Conflict Resolution in the Workplace
Importance of Conflict Resolution in the Workplace
Conflict resolution entails the process of by which conflicting parties develop a peaceful resolution by finding a solution that alleviates existing disputes and promote harmony among the parties. Conflict management has a series of benefits that generate a conducive working environment. Among the positive effects of conflict resolution include improved working relations that enhance teamwork development and enhances the performance of an organization (Cleverism, 2020). In relation, conflict management regulates factors that promote disagreements among stakeholders, which further improves the working relationship of the parties within a company. Also, conflict resolution promotes mutual respect among various company stakeholders, which encourage employee collaboration and develop good working relationships. In this regard, stakeholders efficiently collaborate in performing assigned tasks, which helps attain company goals.
Secondly, conflict management help minimizes disruptions within the workplace. In consideration, the presence of conflicts within a company often affects the overall performance of the company by affecting stakeholders who are not involved in the dispute. The move oversees the development of tension and among stakeholders owing to poor relationships developed by the existing conflicts. The effect may further inhibit the effective execution of assigned responsibilities. In relation, conflict resolution helps minimize disruptions, which, in return, creates a conducive working environment.
The presence of effective conflict management skills also improves the morale of stakeholders towards achieving company goals. Conflict management ensures a conducive working environment, which facilitates employee satisfaction since their workplace desires and needs get fulfilled in the resolution process. The satisfaction enhances employee’s loyalty to the organization and improves their productivity, thereby increasing the profitability and competitiveness of an organization (Tatar, 2020). Also, employee performance determines consumer satisfaction and loyalty to particular services and products based on the quality of services and products offered.
Lastly, conflict management helps acknowledge the presence of differences within the working premises (McKibben, 2017). In particular, conflicts may result based on the differences existing between various stakeholders, for example, racial and capability differences. Conflict resolutions help identify the diverse nature of employees serving within a company and further demands respect for the existing differences. The move helps overcome division based on employees’ differences and enhance respect and equality of all members.
Conflict Resolution Importance on the Bottom-line of an Organizations
The presence of conflicts among employees negatively affects the performance of the company developing devastating impacts on the company’s revenue. In relation, employees often spend some of the working hours in disputes that affect the productivity of the company. According to research developed by Entreprenuer.com, it was identified that U.S employees spend about 3 hours in a week dealing with conflicts. The move generates a loss of about $359 billion since the employees get paid for the hours despite having wasted them in disputes. Similarly, conflicts enhance the development of an avoidance attitude that oversees the development of mistakes in production and service delivery.
Furthermore, the avoidance attitude facilitates time wastage since employees take a lot of time to perform given tasks. In relation, a research conducted by VitalSmarts on “Cost of Conflict Avoidance” identified that workplace avoidance cost individual companies about $ 1500 and an eight-hour workday for every crucial conversation that gets avoided (Grenny, 2020). Concerning these data, conflicts often affect the bottom-line of the company by impairing company performance and facilitating losses. In consideration, conflict resolution serves as an essential factor in salvaging the bottom-line of an organization since it helps create favorable working environments by solving disputes that arise within a company. In return, conflict resolution helps prevents losses related to conflict development and facilitate the growth and competitiveness of a company.
Ways of Improving Conflict Resolution Within a Workplace
Regarding ways of improving conflict resolution within workplaces, companies can adopt various measures to help attain agreeable solutions to existing challenges within the workplace. The multiple strategies include open communications upon which the company management involves all stakeholders in decision development. The move offers a platform for various stakeholders to share their thoughts upon which companies can develop unanimous decisions that cater to the needs of every member within the working environment. In this regard, the management team can identify the need of their employees upon whose satisfaction they prevent the occurrence of conflicts within the company. Open communication further helps appreciate the contribution and value of every stakeholder, thereby improving morale and equality in decision development (Tatar, 2019). Also, open communication promotes employees’ trust to their supervisors upon which they can raise concerns on factors affecting their wellbeing within the company. The move supports a good relationship between the management and the employees, which improves the working conditions.
Conflict management can further get improved by developing conflict resolution systems within the workplace. In consideration, companies should develop reliable and accessible conflict management systems and create awareness of their existence among the members within the working premises. In relation, companies can establish awareness programs upon which they describe the operations of the conflict management systems to their employees. The various sessions should entail offering a platform to ask questionss which will enhance proper understanding among the employees. The move would help enhance the employee’s trust in the established conflict management systems. To ensure effectiveness, developed systems should uphold justice and fairness in solving disputes within the workplace (Burr, 2016). Also, the mediator in the conflict resolution group should be a third party to prevent biasness in developed solutions. The dispute solving systems should adequately outline the procedure of developing grievances in the presence of a conflict. For example, employees can contact their immediate supervisors whenever they are involved in disputes with co-workers.
Similarly, whenever disputes arise between employees and the management, grievances can be addressed to the Human Resource department that will help solve the existing conflict. The existence of the particular systems would prevent members from developing disruptions within the workplace by facilitating quick dispute resolution. Furthermore, conflict management systems would enhance fairness in dispute resolution and promote good working relationships between stakeholders.
To improve the performance of the conflict management systems, companies can offer training to teams that are responsible for dispute handling (Burr, 2016). The move would oversee the development of conflict management training to the management team and the HR department within a company. The training would impact essential conflict resolution skills that will help develop effective measures while solving workplace disputes. The training programs should be conducted continuously in line with changes designed within the working environment. The move will help acquire skills that are necessary for solving the conflicts that might occur under particular work arrangements and responsibilities.
References
Burr, M. (2016). Organizational conflict management systems in small businesses. Cornell HR Review, 1-10
Cleverism. (2020). Conflict Resolution. Retrieved from www.cleverism.com/skills- and-tools/conflict-resolution/
Grenny, J. (2020). How workplace conflict is killing your bottom line. Retrieved from www.workforceexpert.com/how-workplace-conflict-is-killing-your-bottom-line
McKibben, L. (2017). Conflict management: importance and implications. British Journal of nursing, 26(2): 1-5
Tatar, A. (2020). Impact of job satisfaction on organizational commitment. ResearchGate, 1- 90