Question

Question 1: Critical Thinking and Conflict

As a manager you will often be in the position where you need to resolve conflicts about key decisions within the business (financial, strategic, and personal). The ideas you bring to the conflict will inform the way you manage each situation. Some managers have viewed arguments as a ‘battle of ideas’ (utilising the war metaphor). In contrast Brockriede (2009) proposes that an argument consists of a 5 stage process applied to reach a solution to the problem at hand.

1. Describe Brockriede’s process. Use a specific conflict that you have observed, (or one you could reasonably anticipate) to illustrate how the process works in practice.
2. Evaluate its potential value to a manager or supervisor in a business. What are the comparative advantages of this approach compared to the traditional ‘battle of ideas’ view? You may use the example conflict from part (a) to help in the comparison.

Answer 1

Conflict is common in work place. It is natural among teams groups and organizations. It mostly happens in any organization at the time of decision making.  In the past it was believed that conflict happens because of poor communication and lack of trust.

Eventhough the latest organizational studies proved that conflict has some positive impacts. According to these studies conflict is not throughly bad. A healthy conflic can help  a team / group to become more creative and moving forward.

While considering work place conflict, it can be divided into four types. They are:

i. intrapersonal

ii. interpersonal

iii. Intragroup

iv. intergroup

Now a days we can see a different management strategy under which, those employees who are courageous enough to criticise, rate and can provide alternate point of view are highly appreciated.

Conflict can be managed with the following stesps. They are:  

i. issue identification

ii.issue analysis

iii. strategy options

iv. strategy analysis

v. action plan

vi. evaluation of results.

It is the ultimate responsiblity of the Public Relations Department officials to initaite a strategic approach to prevent conflict from arising or from getting out of control.  

a. An organizational conflict can be illustrated below.

It is a state run organization. It stand for providing poultry live birds, chicks, eggs, poultry meat, poultry manure and poultry equipments. The highlight of this organization was the integration programme through which day old chicks (both layer and broiler)  acoording to the capacity of the farmers were given for a period of 45 days, along with poultry feed and medicine. Transportation facilities were also provided. They only have to make the shed for rearing these chicks and they will get rearing charge according to the numbers of birds. In between the Organization decided to stop the progranne immediately as per the decision of the finance wing. According to them it was a heavy loss to the organisation.  

Personnnel department on the other hand argued that the benefit the farmers get, most of them were women beneficiaries, who belong to BPL ( below poverty line) communities should continue, other wise it will create job loss the employees.  

Finally strategic decisions put forward by the Public relations department and other groups after having brain storming sessions, finally decided to continue the programme which is benefical to both the farmers and also for the organization. And now it is running smoothly, and after the healthy conflict and the battle of ideas arise, the organizational reputation also has increased to the next level.  

b.Traditional battle of ideas never valued the organizational reputation. On the other and each individual or group of a particular organization considered conflict as a platform for showing off. They never try to accept or understand what others' ideas, how it will work out, what will be result of implementing the same in the short run, what will be the result of implementing the same during the long run or anything.  

Balance of power war of eighteenth century is an example of traditional organizational conflict. It is a struggle or values or power which is in the opposite party's or possessions for long time. They do not bother about organizational growth or anything.  

Hence compared to the traditional conflict, strategically advanced and diplomatic battle of ideas helped present day organizational conflict, a benefit to the organization in some or other way and it also helps to multiply the existing level of organizatioan's overall reputation.