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Conflict Resolution

Introduction

Workplace conflict remains a major issue across organizations even though it has proven costly over the years as it leads to retrenchment and unproductive working conditions. Managers must identify the factors leading to such conflicts and seek address them prior things get out of hand. Indeed, conflict management has garnered focus in recent years as workplaces seek to create better working environments. 

Ways that the Negotiation Process could alleviate or Mitigate Conflict in the Workplace

            Negotiation process could mitigate and alleviate workplace conflict in a number of ways including identifying underlying issues leading to conflicts. Often, employees perceive that their superior is treating them unfairly and negotiation process offers the opportunity to identify and address any underlying issue. In essence, the employee and superior negotiate to address the issue contributing to conflicts. In addition, the negotiation process mitigates workplace conflict by creating an environment in which communication opens up (Doherty & Guyler, 2008). This is crucial to mitigating workplace conflict because everyone, including the employees, is given an opportunity to be heard. Crucially, a negotiation process ensures that all parties are equal and communication should thus open up. The implication is that employees and their supervisors listen and have an opportunity to be heard.

Advantages and Disadvantages of one-on-one approach in resolving conflict in the scenario

Advantages

• It is accommodative and a supervisor takes views directly from the source.
• Enables the supervisor take on the issues leading to workplace conflict, rather than skirt them.
• The approach enables a supervisor to show directly the differing sides the common goals.
• In addition, the approach provides a supervisor with an opportunity to ensure reconciliation of differing parties via agreements and other methods.

Disadvantages

• A supervisor may easily become bias and side with one party. Interests of one of the differing parties may end up swaying the supervisor’s position if he or she sees benefits in them.
• The approach may easily worsen the supervisor-employee relationship and escalate the conflict especially when the supervisor fails to calm things down or navigates around the underlying issues. 

Create a scenario where the type of conflict you created would need to go to mediation. Determine the advantages and disadvantages of a mediation approach

            Intractable conflict in a workplace named Bhanji Ltd is driven two antagonists with an undeniable sense of grievance of power in the organization. In fact, the two are already urging their supporters to engage in acts of violence in an attempt to alter the state of affairs. The situation in the organization is dire and profit has dipped significantly in recent months because key functions are not being undertaken.

            This scenario calls for mediation. Some of advantages to be derived using the approach include; simplicity, allowing flexible solutions, likely to reach agreeable settlement between the two antagonists, and swiftness in getting the organization back on its feet (Bercovitch & Sigmund, 2008). Disadvantages would include; the approach may fail lead to a settlement agreement, and lack of formal discovery process.

Examine three (3) to five (5) issues that litigation causes for both parties. Recommend a strategy, including advance preparation, for resolving the dispute.

            An issue caused by litigation is hate. Often, parties battling out in court have a disdainful relationship. The other issue is irreparable association even after the process is over. The third issue involves lack of agreement between the parties. Court decisions rarely, if ever, satisfy both parties (Long, 2013).

            Mediation, as a dispute management strategy, is recommended. The process could start with the mediator contacting warring parties at different locations to collect their views about the issue. This could be followed by attempts bring them together, as mediation must be conducted at the ripe moment. The next step is to repair the relationship by reaching an agreement on contentious issues.

Conclusion

            Successful conflict resolution requires proper planning and the best strategy ought to be adopted for the process to bear any fruits. Worth noting, is that various conflict resolution approaches present benefits and demerits. Managers need to get involved in finding the best solution to workplace conflicts.    

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