Module 6 Conflict Resolution

     “While conflict is inevitable, it is not always dangerous or damaging” (Sweetman, 2009). In the TED talk, William Ury (2010) states there with the world more interconnected than ever thanks to modern technology, the more the world is like a big family reunion which inevitably brings arguments. He argues that the majority of conflicts have two major sides and an additional third side, which is the side that reminds the parties what is really at stake in a facilitator and mediator type of role. Throughout his talk he speaks of personal experiences around the world and in discussions with world leaders where he served as the third side to bring the discussions back into perspective in order to refocus on the objective and tamper emotions. Ultimately, Ury (2010) claims that the third side is the secret to peace if everyone can learn to effectively serve in the role as a listener with empathy, to treat others with hospitality over hostility, and to diplomatically come to resolutions rather than resorting to force.

    Sweetman (2009) describes how the business world is a perfect example of productive conflict (p. 67). He argues that, “in common usage, we often associate conflict with harm, but instead we need to realize that the existence of conflict in itself cannot be seen as always negatively affecting a social relationship (between individuals, organizations, or nations) any more than it would be accurate to say it is always beneficial (p. 67). He claims that firms within a sector ceompete against each other over limited resources like capital and consumer purchases, and due to their inherent competition they take action in the marketplace to undermine each other’s ability to meet goals (p. 68). However, this economic competition, or conflict, is seen as beneficial from the perspective of “the invisible hand guiding the markets to the quasi-evolutionary idea of more worthwhile firms surviving while weak ones shut down” (p. 68). Conflict, whether personal, diplomatic, or economic, can have beneficial outcomes if done correctly, but, unfortunately human nature often drives conflict with emotion and can lead to things like war.

    Whetton and Cameron (2016) write, “although many people intellectually understand the value of conflict, they feel uncomfortable confronting it” (p. 329). In a conflict I was involved in a couple years ago, I was the on one side as a branch manager arguing with my counterpart manager about which branch was not pulling their weight. During the discussion, which started civil, tempers began to flare which led to an escalation in voice volume and more forceful language. This also led to finger pointing at each other and each other’s subordinates. We solved nothing, yet we riled up the surrounding workplace rather than having the argument in a private forum. Afterward, our supervisor pulled us into a private room in order to have a more civil discourse where we could share our side’s of the story with her as the mediator and facilitator, or third party. It turns out that the conflict was a misunderstanding of perspectives and after the discussion we decompressed and moved on. Whetton and Cameron (2016) state, “information-based conflicts occur frequently, but they are easily resolved because disputants have low personal stakes in the outcome. In contrast, conflicts grounded in differences of perceptions and expectations are generally intense and difficult to defuse” (p. 329). 

    Knowing what I know now, I would instead work to listen to my counterpart’s perspective with more emotional control and then give my perspective, in a private forum, of course. I would use the collaborating approach (cooperative, assertive) in an attempt to address fully the concerns of both parties in “problem -solving” mode (Whetton and Cameron, 2016, p. 314). Ultimately, I would focus the dispute on the issues at hand with an objective perspective instead of focusing on personalities. As Whetton and Cameron (2016) state, conflict plays an important role in organizations, and that “effective conflict management is the successful resolution of disputes, not the elimination of conflict altogether. Furthermore, I will encourage productive, constructive conflict in my organization with the goal to create a collaborative working environment where all voices can be heard in a civil manner. With this approach, I believe that our organization can solve some of the toughest problems we encounter as a team with unparalleled focus rather than creating internal conflicts that would work against us.

References:

Sweetman, D. (2009). Business, conflict resolution and peacebuilding : Contributions from the private sector to address violent conflict. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/erau/detail.action?docID=431823&pq-origsite=summon

Ury, W. (2010, December 1). The walk from “no” to “yes” | William Ury [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc6yi_FtoNo&ab_channel=TED

Whetton, D. A. & Cameron, K. S. (2016). Developing management skills (9th Ed.). Pearson.