The Role of Conflict Management

Conflict Management is referred to the practice of making an individual able to determine and management conflicts in fair, sensible and efficient manner so that steady working efficiency in the workplace is maintained. This is because conflict at the workplace leads to create differences and lack of trust towards one another causing hindrance in collaborative working. In this essay, the way learning about conflict management helps in improving professional relationships in the workplace is to be discussed. For students seeking management dissertation help, understanding conflict management principles can provide valuable insights into enhancing organizational dynamics and fostering a positive work environment.

In the workplace, there are mainly two kinds of conflicts faced by the employees and employers which are dysfunctional conflict and functional conflict. The dysfunctional conflict is traditional nature of conflict where individuals choose to fight, argue, clash, get angry and others due to the raised issue at the work (Bratton, 2016). However, the functional conflict is referred to healthy and constructive disagreement between individuals or groups regarding any context or prospect of tasks in the workplace (Bratton, 2016). The learning regarding the two natures of conflicts informs about the different nature of situation that can be considered as problematic in the organisation. Thus, they are helpful in improving professional relationship at work by indicating initially what nature of conflicts are to be dealt with so that appropriate strategies can be implemented for successfully resolving it. During learning regarding conflict management, the warning signs of conflicts are informed. This is evident as non-verbal cues of conflicts are mentioned to include agitation, restlessness, threatening gestures, invasion of personal space, poking fingers and others. However, the verbal communication cues for conflict include use of abusive words, unnecessary rise in voice tone, inappropriate behaviour and others (Thompson, 2015). This information from the learning is helpful for managers to develop proactive steps in avoiding worsening of conflicts, in turn, making them save professional relationship at work from being deteriorated at the earliest.

In the study of Cross and Carbery (2016) regarding conflict management, the potential sources and causes of the conflicts are identified. This information is necessary to improve professional relationship at work as it highlights the key factors to be managed for controlling and resolving conflict at work. The sources and causes responsible for raising conflict at work include employment relationship, differentiated values and interest, interdependence, poor communication, ambiguity and competitive to use scarce resources (Cross and Carbery, 2016). The clash of interest in employment relationship due to issues of pay condition and work situation leads to raise problems between employers and the employees. This is because the employees feel lack of value and support from their effort which leads the employees develops conflict with the employers to avail and meet their legitimate demands (Cross and Carbery, 2016). The learning helped to get informed that effective employment relationship is to be maintained to ensure happiness and value for the employees who are the key workforce to manage conflict at work and improve professional relationship.

The different perspectives, values and interests at work lead to develop conflict when there is hindered acceptance and understanding between employees. This is because there is lack of unified working efficiency to reach a single goal (Cross and Carbery, 2016). Thus, it led to inform that for conflict management effective collaboration between employees with compromised values and interest are to be present so that improved professional relationship can be maintained at work. The poor communication which leads to conflict at work is raised out of interpersonal barriers, cultural conflict, lack of feedback and hindered use of different mode of communication. It raises conflict because without interaction employees are unable to develop trust over one another or share their needs to be fulfilled that in turn leads to frustration and conflicting attitudes to raise conflict at the workplace (Gardiner and Barefoot, 2019). Thus, it led to learn that effective communication establishment is necessary for conflict management so that enhanced professional relationship at work can be maintained.

The learning regarding conflict management informs about the actions not to be performed to avoid conflict. This is essential and helpful in improving professional relationship at work because the facts aware of the activities to be avoided so that overall development of conflict can be neglected which slows the pace of accomplishing any task (Gardiner and Barefoot, 2019). According to Cross and Carbery (2016), presence of supportive person in managing sensitive conflict at work is essential. This is because it helps to protect the individuals in conflict to avoid from getting harm by attack from the others. However, it is also argued by the author that the presence of additional person can make the situation more tensed and thus effective ideas are to be used in strategic manner in confronting the conflicting situation so as to avoid harm towards one another and effective relationship is also maintained. The study by Cross and Carbery (2016) also informs that cornering of any person involved in conflict is to be avoided. This is because it may increase the frustration and tension of the concerned person, in turn, making them develop vulnerable action in copping the situation out of fear.

In order to resolve different nature of conflicts at the workplace, the learning regarding conflict management is important as it informs the strategies to be used for overcoming barriers to develop a positive work environment. In the study by Thompson (2015), it is mentioned that negotiation is the most effective way in managing conflict and it is to be developed through analysis of personal values and official along with legal requirements at work. This is because effective legalised negotiation supports co-operation between individuals involved in conflict and avoid exercise of power of dominating one another that may lead to increased quarrel. The learning is helpful in promoting healthy relationship at work as it helps to control aggression and violence which may be raised due to uncontrolled management of conflict. However, according to Cross and Carbery (2016), use of dual concerns model in conflict management at the work allows to create enhancement in professional relationship between individual at work. This is because the dual concern model informs management of conflict on the basis of two key underlying dimensions that are empathy and assertiveness. In order to resolve conflict, the strategy required to be such so that it resolves the personal concern of the individuals as well as satisfies to meet the concern and needs of the other with whom the individual is involved in conflict (Cross and Carbery, 2016). Since the model allows focussing on both aspects to resolve conflict, thus following it is effective to develop a positive work environment.

The Dual Concern Model informs that key approaches to conflict management that are accommodating, competitive, collaborating, avoiding and compromising which can be used in different circumstances to improve professional relationship at work (Cross and Carbery, 2016). The competitive approach is used in resolving conflict where winning is the key motive and focus on managing relationship is of less priority. In this strategy, the individual involved in conflict negotiates but seek to be dominant in taking decision as they are focussed on winning the goal at any cost with minimum wastage of time (Cross and Carbery, 2016). Thus, learning regarding competitive style helped to get informed that it could be used in situation where quick decision is required to be taken or an unpopular action to be made for any conflict as it ensures resolving it within minimum time. As argued by Cross and Carbery (2016), accommodation is opposite to competitive style of conflict management in the Dual Concern Model. This is evident as accommodation style involves identifying the mistake that led to the conflict and tries to focus on saving relationship while managing the conflict showing it maximises focus on empathy towards others and lowers focus on assertiveness for own benefit (Cross and Carbery, 2016). Thus, the learning regarding use of accommodation style in conflict management helped to inform that it could be used for resolving conflicts in long-term as it values relationship more than win to finally develop effective relationship at work.

The avoiding style approach is used when an individual does not wish to get into resolving a conflicting situation for which they try to ignore the conflict so that it will disappear on its own. This style is used in condition where focussing on to resolve conflict is detrimental for the organisation (Cross and Carbery, 2016). Thus, the learning of the approach helps to inform that certain minor conflicts at work are to be ignored so that a favourable environment can be built for employees at the workplace. The compromising approach is used when both the parties involved in conflict wish to reach negotiation and resolve conflict. This approach is considered to be easiest towards resolving a conflict where there is time constraint and empathy along with assertiveness is to be maximised (Cross and Carbery, 2016). Thus, the learning regarding this conflict management approach helped to provide insight regarding the action to be performed for reaching mutual decision on both sides to improve professional relationship at work. However, the collaborative approach for conflict management required increased amount of time, effort, patience and creativity from both sides in conflicts to develop a solution that satisfies needs of both parties (Cross and Carbery, 2016). The learning of this approach is helpful to develop information that it could be used where there is high interest of the organisation in resolving any conflict with enhanced efficiency in long-term to support improving professional relationship at work.

The above discussion developed from the learning of conflict management informs that signs of conflict at work include aggression, use of abusive words, poking, anger and others. In order to manage conflict, use of negotiation is effective way to avoid violence and aggressive way of conflict management. The Dual Concerns Model is to be followed in conflict management as it provides information about various approaches to be used in different situation to resolve conflict at all condition. Thus, it is effective to control conflict in all situation, in turn, ensuring improvement of relationship at work.

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