The History Of The Effects From Conflict

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

1.0 Introduction

In today’s working world, employees are group to form teams in an organization to carry out task assigned to them. Today’s employer assigned teams because they expect them to complete the given task much more efficient and effective compared to individual work. In order for a group to work as a team, it is rather a difficult task for the employers.

The major issues face by almost every single organization is conflicts. Conflict means different things from an individual to another individual. For some individuals, definition of conflict involves war, fighting, trade embargos and so on. But for others, it may be a difference in perspective, personality, ideas, or opinion. How a person think they are involve in a conflict might be different. For instance, one party may feel that they are in a conflict situation, but on the other party, they feels that they are just discussing on the opposing views. So the definition of conflicts is depends more on our personal "viewpoint" of the situation.

Conflicts can occur anytime and anywhere in our daily life or in a workplace. It is consider part of our routine in life.

2.0 Managing Conflict

Conflict is unavoidable when an individual work with another team mate. But how a person handles a conflict determines whether it works to team’s advantage or contributes to its downfall. A team leader can choose to ignore it, blame member of the team, complain about it, try dealing with it through hints and suggestions or the team leader can be direct, explain what is happening, and attempt to accomplish a decision through general techniques such as negotiation or compromise. Too often, conflict I suppressed ignored, or the conflicts lead to deadlock and inaction. It is clear that conflict can be dealt with constructively and with a proper plan, otherwise it is too easy to get pulled into argument and create an even larger mess.

Healthy and constructive conflict can results in a high performance teams. Conflict arises from differences between employees and this could lead the teams to be more effective than those made up of employees with similar experience. When employee with different backgrounds, opinions, experiences, and skills are tasked with a task or challenge, the joint effort can far go beyond what any group of similar individual possibly will achieve. Team members should be open to these differences and not let them rise into full-blown disputes.

In today’s business management, most of the managers do not want to involve in this conflict as they have more important things to attend to. Although it is the manager’s role in the past, this role of solving the conflict was now given to the employees. This will bring benefits to the organization as employees will not see their superior as "taking sides" or being biased in favor of certain employees, which undermines the superior’s authority. And even more important, by pushing back, we can help them improve their own problem-solving skills, instead of encouraging their dependence on the management or superior.

Although coaching my team to solve their own problems will initially take more time and energy than handling the conflict alone. But in the long term, my coaching will create a work environment where conflict management is seen as everyone’s obligation, not just my problem. First, we should ask the employees to start with self-assessments so that they can understand their own conflict-management styles and the pros and cons of using a particular style. With these self-assessments, employees have a rough idea on how to handle and solve conflicts in a proper manner ways.

Secondly, we could exposed the employees with the book "Leading in the heat of conflict", Maccoby & Studder (2011) identified five steps to managing conflict which is ANTICIPATE, PREVENT, IDENTIFY, MANAGE, and RESOLVE. With these steps, it makes up the best approach to solved corporate conflicts, regardless of nature or degree. Generally speaking, the anticipate-prevent-identify-manage-resolve combo is the easiest to remember and the easiest to orchestrate, paving way for a cost-effective and laid-back brand of conflicts management.

3.0 Effects from conflict

Conflict in a team at workplace can bring both negative and positive results. The negative impact that might occurs from conflicts are disruptive in the daily process of the organization, productivity level will drop drastically, employee morale will eventually faded due to the unsolved conflict, high turn-over rate due to the unhealthy working environment and all of this will cause the image of the company to tarnish.

On the other hand, if conflicts are managed properly, it will bring positive results which the management is hoping for. Conflicts will eventually helps the team members debate with one another until the cause of conflict are resolved. This will eventually helps them to improve their performance, a healthy working environment is created, team members have a higher morale to work harder as they are cooperating with one another to achieve a common goal, and better understanding between team mates’ behaviors.

4.0 Solution to conflict

Conflicts do happen in our daily lives, but solutions to it seem to be ignored. The norm practice for most of the employees to solve a conflict is by following their feelings rather than rationality and this might turn even worst from quarrelling to violently fighting each another.

4.1 Communications

Team members should communicate with one another in an appropriate manner to avoid conflict from becoming worst. They should listen and understands why another party is opposing them and what their expected outcomes are before they could proceed to clarified things clearly to dissolve the dispute. With these, a win-win situation can be achieved and the team is another step ahead in achieving the goals set by the team.

Addition to that, team members should always controls their face expression and the voice tone should be appropriate to avoid another party misunderstand that you are scolding or shouting at them.

4.2 Think rationally

Members in the team must be rationally thinker person whereby they can listen to team members’ advice, objection, ideas, and ways of doing things or even suggestions. This is to let other members in the team to participate by voicing out and to solve the problems in a professional ways rather than practicing a dictatorship in the team.

4.3 De Bono’s Theory

When two groups or individuals face a conflict situation, they can react in four ways (De Bono, 1985). The four ways are:

Fight, which is not a beneficial, sound or gratifying approach to dealing with a conflict situation, as it involves 'tactics, strategies, offensive and defensive positions, losing and winning grounds, and exposure of weak points.' Fighting as a way of resolving a conflict can only be useful in courtroom situations, where winning and losing becomes a by-product of the judicial process.

Negotiate, towards an agreement with the other party. Negotiations take position within the current situation and do not involve problem solving or designing. Third-party roles are very important in bringing the conflicting parties together on some common ground for negotiations.

Problem solve, which involves identifying and removing the source of the conflict so as to make the situation normal again. Yet, this possibly will not be easy. It is also possible that the situation may not turn out to be normal even after removing the identified cause, because of its influence on the situation.

Design, which is a challenge towards creativity in making the conflict situation normal. It considers conflicts as situations rather than problems. Designing is not restricted to what is already present, but attempts to accomplish what might be created given a suitable understanding of the views and situations of the conflicting parties. The projected idea should be suitable and acceptable to the person or parties which are in conflict. A third party participates actively in the design process rather than being just an referee.

5.0 Recommendation

We would strongly recommend the company to invite a professional speaker who is talented in solving conflicts in a team. This is to expose the team members off the various approaches to settle conflicts on their own when there is a major crisis within the organization. Additional to that, we could organize training for the team whereby the employees will start with self-assessments so that they can understand their own conflict-management styles and the pros and cons of using a particular style. With these self-assessments, employees have a rough idea on how to handle and solve conflicts in a proper manner ways.

6.0 Conclusion

Conflicts are unavoidable in any organization. Conflicts can bring benefits and disadvantages to the organization depending on how it is dealt with. It can be handy in generating healthier ideas and methods, inspiring anxiety, and inspiring the appearance of long-suppressed problems.

Team members should deal with conflicts effectively rather than hold back or stay away from them. To manage them, they need to ask 'What?' and 'Why?' and not 'Who?' to search out the source of a problem. In the development of resolving conflicts, lots of problems can be spotted, identified and solved by removing obstacles and therefore creating a new atmosphere of individual growth.

Administrative roles

In the meeting we have concluded that this administrative role is a must-have in the Company to manage the business much more effective and efficient. Employees who are handling the administrative tasks is an important assets of the Company because it helps to free the managers to focus on tasks directly associated to growing the company rather than being slowed down by administrative details. The administrative roles that should have in the administrative team are handling calls, mailings, data entry, scheduling, billings, Information Technology (I.T.) support, building maintenance, and Ad-Hoc duties.

Handling calls

Administrative teams handle both inbound and outbound phone calls. A receptionist, for instance, could answer all incoming calls, determine who is the best individual in the company to receive the call and then route the call accordingly. An administrative assistant, as another example, possibly will call clients on behalf of their supervisors to check up on the clients' status of the payment of invoices, arrange with client on delivering of documents, to enquire the satisfaction of its clients’ with their last purchased service, provide back-up materials for callbacks, perform phone surveys/inquiries or route calls elsewhere as needed

2.2 Mailings

Administrative teams regularly are being tasked with handling all mail correspondence. They are responsible for drafting letters, printing mailing materials, recording the documents or items which would be delivered and handling the actual mailings, including purchasing of stamps at a close by post office or arrange the company’s dispatch personnel to deliver the mails or working directly with representatives from courier service providers such as FedEx, DHL, ABX and so on. After this have been done, they are required to record the total charges of the mailing or courier in order to claim from the client or to classified them as non-chargeable mailings.

2.3 Data Entry

Inputting data from a page printed from a printer into a computer database or of manually entering information from one’s software application into another is the act of data entry. Administrative staff in an accounting division, for instance, may manually key-in the invoice information into an accounting system. Marketing staff, as another example, may enter quantitative client information from numerous retail outlets' managerial reports into a different database. In TMF, the administrative employees are required to enter data of invoices, expenses to be charged or claim from client, and input of particulars and details of payment to receipts are the responsibilities of the administrative teams.

2.4 Scheduling

To take away manager’s productivity, the administrative teams will be handling flight and hotel bookings, meals and seminar reservations, client meetings, transportation and practically almost any scheduling related tasks.

2.5 Billings

Issuing invoices such as Debit Note, Credit Note or Statement of Accounts will be included in the roles of administrative teams. After the Company have provided a specific services, the person in-charge of handling and to provide services to the company will inform and provide details of chargeable items or services to the administrative teams to issue the invoices. After invoices is printed out, these invoices will then be given to the manager to approve and sign the invoices before being able to delivered to clients.

2.6 I.T. Support

Since TMF in Penang state operates in a small office with a small amount of employees, there are not much computers and server in the office. In order to minimize the cost of the operational in Penang office, this role was given to the administrative teams as well. This administrative teams have to handle minor computer hardware or and software malfunctions or errors which they are capable of solving it. On top of that, they will be supervised and required to report any malfunctions or any computer related problems to the regional I.T. team through e-mail or telephone. Other than that, whenever there is a meeting, the administrative employees should prepare and set-up the hardware to project the display onto the screen or wall by using the projector.

2.7 Building Maintenance

Maintaining the building or office will be included in the role of administrative teams. Administrative teams will need to ensure that the office is safe by ensuring the equipment such as fire hose, fire extinguisher, fire exits, and fire alarms are all operational, up-to-date, and ready to be use at all times. Furthermore, the team will need to find several quotation to repair works, paint, or to upkeep the office before seeking the top management approval. Besides that, decorations of office following the seasons or celebrations such as Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Deepavali, and also Christmas will be done by the administrative teams to enhance the looks of the office.

2.8 Ad-Hoc duties

This role is included in the role of administrative team to run special task which were required from the Company at any time. Ad-Hoc duties such as planning and managing projects or events for the Company, propose management action to improve standard operating procedures, or take initiative on requests and inquiries of administrative nature, particularly when top management or bosses' specialty is not administrative.

3.0 Recommendation

The administrative team should select a leader to discuss what their roles in the team are. This is to ensure they can manage the business even better as it is more organized and structured. The team leader must supervise and ensure the team is working together to achieve the goals and vision that they wanted to achieved. Other than the administrative roles mentioned earlier, this team member should be divided into three strengths which are people, action or task, and thinking to be able in managing the business even better.

In the first strength "people", the team should have this strength of Resource Investigator, Team Worker, and Coordinator. The leader should hunt and assigned this role to the rightful member. For Resource Investigator, the member should be extrovert, enthusiastic, and communicative to explore opportunities and develops contacts that can help the project. For Team Worker, the member should be cooperative, mild, perceptive and diplomatic which can listens, builds, avert friction and calms the water. For Coordinator, the chosen member of the team should be mature, confident and a good team leader who are able to clarify goals, promote decision-making and delegates well.

Next, for "action or task", there are three types which are Shaper, Implementer, Completer-Finisher. Selected member to be a Shaper should be challenging, dynamic, and thrives on pressure that are able to drive and courage to overcome the obstacles. For Implementer, the member should be a discipline, someone who is reliable, conservative and efficient that can turn ideas into practical actions. Completer-Finisher member should be someone who is painstaking and conscientious that can seeks errors and omissions to delivers on time.

Lastly "thinking", which compromises of Plant, Specialist, Monitor-Evaluator. Selected member who have the strength of Plant must be someone who are creative, imaginative and unorthodox to be able to solve difficult problems. Meanwhile, a specialist must be a single-minded, self-starting and dedicated in order to provide knowledge and skills in rare supply. Other than that, Monitor-Evaluator must be a member who is good in sober, strategic and discerning to be able to sees and evaluates options and to judges it accurately.

4.0 Conclusion

In order to manage the business better, this roles and strength for administrative employees are essential. Without either one of these roles and strength, the management is having a tough time and difficult to manage its business.