Conflict Resolution

Running head: CONFLICT RESOLUTION 1







Conflict Resolution
Joshna Basant, Gail Espinosa-Mora, Dulce Figueroa, Houman Kargar
LDR/531
August 25, 2014
Robert Foley
CONFLICT RESOLUTION 2


Conflict Resolution

As a leader, one will encounter different personalities, which makes it a challenge to address
conflict successfully because employees handle conflict differently. The three storybooks
provide an opportunity to address the issue, and discuss the strategies used to solve
communication styles and barriers that may hinder the ability to resolve conflict. Also, the
storybooks describe the conflict negation process in handling the situation.
It all begins with setting the ground rules for a safe place to contribute opinions, ideas, and
suggestions for improvement. The first two foundational rules are to not to shoot the messenger.
The second is related and equally important and that is that we believe honest mistakes are part
of success. Hence, the vague reporting of bad news spun to look positive is far less likely to
happen in the first place because trust and confidence exist ahead of the results. Todd made it
seem as everything was going great by trying to spin bad news to sound more positive, projected
nervousness, and was not quite sharing the truth of where the team stood with the project at
hand. Todd did not want to upset the leader and as a result the team did not get the full picture
and did not have a solid foundation to build their conversation. The team leader should talk to
Todd about why he felt a need to shelter the leader from bad news, and ask him why he was so
nervous about delivering the news about the company‟s social media struggles. The leader can
then explain to him that he should have been forthright, so that the team could come up with a
plan together to get the project accomplished by the deadline.
Emily was an example of someone needing encouragement in order to voice her opinion or to
share her ideas when the leader knows she is hesitant to do so. It was obvious she did not feel
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comfortable or safe in sharing her ideas. Emily used intentional silence as a communication
barrier. She wanted to speak up and share her ideas but did not feel safe in doing so as she felt
her ideas would not be well-received. In this case, a leader should reach out to her employee
through email and ask if she had any ideas to share. By reaching out to her, Emily broke her
silence. Also by sending an email, Emily was able to gather her thoughts and organize them.
The leader should then thank her for her input and tell her to bring her great ideas to all the
meetings she attends. It is important that Emily feel that her ideas are important, and can help
the team be successful.
Delivering negative news to a team can be one of the most difficult aspects of a leader's role.
Procrastination on delivering bad news can make situations worse as the team may hear false
rumors or gossip that creates more anxiety and a negative work environment. Keeping it simple,
concise and to the point and using language that employees can understand are crucial factors as
well. Placing too much emphasis on explanations and energizing the team too much can set up a
platform for misguided expectations. Taking ownership, establishing timelines and delivering
using a group setting can reduce the spread of rumors and gossip.
Gossip can be an uncomfortable topic for leaders as this means stepping outside of their
comfort zones. As a leader handling office gossip involves;

1. Directly addressing the key gossipers via a one-on-one session. Assist the employee in
understanding the impact of the gossip and the consequences.
2. Addressing the entire team, reinforcing company values and goals and also company
regulations when it comes to ramifications of gossips within the workplace.
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3. Become the model of the behavior that you want your employees to have.
4. Try not to generalize the issue, being specific and taking immediate action will convey to
the team the negative impact versus rationalizing the issue.
Addressing the team feelings towards a situation that do not directly impact them but do
affect other teams around them should be vital. Rebuilding the team morale after such a situation
has happened can show employees that you are aware of situations, and you do care about their
feelings. Having a group meeting to address the teams concerns and to give the team specific
information that they are accessible to will gain team trust in their leader and the company.
Connecting with the team such as walking around and having brief/casual conversations will
make the team feel closer to the leader and gain a sense of security and belonging. Assisting
employees in focusing on developing their skills will show employees that you care about their
progress and learning development.
Everyone is assigned a deadline, but it is not always followed (Shamir, 2005). In order to
project a focus on time, remind the team about a particular deadline. Demand routine feedback
from the employees. Ask the team their thoughts on the task, such as whether or not it is
challenging, what sort of difficulties the team is facing, how much time the team will require
completing the project, etc. This will make the team involved with the project until its
completion (Laine, 2002). Assign projects one at a time, that way employees will not feel
overwhelmed with numerous projects.
My workplace only includes progressive and devoted employees, so everyone is concerned
about the success of the company and its products. If people have vague opinions, they are not
allowed to enter the presentation hall. In this way, the employees‟ productivity will lead to their
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career growth. Whenever there is a negative message, rather than leaking it inappropriately,
managers send e-mails to their team by analyzing the facts and opportunities at the beginning
and later the negative part (Wayne, 2009). People are allowed to question anything directly
through their managers rather than gossip with each other. Equality and justice is the basic need
of any organization. In order to reduce the burden of deadlines, provide them with intervals,
entertainment packages and a great team to understand thoughts and to provide support to their
members (Farrell, 2012).
In summary, as a leader one will have to deal with different personalities. The three
storybooks are an excellent opportunity to apply the strategies to help with obstacles that can
affect or hinder conflict resolution.












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Reference

Farrell, Kongit. (2012). “Ways to Resolve Conflict”. Retrieved on 2014 from
http://www.ehow.com/way_5483745_ways-resolve-conflict.html

Laine, Annika. (2002). “Sources of conflict in cooperation between competitors”. Annual
IMP Conference: Dijon.

Shamir, Yona. (2005). „Alternative Dispute Resolution Approaches and Their
Application‟. Israel Center for Negotiation and Mediation, 1(1), 3-40.


Wayne, E.K. (2009). „Fairness, Understanding, and Satisfaction: Impact of Mediator and
Participant Race and Gender on Participant‟s Perception of Mediation‟. Conflict
Resolution Quarterly, 28(1), 23‐52.