Answer to Question #220178 in Management for harry

Question

You are a new program manager with responsibility for significant funding and external relations, and because of downsizing issues in your area, you have lost two valuable employees. You have been in the new job approximately two weeks; however, you have been in the unit for more than a year and seen how systems are managed. Out of the blue, a senior person (not in your area) comes to you and says he is taking most of your space (when the company had to let the 2 people go). He doesn’t ask your permission, nor does he seem the least bit concerned with what your response is. Select a conflict handling style (or choose your own) and discuss how effective/ineffective it would be in this scenario.  

Answer 1

Step-by-step conflict-handling style

           In work scenarios, conflict arises due to disagreement between workers who have differences in ideas on a task. Some conflicts occur due to a lack of clarity from the concerned authority but can be solved through the steps below:

Step 1: Identifying the source of conflict-More information about a conflict makes it easier to find a solution. Series of questions can be used to gather information. In this scenario, I would give the other senior person a chance to speak and share his side. Through the set questions, I can comprehend what pushed him to take the action.

Step2: Look beyond the occurrence- At times, the source of conflict can be a minor thing that occurred years, months, or days ago. Therefore, getting a clear point of view of the situation can aid instead of stressing the problem further.

Step3: Requesting solutions- Considering that I know my stand and my point of view, I would engage him through his view to identifying a way that suits finding a solution to the incidence. It includes ideas and be keen on his body language and other aspects to identify his genuine ways of solving the conflict.

Step4: Identify solutions- Identify ideas with merits towards the company without inequity. I would involve a third party at this stage to avoid being unfair (Tanveer et al., 2018). Cooperation and collaboration are great suggestions considering were are both senior employers and have to work together towards a common goal.

Step5: Agreement- I would allow our third-party to take over this step as well. It involves shaking hands as a way of showing acceptance to an alternative found in the above step. The agreement is crucial as both parties can sign a contract specifying their intended actions.

This type of solution is suitable because the two parties involved in a conflict are senior persons in an organization. This method is easy and direct to follow without causing more chaos at workstations. Moreover, the conflict is kept confidential among the parties engaged.

References

Tanveer, Y., Jiayin, Q., Akram, U., & Tariq, A. (2018). Antecedents of frontline manager handling relationship conflicts. International Journal of Conflict Management.