Developing Management Capability Essay Example

may also face conflicts when bargaining with other firms or individuals. Obtaining economic resources or assets from other companies often involves bargaining (Goldman ; Shapiro, 2012, p. 27). Negotiation involves discussing individual positions on a specific topic and working towards a mutually beneficial solution. Conflicts and negotiation are particularly evident in large businesses due to the participation of more people in organizational activities (Falconer, 2011, p. 16).

The text suggests that conflict and negotiations can lead to the creation of multiple options for dealing with difficult situations. Business owners can take certain steps, such as problem identification, issues analysis, unique strategy creation, and acting on ideas or outcomes, when considering these options. These steps provide a logical process for addressing conflict and negotiation-related issues (Signh, 2014, p. 47).

The function of utilizing conflict negotiation in businesses is to allow owners to develop ideal outcomes when facing stronger parties. Small businesses often lack the purchasing power and negotiating positions compared to larger companies. This lower purchasing power, in turn, leads business owners to consider creating ideal situations to save resources while improving product quality or the production process. By utilizing negotiation, businesses can develop relationships that provide a competitive advantage over other firms in the marketplace.

Considerations: Organizations should develop a BATNA (best alternative to negotiated agreement) because they may not achieve all their requests during conflict and negotiation. Having a BATNA enables businesses to obtain significant concessions during negotiation. However, these alternatives can also lead to further conflicts if they require organizations to give up additional benefits (Gramberg, 2015, p. 37).

Warning: The process of conflict and negotiation can sometimes lead to unethical business practices. Small business owners, especially

those lacking experience in handling conflict and negotiation, may find themselves in this situation (Ayoko, Ashkanasy, & Jehn, 2014, p. 86). These owners need a solution that allows them to avoid conflicts and negotiations that could harm their business. Failing to resolve or negotiate conflicts can present challenges for organizations seeking to improve their operations (Eisaguirre, 2011, p. 39).

Dealing with occurrences of workplace situations within an organization.

The conflict within an enterprise can negatively impact productivity and cause high employee turnover. To effectively deal with this, human resource experts and managers need to develop their skills in crisis management, with a particular focus on conflict negotiation. By understanding the various ways in which workplace conflicts arise, they can identify appropriate strategies for resolving them (Kolb & Porter, 2015, p. 46).

Guidelines Clarification

During specific times, clashes in the workplace arise and necessitate clarification of company policies or employee duties. For instance, if employees engage in disputes regarding specific role obligations, management must clarify various job duties (Cloke & Goldsmith, 2011, p. 57). Resolving conflicts resulting from policy or duty misinterpretations provides the company with an opportunity to establish clear guidelines that prevent future conflicts (Doherty & Gyler, 2012, p. 39). When negotiating these guidelines, it is important to ensure that the departmental manager, employees, and a human resource representative contribute to clarifying the company's duties through negotiations (Roche, Teague, & Colvin, 2014, p. 19).

Workload

Conflicts within an organization can arise in groups when there is a heavy workload, resulting in stress for the staff. The management should take a proactive approach to negotiation when work levels increase. It is important for the organization to anticipate annual peaks in workload,

such as customer increases or holidays (Goldman ; Shapiro, 2012, p. 62). Employees should be prepared to handle the increased workload through overtime or shift adjustments to help manage their stress levels. If workload issues are not addressed in advance, conflict negotiations can be used to find solutions and reduce the additional burden on employees. Providing extra breaks or hiring part-time workers can also help address conflicts within the organization (Roche, Teague, ; Colvin, 2014, p. 37).

Exchanging Information

Different individuals within an organization have varying communication approaches. While some only require basic information, others need more detailed explanations. These differences in processing and conveying information can lead to conflicts (Allwood, 2012, p. 59). Resolving such misunderstandings may involve allowing each side to express their views while the manager facilitates understanding between teams. Prior to addressing conflicts, the manager should extensively discuss the challenges faced by each group to avoid creating new conflicts (Roche, Teague, & Colvin, 2014, p. 82).

Diagnostic Tools

Several diagnostic tools can be deployed by organizations to develop management capability and address conflict and negotiation issues. These tools include the Johari Window, Thomas Kilmann Conflict Model, and Belbins Team inventory.

Johari Window Inventory;

The Johari Window Inventory is a valuable tool for teams and groups to increase self-awareness and personal development. It is widely used by organizations to enhance interpersonal relationships, communication, group dynamics, and conflict resolution (Jordan, 2016, p. 34). One key advantage of this framework is that it allows individuals to evaluate their own skills and traits through feedback from managers, customers, and colleagues. This encourages reflection on strengths and weaknesses. Nonetheless, the model has a weakness in that it is intended for

team or group settings. If not properly facilitated, it can cause mistrust and discomfort among team members who are reluctant to share certain information (The Ultimate Guide, 2014, p. 56).

The Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument is a tool used to assess an individual's preferred approach to resolving conflicts.

The TKI (Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument) is an inventory used to measure how individuals respond to conflict situations. It consists of thirty statement pairs, and respondents choose between item A or B, which are designed to be socially desirable. The TKI allows individuals to identify if they underuse or overuse the five modes of conflict resolution: collaborating, compromising, accommodating, avoiding, or competing (Gelfand & Brett, 2011, p. 43).

One major strength of the TKI is its ease of administration and interpretation. It only takes about 15 minutes for respondents to answer the questions, and trainers can explain the results in about an hour. Interpretation materials help individuals understand how to use the different conflict styles effectively and become more comfortable with unfamiliar styles.

However, there are also weaknesses with the TKI. Some respondents may feel frustrated by the forced choice of styles in the questionnaire. This frustration can be attributed to biased results caused by social desirability bias, making it challenging to select the answers that may appear better (Allwood, 2012, p. 82).

Belbin Team Inventory

The Belbin Team Inventory is a test that analyzes team behavior by focusing on nine roles. Its main purpose is to assess how individuals behave in a group environment. It includes feedback from observers, as well as self-evaluations, to compare individual behavior with that of their colleagues (Belbin, 2012, p. 14). The strength of

the Belbin Team Model is its ability to address team roles and manage weaknesses and tensions among team members. However, the effectiveness of the tool depends on teams being balanced enough to identify similarities and weaknesses, which can be challenging and hinder the development of strategies to address their natural styles (Belbin a, 2012, p. 26).

Areas that need improvement

Improving employee input is crucial for developing management capability, particularly in conflict and negotiation. Understanding employees' contributions is essential for creating a realistic plan to enhance knowledge and skills over the next six months. To prevent conflicts, it is important to ensure that employees feel engaged in the organization's success. If staff members feel disconnected and excluded from decision-making, their behavior may suffer. Therefore, negotiating with alienated employees within the next six months is essential.

Managers should not only assign tasks but also provide avenues for employees to express their views on company operations. Implementing an open door policy or introducing a suggestion box would effectively achieve this goal within the next six months. The implementation of such measures would greatly decrease conflicts within the organization.

References

Allwood, J. S. (2012). The academic seminar as a space where conflict occurs and can be resolved. Located in Oakland, CA at the University of California.

Ayoko, O. B., Ashkanasy, N. M., and Jehn, K. A. wrote a book called "Handbook of Conflict Management Research" which was published in 2014 by Edward Elgar Publishing in New York.

Belbin, R. M. (2012). Team Roles at Work. London: Routledge.

Belbin, R. M. (2012). Beyond the Team. London: Routledge.

The book "Resolving Conflicts at Work: Ten Strategies for Everyone on the Job" was written by Cloke, K. and Goldsmith, J.

It was published in 2011 by John Wiley & Sons in New York.

Doherty and Gyler (2012) published the book "The Essential Guide to Workplace Mediation & Conflict Resolution: Rebuilding Working Relationships" through Kogan Page Publishers in New York.

The book titled "The Power of a Good Fight: How to Embrace Conflict to Drive Productivity, Creativity, and Innovation" was written by L. Eisaguirre in 2011. It is published by Pennsylvania State University in Pennsylvania.

Falconer, H. (2011). IRS Managing Conflict in the Workplace. New York: Elsevier.

Gelfand, M. J., & Brett, J. M. (2011). The Handbook of Negotiation and Culture. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

Goldman, B. and Shapiro, D. L. (2012) discuss the psychology of negotiations in the 21st century workplace and present new challenges and solutions in their book entitled "The Psychology of Negotiations in the 21st Century Workplace: New Challenges and New Solutions" published by Routledge in London.

Gramberg, B. V. (2015). Managing Workplace Conflict: Alternative Dispute Resolution in Australia. Sydney: Federation Press.

Jordan, D. (2016). The Dynamics of Management. New York: Lulu.com.

The book "Negotiating at Work: Turn Small Wins into Big Gains" by Kolb, D. M. and Porter, J. L. (2015) is published by Wiley in New York.

Masters, M. F., and Albright, R. R. (2013). The Complete Guide to Conflict Resolution in the Workplace. New York: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn.

The book "Managing Conflict and Workplace Relationships" was written by O'Rourke, J., and Collins, S. in 2012. It is published by Cengage Learning in New York.

Poitras, J., and Raines, S. (2013). Expert Mediators: Overcoming Mediation Challenges in Workplace, Family, and Community Conflicts. New York: Rowman and Littlefield.

Raines, S. S. (2012). Conflict Management for Managers: Resolving Workplace,

Client, and Policy Disputes. New York: John Wiley ; Sons.

The Oxford Handbook of Conflict Management in Organizations was written by Roche, W. K., Teague, P., and Colvin, A. J. It was published in 2014 by Oxford University Press in Oxford.

Signh, B. D. (2014). Managing Conflict and Negotiation. Delhi: Excel Books India.

The Ultimate Guide. (2014). The Ultimate Leadership Guide. New York: The Ultimate Guide.