Conflict Resolution and Conflict

Resolving Conflict

Conflict is inevitable. Individuals or groups of people have differences in gender, race, ethnicity, religion, values, beliefs, and personality. These differences can often be a source of conflict (Raines, 2012). This is particularly true in the organisational environment, where individuals work alongside others in the accomplishment of set goals and objectives. In such an environment, conflict is bound to occur. The likelihood of conflict is even greater where an organisation's workforce comprises individuals from diverse backgrounds. Accordingly, an organisation must create an atmosphere where conflict is resolved in a proper manner. Without effective resolution of conflict at the workplace, the achievement of organisational goals and objectives may be hindered. This paper focuses on a number of issues relating to conflict resolution. Attention is specifically paid to conflict resolution strategies, whether conflict is always bad, conflict management in a diverse workforce, as well as the role of supervisors in resolving conflicts at the workplace.

Conflicting Resolution Strategies

Theoretically, there are five major approaches for resolving conflict: competing, accommodating, avoiding, collaborating, and compromising (Prause & Mujtaba, 2015). Competing entails pursuing one's concerns without regarding other people's concerns (Prause & Mujtaba, 2015). For instance, a supervisor or manager may ignore the feelings or views of subordinates irrespective of how important they may be. Practically, competing is not uncommon. In a conflict situation at the workplace, for instance, it is not rare for supervisors or managers to want to impose their decisions, views, or way of doing things on their subordinates. This is particularly true in organisations characterised by bureaucratic or autocratic structures. Competing is also common at the home setting. Parents will often ignore the views and thoughts of their children regarding important matters such as sexuality, friends, academics, and career. They often want their children to abide by their decisions. In most cases, the competing approach ends up disfavouring the less powerful party, which may often heighten the conflict. It is, however, important to note that competing may be important when decisions need to be made quickly.

Accommodating entails sacrificing one's concerns in favour of another person's concerns (Prause & Mujtaba, 2015). It basically entails giving in or allowing the other party to have their way. An individual acknowledges the other party's point-of-view. This approach is also common at the workplace. There are people who easily give in during a conflict situation, which is not necessarily a bad thing. They focus more on ensuring peace and cooperation rather than engaging in attempts to consider other ways of doing things. This is particularly true when the other party has a better solution. While accommodating can easily end conflict, the accommodator may sometimes harbour resentment toward the other party. Closely related to accommodating is compromising. In this case, attempts are made to find a common ground, though partially or temporarily (Prause & Mujtaba, 2015). The parties in conflict may compromise certain aspects so as to find a solution. Nonetheless, the fact that a permanent solution is not established is a major shortcoming of the compromising approach.

Conflict can also be resolved through avoidance, which entails ignoring the conflict altogether (Prause & Mujtaba, 2015). It is common for some individuals to avoid participating in a conflict -- they often choose to remain silent. Indeed, a research conducted by Goulston (2015) demonstrates that 10% of individuals at the workplace never ask colleagues to end or change behaviours that trouble them, and that 24% rarely do so. Choosing to remain silent during a conflict situation often occurs when one of the parties is not interested in the conflict or winning it, is not willing to create tension, and hopes the situation will normalise even without attempts to resolve the conflict (Prause & Mujtaba, 2015). It is not hard to observe conflict avoiders in real life, whether at home or the workplace. There are people who naturally do not want to engage in conflict. For them, keeping quiet is the best way of resolving a conflict. While it can be good sometimes, pretending nothing is wrong can be disastrous. Unspoken disagreements may pile up over time, eventually causing enmity and even stress.

Collaboration arguably offers the most appropriate solution for a conflict. The conflicting parties work together to find a permanent, mutually beneficial solution (Prause & Mujtaba, 2015). Every party is given a chance to narrate their side of the story, and then a win-win scenario is created. Though collaboration is the best approach for conflict resolution, it is not as widespread in the organisational setting as expected. Indeed, it would not be surprising that collaboration is less prevalent compared to the other four styles of conflict resolution. Overall, each strategy offers its own merits and demerits. There is no single approach that is applicable to all situations. Practically, some situations call for avoidance or accommodation, while others call for competing or collaboration.

Is Conflict Always Bad?

Generally, conflict is viewed as a bad thing. It is perceived as negative, fighting, shouting matches, bitter exchanges, harsh confrontations, disharmony, or hostility. This is not always true. Indeed, conflict can sometimes be positive or productive (Prause & Mujtaba, 2015). For instances, disagreements or differences in opinions over how to go about a certain task may be good in the sense that the disagreements may offer an opportunity to consider different ways of accomplishing the task, thereby selecting the best or most appropriate way. Therefore, conflict can be good for enhancing the quality of decisions. Conflict may also promote a culture of creativity and imagination. When there is room for individuals to offer their ideas and views, however contradicting they are, creative solutions or alternatives can emerge. In fact, organisations that encourage differences are more likely to be innovative than those accustomed to one way of doing things (Raines, 2012).

The benefit of conflict can also be viewed from the perspective of team development. In other words, conflict can be important for fostering cohesion, trust, and understanding amongst team members. The accomplishment of organisational tasks increasingly takes the form of group work, meaning that conflict is bound to occur. When conflict emerges, teams tend to find a solution that benefits everyone. Since the disagreement is articulated, attempts are often made to ensure a win-win situation. For instance, when a team member is offended by a remark made by a colleague during a team discussion, it is more helpful for the offended individual to let the offender know how offended they are than to keep quiet. An atmosphere where conflict is expressed and identified reinforces honesty, unity, and trust between team members as individuals get an opportunity to understand one another better (Raines, 2012). On the whole, conflict within the organisational setting is desirable. It provides an opportunity for problem solving as well as understanding one another.

Conflict Management in a Diverse Workplace

Factors such as globalisation, technological advancement, and worldwide political and economic integration have enabled organisations in diverse sectors and industries to operate beyond local, national, and regional boundaries (Prause & Mujtaba, 2015). Today, organisations serve diverse populations and collaborate with entities from diverse backgrounds in the achievement of their goals and objectives. While this has had important advantages, it has presented a significant challenge for organisations. Organisations have increasingly been compelled to ensure a diverse workforce. Indeed, diversity in the workplace has become an important topic in the last few decades, with even legislation being enacted to address the issue. To effectively serve diverse populations, an organisation's workforce ought to reflect the society in which the organisation operates. The workforce must mirror diversity in terms of race, ethnicity, culture, gender, age, religion, geographic origin, ability, as well as personality, values, and beliefs. In fact, embracing diversity can be termed as an important driver of competitive advantage in today's world. Organisations can no longer afford to ignore diversity management as they operate in an environment ever more characterised by diversity.

Whereas diversity in the workplace is important, it increases the likelihood of conflict (Prause & Mujtaba, 2015). Due to cultural, gender, age, personality, and value differences, interpersonal or intergroup conflicts are likely to occur. Without the right measures, these conflicts may be detrimental to the achievement of organisational goals and objectives. The first step in minimising conflict in a diverse workforce is to create and maintain an atmosphere of inclusivity (Green et al., n.d.). An organisation must cultivate an environment where everyone is given an opportunity, appreciated, and acknowledged regardless of their background. An inclusive workplace ensures equality and fairness in practices such as recruitment, promotion, task allocation, remuneration, benefits, disciplinary action, mentoring, performance management, as well as training and development opportunities. It also entails promoting interactions between individuals of diverse backgrounds at the workplace. For instance, designing work teams with diverse individuals can be a valuable way of promoting diversity in the workplace. Such efforts enable individuals to understand one another better, thereby reducing the possibility of interpersonal conflict.