Mini-Case: Reaching An Agreement on Flex Time The primary causes of workplace conflict are seen as personality clashes and warring egos (49%), followed by stress (34%) and heavy workloads (33%). Culture also plays a part in the perception of causes.
—CPP, Workplace Conflict\
Although each organization is unique in its structure and culture, there are still commonalities when it comes to conflict. As you have discovered in the Learning Resources, regardless of the type or location of an organization, personality differences and job-related stress can result in conflict.As you review the Learning Resources for this week and prepare to write your Discussion posting, contemplate the following: Consider the above quote. Do you feel it adequately describes your workplace and causes of conflict? Reflect on the most common types of conflict and why they occur.
Note: You do not need to directly answer these points in your discussion post as they serve only to begin your thinking process.Step 1: Prepare for the week’s discussion by reading the following perspectives of two members of an organization involved in a conflict.Norm's Family ProblemsFor 10 years, Norm has been a front-line infantryman in the marketing wars. He has worked his share of 14-hour days and contributed well to his company's bottom line. Three years ago, Norm got married. At first, it seemed his wife was very accommodating of his busy schedule. She did not seem to mind him coming home late or having to bear the brunt of the housework, but over time, he could see it taking a toll on her. They began to argue more frequently, mostly over seemingly trivial things. Not long after their first child was born, Norm's wife raised concerns over the hours and asked that Norm request a more reasonable workload and hours.Norm tried to ask his manager, Norma, for more flexible hours, but she told him that the company could not accommodate him. He argued that he is always accessible by his cell phone or computer and that he could very easily work a few hours of his job from home. To this, Norma replied that she needed him in the office because the nature of the business is unpredictable, and she did not want to be dependent on a cell phone or Internet connection to stay in touch with one of her most useful team members. With that, she closed the dialogue.When Norm detailed the conversation to his wife, it resulted in another argument. The next day, Norm decided to share his frustrations with a friend in the office. "It should not be a problem for Norma," he fumed. "She is without an immediate family and obviously does not want one. Of course she would not understand my problems."Unfortunately for Norm, as Norma was preparing to speak with him about the latest project, she overheard him. She called him into her office and gave him a reprimand.Norma's Need for OrderNorma's life has never been easy. At the age of 42, she could proudly say that she had earned her position through hard work and extra effort. It was no secret that she was one of the most promising managers and a likely candidate for a vice presidency in a few years. She knew other employees complained at that and made suggestions that there must be other reasons for her rapid advancement in the company. Norma managed to ignore the majority of these comments but once had to file a harassment complaint against an employee who had implied to others that she was having a relationship with the division head. Part of the problem, she supposed, was that she was a demanding manager. She understood that it could be difficult to work for her. She wanted top performance from her staff at all times. The marketing business is ruthless and fast-moving, and those that fall behind, stay behind.It was this understanding and a strong work ethic that propelled Norma from the rank-and-file staff several years before her colleagues. Her devotion to her job has not been without a price. Her friends and family constantly harass her to take more time for a personal life, and though she would love a vacation, she feels that she cannot afford the time away from the office. Recently, Norma was assigned a large project, a huge indication of trust from her superiors as well as an opportunity for her entire team to display their competence. If this project is successful, all of them will reap the benefits. One day, one of her best staff members, Norm, approached her and asked about the possibility of arranging flexible work-from-home hours.Norm has been a reliable worker for 10 years, though recently he's seemed slightly less engaged. Norma tried to emphasize the importance of this new project, explaining the entire team would need to be fully committed for it to succeed. But she could tell Norm was upset by her decision.The next day, while heading over to Norm to provide him additional details about the project, she overheard Norm speaking with another employee about her refusal to consider his request. He intimated that it was because family was not important to her. Norm made several suggestions about why Norma might still be single at her age, remarks that offended her greatly. She requested that Norm come into her office where she proceeded to formally reprimand him for his comments.Step 2: After you have read Norm and Norma’s positions, analyze this scenario using two different conflict resolution models, the Circle of Conflict (Furlong, p. 46) and the Triangle of Satisfaction (Furlong, p. 77). Describe the conflict. Briefly summarize how you would explain each person's position. Develop a list of each party’s interest and decide which of the five conflict drivers (relationships, externals/moods, structure, interests, data, or values) influenced the conflict? Were more than one a factor, and if so, to what degree? Using the Triangle of Satisfaction Model, identify potential areas of impasse in this conflict for each of the three types of interests (result, process, and psychological). Which impasse was the hardest to identify? Why?
Now post by Day 5 an individual response that addresses the following in an integrated and logical way: Are all conflict drivers equal? Which of these drivers can a manager impact the most and in what ways? Are there any drivers that would be beyond the manager's influence to impact? How does the unique nature of a conflict affect the manager's influence? Explain your reasoning. How does a manager identify potential areas of impasse and why is doing so important? In what cases might these be more difficult to determine? What lessons does this scenario offer to you, as a manager or a colleague? How will these lessons impact your interactions in the future? What do you see as the value of the Circle of Conflict and Triangle of Satisfaction models for you as a manager? Are they ones you would feel comfortable using? Why or why not? Use examples from your own experience or observations to support your assessment.
Be sure to support your work with specific citations from this week's Learning Resources and any additional sources.
When you have completed your initial post, return to this Discussion:Read a selection of your colleagues' postings.Respond by Day 7 to two or more of your colleagues' postings in one or more of the following ways: Sharing an insight you gained from your colleagues’ postings and how the insight might impact the way you would approach your role as a manager. Providing additional perspective your colleagues may not have considered or presented in their findings.