Conflict Management Flashcards
Skills needed
Interpersonal/interviewing skills; empathy, attentive listening, assertiveness, open questions
Clegg (2008) understanding office and organisational politics
Understanding relationships between employees, different people in hierarchy and relationships between all stakeholders- customers, suppliers, competitors
French and Raven (1968)
5 power bases
Legitimate - from position held (managers and subordinates)
Reward - compliance due to power to withhold reward eg. Pay
Coercive - the power to punish eg. Fire
Expert - from knowledge and skills and can be from any hierarchical level
Reference - from personal attributes eg. Charisma, attractiveness.
Drory and Vigoda-Gadot (2010) Reading 21 ‘Organizational politics and HRM: a typology and the Israeli experience
OP can have negative and positive consequences. For HR they affect:
Recruitment and selection
Culture - collectivism vs individualism. A collectivist culture may influence political action towards organisational goals vs individual maximising personal benefits
Nugent and Broedling (2002) ‘Managing conflict: 3rd party interventions for managers
Action depends on; importance, ability for protagonists to resolve own issue, time, skills, personal bias. Consider 3rd party or no intervention. Do not leave if affects operational effectiveness. How deal also depends on reason - work process or interpersonal relationships? Consider power imbalance, respect, trust, impartiality, cultural diversity, discrimination. Where emotive use collaborative problem solving - facilitate protagonists to work together. Where work processes involved - autocratic (if urgent), arbitration or facilitating bargaining. Early intervention prevents escalation.
CIPD (2015) report on conflict management
ET fees in 2013 reduced number if tribunals by 70%. Ethics due to poorer being able to access. Axed in 2017 and all reimbursed. ACAS the Advisory, conciliatory and arbitration Service receive all employee claims for ET and offer service to enter agreement. ETs are stressful, costly, lead to long term sick. Speak to all parties re consequences and work with trade unions. Intervention better! Damages psychological contract. Difficult to go back.
Capegemini (2013) case study of dispute procedures for global consultancy firm
Prefer informal methods to formal grievances; minuted meetings, representation, investigations, appeals etc. Costly, time consuming, stressful for all and lose psychological contract. Managers trained to mentor, know their employees, be approachable and intervene early. Transformed HR team to include specialists in employee engagement. 50% Fewer issues progress to formal grievances.
