CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

Conflict Management

Conflict Management

Introduction

Organizational changes are frequently directed at one or more of these general goals. Underlying these more obvious goals are usually two overarching objectives: (1) changes in an organization's level of adaptation to its environment, and (2) changes in the internal behavioral patterns of employees. Organizations are continually struggling to adapt themselves better to their external environment.

Because the management of an organization cannot completely control its environment, they are continually having to introduce internal organizational changes which allow them to cope more effectively with new challenges presented from outside by increased competition, advances in technology, new government legislation, and pressing social demands.

Discussion

Most frequently organizational changes are introduced in "reaction" to these environmental pressures. The second goal of organization change, to achieve modifications in behavior patterns, becomes obvious if one recognizes that an organization's level of adaptation is not improved unless many of its employees behave differently in relationship to each other and to their jobs (Dalton, 2006, 177).

Organizations do not operate through computers but through people making decisions and every organization has its unique patterns of decision-making behavior. These patterns stem from both formal and informal ground rules which specify how a "good" manager or employee should behave in relating to others and in making decisions.

Thus, any organization change, whether it is introduced through a new structural design or a training program, is basically trying to get employees to adopt new patterns of behavior and ground rules for relating to each other and to their jobs (Dalton, 2006, 178).

Resistance

The principal overarching concept is to think of organization change as an evolving series of stages. It is quite clear from research findings that organization change does not occur in one fell swoop. Rather there are obvious phases which set necessary conditions for moving into subsequent stages.

Omission of one stage appears to make it exceptionally difficult for the change process to continue forward on an effective basis. When top management overlooks an early stage, they often find themselves frustrated and perplexed as resistance grows at lower levels (Dalton, 2006, 179). A common response at this point is to "push harder" instead of recognizing that numerous managers, including themselves, may have to learn to crawl before they walk (Dalton, 2006, 180).

How to Control Resistance

One of the most baffling and recalcitrant of the problems which business executives face is employee resistance to change. Such resistance may take a number of forms—persistent reduction in output, increase in the number of "quits" and requests for transfer, chronic quarrels, sullen hostility, wildcat or slowdown strikes, and, of course, the expression of a lot of pseudo-logical reasons why the change will not work. Even the more petty forms of this resistance can be troublesome.

All too often when executives encounter resistance to change, they "explain" it by quoting the cliché that "people resist change" and never look further. Yet changes must continually occur in industry. This applies with particular force to the all-important "little" changes that constantly take place—changes in work methods, ...