Handling Conflict, Politics, Employee Discipline, & Negotiations

1. Handling Conflict, Politics, Employee Discipline, & Negotiations

2. Conflict defined… • Conflict: “A process in which one party consciously interferes in the goal-achieving efforts of another party.”(p. 389) • Natural phenomenon of organizations • Resources are scarce and people are willing to fight over them • Organization members have different goals • People in organizations don’t see things a like

3. Where Do Conflicts Come From? • Conflict come from: • Communication differences • Conflicts arising from misunderstanding and different meanings attached to words • Structural differentiation • Conflict arising from disagreement over goals, decision alternatives, performance criteria, or resource allocation • Personal differences • Conflict arising from differences in the following factors: • Background • Experiences • Education/training

4. How Do You Manage Conflict Conflict Management “The application of resolution and stimulation techniques to achieve the optimum level of departmental conflict.”(p. 391) • Resolution Techniques: • Avoidance • Accommodation • Forcing • Compromise • Collaboration

5. Five Conflict Resolution Techniques • Avoidance • Best technique to use when conflict is trivial, emotions are running high, & where time can help • Can be seen as a “Cop-out” • Accommodation • Maintaining harmonious relationships by placing another’s needs & concerns above your own. • Forcing • Supervisor satisfying his/her own needs at the expense of the other party by using formal authority • Compromise • Requires each party to give up something of value • Collaboration • Creating a “Win-Win” solution

6. How To Choose Appropriate Resolution Technique

7. Is All Conflict Bad? • Conflict has a positive side and can stimulate the following: • Creativity • Innovation • Change

8. How to Stimulate Conflict • Use communication • Induce conflict by using rumors and ambiguous messages (President of the U.S.) • Bring in outsiders • Hiring or transferring in employees whose backgrounds, values, attitudes, or personalities differ from those of present members. • Appoint a Devil’s advocate • A person who purposely presents arguments that run counter the majority opinions • Restructure the department • Realigning work groups, centralizing decisions, and increasing formalization to disrupt the status quo

9. Organizational Politics Politicking: “The actions you take to influence or attempt to influence the distribution of advantages or disadvantages within an organization” (p. 397)

10. Can You Play Politics & Be Ethical?

11. The Disciplinary Process

12. Types of Discipline Problems You Might Face • Attendance • Most frequent disciplinary problem • On-the-job behavior • Insubordination, horseplay, carelessness, etc… • Dishonesty • Lying, cheating (destroys employee’s credibility) • Outside Activities • Outside criminal activity (domestic dispute, etc…)

13. Laying the Groundwork for Discipline • Advance Notice • “The best surprise is no surprise” • Inform employees should be informed of what is expected and the consequences if they fail to meet expectations • Proper Investigation • “Innocent until proven guilty” • Supervisor or third party should conduct full investigation of situation before discipline is issued

14. Making Discipline Progressive “Hot Stove Rules” • Immediacy • Advanced Warning • Consistency • Impartiality • The end