Conflict Resolution

Abstract

In living in a very complex and culturally diverse society, it is normal and natural to meet individuals from culturally diverse background where conflict can arise. The workplace and personal lives are fertile breeding grounds for conflicts due to interdependence of one employee to other people. Conflict can be helpful if the factors that give rise to its existence can create necessary changes within the workplace. Nevertheless, the unresolved conflicts will result to employees' dissatisfaction, unhealthy working environment, depression, physical or emotional withdrawal, job resignation and up to the point of violence. Most often, the poor communication triggers the conflict and to remedy the problem, it is necessary to have good communication and conflict resolution skills.

Conflict Identification and Resolution

Conflict identification and resolution is conceptualized processes involving the facilitation of peaceful ending of conflict. There are instances that group members would try to resolve the conflict through active communication regarding their conflicting motives with other members of the group. The motives or intentions should undergo a collective negotiation, mediation or diplomacy processes (Hicks, D. 2011). Rather than hoping that conflict will go away, this study aims to explore and identify the reasons for conflict and how to successfully address them in a team environment. To further analyze conflict identification and resolution, this study will cite examples of conflicts examine the causes and be able to arrive at rational steps to solve the conflicts. Furthermore, conflict resolution as an academic field will be of great significance in understanding and utilizing its concepts in non-violent ways as measure to promote an effective resolution.

Discussion

In this era of workplace, there are conflicts that arises within an organization or team such as unclear definition of employee's responsibility in numerous occasions on whose decisions or actions should be taken into consideration. At times, the limited resources like time, money, space, materials, office equipments and supplies will inevitably lead to interpersonal and interdepartmental conflict (Kellett, P. 2007). Another problem at workplace is the individuals' conflict of interests where they will fight for own personal goals that would fit with the organizational efforts.

It seems that employees may get mad at someone else or refuse to work with other team member are types of conflicts that could encourage clashes of their perceptions in a common ground where confusion and disagreement lies.

The sources and level of conflict varies as a result of individuals' interaction at work place including the substantive conflict and personality-based conflict (Hicks, D. 2011). In substantive conflict, there is a specific subject for the conflict, for instance Employee A cannot complete a report until Employee B gets all the number requirements to her. Employee A thought that Employee is procrastinating and there is a need to force the latter to immediately do the job for fear that she will look ineffective to their superior. Employee a puts too much pressure to both of them for unrealistic deadlines where they both felt