12 Managing Conflict
by Jane Flaherty, Peter B. Stark
The Manager's Pocket Guide to Leadership Skills
- Title
- Copyright
- Table of contents
- Dedication
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1 Understanding the Changing Role of Supervision
- Environmental and Economic ChangesOne of the best ways to determine how the role of the supervisor has changed is to study how organizations are being impacted by changes in the environment and the ec
- Workforce Composition ChangesIn addition to environmental and economic changes, our workforce has also dramatically changed. Several major trends have contributed to this new workforce.
- Changing Workforce ValuesOne of the most striking ways to study how the role of the supervisor has changed over the last 50 years is to look at the values of the workers they supervise. A list of typi
- 2 Building Your Confidence and Self-Esteem
- Self-Esteem AssessmentOn a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest confidence score, 5 being an average confidence score, and 1 being the lowest or no confidence score), rate how you feel about yoursel
- What Is Self-Esteem?Self esteem is quite simply how you feel about yourself. How we feel about ourselves critically influences virtually every aspect of our lives. Our self-esteem influences everythi
- What Are the Benefits of High Self-Esteem?With poor self-esteem, life can be difficult at its best. Fortunately, we can improve our self-esteem. If you are willing to take the time to work at developi
- Fifteen Steps to Higher Self-EsteemIn the preceding pages, we learned about self-esteem—what it is and the benefits of obtaining high self-esteem. Now let’s look at what we can do to raise our self-es
- Tips for Success:Confidence and Self-Esteem1. Recognize that your self-esteem and self-image impact every aspect of your role as a supervisor.
- 3 Leading Organizational Change
- Reasons People Resist ChangeThe following ten reasons best describe some typical reasons why some employees have a tough time changing their mindsets and behavior:
- Typical Employee Responses Regarding ChangeDuring times of organization change, you will notice employees reacting to change with a variety of responses. As a leader tasked with implementing organizat
- Guidelines for Organizational Change1. Involve employees in the change process. We are firm believers that employees are not so much against change as they are against being changed. The sooner you i
- Tips for Success: Organizational Change1. Be a role model for leading the new change. Gain a reputation for leading your team forward, not defending the past.
- 4 Managing Time to Accomplish Your Goals
- The 168 Hour LimitThere are two facts we know about time. First, there are exactly 24 hours or 1,440 minutes in every day. That amounts to 168 hours in a week and 8,760 hours in a year. Second, we all
- Conducting a Time Management AuditIf you are going to be successful managing your time, then it is critical that you know how you spend your time. If we are focusing on accomplishment, then it is impo
- Daily Time LogNote: Do not try to account for each minute of the day. Account for 15-minute blocks of time.
- Successful Time Management and Task AccomplishmentYou will find the following four steps helpful in managing your time.
- Tips for Success:Time Management1. Organize your work environment. Does the environment you work in work for you or against you? The more your environment is organized, the more productive you will b
- 5 Communicating Effectively
- What We Know about CommunicationThere are certain aspects of communication that impact our day-to-day lives.
- Making Communication WorkAll critical management skills require effective communication. Whether you are leading, coaching, delegating, building a team, making decisions, counseling, hiring, or just a
- Speak ClearlyAs a manager, one of your primary responsibilities is to get the right message to the right person, to get the results you expect. Because the communication process is so complex, getting
- Listening for UnderstandingCommunication is a two-way street. In addition to speaking clearly, the effective communicator is a good listener. Listening involves not only hearing the speaker’s words, b
- Fostering an Open Communication ClimateSpeaking clearly and listening for understanding are the first steps to being a more effective communicator. In addition, good managers, supervisors, and leaders
- Tips for Success:Communication1. Think through what you want to say before you say it. Remember, you cannot not communicate.
- 6 Delegating to Succeed through Others
- How Are You at Delegating?How well do you delegate? As a supervisor, answer each question according to your current work structure by circling either a Yes or No response.
- Common Mistakes in Delegation andHow to Avoid ThemWhen managers do decide to delegate, there are often mistakes made that can negatively impact the employee’s ability to do the job. After reviewing th
- Deciding What to DelegateThere are four basic steps in deciding what tasks you presently do that could be delegated:
- Preparing for DelegationFirst, list ten of the activities you do on your job.
- Planning Your DelegationList the tasks you could delegate, to whom, by when, and the average number of minutes each day you will save if you delegate the task. In determining who to delegate the task
- Planning to DelegateResponsibility to the EmployeeNow that you have determined what tasks to delegate to whom, take a few moments to plan for the delegation. To do this, you need to answer the followi
- Presenting the DelegationAfter you have planned for the delegation, you should be clear on your expectations for getting the job done. These expectations must now be made clear to your employee. Keep
- Tips for Success:Delegation1. To be successful as a supervisor or manager, you have to delegate.
- 7 Coaching to Improve Performance
- Preparing for the Coaching DiscussionCoaching is, in many ways, a negotiation. And, just like a negotiation session, the better you prepare, the better your chances of obtaining a favorable outcome. C
- Suggestions for Dealing withPerformance ProblemsIf you manage people, no matter how well you do the job, from time to time you will be challenged with performance issues. The following tips will help
- Coaching Intervention ModelsIn working with employees experiencing performance problems, we have found two intervention models to be effective. Both models are discussed below.
- Coaching Discussion ModelThe purpose of the coaching discussion is to redirect the employee’s behavior. You want the employee to stop inappropriate behavior and start demonstrating appropriate behavio
- Corrective Action Feedback ModelUnlike the Coaching Discussion Model, the Correction Action Feedback Model is not a two-way discussion. While we prefer the discussion model because it is a two-way pro
- Tips for Success:Coaching1. Focus on behaviors, not on the employee’s attitude.
- 8 Conducting Valuable Performance Reviews
- Understanding thePerformance Review CycleStep One: Clarify Your Expectations
- Performance StandardsAdministrative Assistant
- DocumentationIt is important to review the employee’s job elements and performance standards periodically and make notes throughout the year regarding the employee’s level of performance. This can be
- Self-AppraisalSome organizations encourage employees to be active participants in the appraisal process by evaluating and rating their own performance prior to the assessment interview with their supe
- Tips for Conducting the Interview1. Create a positive climate. To help the employee relax, it is a good idea to begin the interview with a few minutes of light, easy conversation. Perhaps start with
- Tips for Creating thePerformance Improvement Plan1. Make the plan simple, practical, and easy to understand. Target one, or possibly two areas, in which the employee needs to improve performance. Pro
- Tips for Success:Performance Reviews1. Gather examples of performance, both positive and negative, throughout the year, not just the two weeks before the performance appraisal is due.
- 9 Building a High-Performing Team
- Teamwork DefinedA team is a small group of people (ideally consisting of between five to seven members) with complementary skills who are committed to working with each other toward a common purpose.
- What Makes a Great Team?In both our consulting practice and research, we have uncovered five characteristics that are common among all great teams.
- Stages of Team DevelopmentStage One: Formation
- Assessing Your Skills as a Team LeaderThe following checklist provides you with a quick assessment of your current ability as a team leader. The 15 items outline some key abilities required for leadin
- Checklist for Team Leadership SkillsRead each statement and then place a check on the line after the appropriate number to indicate your current ability. Ratings run from 1 (low) to 10 (high). Respond
- Leading Your Team Out of a CrisisFrom time to time, every supervisor or manager will find they are in charge of a team in crisis. Crises come in many shapes and sizes. A few we have seen supervisors s
- Tips for Success:Team Performance1. Great teams have a clear mission, vision, and great goals. Make sure your team has a common, challenging goal that makes team members stretch to reach it.
- 10 Selecting and Hiring Winners
- Interviewing Skills Self-AssessmentThere is no grading scale for this assessment. If you circle a high number of “Yes” responses, you need to practice and learn effective interviewing skills.
- Conducting the InterviewWhen conducting the interview, an organized approach must be followed if you want to get all the information you need in the allotted time. The following organizational format
- The Art of QuestioningThe primary goal of the interview is to get the best information possible so the interviewer can make a good selection. The best tool for getting good information is to ask good
- Avoid Common ErrorsIn preparing for the interview, it is helpful to be aware of some of the most common errors that interviewers frequently make.
- Making the Hiring DecisionNow that you have taken the time to plan and conduct a thorough interviewing process, you are ready to make the selection decision. Because you have carefully analyzed the jo
- Tips for Success:Selection Process1. Take time to understand your organization’s hiring process.
- 11 Facilitating Productive Meetings
- To Meet or Not to Meet?The first step in planning a successful meeting is to make an important decision. The decision is whether or not to even hold a meeting. Many meetings should not occur at all. M
- Planning a Productive MeetingStep One: Creating the Agenda
- The Role of the LeaderAs a leader of a group, you are responsible for creating an environment in which people can and do contribute to discussions that lead to recommendations. You are in charge of cr
- Rational Decision-Making ProcessYour role as a leader of a decision-making or problem-solving meeting will require that you have an understanding of the Rational Decision-Making Process. This process
- Brainstorming EffectivelyThe following tips will help you use brainstorming to generate possible solutions to problems effectively.
- Ideas for Generating orStimulating DiscussionWhen a group is trying to reach consensus on a solution, it is important that all the participants engage in discussion. Participants must feel comfortable
- Meeting Planning ChecklistWhen preparing for a meeting, review the specific tasks and then check each one off as it is completed.
- Tips for Success:Meeting Facilitation1. Before you plan to call a meeting, ask yourself this important question, “Do we need to meet, or is there a more efficient way to accomplish our goal?”
- 12 Managing Conflict
- Common Misconceptions about ConflictMany relatively successful supervisors and managers have a fear of conflict. Much of their fear stems from misconceptions about the subject of conflict. One way of
- Stages of ConflictWe find it helpful to view conflict in three different stages. By viewing conflict in stages, you will find it easier to determine the severity of the conflict and its impact on the
- Stage One ConflictConflict at Stage One is real, but often not intense. Typically, people working together will have different goals, values, and unique individual needs. In Stage One conflicts, peopl
- Stage Two ConflictConflict at the Stage Two level becomes characterized by a win/lose attitude. The wins and losses seem greater because the people involved are emotionally tied to the problem. At thi
- Stage Three ConflictWhen conflict escalates to Stage Three, both being right and wanting to punish wrong become increasingly important. Sides are drawn and people rally around their cause. The conflic
- Handling Conflict PositivelyOne of the challenges of dealing with conflict is to help people maintain healthy relationships during and after periods of conflict. Simply resolving the problem is not en
- Tips for Success:Conflict Resolution1. If you work with people, there is potential for conflict. This is no reflection on your ability as a supervisor or manager. What will distinguish you is your ab
- 13 Creating a Motivating Environment
- What Is Motivation?Motivation can best be described as the internal drive to fulfill a need. Each of us has specific needs. These needs translate into drives which we act upon through specific behavio
- Creating a Motivational EnvironmentThe best supervisors have the most productive people who are also happy. The real challenge for supervisors is to design incentive systems that encourage high perfor
- Meaningful RecognitionFeeling appreciated and recognized are two of the most powerful motivators available to the supervisor. The question then becomes, “What is meaningful recognition?” Recognition i
- Recognition SuggestionsThe following recognition suggestions were generated by seminar participants. It is well-documented that two of the strongest motivators available to supervisors are recognition
- Ensuring High MotivationThere are several helpful suggestions to ensure that motivation is high in your department. You can develop an environment that makes internal motivation a reality in your empl
- Tips for Success:Motivation1. Remember, motivation is something internally generated. It is impossible to motivate someone else. But, you can create an environment where people find it easy to become
- 14 Setting Goals and Planning Actions
- The Goal-Setting ProcessStep One: Create a Vision
- Goal Setting Action Plan1. Is my vision crystallized? ____ Yes ____ No (Can I clearly see myself achieving this goal?)
- Setting Goals with EmployeesIf you are setting goals that involve your employees, here are some suggestions that will help you create successful goals that employees will feel motivated to achieve.
- Tips for Success:Goals and Actions1. Set goals. Most people do not set goals. Those that do are far more likely to accomplish what they want in life.
- 15 Earning Followers in Your Leadership Role
- Leader or Supervisor?Over the last 20 years, there have been countless attempts to define and differentiate leadership and management. Some have made statements such as “managers manage things, wherea
- Types of PowerThere are four distinctly different types of power a leader or manager may possess. Each type of power has different qualities and carries different weights in our efforts to lead people
- Type One: Power of PositionThis is formal authority which gives you the sacred right to tell someone else to do something. There are times when we do not agree with our boss and we may even state our
- Type Two: Power of CompetenceTo be successful as a leader or manager, you need the competence to do the job. Competencies are gained through industry and organizational knowledge, relationships in the
- Managerial-Oriented ActivitiesManagement, by definition, is getting things done through others. The science of management developed during the 20th century because organizations grew incredibly large.
- Leadership-Oriented ActivitiesWhile management focuses on coping with complexity, leadership is about creating positive change. Part of the reason leadership has become such a needed quality in the la
- Developing a VisionLeading an organization, whether it is a company or a small work unit, to positive change begins with developing a vision. A vision is a clear mental picture of a desired future out
- Aligning PeopleIn management, we staff the organization to fulfill certain functions. Leadership involves connecting and aligning people to the true purpose of the organization. This means communicati
- Motivating PeopleGood leaders create a motivating environment. They articulate the vision and help align employees to the role they play in fulfilling the vision. They also give employees the power to
- Empowering PeopleBy definition, empowerment means to give another person the authority and power to act. This means that the employees who work for you actually have the ability to get things done the
- Clarifying ValuesThe values that you carry with you are the basis for governing your decisions and behaviors. Values influence the relationships you enter into, the careers you develop, the family you
- Building TrustIt sounds so simple: all you have to do is build trust with your employees. But, we know that this is no easy task. The following five points are some suggestions on how you can develop
- MentoringMentoring is just a fancy word for a coach. The power of mentoring is two-fold. It not only builds up the esteem of the person being mentored, it also builds the esteem of the mentor. The rea
- Willingness to LearnIf leadership is about creating positive change in the organization, then being a leader is about continuous learning. As fast as things are changing, it is almost impossible to ma
- Becoming a Better LeaderThere are many practical reasons for becoming a better leader. After reading the following paragraphs, you will be able to cite additional ideas that are even more relevant to
- Tips for Success:Leadership1. Recognize that leadership is not a formal position, it is a relationship. If you want to be a leader, you need to earn followers.
- Bibliography
- Index
- About the Authors
,
“The pure and simple truth is rarely
pure and never simple.”
Oscar Wilde
As a supervisor or manager, no matter how carefully you plan, periodically you will have to deal with conflict. Wherever you have groups of people working together, you are going to experience conflict. While it is unrealistic to think that you can create a conflict-free environment, you can learn more about how to resolve issues so that conflict doesn’t overwhelm you and impact your company’s productivity.
The intent of this chapter is to give you the tools that you need to understand what causes conflict, how to deal with conflict, and how to keep conflict under control in your organization. With practice, you will become confident in your ability to resolve conflicts that typically arise in the day-to-day operations of an organization.
Common Misconceptions about Conflict
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