Chapter 11 Managing Conflicts

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Chapter 11Managing Conflicts

• Identify benefits of conflicts
• Describe sources of conflicts within an
  organization
• Describe conflicts management should do before
  they meet with employees in conflicts
• Identify steps supervisors should follow during a
  meeting with employees in conflicts
• Describe special problems supervisors have when
  resolving supervisors and employee conflicts
• Explain how supervisors should accept criticism
  from their boss

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CHAPTER 11MANAGING CONFLICT

• CONFLICTS often cause serious problems that
  prevent your department from achieving its stated
  goals and objectives. The primary goal of
  supervisors is to adopt strategies that work to
  minimize the amount and types of unwanted
  conflicts.
• We will discuss
• The Benefits of Conflicts
• The Common Sources of Conflicts in the Work Place
• The Types of Conflicts Supervisors Face
• Useful Negotiating Techniques practiced by
  Supervisors when faced with resolving
• Conflicts Between Employees
• Conflict Between Themselves and Employees
• Conflicts Between Themselves and Their Bosses

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BENEFITS OF CONFLICTS

• Sources of Conflicts
• Common sources of Conflicts are (see ex 2 on pg
  295)
• Limited Resources
• Different Goals/Roles unclear
• Work Relationships
• Organizational Problems
• Communication Problem
• (The root of most conflicts!!!!) How can these
  conflicts be beneficial?
• Types of Personal Conflicts
• Conflicts Between Individuals(a disagreement
  between two or more employees over a situation,
  event or personality problem.
• Conflicts Within an Individual(gap between
  personal goals and organizational goals, mixed
  feelings about certain individual job task and
  procedures.)

• It is a well known fact that a certain amount of
  conflict is necessary for good work performance.
  Conflicts allows managers and staff to hash out
  gray areas that require much needed attention.
  Look at Exhibit 1 on pg 294 and see what happens
  when there is a low level of conflict and
  performance levels are low.(the organization will
  be stagnate). However when there is a high level
  of conflict and performance, chaos is a potential
  result. Supervisors must be able to strike a
  balance and look for the best approach that will
  produce an optimal relationship between conflict
  and performance. This is made possible when
  hospitality supervisors understands the main
  sources of conflicts.
• Page 293-6

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MANAGING PERSONAL CONFLICTS

• The key to effectively manage personal conflicts
  within the work place is by analyzing each
  situation in terms of its possible outcome, and
  understand how ones management style can affect
  those outcomes. It is very important for
  supervisors to develop an appropriate strategy
  for either REDUCING or RESOLVING the conflicts.
• Possible CONFLICT OUTCOMES are
• LOSE LOSE (no resolution of problem, conflict
  remains, all concerned parties are not
  satisfied.)
• WIN LOSE (only one partys needs or concerns
  are satisfied, fails to resolve all the problems
  that created the conflict, future conflicts may
  arise, only a short term fix to the problem.)
• WIN WIN (all needs and concerns of parties are
  satisfied in some way and the conflict is
  resolved. A basic understanding for all issues
  are reviewed in an objective fashion that will
  benefit everyone.)
• pages 298-301

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CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STYLES

• How would particular management styles affect
  the outcomes of various conflicts??
• Dont make the mistake of adopting a single style
  or approach to managing all personal conflicts.
  Because your approach may result in an additional
  confrontational situation. The five typical
  styles of managing conflicts are
• Avoidance (withdrawing from conflict, remaining
  neutral, side stepping the real issues).
• Accommodation(accommodate the needs of others)
• Competition (dominate others by using power and
  authority)
• Mutual Problem-Solving (agreements reached by the
  acceptance of each others goals).
• Compromise (allows each party to partially
  satisfy some needs and concerns).
• see page 300 Exhibit 3

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TIPS FOR NEGOTIATING PERSONAL CONFLICTS

• QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
• What key skill will definitely assist supervisors
  ability to manage conflicts?
• The best place to meet with employees and resolve
  conflicts? WHY?
• Mediating Conflicts Between Employees
• Dealing with employee conflict is one of the most
  important contributions to the efficiency of the
  department!!!! Certain proven guidelines can be
  adopted to ensure that conflict resolution is
  handled in a professional and timely manner.
  Supervisors must always look at trying to
  approach conflicts using the following tactics
  (PAGE 300).
• Before the Meeting (Avoid jumping to a
  conclusion is perhaps the most important thing to
  be considered), always keep an open mind. Obtain
  all possible input from all parties concerned,
  remain neutral at all times.
• During the Meeting (Set the tone, get out the
  feelings, obtain all the facts, ask for help if
  necessary, get a commitment, and always follow
  up)..
• After the Meeting (immediately afterwards ask
  yourself questions such as, what worked, what did
  not work, which strategy or tactic was most
  successful, what concessions were made by
  employees, did I make any, what are the
  consequences of these concessions, what
  information came from the meeting that will have
  a long-term benefit, what could I have done
  differently or better. Pages 302-306

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TIPS FOR RESOLVING SUPERVISOR/ EMPLOYEE CONFLICTS

• Being OBJECTIVE is the goal when attempting to
  resolve conflicts between you and an employee,
  think of yourself as just another party to the
  conflict, while retaining your role as a
  supervisor and mediator. The same basic
  principles apply when dealing with resolving
  supervisor and employee conflicts
• BEFORE THE MEETING (Get control of your
  emotions, never try to seek a solution to a
  conflict when you are angry or upset, focus on
  the facts not your reaction to them).
• DURING THE MEETING (Stick to the purpose of the
  meeting, acknowledge the feelings of the
  employee, ask them to explain the conflict as
  they see it, tell your side of the story, aim for
  reconciliation, dont overreact, stay calm, ask
  for input and ideas from employees, get a
  commitment from them and always have a follow up
  date to review and monitor progress.)
• After the Meeting (analyze what just
  happen,decide if you are happy with the outcome,
  did end on the losing or wining side, did you
  accommodate too much, did the outcome achieved
  help you with future negotiations.)

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ACCEPTING CRITICISM FROM YOUR BOSS

• Try not to always consider criticism from your
  boss as being personal in nature!! Generally
  constructive criticism from your boss identifies
  that a mistake has been made. The criticism tries
  to get you to adopt new behaviors or strategies
  that will prevent you from making the mistake
  again. It is at the discretion of your boss where
  the meeting place and time are going to be. In
  many cases the meeting site provides you with a
  clue as to how serious the criticism of your
  performance will be.
• Before the Meeting (Avoid jumping to any
  conclusions, have an idea about dealing with the
  outcome, no matter how bad it appears).
• During the Meeting (use listening skills, stay
  focused on the facts being presented, ask
  questions to clarify certain points or concerns,
  dont be defensive or use evasive tactics. Take
  responsibility for the problem, and have some
  initiative to correct the matter on your own,
  solve the problem in required time allotted.)
• After the Meeting(Analyze what just happen, how
  did the meeting make you feel, did your boss seem
  to be steering the situation toward a specific
  outcome, did you learn something new about your
  bosss management style that will help you in the
  future.
• It Is Extremely Important to Make the Solution to
  the Problem Work , Ensure the Problem Is
  Corrected to the Satisfaction of Your Boss.