Introduction
As the head of A&B organization, it is important to address conflicts that may arise within the company in order to maintain a positive and productive work environment. This report aims to examine the issue of conflicts within A&B Healthcare, Inc. and to provide solutions for addressing and avoiding them. Effective communication between management, staff, and workers is crucial for any organization to achieve its goals, and this report will focus on developing specific strategies and plans that align with the company’s objectives. The report will also consider other factors that may contribute to conflicts, such as cultural diversity, communication, and teamwork. By analyzing five resources that describe various conditions, the president of A&B Healthcare, Inc. can identify approaches that will help meet the interests of all members of the organization. Despite the fact that most teams struggle to deal with conflict situations, this report will demonstrate that there are numerous conflict resolution methods that are both accessible and understandable.
The First Method. Communicating, Negotiating, and Resolving Conflicts
As a competent leader, the president of A&B Healthcare, Inc. must understand that they can be subordinate to people of different origins, cultures, and views on life. The basis of proper management will be creating a situation that would allow one to consider the cultural characteristics of each team member in the organization. The friendly and kind team of A&B Healthcare, Inc. significantly impacts the organization’s effectiveness and contributes to increasing the level of trust among employees. However, in the absence of an adequate level of attention to the cultural diversity of subordinates, an aggressive atmosphere can develop in a team. This factor will reduce the organization’s competitiveness and slow its development strategy.
I want to highlight that the significant problem is that, in certain situations, people may misinterpret a person’s cultural characteristics and mistake them for an act of aggression or disrespect. The main cultural differences in communication are distance, touching, body position, gestures, facial expression, eye contact, and language (Thomas & Inkson, 2009). In the chapter Communicating, negotiating, and resolving conflicts across cultures, of the book Cultural Intelligence, authors Thomas David and Kerr Inkson (2009) consider the situation that occurred on the plane. When communicating with an Australian passenger, the flight attendant perceived the phrase “Fair dinkum?” as an insult (Thomas & Inkson, 2009, p. 84). According to Thomas and Inkson (2009), a “common Australian phrase being misinterpreted as an act of aggression” (p. 84). However, the result was that it was a local Australian colloquialism. This case is illustrative and highlights the importance of creating a working environment where colleagues understand possible cultural sensitivities. This approach will allow A&B Healthcare, Inc. to reduce potential conflicts’ negative consequences and prevent them altogether.
Since language is a significant cultural difference, many conflicts may arise. Using a standard, universally understood language is worth considering as a form of communication between the staff of different cultures. Language will allow A&B Healthcare, Inc. colleagues to understand each other without fear of being convicted and increase the team’s level of trust (Thomas & Inkson, 2009). Specific introductory language courses, such as English, would be an essential step towards that.
It is important to stress that such situations, as I described in the preceding paragraph, may arise not only between people of different cultures but among compatriots. In this case, I want the president of A&B Healthcare, Inc. to understand that creating an environment where staff can trust each other is crucial in resolving conflicts (Notes). A parallel can be drawn with a couple’s relationship. The relationship of trust is based on the possibility of expressing one’s opinion about the problem without fear of being convicted or humiliated.
A&B’s employees should have this opportunity to work on different projects or communicate with management. As Thomas and Inkson (2009) state, “Communication – is the fundamental building block of social experience” (p. 85). The two people will have difficulties communicating if they do not have standard codes and conventions (Thomas & Inkson, 2009). Therefore, communication with colleagues will be much more effective if they do not avoid conflicts at all costs but discuss them and find joint solutions. Furthermore, it is essential to emphasize that such an approach will enable the president of A&B Healthcare, Inc. to resolve conflicts and benefit from such situations. In disputes, people exchange different views and opinions. However, if the debate is conducted competently, people can find a middle ground that matches all points of view and is universal to solve a particular problem.
The Second Method. The Right Priorities in Team
People are social not only in communicating among themselves but in the process of doing work and achieving results. The team is the basis of such social communication in the organization. It directly affects not only the efficiency but the mood of each employee. However, productive teams focused on results have many vital priorities that make it possible to use potential conflicts for advantage. In the article Conflict Management in Teams by Behfar and Goldberg (2015) authors discuss the main differences between successful and ineffective teams. The authors point to the difficulty in choosing between getting work done and making individual members happy during the job in a team (Behfar & Goldberg, 2015). However, the main difference between the teams is that most prefer one point. At the same time, successful workers try to create conditions to meet both goals.
To find the necessary tools for A&B Healthcare, Inc. to help resolve this situation, as a company worker, I am to highlight the reasons that lead the team to inefficiency. As in the case of communication in the collective described in the previous paragraphs, the fear of people being convicted is a crucial factor in their reluctance to cooperate on various issues in a team. According to Behfar and Goldberg (2015), “low-performing teams typically struggle with this (usually because people did not speak their minds) or are unwilling to address the problem” (p. 1). The result is an inability to understand the cause of the conflict and, thus, to address it effectively.
As a tool to address such a problem that the president of A&B Healthcare, Inc. can use, I propose considering the root cause of the conflict and its elimination before it escalates. In addition, it is crucial to create specific rules and agreements between the team members that will help avoid similar disputes in the future (Behfar & Goldberg, 2015). This approach will not only increase the team’s efficiency but also contribute to meeting the requirements of each team member. Since conflicts often arise because of conflicting interests and views of a particular team member regarding the overall strategy, successful teams take the time to discuss individuals’ compromises (Behfar & Goldberg, 2015). It will create a more friendly and trusting work environment in A&B Healthcare, Inc.
The Third Method. Do Not Avoid Conflict
The third method of conflict management may seem contradictory to the first two. On the one hand, it was determined that competent management would effectively resolve and benefit from the conflict. On the other hand, the second method involves the creation of specific conditions to satisfy the interests of all parties to avoid conflict. However, the third approach will address the importance of competition regarding leadership needs. As Williams (1997) states, “conflict arises from people’s needs, and needs unmet do not go away. They just lie in wait for the next opportunity to express themselves” (p. 3). The conclusion to be drawn from this factor is that it is crucial to take the interests of all colleagues into account qualitatively and to seek to understand their requirements and views. Short-term action will only postpone a possible conflict until the next time (Hasson, 2006). A competent approach should include a sincere desire of managers to know the true causes of dissatisfaction and find a compromise.
I want to stress that this method is essential because even if the conflict has been avoided at a particular stage of the company’s operations, the remaining employee dissatisfaction will significantly affect its efficiency. This factor will not only hurt the A&B Healthcare, Inc. team, of which the employee is a part but will make it more challenging to achieve the company’s goals and follow its overall development strategy. In Do not Avoid Conflicts-Manage Them, by Williams Monci (1997), the author discusses the features of communication with an employee who is the cause of the conflict. Among the main aspects, it is vital to highlight the need to meet all human needs, focus on shared interests, not differences, and that the first task is to understand the other party (Williams, 1997). According to these rules, the resolution of the conflict should be aimed not only at meeting the needs of the employee of the company but at finding standard views and opinions. Seeking to resolve or avoid conflict at all costs will only increase future interest differences between staff. Managers and the president of A&B Healthcare, Inc. must put themself in the other person’s shoes and try to understand him.
Conclusion
Any organization will inevitably experience conflict and disagreements, which can negatively affect employee morale, productivity, and overall organizational performance. Conflicts can escalate if they are not effectively managed and resolved, which would lower employee engagement, increase turnover, and have a negative influence on our bottom line. These negative impacts can be reduced, and disagreements can be addressed promptly and effectively by putting in place a thorough conflict and dispute resolution process.
A&B Healthcare, Inc. can benefit from fostering an appreciation for the value of compelling conflict and dispute resolution within the company. By implementing a thorough plan, we can improve productivity and the work atmosphere by increasing employee engagement and satisfaction. Additionally, we can reduce employee turnover and absenteeism, which can be costly for the company. By fostering better connections between staff members, managers, and other stakeholders, we can enhance collaboration and cooperation. Furthermore, we can minimize the negative impact that conflicts and disagreements have on our bottom line. A&B Healthcare, Inc. can benefit from developing a policy and putting in place a thorough plan for handling and resolving disagreements and disputes. By establishing clear standards and procedures for managing conflicts and disputes, we can ensure that problems are resolved promptly and effectively. By providing employees know the requirements and obligations for handling and resolving disputes, confusion and uncertainty can be reduced. By supplying a structure for continual improvement, we can assess and change our method of resolving conflicts and disputes as necessary.
References
Behfar, K., & Goldberg, R. (2015). Conflict management in teams. Darden Business Publishing.
Hasson, R. (2006). How to resolve board disputes more effectively. MITSloan Management Review.
Notes on conflict management. The Crimson Press Curriculum Center.
Thomas, D. C., & Inkson, K. (2009). Communicating, negotiating, and resolving conflicts across cultures. Harvard Business Publishing.
Williams, M. J. (1997). Don’t avoid conflicts – manage them. Harvard Business School Publishing.