Taking the Time for Collaboration

Collaborating

I win, you win

Symbol: Owl

Fundamental premise: Teamwork and cooperation help everyone achieve their goals while also maintaining relationships

Strategic philosophy: The process of working through differences will lead to creative solutions that will satisfy both parties' concerns

When to use:

·         When there is a high level of trust

·         When you don't want to have full responsibility

·         When you want others to also have "ownership" of solutions

·         When the people involved are willing to change their thinking as more information is found and new options are suggested

·         When you need to work through animosity and hard feelings

Drawbacks:

·         The process takes lots of time and energy

·         Some may take advantage of other people's trust and openness

Source: Culbertson, H., (200-2001) Conflict management strategies and styles  Southern Nazarene University

Taking the Time for Collaboration

Conflict is a phenomenon that can occur in many daily interactions. Cahn & Abigail (2007) say engaging in and dealing with conflict in our lives is as likely as getting up in the morning (p.2). It is always a challenge to determine how best to handle conflict, however, fictitious conflicts offer a chance to dig deep into how to handle conflicts.

 The case scenario below, (Communication Studies Capstone, 2011) puts a conflict into the hands of a pseudo manager of a fictitious company. Looking at the scenario, there are three things that must be answered; 1) how will the employee be approached, 2) how will the employee respond and 3) what conflict resolutions will be utilized.

    You are a department manager in a mid-sized company that provides technology support services.  You have ten employees who are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service.  One of your employees, who has been with the company for two years, is performing at a substandard level and you have received numerous complaints from customers and coworkers.  In addition, this employee has displayed confrontational behavior which has created a hostile environment.  You must now meet with this employee and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal (Wk 3).

In this scenario, there are several conflicts that are already evident. There are conflicts between the employee and coworkers and complaints from customers the employee is coming in contact with. At this point in the scenario the possibility of resolution falls to the manager and how the conflict is handled.

The Approach

When considering how to approach the employee several items need to be in place. First, for the manager, documentation is vital. Documenting dates, times, and offenses gives the manager the ability to approach the employee in a matter of fact manner, with some assertiveness but without aggressiveness. Hybels & Weaver (2007) call this type of approach “emotional disengaging” (p. 224). Approaching an employee with facts and documentation maintains a professional manner and an objective viewpoint, without emotion. Taking the emotions out of a potential conflict is not an easy task, however, in a professional setting “emotional disengaging” is a task well worth working toward. The preparation of documentation is one of many steps when addressing an employee who is not working up to par.

The next step is finding a location that is both private and professional within the workplace facility. Choosing a private local shows respect for the employee, allows the conversation to remain confidential, and will help ensure the meeting is not interrupted (Hybels & Weaver, 2007, p. 225).  The reaction of the employee is not guaranteed; therefore, taking the time to ensure privacy is an important step when a manager needs to give constructive criticism or ultimatums.

Employee Reaction

The scenario states the employee has been confrontational and the manager can anticipate the same reaction when having this conversation with the employee. At this point, the manager needs to adopt a “constructive attitude”. This attitude again may lead to the employee feeling respected by and confident in the manager and their ability (Hybels & Weaver, 2007, p. 225).  The goal of the manager and the meeting is to gain an openness from the employee so an agreed upon resolution can be found.

Resolution

The goal is to reach collaboration between the employee and the work environment. Collaboration allows for self interests of the employee while meeting and respecting the needs, interests and goals of the company (Cahn, & Abigail, 2007, p. 83). The manager is going to need to use a direct, assertive, yet constructive manner to obtain the goal of resolution. The manager needs to clearly state the problem(s), referring to documentation and company policy, and then allowing the employee to absorb what has been said, thus demonstrating a willingness to listen to the employee.  When responding, the manager needs to rephrase what was said by the employee (Hybels & Weaver, 2007, p. 225). After the employee has had time to respond and the manager has restated the employee’s response, it is time to begin working toward a resolution.

It is very important to remain focused on the issues and how to resolve them. By using effective listening skills, paraphrasing, and respect, doors to resolution can be opened (Hybels & Weaver, 2007, p. 225).  The employee, in this scenario, is a risk for greater conflict, yet, the manager has the ability to make or break the resolution via the approaches that are used to handle the conflict.  The conflict is not always the issue, often times, the problem lies in how the conflict is handled which leads to resolution or not.

References

Cahn, D., & Abigail, R., (2007) Managing conflict through communication 3rd Ed.  Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Communication Studies Capstone. (2011). Delivering bad news tactfully and effectively Week 3. Ashford University

Hybels, S., & Weaver, R., (2007). Communicating effectively 8th Ed. Boston: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.