M3.14 Managing Conflict

2460 Words10 Pages
Managing Conflict in the Workplace Conflict is a disagreement or competition between people or groups and can occur where people have different needs, goals, idea’s or values. As everyone is different conflict in any situation is inevitable. Conflict can be constructive when it opens up issues for discussion however, it can be destructive when it stops communication or causes anger or aggression. In this assignment I will be looking at causes of conflict in the workplace, stages within conflict development and effects on performance in the workplace. I will then go on to look at minimising conflict using a recognised technique and how the adverse effects can be minimised. Causes and Explanation Because there are a variety of personalities within the work place it is inevitable that there will be conflict at some point and this could be for any number of reasons; * Different Personal Values; at some point you may be asked to complete a task that conflicts with your ethical standards. When work conflicts with personal values conflict can arise very quickly and this can be overcome by trying not to ask people to do tasks that you know will cause them distress due to their beliefs/values. * Unpredictable Policies: When rules or policies change within the workplace and those changes are not communicated clearly, confusion and conflict can occur. It is essential to inform people of changes and why these changes are happening as when you are aware of why something is being altered you are much more likely to accept it. * Conflicting Roles; at times we may have to do tasks that are not normally in our job descriptions and this can often be seen as ‘treading on someone’s toes’ causing conflict and power struggles. To prevent this sort of conflict it needs to be explained to each individual why tasks have been given to other people to complete. Doing this
Open Document