflicts. For example, a business owner should work collaboratively with the
manager to establish policies, but collaborative decision-making regarding office supplies wastes time
better spent on other activities..

Compromising
The compromising strategy typically calls for both sides of a conflict to give up elements of their position
in order to establish an acceptable, if not agreeable, solution. This strategy prevails most often in
conflicts where the parties hold approximately equivalent power. Business owners frequently employ
compromise during contract negotiations with other businesses when each party stands to lose
something valuable, such as a customer or necessary service.

Competing
Competition operates as a zero-sum game, in which one side wins and other loses. Highly assertive
personalities often fall back on competition as a conflict management strategy. The competitive strategy
works best in a limited number of conflicts, such as emergency situations. In general, business owners
benefit from holding the competitive strategy in reserve for crisis situations and decisions that generate
ill-will, such as pay cuts or layoffs.

Ways of Managing Conflict in Organizations


Conflict is inevitable in small businesses. Conflict can arise from a variety of sources, and between
supervisors and subordinates, between co-workers, and between employees and customers. Managers
and organizations can choose to see conflict as inherently negative, acting to suppress it at every
opportunity, or as inherently positive, leveraging conflict to affect positive change.

Positive Perspective
Accept conflict as a natural growth process and influence your company culture to view constructive
conflict positively. Conflict can be an asset to your small business if it is handled properly. It can help
your organization to learn from its mistakes and identify areas of needed improvement. Innovation can
be inspired from creative solutions to internal or external conflicts, and new ways of thinking can
emerge.

Grievance Procedure
Create a formal grievance procedure for all employees. Let employees at all levels of your organization
know that their voices will always be heard, and respond promptly and reasonably to employee’s amp;
#039; issues. This can prevent bad feelings from festering and growing into resentment and bitterness.
Conflict is best handled quickly and openly. If your company culture is sufficiently friendly toward
constructive conflict, your staff should see the value of letting their complaints, ideas and issues be
heard.

Get to the Cause


Focus on deep-rooted causes rather than superficial effects when assessing conflicts. Parties to a conflict
often claim to have issues with the behavior of co-workers or the outcome of company policies and
work procedures, but these issues are likely being caused by something deeper. Attempting to resolve
the conflict by addressing surface issues will rarely create meaningful change or lasting solutions. Look
deeper to address the reasons that incidents occur. As an example, if a supervisor finds himself
constantly in conflict with a loyal employee due to falling productivity levels, the supervisor may
naturally want to address the employee amp; #039; s behavior head-on. Upon closer analysis, however,
the supervisor may realize that the employee has been increasingly dissatisfied with his job ever since
last year amp; #039; s disappointing performance review. Revisiting the review with the employee may
be much more effective than creating incremental performance goals for him.
Equal Voices
Give all parties to a conflict an equal voice, regardless of their position, length of service or political
influence. Conflict participants can become defensive if they feel they are being marginalized or are
going through a process leading to a predetermined outcome. It can be tempting to take the word of
managers over front-line employees, or to take the word of a loyal employee over a new employee, but
remember that your most trusted associates are not necessarily infallible. Go beyond simply giving
everyone an equal chance to speak; give their arguments an equal weight in your mind when mediating
a conflict.

Resolution Participation
Involve all parties, if possible, when drafting conflict resolutions. The theory of Management By
Objectives (MBO) states that employees are generally more committed to goals that they have helped to
create. The same holds true for conflict resolutions. There is more than one side to every conflict, and all
sides should benefit from conflict resolution. Seek resolutions that will prevent the conflict from
occurring again, rather than simply delaying a repeat occurrence.

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