Conflict Management

Conflict Management

In search of an article on conflict management at workplace, it was educational to come across an article that read; One topic that is of interest to most people in the workplace is conflict; how it works, how to avoid it, and how to deal with it when it occurs. It is indeed rare for an organization that does not have to face the issue of conflict, and how to harness it so that it produces positive results rather than destruction. It is true that conflict is one topic that is of interest to most people in the workplace. A more important topic than conflict is managing conflict at workplace. Managing conflict is a skill that is necessary to deal with day-to-day life. According to the article on "Conflict & Cooperation In The Workplace."

There are two forms of conflict at workplace. The first is conflict about decisions, ideas, directions and actions. The article calls it "substantive conflict." The second form is "personalized conflict." In this form, the two parties simply "do not like each other." Conflict arises when needs are not met such as physical, financial, social, educational, intellectual, recreational, or spiritual needs (Davidson, 2002). If conflict arises, it can be dealt with in a positive way. In our organization, we have a unique technique that we use to approach conflict. This technique is called "mapping conflict". By mapping conflict, we are able to see our own perception of conflict as well as others. Mapping involves identifying the parties concerned, and listing to the major needs and wants of each party. [This is an example of "personalized conflict."] Mapping enables us to suitable solutions that can be seen more easily (Davidson, 2002).

Further, more there are four stages in mapping conflict: The most important one being the first stage, ...