Summary of Scenario
The scenario is based on a manager at the GlobeCo research and development facility, located in Rochester, New York. The manager is tasked with managing employees that work on both fundamental and product research. One of the tasks that management has is to manage the use of equipment. This involves making decisions based on priorities. In this scenario, there is a conflict on the usage of equipment. Thus, one employee needs to utilize a piece of equipment that another is currently using. The other employee has been using this piece of equipment for the past two weeks and noted that it would be needed for at least three weeks for project completion. Company policy notes that once work has begun, it may not be stopped in order to work on another project. Despite this policy, the new project is exceedingly important and includes visibility up to the chief executive officer. As a result, scheduling delays are not acceptable. In order to meet these demands, the current project must be interrupted. When meeting the needs of the new project, the manager will need to ensure that there is no gross favoritism. Therefore, the manager must hold a meeting in order to explain the situation and develop an acceptable compromise that will benefit all employees involved in the situation.
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Rationale for Resolution
The new project is visible to the chief executive officer. Therefore, it is crucial that the project is executed flawlessly. It has already been made clear that scheduling delays will not be tolerated. As a result, the current project must be halted and postponed in order to complete the required process.
Staff Meeting
In order to prepare for the meeting, the manager will need to be able to provide evidence of the lack of gross favoritism. This is necessary to refute the accusations of gross favoritism. This shows clarity and fairness in handling workplace conflicts. The manager will need to be aware that there is the potential for animosity between the different teams . Thus, the manager will need to ensure that the resolution is fair in order to promote a positive outcome for all parties. This can be handled by promoting discussion of the issue. Through discussion, there is increased understanding of the issue, increased group cohesion upon reaching an agreement, and improved self-knowledge . In other words, discussion allows managers and employees to voice concerns and develop an effective remedy for the situation at hand.
It is important for the manager to be aware of the variety of conflict resolution styles. To begin with, those engaged in competitive conflict often are focused on what is best to win the competition, regardless of the consequences. This is useful in certain situations, but can cause discontent among employees. When considering collaborative resolutions, everyone is considered to be important. This is important because it increases harmony between the employees. All employees desire recognition. In some cases, the only way to achieve this goal is to collaborate with one another. When considering compromising resolutions, the goal is to partially satisfy all participants. When considering accommodating resolutions, the needs of others are met while individual needs are not met. Finally, some people elect to avoid the conflict.
With this information, it is important to be aware that conflict resolution does not come easily. Furthermore, the manager must be aware of the differing styles and needs of the customers. Thus, considering the urgency of the new project, concessions may need to be made. For this scenario, it is noted that the current project will need to be stopped, despite the current policy. However, since the proposed project is so visible to high-ranking supervisors, it is crucial that it is completed successfully. Furthermore, since it is noted that there will be no exceptions allowing for schedule delays, it is necessary to stop the current project in order to meet the demands of management. In this case, it will require accommodating the new project in place of the original project.
Agreement
Conflict resolution methods were not well-known the 1980s. In the 1990s, interest in these methods increased. In fact, “substantial support of these methods existed among people and institutions of great influence, including the US Congress, which passed the Administrative Dispute Resolution Act in 1990 authorizing and encouraging federal agencies to use alternative dispute resolution” . Popularity for conflict resolution methods increased over the years until it is now a normal part of society. In fact, it has been noted that “if handled with utmost care, the result of a conflict situation can have long term functional benefits for all parties concerned [and] how individual employees, groups and organizations at large attempt to manage conflict situations has a direct consequence on their performance and/or effectiveness” . Therefore, in this situation, by having opportunities for discussion in the meeting, the manager is allowing for the opportunity for employees to be heard. Thus, concerns are noted and explored, allowing for future resolution opportunities. This shows that the company is committed to the success of the employees in their individual tasks.
The company wants to avoid dysfunctional conflicts. In fact, “when conflict is destructive with negative results, it is classified as dysfunctional” . It is also noted that “workplace conflict is a potent stressor” . In this scenario, if the manager is unable to establish effective discussion, prove the lack of gross favoritism, and provide viable reasons for the change, it is less likely that the conflict will be dysfunctional.
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