Essay
A Recent Conflict That I Experienced
Interpersonal conflicts occur in our day-to-day interactions where there are perceived or real incompatible goals or scarce resources. Perceived goal incompatibility is manifested in various ways. First, conflict parties could want the same thing (Wilmot and Hocker, 1998). For instance, the recognition of employees. So, they struggle to attain the desired goal. They perceive the situation as one in which there is no much work to go round. Thereby, they perceive their goal to be incompatible with the other individual because they both desire the same thing. Secondly, at times, the goals may be different (Wilmot and Hocker, 1998). For instance, in an organization, one person may want to see lower-level employees appreciated while another may not want to see employee recognition at all. Therefore, they struggle over which goal to achieve. Regardless of whether the parties see the goals as different or similar, perceived incompatible goals are at the heart of all interpersonal conflicts.
I was involved in one such scenario in my current workplace. There was an extreme employee morale issue. So, I suggested that the company solve all the problems by just getting some carpet because all our feet get tired. However, the management would not spend a cent on the company’s employees. My statement of incompatible goals was clear – carpet versus no carpet. As days passed, another need emerged. I talked to the management about how no one noticed when employees had done a commendable job and how the top managers only noticed when mistakes were made, or queues were long. My stated need then changed to include the carpet and employees’ self-esteem and increased attention from the management. The needs for self-esteem and carpet were both real. Though the second was incompatible with the management’s desires, the first was not. The need for recognition was very important to both employees and the management.
The company does not see the relevance of employee recognition. Often, the management is concerned with the bigger picture of attaining goals, getting profits, and making the big bucks. They often forget the individuals who were involved in making their goals achievable. Employee recognition is important because it is associated with lower employee turnover, higher customer satisfaction, and higher profits. Recognition is the timely and official acknowledgment of an individual’s effort, behavior, or work results, which supports the company’s goals (Wilmot and Hocker, 1998). For my company to be successful, it must understand the psychology of praising staff for their excellent work and apply employee motivation principles.
Appreciation is a basic human need. As an employee, I tend to respond to appreciation expressed via recognition of good work because it affirms the organization values my work. When the company values its employees plus their good work, employee productivity and satisfaction rise, and they are motivated to continue improving their work. Research indicates that employee recognition is the key aspect influencing employee engagement and the organization’s performance (Wilmot and Hocker, 1998). At my workplace, many employees are happy with their jobs. However, they are not with management. We feel that the managers are making us feel undervalued. We want to know that we are making meaningful contributions to the company.
Strategies To Handle This Conflict
There are various approaches, which could be deployed to manage the conflict better. Usually, when two parties are involved in a conflict situation, they are unaware of how they act. People tend to do whatever seems to come naturally. However, people can learn different strategies, which are more effective ways of managing such conflicts. When I am faced with such a conflict in the future, there are two major strategies, which could be used to handle it.
The first strategy involves reframing goals to address the incompatibility. We should not support the overly simple idea that if we just worked together, we would see that our goals are the same. Opposing goals are a fact of life. However, many times, we are convinced that we have opposing goals and cannot agree on anything to pursue together. However, by reframing our goals or putting them in a different context, the two disputants in the conflict could agree.
In case the two parties are unwilling or unable to solve the conflict, a third party could step in and assist in conflict resolution. Third parties usually use mediation as the primary form of solving conflicts (Wilmot and Hocker, 1998). Here, a third party is an independent and impartial individual helping the two of us reach a resolution, acceptable to everyone. Mediation is usually not prescriptive. It would help us to make progress in resolving our differences. It would not determine outcomes or make judgments. Third parties acting as mediators do not have any official authority. The success of mediation depends on the two disputants’ degree of trust in the mediator.