You are the customer service manager for Catco International a manufacturer and online retailer of pet related products. The company has been in business for 25 years and you were brought in ten years ago to supervise the increasing staff size due to online sales. When you were hired there were two customer service representatives. Currently there are 10 customer service representatives that are your direct reports. Four of which were recent hires within the last year. (Resolving Conflict)  In a 2000 word essay you will discuss how you will resolve potential conflict by applying effective conflict management, communication and influence techniques to this scenario. Marge has been with the company since it started 25 years ago. Prior to that she worked in customer service as a cashier for fifteen years at a local grocery store. She helped to create most of the customer service procedures and strictly adheres to them and expects everyone else to do the same. She has very conservative values and is very opinionated and readily shares her religious beliefs with others. She has been asked to take over the training of Jamie a new hire. Jamie was hired two weeks ago. (Resolving Conflict)This is her first job since completing her Associates Degree. Like most millennials, she is very tech savvy. She is a vegan. She is also very liberal on social issues. Steve is also a recent hire, having only been with the company for six months. Although he is new to the company, he has been in customer service for 10 years and was lured away from a competitor. He has been in a committed same sex relationship with his partner for five years. He is open about his orientation with family and friends but has been guarded with his new co-workers. Cindy was one of your first hires ten years ago. She is a competent customer service representative that has always had good reviews but recently her attendance has been a problem due to child care issues. Recently divorced, she is now a single parent with twin toddlers. Bill and Ted are Generation X′ers that were hired eight years ago. Both are adequate performance wise but are the last to come in and the first to leave every day. (Resolving Conflict)Both tend to wait until the last minute to complete tasks. They are usually inseparable both at work and in their social life. Bill was recently married while Ted has never had a long-term relationship. Recently, Ted has been spotted afterhours with Ashlee. Wendy has been with the company for twelve years and has gotten the reputation for being a whiner. She is always complaining about work issues and people issues. Her work is good, just not her negative attitude. Ashlee is a go-getter that you hired five years ago right out of college. She is always looking for ways to improve office procedures. She has excellent performance ratings and would make an excellent assistant manager. Ashlee trained Jamie while Marge was on vacation. Mike has been working for the company for two months. He is Marge′s nephew and she talked to the owner to help him get the job right out of high school. So far, he has been a good worker. He is an avid outdoorsman and asked for deer hunting season off. Rodrigo was hired four months ago although he is originally from Mexico, he and his family recently became US citizens. (Resolving Conflict)He is in his late forties and has two teenage daughters with his wife of twenty-five years. Prior to working for Catco International, he worked in middle management for a multinational firm for many years and recently lost his position due to downsizing. Identify at least five potential sources of conflict. Give specific details about the individuals involved and the sources of the conflict. Classify the type of conflict. Compare both the advantages and disadvantages of conflict management techniques as applied to each conflict scenario. Make at least two recommendations to help with conflict resolution in each scenario by applying conflict management, communication and influence techniques.

Introduction

Conflict at work is when two or more individuals disagree with each other due to different values, personality variances, or variations in viewpoint are only a few of the causes. Changes in the workplace, like new policies or procedures, can sometimes conflict. Conflicts at work can range from minor such as a dispute over a project, to severe disagreements, such as a conflict that causes violence (Kuriakose et al., 2019). Different types of workplace conflicts may prevail in any workplace environment, from differences, with task conflict, relationship conflict, and value conflict being the significant types. (Resolving Conflict) When team members disagree about the details of their tasks, they are said to be in task conflict. It may result from disagreements over what should be done, how to do it, or who ought to do it.

Conflict on the job can be constructive if it improves task performance, though it can also be harmful if it makes team members resentful or furious. Relationship conflict is the second form that results from personality, style, or even conflict style disparities. People who never meet in person are frequently forced to work together in organizations and must strive to get along despite their differences. Significant differences in identities and values, such as those relating to politics, religion, ethics, norms, and other profoundly held ideas, can give rise to value conflicts (Kuriakose et al., 2019).

Although discussing politics and religion in the workplace is frequently frowned upon, conflicts over moral principles can still arise when dealing with work-related decisions and policies, like the decision to implement a program of affirmative action or accept a client with connections to a criminal regime. (Resolving Conflict) Unresolved disputes can harm people and organizations, including poorer output, higher absenteeism, higher turnover, and violence. If a dispute is not settled right away, it may escalate and become more challenging to settle, which will further reduce productivity and raise employee tensions. Working conditions frequently cause communication breakdowns that result in misunderstandings and render employees incapable of providing their services efficiently. Attempting to avoid disagreement altogether can worsen the problem because the conflict will not be resolved, and the tension will only increase.

Sources of Conflicts

Different personal values

Personal values are ideas or standards that influence a person's behavior. (Resolving Conflict)They may be influenced by social, cultural, religious, or familial factors. Conflicts between personal and organizational values or between personal values and the values of coworkers might arise at work. As an illustration, while some people value timeliness, others may value having a break when anxious. Conflict may result from the first person believing the second person isn't working hard enough and the second person believing the first person is being too strict (De Janasz, Dowd & Schneider, 2019).

In the case study, we encounter Wendy, who has been working for the company for a lengthy period and performing well in delivering her services. (Resolving Conflict)Despite her efforts, she has a negative attitude as she constantly complains about work and people issues. Her negative attitude may result in workplace conflicts, especially when the victims do not well receive her complaints as they may also hold different opinions regarding the issue. If a conflict arose from such a scenario, it would fall under the value conflicts because Wendy's values did not match the workplace or her colleagues gave her a reason to complain.

To avoid possible unfavorable outcomes from the possible conflicts, it would be crucial for the management to establish methods of combating the conflict. Complaints, for instance, are obviously brought about by things about fellow employees or work-related issues. Therefore, avoiding and resolving such conflicts would require proper communication. (Resolving Conflict)Wendy should be advised to report the issues to the management, who will then be tasked with addressing the issue from a management standpoint. Once conflicts are reported and resolved from one end, mainly the management, the chances of conflict are reduced as all the needs of the employees will be effectively addressed (De Janasz, Dowd & Schneider, 2019). The conflict-resolving technique requiring open communication of workplace issues to the management would sometimes be challenging, especially when the employees feel like their issues will be negatively received and even predisposing them to more trouble.

Conflicting perceptions

There can have divergent perspectives on the same event in the same way that two or more employees can have divergent working styles. For instance, if a business hired a new administrative assistant, one employee would quickly view the employment as a benefit to supply services. In contrast, another employee might view the same appointment as an insult and a signal that the current employees are not performing as expected (Chawla, Lugosi & Hawkins, 2021). (Resolving Conflict) 

Different perceptions, for instance, when integrated with the feeling of competition, may lead to conflicts n the grounds that one of the parties may feel denied of their responsibilities. In the case study, we encounter Ashlee, hired by the company five years ago at the time of writing the case study. Ashlee takes on the duties of Marge to train Jamie while Marge is on vacation. It is possible that once Marge is back in the workplace, she could have a different perceptive from Ashlee, where while Ashlee perceived it as sharing the duties, Marge, on the other hand, might perceive it negatively as being denied her responsibilities.

 In such a case, there are the chances of task-related conflicts as Marge would feel that it was her duty to train Jamie, and she would have done it to the end, leading to possible conflicts. In addressing the issue, it would be crucial to make delegate duties appropriately and ensure that every employee delivers their expectations appropriately. (Resolving Conflict)Delivery of responsibilities would ensure no task conflicts as every person will be able to complete their roles and, therefore, optimal cooperation. Generally, in overcoming perception conflicts, there is the need to encourage teamwork and open communication in ensuring everything is open to everyone and the reason for every undertaking is well communicated to avoid assumptions (Chawla, Lugosi & Hawkins, 2021). Duty delegation and adhering may at times be inconveniencing however, on the grounds, for instance, someone is absent, and their responsibilities may have to be skipped.

Conflicting styles

People handle people and things differently because they are unique personalities. Associates must learn to appreciate other approaches and understand their own when one employee performs well in a highly structured workplace. In contrast, another performs best in an unstructured atmosphere is an example of opposing styles (To et al., 2021). If they continue to work in opposition to each other and do not learn to respect one another's working habits, these two employees risk driving each other insane. It is expected that at every workplace, people tend to have their styles of doing things, and they feel comfortable with them despite not being well received by their workmates, leading to possible task conflicts. (Resolving Conflict)

For instance, in the case study, we encounter Bill and Ted, who tend to report and leave the workplace first while being prone to delivering their duties at the last minute. The duo is a great performer at the workplace through their style of delivering their duties may conflict with that of others as some are prone to early delivery of their services. Ted and Bill's tendency may easily conflict with their colleagues, for instance, in duties that may require collaboration and are dependent on one another. In the case of dependent duties, delegated to different colleagues may lead Bill and Ted to possible conflicts where some may want to finalize their duties fast but then be delayed by the duo. (Resolving Conflict) Conflicts from conflicting styles may be dealt with by enforcing a unique approach and time frame to deliver personal duties and responsibilities. Suppose there is a time for every task, especially for delegated tasks (To et al., 2021). In that case, the chances of conflicts among the employees may be reduced because of a conflict of interest, and no colleague will feel wasted in the process. Encouraging open communication and cooperation among the employees would ensure the chances of such conflict are curbed down.

Conflicting tastes and beliefs

Workers' divergent views on what constitutes proper conduct or attire in the office can lead to conflicts at work. (Resolving Conflict) For instance, some workers could think it is okay to come to work in casual attire, while others would think it's necessary to dress more formally, resulting in conflicts from these competing beliefs. Every day, depending on the nature someone was upbrought and probably their immediate environments, they may have a different personality from some of the workmates with some personalities leading to interpersonal conflicts (Chawla, Lugosi & Hawkins, 2021). (Resolving Conflict)For instance, in the case study, we encounter Steve, a new employee in the company.

Steve is attracted to the same gender sex and has been in an open relationship with a male partner for some years, a thing he has always kept open for everyone. Homosexuality may be perceived by many employees at the workplace as inappropriate and may lead to dozens of troubles with colleagues on the grounds they may not like the norm. As a result, the different sexual tastes and perceptions among the employees may result in relationship conflicts as the employees may, for instance, feel not at ease to interact with Steve due to his sexuality and therefore degrading the workplace performance. It would be recommendable that employees at the workplace fight against possible workplace discrimination regardless of their personal social, and economic status. (Resolving Conflict) Universal acceptance of people at the workplace and fostering open communication may boost employee productivity as possible conflicts will be dealt with.

Personal Problems

Although some cruel employers advise you not to bring your troubles to work, it is sometimes inevitable. Even if we do not express our emotions outwardly, they will affect our motivation levels and, thus, performance. It also implies that an unexpected conflict scenario may occur without warning and appear to have no reason. (Resolving Conflict)  In our daily lives, we encounter situations that make our lives a living hell leading to either lateness at work, or emotional feelings, among other negative repercussions that may be unintentional (Uddin, 2021). For instance, in the case study, we encounter Cindy, who has recently divorced her husband, who puts her entirely in charge of her family. Having a young toddler, she is supposed to ensure the welfare of her child before she can report to work. As a result, despite being hardworking at the workplace, Cindy has been reporting to work late.

The consequences of her breakup may likely land her in trouble at the workplace because the managers may not receive her lateness well despite being sincerely held up by homestead issues. Similarly, she is likely to fall into trouble with her colleagues as she is likely to have mood swings arising from the divorce stress, affecting her relationship with her colleagues, thus leading to relationship and even task conflicts. (Resolving Conflict) It would be recommendable to have an open dialogue with Cindy, her manager, to ensure that she is well counseled to overcome the possible stresses related to her break up. Comforting her will ensure she is more at ease and that she can adapt to reality (Uddin, 2021). Similarly, guiding her on how to manage self-life with a toddler will ensure she is in the position to attend to all her duties in s timely manner, just as she used to do before the breakup.