Conflict is defined as “the struggle that results from incompatible or opposing needs, feelings, thoughts, or demands within a person or between two people or more people.” (Certo, 2008) Conflict is inevitable. It is bound to occur in the best of companies. There are different types of conflict that can occur in the workplace. Conflicts can occur as a result of conflicting choices in procedure or because two people want different things. Conflicts can occur because of changes in an organization. Another way conflicts can occur is a struggle for power within the unit. Finding a workable solution to reach a good decision to benefit both management and the employees is how conflicts are resolved.

Conflicts can have positive or negative impacts to the work environment. Constructive conflict can create a safe and productive work environment by resolving conflicts fairly and peacefully. “Conflict is not the same as discomfort. The conflict isn't the problem - it is when conflict is poorly managed that is the problem.” (McNamara, 1997-2008) Unresolved conflict has negative consequences. If conflict is left unresolved it can create a hostile work environment, leads to frustration, hampers productivity, lowers morale, creates poor unity, causes inappropriate behaviors and can cause more conflicts in the future.

Change is a main reason that there is conflict in the workplace. One of the most challenging obstacles for an employee to try to overcome is change. Change comes in many different ways. The employee may have to adjust to new rules, new management, new location, etc. A tenure employee may refuse to break old habits and adjust to new set of guidelines. All of these changes can and will create conflict in any work environment. Some employees that are older do not like change because they like to keep things familiar and the same. Furthermore, our age plays a major role, according to an article by Jennifer Mclynch, “Managing Change in the Workplace” published in 2007. She stated, “The older we get the more we appreciate predictability in our lives. We like to know that we will show up at work and see the same people, work at the same station, and perform a function that is familiar to us.” She went on to say that changes remove the predictability most of us are used to and because of that we encounter a great deal of distress.

“People's resistance to change is greatest when they are not sure what to expect or why the change is necessary." (Certo, 2008) Change usually means something that was very familiar has come to an end and will be replaced by some unknown. This causes the employee to become very emotional. The employee perceptions are altered, and they believe that they have lost something and also think it’s personal instead of realizing this is just a business decision that was made. “Some people adapt to change easily, others become skeptical at the first sign of change. As a manager, the challenge is to find a way to implement change without creating a stressful environment. Even though you can’t entirely predict the impact of change on the work environment, there are a few things you can do to help prepare yourself and your employees for change: good planning, communication, making yourself available, following up and listening.” (McLynch, 2007) It is very important during a period of change for the manager to be positive. A good manager will explain why the change is necessary and what benefits this change will provide.

As a manager, when a significant change is expected it is important to be prepared for the emotional responses of the employees. We have to be ready to demonstrate a wide range of emotional skills to get the change fully implemented. Some of the emotions we will have to deal with are anger, denial, bargaining, anxiety, and sadness. Anger sometimes occurs when employees who do not favor the change will do everything in their power to sabotage the change. You will also find some of the employees are in the denial stage, at times employees will attempt to strike a deal to have the change delay or something different in order to convince the employer to go back to the old ways. Furthermore, you will uncover anxiety or sadness which will result in remarks about being stressed out or some times just plain silence. With these wide ranges of emotions, a manager has to remain calm, open to listen without being defensive, critical or angry. The manager has to continue to reaffirm the reason for the change. Even if you are not happy with the change do not exhibit anger or frustration in front of the employees. You will only increase their already pessimistic view of the change. As a manager, it is up to each of us to play the role of counselor to all of our employees.

In addition to changes that occur in the workplace which cause conflicts, power struggles also play an important role in creating conflict. There is competitiveness and cohesiveness when one has power over someone. If the manager misuses this power the employees will increase conflict to get resolution. “Given this understanding, power conflicts are then viewed as win-lose competitions, thus impairing their chances of a satisfactory resolution.” (Coleman, 2000)

To create a win-win solution to power struggles a manager must increase their political skills to help obtain cooperation and support within the organization and smooth over power struggles. A successful manager has to understand and to develop his or her political skills to reach ultimate success. According to an article by Pamela Perrewe, “Says that a common trait of successful leaders is their political adeptness;” she went on to say, these managers will be able to not only understand others but be able to influence them using that knowledge. The article continued to state, “Political skill is about building trust” a leader with great political skill can inspire his team to work towards a shared goal, and encourage team members to go the extra mile to meet what ever the objectives are. With this skill I believe that a manager can and will be able to obtain cooperation and support within the organization and smooth over power struggles.

A successful manager knows how to respond and adjust their response style to meet the challenges of dealing with the conflict at hand. “Conflict management is responding to problems stemming from conflict.” (Certo, 2008) There are five basic methods to dealing with conflicts. They are avoidance, accommodation, compromise, competition, and collaboration. Once a manager has an understanding of these methods, they can adjust their strategy to resolve the conflict by choosing the right method for the right situation.

The first method for managing conflict is avoidance. “Some people attempt to avoid conflict by postponing it, hiding their feelings, changing the subject, leaving the room or quitting the project.” (Managing Conflict) Avoidance usually does not help to solve the problem it just postpones the problem for another day. However, avoidance can actually be a good idea when it is a small matter not worth disrupting the harmony of the workplace over or when we need to calm down before addressing the issue.

The second method for managing conflict is accommodation. “Accommodation is a convenient strategy to satisfy an immediate need for individuals or the group. It emphasizes the things conflicting parties have in common while de-emphasizing the differences.” (Managing Conflict) This method helps the people to focus on the current issues and put differences aside till a later time. It is slightly more effective than mere avoidance as finding common ground helps to prevent lingering ill will more simply than avoiding an argument.

The third method for managing conflict is compromise. Compromise is a technique where the opposing parties in a conflict make concessions to each other in order to peacefully resolve the issue. It can be effective when each side is willing to negotiate and settle for less than they originally wanted, but falls apart if the demands of each side are too great or neither side honors their end of the bargain.

The fourth method for managing conflict is competition. Competition method is basically finding a way to resolve the issue other than fighting or arguing. Some contests where the winner gets his or her demands met. It can be used to resolve a conflict, but often causes cooperation to deteriorate, so it is best saved as a last resort.

The fifth method for managing conflict is collaboration. Collaboration is when the opposing parties decide to put aside their differences and work together to accomplish the objective in a manner that satisfies everyone. “This strategy encourages teamwork and cooperation within a group.” (Managing Conflict) This is most effective when the members of the group respect and trust each other, and are willing to remain open-minded. Unfortunately, these are ideal conditions, and not all groups will have such defined unity.

However, deciding which method to employ requires an understanding of the conflict in order to choose the best possible solution. So, how does one go about understanding the conflict? The first step is to understand your own feelings as they relate to the conflict. Are you angry? Frustrated? If so, you must recognize these feelings and remove them from your mind. No real solutions can be reached while you are upset, and your feelings are impairing your judgment. Because personal feelings can get in the way of conflict resolution, and it is important to maintain control over one’s emotions when resolving any disputes that arise within the group. That is why the first step to resolving any external conflict is to recognize and resolve your own internal conflict. To resolve your own internal conflict, as a manager you have to recognize your feelings, you must move past them for the sake of resolution. As a manager you must find common ground between the supervisor and the employee, and then the manager can begin to establish a rapport that can be built upon.

Before you can discuss the matter of the conflict, you must choose the right time and place for the confrontation. “A quiet spot works better for focusing attention and creating a non-threatening environment.” (Improving) Choosing a poor setting such as yelling at an employee in front of his peers can cause an immediate conflict. Choosing the wrong time, such as before the employee has to work their respective shift, will have a detrimental effect on group morale. An example of choosing the wrong time and place, was when a substitute supervisor was yelling at one of the regular workers in front of the rest of the crew right before the shift started. That lowered moral for the entire crew the rest of the day. The regular supervisor had to smooth things over with that employee when he returned or the man would have quit and that would have resulted in further conflicts. Timing is important because choosing the wrong time to address the issue can result in employees becoming defensive or more antagonistic than they would normally be, or it can also result in other important issues being delayed, thrown off schedule and creating more issues that later have to be resolved.

Once the time and place is set, it’s partly up to you to see that negotiations do not fall through. As Robert D. Ramsey, an experienced supervisor says, “Conflicts don’t get resolved until both parties feel that they have been listened to and have reached the point where they listen to each other. The first key to helping resolve interpersonal conflicts is to practice what the experts call active listening. This simply means paying strict attention to all speakers, asking appropriate questions for clarity and for double-checking understanding and letting them know that they have been heard.” A supervisor must learn to listen for both unspoken cues and messages in order to fully understand a conflict before attempting to resolve it, or he will be making a blind leap of faith in attempting to arbitrate it at best, and at worst he will make a poor decision based on biased or incomplete information. Active listening aids a supervisor in resolving conflicts by helping to “generate attitudes of tolerance, understanding, and non-evaluative acceptance of others.” (Ramsey, 2009) Carter McNamara, a PhD and MBA who heads his own consulting firm, has this advice to offer, “Avoid use of the word "you" - this avoids blaming. The use of “I” statements keeps the other person from feeling like they are under attack and makes them less likely to jump to the defensive mode. Understanding and paying attention to these details may seem trivial, but ensures that there is no discontent remaining on either side. However, sometimes neither side is able to or willing to compromise. At times like these, you must carefully evaluate each option, and if it becomes necessary, you must utilize your authority for the sake of resolving the conflict expediently.

There are times that it would be better to use peer groups or outside mediation to solve conflicts. When the entire group is affected by the decision, it would be better to let them solve the problem then dictating a solution. Allowing a peer group to resolve the matter can also prevent ill will on behalf of the employee whose solution was not chosen as the decision was decided by the majority. When two opposing sides in the conflict are too emotionally invested in the outcome, it may become necessary to seek an objective source for mediation. Keeping these methods and suggestions in mind can help in any situation, but ultimately, you must be prepared to bear the responsibility of making the final decision yourself as a manager.

In conclusion, conflict management is the key to help supervisors handle conflicts that occur in the workplace. Managers can resolve conflicts in a positive way to help companies or a negative way which hurts employee relations. Managers can also attempt to decrease the number of conflicts that occur in the workplace by taking a few preventative measures. They can install zero tolerance policies on harassment and create an open door policy. Companies can create social events to bring management and employees together to get to know each other in a non-threatening environment and increase teamwork. By decreasing the number of conflicts in the work place, it does create a much more open and positive attitude and improves the employees morale. The company is investing in the future by reducing the stress of conflicts in the workplace.