Varying views on things, work processes, thought systems and cultural values are common phenomenon observed in any work environment. It would be quite dull and boring if everyone working within the organisation had the same point of view. This would simply imply that since everyone is of similar opinion, they would not have a lot to add to each other's knowledge and experience. While working in an environment there’s there are varied opinions is interesting and insightful, at the same time these very wide - ranging views can become reasons for conflicts. As per my study on conflict and it's understanding so far, there are two types of conflicts - Type A (affective), which is destructive conflict and Type C (cognitive), which stimulates lateral thinking. While there is much that we can gain from Type C conflict, a lot of organisational resources get wasted due to Type A conflict. The Oxford dictionary, simply defines conflict as “The clashing of opposed principles”. A more detailed definition as per Organisational Behavior Hellreigel, Slocum and Woodman, 2001 Ninth Edition, South Western Thomson Learning, Singapore is that ““Conflict is inevitable in organisational life but it need not have destructive consequences for the organisation (or work group). Depending on how the conflict is managed, the negative effects may be minimised, and positive effects may result from the conflict. Effective conflict management is based, in part, on a solid understanding of the different ways conflict emerges and can be resolved”.
Thus, it becomes all the more crucial as to how conflict is addressed. One stark example, I remember of conflict from my past organisation is when we were thinking of new ways to achieve our sales targets about two years ago. We had a lot of pile on orders from the past few months. A lot of time was spent on manually entering data and keeping a check on the operators / suppliers. There was a lot of to and fro taking place. At the end of every day, we would be back to where we started. I put across the point that we should use automated systems for order tracking and that one way we could start was by CRM application. I tried to convince my director to understand the benefits of saving time through it. He was opposed to the idea. We were on a shortage of time and everyone wanted quick results.
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My ideas were put aside as far - fetched and that the company would end up spending far more on training resources and thus would incur huge spending on time and money. There were many heated arguments amongst the team members, the productivity plummeted and there was decrease in team coherence. It was a complete chaos. As per a 2015, CIPD study, 4 in 10 employees had reported some form of interpersonal conflict at work in 2014. The study further states that the single most common contributor to conflict is “differences in personality or styles of working”. Since my reasoning was not heard by the team, I decided to automate my work. I learnt and read about CRM, stock and vendor management; and business process automation. I devised shorter ways of finishing my work and designed a quality control checklist for our suppliers. I ensured that I kept a regular check on it.
As a result, my work became faster and the team benefited from it. My director noticed my delivery performance and quality had improved. He was curious to know what was different about my working style. He was happy to know that I had followed on my recommendations. He understood the importance of CRM and business automation. He asked me to make a manual of my work process, so it could be used by my colleagues. I was also asked to personally take them through my learnings. Today, there is a fully automated process in place in our organization and the company is benefiting from less over-heads and thus increased revenue. This was a memorable incident for me, as it made me realize the importance of taking a stand for myself. It helped me understand that people finally reach consensus once they see the worth of your idea. It also taught me that actions speak louder than words. You need to demonstrate what you mean. I learnt that by staying calm and focused, I was able to diffuse the negativity around me. Staying in tune with my feelings and not reacting to the situation, actually helped me perform better. The key takeaway for me was that conflict resolution is an integral skill in workplace. Hence, it is but imperative for me, that I develop this skill further. I would like to utilize my time at this premier institute developing my business negotiation skills and further enhance my personality for greater interpersonal relationships.
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