1. Identify the available conflict management strategies and their strengths and weaknesses.
|
Strategy |
Strengths |
Weaknesses |
|
Competitive strategy |
The results are realized fast and the employees output increases after the conflict is resolved |
Its short term leaving a possibility of the conflict surfacing again thus it does not improve the employees relationships. |
|
Avoidance strategy |
The conflict is resolved instantly raising the optimism and creating room for further investigation to trace the roots of the problem and solve it permanently. |
Offers no solution in itself it just eases the tension allowing the problem to be solved later through other means which implies that it has no long term application and also reduces employees relationships |
|
Compromise strategy |
Is used when other strategies seem to have failed and encourages the affected employees to consider the feelings of the others and sympathize with their situation. |
Fails to solve the problem creating an opportunity for the problem toemerge again. It therefore fails to improve interpersonal relationships between the employees. |
|
Collaboration strategy |
Encourages workers to work together and solve their conflict which results to a solution that permanently solves the dispute. This also improves the relationship of employees |
This strategy is the most difficult to implement making it hard to utilize it conflict resolution |
|
Team building strategy |
Creates strong bonds between the workers and enables them understand each other better minimizing conflicts between them and also creating a sense of belonging to the company. |
Differences arising from views, age, experience and other aspects of the employees hamper the successful implementation of this strategy. |
1. Which of the available conflict management strategies is most appropriate for the current situation with David and James? Provide your rationale, including what factors you considered in making your selection. Your response should be at least 100 words.
Collaborative technique is the best strategy because it would allow the David and James handle their problem and come up with the solutions that they deem best. This would ensure that their relationship at the work place is repaired and allow them to understand and learn about each other better. The team leader can act as a facilitator and initiate dialogue between them and help them formulate the course of action that they will use to solve the conflict and minimize the probability of the conflict surfacing again. The administrator or the team lead assisting them should also use the opportunity to educate them on organization objectives and try to use them as a platform for them to resolve their differences to enable them achieve their respective objectives in the work place. This will enable them face the problem from a similar perspective and allow them to discuss the outcome of the conflict between them if it persists both to the personal lives and to the organization. The solution they arrive at will most probably solve the problem forever. They will also learn about each other in a way that will sustain peace between them.
2. If the selected strategy is not successful, what is your alternate strategy? Provide your rationale for this selection. Your response should be at least 100 words.
Team building strategy would be the alternative strategy implemented by creating groups and handing them assignments that they are supposed to complete as a group. David and James would fall in the same group and with the assistance of an administrator be expected to work together and their progress monitored. This would allow them appreciate the need to work together for the good of the organization (Catlin, 2000). The assignment would create an opportunity for them to identify the strengths and weaknesses in each other that would make their coexistence in the work place better since they will know each other better. During the discussion, they will most probably start by highlighting their differences and stressing that they should not interfere with their work. This will lead into them work together and finally reducing the enmity between them. The environment provided by group work stresses on togetherness that cannot be achieved if enmity prevails between the group members.
3. What potential road blocks might be encountered in resolving the conflict? How would you address these? Your response should be at least 100 words.
The major barrier that may exist is likely to arise from the unwillingness of the employees to change their perceptions about each other. This is highly likely if their conflict is a result of hatred that they have towards people of certain traits. This will create a huge problem due to the stubbornness encountered when trying to eliminate an attitude developed over a long period. This becomes worse if the individuals are not willing to change. The solution would be to make James seek for forgiveness from David by convincing him that David will gladly forgive him because he understands that the actions of James were not intentional it is only that he was hurt by them. Forgiveness may not be very easy for James to seek from David but it has a way of healing the problem existing between the two. An apology from James may not create a friendship between them but it will definitely reduce the hard feelings they have for each other.