We are part of a world that consists of the most intelligent species known to mankind. That species, of course, is us. With intelligence comes different opinions, and with different opinions comes conflict. In a perfect world, everyone would live out their lives in peace, going about their daily lives in absolute harmony. Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world, and harmony is just a word that sits in the pages of a dictionary. Conflict is what makes or world go around. It plays a major role in our way of communicating, and is a vital part of our reasoning as human beings. Of course, conflict can be a very stressful situation, but if it is resolved in the right manner it can lead to progression. In order for this to happen, certain steps must be taken to achieve a solution to any form of conflict. Throughout this paper I will describe these stages of constructive conflict resolution, as well as relate them to a conflict that I have dealt with on a personal level. As with most stories, I have to start at the beginning.
I spend my professional life in the field of sales. The conflict that I will describe took place between a fellow sales associate and I. We had both worked with the same client, trying to sell him a product that our company provides. I had worked with this client numerous times, while my fellow employee had only worked with him once. The client was originally mine to begin with, but the other salesperson failed to mention that he had worked with him when I was out of the workplace. The client did not commit to the sale when he was being helped by the other sales associate, but when he returned he requested to only do business with me because I was his preferred salesman throughout the entire negotiation. When the sale was secured, I chose to write it for myself, knowing that I had put the majority of time and effort into completing the sale. Needless to say, this was the prelude to the conflict.
My decision to take full credit for the sale, although it was the correct one, was not an acceptable choice in the eyes of my fellow associate. He proceeded to argue that he had spent time with the client, in which he should be the recipient of the commission earned. In many cases similar to this one, where salespeople have worked with the same client, a request for a commission split is submitted. I, however, chose not to split the commission because it was my client, as well as the fact that the other associate was notorious for “stealing” others’ sales. This was the birth of the conflict, and from here the five steps of resolution began.
The first step was to analyze the conflict. We had to determine who was involved, how did the conflict start, and how we could accommodate both parties. Well, the first two have already been described. In order to accommodate both parties, however, the solution had to meet the agreements of both of us. In this case, an outside negotiator had to be brought in, which was our manager.
The second step was to determine management strategy. My fellow associate and I had to choose the strategy that was best for both of us. Seeing how the field of sales is a very competitive environment and we both had numbers that we were expected to produce, we chose to compromise. A compromise is when two conflicting parties give a little, and take a little in order to reach an agreement (Cahn & Abigail, 2007). This stage led into step three.
The third step was to pre-negotiate. Initiation, assessment, ground rules, agenda, organization, written agreement, joint fact-finding, and commitment are the key steps in pre-negotiation ( CTIC, n.d.). In this case, we sorted out the facts, and put into writing what occurred and what we both expected, and discussed a commitment to the agreed upon terms.
The fourth step is negotiation. This stage consists of discussing the interests of both parties, finding options that satisfy everyone, and evaluating what ideas or most satisfactory to the people involved. In my case, we sat down with the manager, discussed what would be the best course of action, and determined whether or not each salesperson was getting what they deserved, as well as what would satisfy them.
The fifth step is post-negotiation. My sales associate, manager, and I decided that the best course of action was to split the commission, but enter the sale under my own name. This meant that I achieved the numbers that I needed to make my goals and got commission for it, while the other salesperson was satisfied to get half of the commission for his time put in. We also agreed to not let this conflict take place again, and if it were to happen for any reason, the outcome would be the same as this one.
In the end, conflict is a common occurrence in the workplace. However, the outcome depends on the process that is taken to resolve it. Using the five steps of constructive conflict resolution is the best way to go about meeting the expectations of both parties involved. If this conflict had never occurred, the groundwork would have never been laid in case it ever happens again. With conflict comes tension, but with tension comes resolution.
Cahn, D.D., & Abigail, R.A. (2007). Managing conflict through communication (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN: 978-0-205-68556-1
C.T.I.C. (N.D.). Managing Conflict. Retrieved April 18, 2011 from http://www4.ncsu.edu/~hobantj/environment/articles/managing%20conflict.pdf
No comments:
Post a Comment