Human Resource Knowledge

Conflicts in working environment

Conflicts are inevitable between people at any time but the ones at work place can have a negative effect on ones performance and health. Handling work conflict can take its toll on most of us. There are some better ways to cope up with such negative effects or conflicts themselves. Here we are trying to outline the ways and means of not only dealing with conflicts but also approaches to avoid them as much as possible.
Mr. Gajodhar (say G) thinks that working under his boss is a continuous stress. He is not in a small company but employed in a corporate sector. G feels that one of his peers flies off the handle at the slightest thing and even trying to be a peacemaker is not helping to avoid the conflict. This is the plight of many working people who face work conflict not only with their bosses but also with their colleagues.

Managing the conflict or differences is best done by understanding the conflict style because conflict can also be healthy and creative. The best thing is to handle it constructively.

Causes of difference in agreement

Conflicts may arise between you and your boss, friend or partner or in people working with each other in close proximity for a long time and is common especially amongst those having the same goals but who disagree on the means of by which they can be achieved. Even a minor conflict can create tension, so it is important to know the root cause of it because often its magnitude is hugely out of proportion to the disagreement that caused it while sometimes the problem seems trivial but actually there may be some thing deep-rooted.

Work stress

Today, work stress is a major problem that afflicts people. Basically, any argument can result in anger, anxiety and stress. These can then reflect upon overall health, giving rise to high blood pressure, headache or even depression. The sooner the differences are resolved the better. If one is not able to control his anger then h should seek the help through counseling.

Avoiding the ‘argument’ problem:

When a disagreement occurs then one should not over react. If so then the ‘opponent’ will never consider the other person’s viewpoint. By not over reacting at least you will find some consideration from the opponent. There are people who can manage their differences well. Everybody can do it but for that one needs to understand the conflict style. If one is able to do this then it helps one to act differently as suggested by expert psychologists.

Style to be adopted in tackling the different strikers:

A.Pre empting the attack itself——This can be achieved by tact and communication. If the communicator who wants to prevent any argument and also get the work smoothly proceed can communicate a background of the subject with a little humor and making the other person feel a little more important, then the action required from the other person can be derived faster without any conflict.

B.Defensive attacker—the faster you act, you believe it is better. You lay down laws and give out threats in your defense in order to prevent a full-fledged conflict.

C.Subtle striker—you wait for your opponent to notice something is wrong using silence, cribbing and nagging on and on about an issue.

D.Full-on foe—- You have fought all through your life to attain what you wish and hence you are ever ready to face a conflict. But although you look tough, you are scared of getting hurt and every conflict becomes a painful experience for you.

E.Shock-absorber—- You are afraid of conflicts and want to remain at a distance from them. You do not defend or stress your point of view. Instead, you wait for the storm to pass by. Anger and resentment build up within you.

F.Peacemaker –You want to remain cool and sort things out not considering your personal needs and opinions.

G.Negotiator—Best style to adopt. You find a peaceful solution to problem without anyone getting hurt.

Recognize, which style you belong to and try and change. Conflict in work relationship is natural. Communication and compromise is the key here. Accusations are a big ‘no’. Do not let conflicts go out of hand.

Labels: HRM

posted by Paresh @ 11:20 AM