Question

Your division of purchasing is composed of two sections, one that acquires goods and another that acquires services. Over time, the two section heads have developed an intense rivalry that has increasingly turned ugly. The two are basically at war, with insults flying back and forth at every occasion. They are forcing you into the position of having to choose sides—which you don’t want to do. What would you do?

Answer 1

Conflicts arise in any organization. If I choose any side, it would further increase the rivalry between the two sections. Since choosing sides is not my option, the best way to resolve the conflict between the two sections is to follow “Principled negotiation”. The term “Principled negotiation” is based on four elements of negotiation namely- people, interest, option and the criteria for solution. The two parties would definitely share certain interests though they have conflict and opposed with respect to others. In the principled negotiation process, I would follow the below steps to resolve the conflict between the two sections:

1. Identify the problem and separate it from the two sections. I would communicate clearly to them what the problem exactly is.
2. Focus should be on the position and not on the position, power, authority, etc. I would ensure that the problem is the focus and not choosing the sides.
3. Generate many possibilities to identify ways to handle the issue of conflicting interest between the two sections. After identify the problems, I would identify and evaluate ways to resolve the problem.
4. Communicate to the managers of the two sections that the result will be objective in nature. This is to ensure that the managers agree with the results. Once the methods to resolve the problem has been chosen, I would implement them so that it creates harmony between the two sections and does not result in rivalry.

Following the above steps would enable me to resolve the conflict between the two sections. Additionally, it is pertinent to highlight the common interest between the two sections so that they share their thoughts in pursuance of the common interest. This would lead to harmony between the two sections and reduce the rivalry.