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Although workplace conflicts are often challenging to deal with, many strategies exist to support workers looking for ways to minimise destructive conflict and explore the opportunities created by conflict. This unit focuses on strategies related to situations as well as general problem solving strategies.
Propose strategies to deal with a specific conflict in the workplace.
Identify contextual factors that relate to conflict in the workplace.
On completion of this unit, you should be able to:
Problem solving strategies can only be successful if they take into account the broader workplace context. What is the culture or approach of the organisation you work for? How is the situation in question influenced by broader national and international issues? Issues such as these will act as limiting factors, making some strategies impossible or unacceptable in the culture of your workplace.
Most people know of two major economic systems: Capitalist and Communist. Perhaps because of history, we tend to see them as black and white. In reality each system contains elements of the other. In all Capitalist societies, the government regulates private industry to some degree. The question is how much regulation and what sorts of things should be regulated?
Should the government own some industry such as power and public transport? Can private enterprise be trusted to act in ways that are positive for society? How much of a role should government play in disputes between workers and employers? What rules should govern the workplace?
What kinds of services should be owned and run publicly by the government? Which services are better run for profit by private enterprise? Consider the following industries. Rank them in order from 1 - public ownership and control is best to 10 private ownership and control is best.
Which of the above would you prefer to be government owned? Justify your answer by listing the advantages and disadvantages of both.
The United States of America has tended to be strongly capitalist with minimal government control and ownership. Services such as hospitals must be paid for by the user through private health insurance. There are few restrictions on business. Minimum wages are low and conditions can be hard on unskilled workers.
Many European countries have adopted a social democratic approach where the government provides many different services and supports key industries. The social democratic model accepts that government must play a role in regulating business in areas that effect the national wellbeing.
One element of the social democratic model is the idea of industrial democracy. Industrial democracy develops when workers have at least some say in the decision making of their organisation. In Europe, workers play an important role in decision making in many industries. In Germany for example, the law requires larger companies to have a worker representative on the board of directors.
In Japan, companies and corporations take on a broad role with respect to their employees. In exchange for long term commitment to the company, many social and recreational amenities are provided by the company which would not be available to any but the wealthiest of non-company workers.
In Australia, there is a long tradition of government involvement in conflict resolution between workers and employers. From 1904 until 1988, this was achieved through the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission. The role of the commission was to bring disputing parties together to reach a compromise. If necessary, the Commission could make and enforce decisions to resolve disputes.
The Industrial Relations Commission took over this role in 1988. Since 1996 however, major changes have limited the role played by the Industrial Relations Commission in favour of direct negotiations between workers and employers. This change represents a move towards the less regulated industrial culture of the United States.
A summary of the key changes to Australian industrial relations:
Because employers have greater power and experience in negotiations, workers rely more than ever on effective communication and conflict resolution skills in order to present their concerns.
Workplace change has been rightly identified as one of the major causes of stress and conflict in the workplace. Whilst competitive pressures often require businesses and organisations to change their work practices, success is largely determined by the strategies used to bring about these changes.
Many workplace changes are met by a great deal of resistance form the workforce. It is common to find workers fighting or ignoring changes years after changes were supposed to take place. The willingness of workforces to embrace change is effected by a number of factors:
Few would argue against the notion that change in the workplace is more common and far reaching than ever before. How quickly change should occur and the amount of preparation given to workers to adapt to change are key issues.
Managers sometimes assume that change is best brought about quickly and quietly to minimise resistance form workers. The assumption here is that workers will resist the change and should be given little input into the process of change. Although the immediate resistance of workers may be overwhelmed, this approach carries the risk of longer term problems.
An alternative approach is to allow more time for workers to prepare for and carry out the changes. This approach tends to bring conflict into the open more rapidly. The advantage is that workers are more involved in the changes and their reservations can be dealt with. In the long term, this approach is less likely to cause sabotage and long term resistance.
Where change is complex, workers require more time to adapt and there is a greater need to be able to clearly explain and justify the changes to workers. A related issue is whether the changes will effect all aspects of the organisation, core change or part of the organisation or peripheral change.
Core changes effect the whole approach and nature of an organisation whilst peripheral change effects only parts of the organisation. Core changes are naturally more difficult to bring about since they effect everyone and impact on the whole culture of an organisation.
Change comes about from both internal and external causes. Similarly, some changes seem to come remotely from the top, whilst others come about from within the work team. How workers respond to change can be strongly effected by the source of change.
Where change comes about through some external threat such as a new business competitor, the effect can often be to unite the workforce and bring about commitment to the changes. This is quite different from a situation when an external agency such as the government imposes changes on a workplace.
When change comes from a remote source such as management, workers commonly perceive the changes as a threat to their position and are often resentful and less co-operative. Change which flows from decisions made within the work team are more likely to be accepted.
The key to successful change is in allowing workers to understand the reasons for changes in the workplace. If workers do not understand what is going on, their responses are more likely to reflect fear and uncertainty. Change in these circumstances are likely to be seen as a message that they are not doing their jobs properly and will be resented.
When the reasons for changes are effectively communicated and discussed within the organisation, workers are far more likely to understand why they are necessary and are therefore more supportive.
Attitudes to change are strongly effected by the organisation's culture of change. In organisations where change is common and seen as an accepted part of the workplace, changes are more likely to be welcomed and seen as opportunities.
Where workers have experienced little change, they are more likely to feel threatened and resist changes.
Although there will often be resistance to change, how change is managed has a major effect on the amount of resistance and whether conflict is constructive or destructive. By including effected workers in the decisions and process of change, there is far more likelihood of them supporting the process.
Perhaps the hardest conflicts to deal with involve hostility or an imbalance of power and worst of all if the two are combined. What do you do when someone seems genuinely out to get you? How can you even the balance when you are in conflict with someone with more resources than you? You have made genuine attempts to communicate and solve the problems but they just wont go away.
If you feel you are being treated unfairly and are afraid for your future at work, the best approaches to the problem require a lot of preparation. The keys to the situation are documentation, corroboration (other people who know what is going on and can back you up) and good advice.
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