Essay Example - A Personal Conflict

In our daily lives, conflicts are inevitable, and they arise whether they are intended, sought, or not. Among the dominant causes of disputes, interaction between people of different cultures, personalities, backgrounds, and experiences are the leading causes. For an organization to be able to accomplish its objectives smoothly, the employees are required to appreciate one another and work in harmony. However, attaining this is not always easy because differences arise between workers every time, which leads to conflicts. Also, it should be noted that conflicts are not always a bad thing as they can be healthy in some situations. What matters is how the conflict is handled. The paper focuses on a personal conflict I experienced a year ago and how I analyzed it.

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While at my previous workstation, I had a conflict with our IT supervisor. It happened on 12th May 2019 after I confronted our IT supervisor and asked him to be considerate of how he managed the interns. The IT supervisor did not like other employees correcting him on how he passed rules and regulations during his supervision. By saying that, he should not be corrected by any person who had a rank below his led to the conflict. I believed that I was doing the right thing by correcting him.

I would analyze the conflict using the principles of anticipate, prevent, identify, manage, and resolve. The principle of anticipating is the one that enables the conflicting parties to avert the occurrence of the disputes by foretelling the probability of occurrence of conflict (Bodrunova, 2018). While conducting conflict management or even negotiating, fewer efforts are directed towards developing an environment that would support constructive engagement. It is because the efforts seldom extend to the anticipation of significant disputes, just like the one I had.

Just like few conflict resolution practitioners are the ones who specialize in anticipating conflict, my previous workstation exercised the same. The executive management knew that disputes would arise due to how the IT supervisor treated the other employees; however, they overlook the probability of the conflicts emerging would promote discipline in the organization (Bodrunova, 2018).

The prevention technique is a concept that is widely used in the field of diplomacy. Based on the method of prevention, I acknowledge the strategies and activities that would enable us to bury the hatchet with my previous IT supervisor (Graham et al., 2019). I recognize the aspects that I would use to rectify and use during peacebuilding. I also understood how we could neutralize the potential triggers of the dispute and prevent the conflict from turning violent. I realized that to avoid the conflict, we were supposed to have a negotiator (Weston, 2017). His function would be assisting the IT supervisor to perceive the importance of listening to others as that was the trigger of the conflict.

The technique of identifying enabled me to map the cause of the conflict. It helped me to understand the key links that could be associated with the start of the conflict (Weston, 2017). The IT supervisor failed to accommodate the point of correction that I was driving at home. I also identified that other underlying decisions fueled the dispute.

I mapped that the IT supervisor had insecurities concerning his job. To understand the conflict better, exploring the root cause is a crucial step. It allowed me to differentiate the root cause of the contributing factors. Through the technique of identifying the root cause of the conflict, it clarified on how I could address the conflict more efficiently (Bercovitch, 2019). I confirmed that a mediator was the perfect person who would help us in solving the conflict.

Through identifying the root cause, it helped me to consider framing the history of the conflict. It is because it would assist the mediator to learn from both sides and help him interpret the conflict better (Bercovitch, 2019). An example is that a mediator would listen to how we argue and to the points we provide as to why the conflict arose. Through exploring the origin, I was able to analyze complex problems that resulted due to the conflict. An example is that all the other employees started complaining about the supervision of the It supervisor. After the conflict, there was no order at the work station. Punctuality to work was not observed, and the production levels started to get lower.

Based on the technique on how to manage conflict, I was able to handle the conflict reasonably, efficiently, and sensibly. I acknowledge that if it was managed in the wrong way, the legitimate disputes and differences among the employees could get out of control. It would result in a lack of cooperation at the work station, and the entire organization would be at a significant threat. That is why I invited a mediator to help us in solving the conflict (Bercovitch, 2019).

Based on the technique of resolving a conflict, I acknowledged the importance of thinking before reacting. I understood the importance of weighing the options first before deciding to act. It is because they were the techniques employed by the mediator (Kelman, & Fisher, 2016). Also, I understood that listening encompasses both body language and listening to what is being said by the other party. I also realized that we should be responsible for our actions. An example is that the IT supervisor attempted placing blame on others. Through this, it only leads to strengthening the conflict. To resolve a dispute, every participant should eliminate the concept of blame and share the conflict's responsibility.

The motivational value system that I used is the Altruistic-Nurturing (Blue) since my key motivations were protecting and being concerned by others. Another motivational value system that I used was the Flexible-Cohering (Hub). It is because I was motivated to ensure that all the other workmates were satisfied and that their needs were met. I also employed Assertive- Nurturing (Red-Blue). Through this, I was motivated to guide the interns to be able to accomplish the tasks that were assigned by the IT supervisor.

On the other hand, the II supervisor used Analytic-Autonomizing (Green) since he wanted every employee and the interns to be self-reliant. The IT supervisor wanted every task to be done appropriately. Also, the IT supervisor employed the motivational value system of Assertive- Directing (Red) (Kelman & Fisher, 2016). It is because his intentions were oriented to task accomplishment. The aims of the IT supervisor were important since if he had not been stern, the organization's resources would have been mishandled. During the conflict, the IT supervisor felt terrible since his authority had been challenged by a person who was below his rank. An example can be derived from what the IT supervisor said, "you cannot tell me how to supervise, I am your boss."

To prevent the conflict, I could have employed avoidance (Kelman & Fisher, 2016). It is because I was the one who attracted the conflict. I questioned the IT supervisor, and he took too personal. Also, I would have prevented the conflict by compromising. Even though confronting the conflict would serve a great deal for us both, it would lead to further weakening of the relationship between the IT supervisor and me.

I recommend that to resolve the conflict, collaborating with the IT supervisor would be essential. Through collaboration, we would be able to put ideas together and be able to cope up with our differences in job specialization. In the future, I would employ avoidance as a conflict management style. It is because the technique would allow me to evade the conflicts that do not serve my goal and purpose. Also, in the future, I would use collaboration technique because it allows parties to put ideas together without the need to invite a mediator to help solve the conflicts. Through that, team goals can be achieved with ease.

References

Bodrunova, S. S. (2018). When context matters. Analyzing conflicts with the use of big textual corpora from Russian and international social media. Partecipazione e conflitto, 11(2), 497-510. http://siba-ese.unisalento.it/index.php/paco/article/view/19552

Graham, J. A., Smith, A. B., & Dixon, M. A. (2019). Choosing Between Work and Family: Analyzing the Influences of Work, Family, and Personal Life Among College Coaches. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 12, 427-453. http://csri-jiia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/RA_2019_20.pdf

Weston, M. (2017). The Right to Be Forgotten: Analyzing Conflicts Between Free Expression and Privacy Rights. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/6453/

Kelman, H. C., & Fisher, R. J. (Eds.). (2016). Herbert C. Kelman: A pioneer in the social psychology of conflict analysis and resolution. Springer International Publishing. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-319-39032-1.pdf

Kelman, H. C., & Fisher, R. J. (2016). Personal Reflections on My Work in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. In Herbert C. Kelman: A Pioneer in the Social Psychology of Conflict Analysis and Resolution (pp. 3-36). Springer, Cham. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-39032-1_1

Bercovitch, J. (2019). Social conflicts and third parties: Strategies of conflict resolution. Routledge.