Communication and Conflict

Conflict arises when two or more people have contact that deals with making decisions or decisions have been made without input from everyone affected.  I recall a situation within my work environment where decisions were made to transition staff from one program to another without communicating with the management team.  This decision brought about tension and reluctance which reduced the efficiency of workflow.  There was no team work, managers kept to themselves and would not share programming information as they had done in the past.  As a result a team mediation meeting was requested by the lead team manager. It felt like being in a court room as we were all questioned about actions that were taken beyond our control. 

Based on the reading for this week, conflict can be bad or good, it all depends on how conflict is handled. “The goal is not to end or eliminate conflict but simply to transform the ways it is expressed”, (Third Side, n.d.).  If there had been a better way of communicating why the changes were occurring and not just directed to make the change, the managers would have continued to work as a team and not separate. 

Even though the mediation took place, the outcomes were basically that managers would do what they were told and not question the decision.  Why even go through the mediation process  if the managers could not express themselves or be heard.  Listening to what the managers had to say was definitely not an option, to me it was one sided.  I like the win/win approach, “I want to win and I want you to win too”, that was identified in the Conflict Resolution Network Article, n.d.  Being able to effectively communicate makes a tremendous difference in the environment.   Due to the miscommunication, some managers chose to move on to other venues.  I honestly believe that if the team were allowed to really work as a team, the 3 R’s, respectful, reciprocal, and responsive relationships would have remained and improved upon. 

As a team member, I now sit back and observe before I provide my thoughts as I do not want to have this type of experience again in my career.  “Knowing how to present yourself in the best way usually involves paying attention to your behavior and that of others”, (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012, p. 55).

References

Conflict Resolution Network. (n.d.). CR kit. Retrieved from http://www.crnhq.org/pages.php?pID=12#skill_3

O’Hair, D. & Wiemann, M., (2012). Real communication, An introduction. Chapter 8, "Managing conflict in relationships”New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

The Third Side. (n.d.). The third side. Retrieved from http://www.thirdside.org/