Lead and Manage Effective Workplace Relationships: Strategies for Conflict Management and Prevention

This text discusses strategies for conflict management and prevention in the workplace, including the establishment of an office of idea manager, idea acknowledgement, information evaluation, organization, and seamless flow of information. It also covers the importance of leadership in promoting trust and professionalism, and the use of business networks and workplace relationships to reduce conflicts. Additionally, the text explores the processes involved in conflict resolution and the provision of counseling programs as an action plan.

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Task 1
Author’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date

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TASK 1
Lead and Manage Effective Workplace Relationships
Activity 1
JKL industries have to recognize the ideas and information play a crucial role in
innovations. It is impossible for an organization to innovate without ideas and information. Ideas
matter for innovation, and they help businesses generate new products or services that facilitate
their success and competitiveness. Due to that JKL industries have to manage ideas and
information to stay competitive and innovative in order to improve their fortunes.
Establishing office of idea manager
The first process to manage ideas and processes will be appointing the idea manager.
The office of the idea manager will have to collect ideas and give other new perspectives to help
improve the idea. When the office of idea manager is in place, the next process should be
inclusion of every employee or staff (11:482). Including all the staff would require the idea
manager to communicate information through circulars, emails, and social media to employees
to meet the responsibilities of their work. When ideas and information are properly managed, it
will be possible for the idea manager to share it evenly with other employees to help them
improve on their work responsibilities.
Idea acknowledgement by the idea manager to increase consultation
Idea acknowledgement- the idea manager should impress every idea. In this case, the idea
manager can use the SCAMPER method, which stands for “Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify,
Put to another use, Eliminate, and Reverse (11:438).” The objective of acknowledging ideas and

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applying the SCAMPER method is to ensure that all ideas are welcome, improved and possibly
adopted. All in all, idea acknowledgment enhances employee’s contributions to consultations on
work, because they would feel that their ideas or suggestions shall be dismissed by analyzed for
modification rather than dismissal at face value.
Organizing, evaluating and developing new understanding of information
The object of this process is to facilitate feedback to employees on the outcome of their
consultations. When information is proper, and easily understandable, the idea manager shall
provide a new or better understanding of information to employees (7:4). The feedback can be by
face-to-face or email. Feedback can give JKL employees a new perspective to improve their
ideas.
Seamless information flow
JKL needs information to flow across all its departments. In case of any issues, they will
be free to address them to the human resource, or idea manager for resolution.
In summary, office of idea manager, idea acknowledgement, information evaluation,
organization and seamless flow of information aim at encouraging communication, consultation,
feedback and innovation. When ideas are shared and properly managed all the time, it would be
easier for the employees to be innovative.
Activity 2 A
Victimization, harassment, bullying and discrimination can be lumped into two policies, which
are: equal opportunity policy and equality policy.

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Purpose
The purpose of the equality policy is to address discrimination based on gender, race, religion,
age or national originality to promote cultural diversity and ethical values. The policy will tackle
victimization and bullying that is based on any form of discrimination.
The equal opportunity policy aims at ensuring that all people regardless of their race, religion or
sex are given equal employment opportunities.
Policy Application
Generally, both policies apply to work environment and hiring. Any employer that discriminates
or denies opportunities to other job candidates, because of otherness shall be prosecuted.
Applicable Legislation
The legislations include:
Disability Discrimination Act of 1992 (8:1)
Workplace Gender Equality Act of 2012
Racial Discrimination Act of 1975
Sex Discrimination Act of 1984 (2:4)
Ant-Discrimination Act of 1977
Most importantly, the above policies coupled with legislations eliminate any sort of
discrimination in an attempt to enhance cultural diversity as well as ethical values.

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Activity 2 B
Leadership is supposed to inspire, define behavior and lead employees to the right path to
achieve organization goals. Situational leadership will be necessary for promoting trust and
professional in JKL industries. This type of leadership states that a leadership style is dependent
on the situation. It is divided into task-oriented and people-oriented. Task-oriented leader is one
that will ensure that the tasks followers or employees play are clear or definite (4:1). Also, such a
leader will monitor employee performance and ensure that they are doing the right thing. In
essence, task-oriented leadership will ensure that employees maintain professional conduct when
discharging their duties. Employees are likely to be inspired and well-behaved when a leader is
around and directing them on what exactly to do. Hence, in a situation where professional
conduct is required in the provision of products or services, the task-oriented leader ought to be
around to ensure everything goes on well.
In essence, task-oriented leader will promote ethical behaviors, and enhance
communication among workers. All this will help promote organizational performance through
collaboration of workers. To build relations with external stakeholders, the people-oriented
leader will inculcate customer care, and encourage employees to project a positive corporate
image to its external stakeholder (4:6). Further, the relation-oriented leader also needs to promote
a culturally-rich communication style. The leadership needs to ensure that every employee is
ethically and culturally informed, for them to be sensitive in their communication. Ideally, in this
situation, where there is commitment to promote professional conduct with external and internal
contact, relations matter a lot. If employees are educated on diversity issues and tolerance
encouraged, their communication style will automatically change, become political correctness-
centric.

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Activity 3
Like any other organization, JKL industries face conflicts, which if properly handled
cannot interfere with the running of the organization. Building networks and workplace
relationships need to be at the center of the JKL if it seeks to reduce conflicts that can interfere
with its operations. However, to come up with a solid framework for conflict management,
strategies for identification of conflicts should be in place.
Business networks are important in building effective work relationships. The networks
could help in sharing knowledge to manage behaviors (3:120). An employer needs business
networks where they can share their challenges and get help. The networks can extend to
external stakeholders or business partners. The networks can only be leveraged in the employers;
supervisors or managers share ideas and possible ways to manage workers.
The networks can also offer a great opportunity in hiring. When a business has good
networks, they can get job candidates that are competent and laid-back. In essence, the point is
that networks offer an opportunity to get reliable workforce. The workplace relationships can
sometimes be worse, because the company hired the wrong people. If a company hires
employees that are unethical, it would be impossible to have better workplace relationships.
Therefore, through referral networks JKL shall be better positioned to get the right people to
work with.
Besides, workplace relationships are also dependent on leadership of an organization. A
leader should also assess the kind of leadership they offer to the followers. If the leadership does

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not inspire, networks are not likely to solve any conflicts within an organization. When
employees understand or perceive their leader as someone motivational, democratic and
understanding to their needs, it can be possible to improve workplace relationships (6:221). In
essence, the crux of effective workplace relationships is leadership. If the leadership fails
relationships also fail. If the leadership succeeds, relationships succeed as well. For this reason,
the leadership needs to develop a strategic plan that is centered on improving communication and
interactions within an organization to promote favorable workplace relationships (5:369). In the
same breath, listening and acting on all other issues of concern by employees immediately would
make it possible to nurture and maintain effective workplace relationships. Nevertheless, it is
also a responsibility of every employee to promote and create a friendly atmosphere to enhance
their relationships. All in all, when employees are inspired by organizational leadership they
cooperate, work hard, meet deadlines and encourage each other.
Activity 4
Encouraging reporting of conflicts
This is an important strategy in the workplace that should be encouraged to identify and
resolve conflicts. Encouraging employees, whether observers or conflict parties to report the
conflicts they are facing while at work would help the organization resolve them (10:168). When
conflicts are resolved, it is paramount to ensure that warnings are issues to avoid future conflicts.
Prevention is better than cure. Due to that JKL industries should not simply be focused on
resolving the conflicts, but also should go for prevention as well. Employees should develop a
culture of reporting wrong doing. Going silent on issues that affect the organization is something
that JKL needs not to tolerant. Employees, who do not report wrong-doing, should be punished.

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It is the responsibility of an employee also to create a safe and peaceful work environment. As a
result, they are obligated to report any conflict for the human resource and other relevant
departments to take an appropriate action.
Using supervisors
Using supervisors in identifying conflicts should also be central at JKL industries.
Supervisors are better placed to address any challenges or conflicts that are likely to occur in the
workplace. They are the ones on the ground to observe and manage behaviors of employees.
Empowering them to investigate and report conflicts will be another important approach for
conflict management within JKL. What supervisors need is support from the management and
other relevant authorities within the organization (4: 65). When they are empowered to
investigate and report conflicts, it would be easier to achieve a tolerant and conflict-free work
environment.
Ideally, the above strategies are important in identifying conflicts. When JKL ensures that
its employees feel that their identity is protected in case they report conflicts they will be willing
to share their observations in relation to the conflict. To enhance reporting of conflicts by the
employees suggestion boxes should be placed at strategic places, where employees can share any
relevant information in written. Also, whistleblowing can succeed if there is protection of
employee identity. Further, empowering supervisors to investigate conflicts will also be an
effectual approach to eliminating conflicts and promoting good workplace relationships.
Processes in conflict resolution

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In consideration of the above strategies, the first step conflict identification is an
employee arranging the meeting with the supervisor. Workers should be free and open with the
supervisors to report the conflict. However, the challenge that comes here is fear of
condemnation in the event the identity of an employee is leaked prematurely. Employees will
always harbor their fears, which will make it hard to identify conflicts and resolve them. Hence,
the supervisor should ensure that they create rapport and friendly atmosphere to enhance
information sharing.
Escalation of the matter to the senior management should be the second step in conflict
resolution and identification (9: 405). After a conflict has been identified and directly shared by
an employee with the supervisor, it will be the obligation of the supervisor to move the matter to
a senior office. However, the challenge in this case is likely to be manipulation of facts. The
supervisor can sometimes report in a conflict in a way that the senior authority can ignore its
impact. However, if the supervisor is someone that upholds integrity and honesty, they should
report candidly all the facts.
Involvement of the mediator should be the last process in conflict management. After
identifying the conflict the mediator or arbiter should come in to resolve the issue. At this point
all the conflict parties and witnesses should be allowed to give their witness accounts. The
mediator needs to allow openness and freedom among the conflicting persons. Let every worker
who is affected by the conflict speak openly without condemnation. After hearing both sides, the
mediator should the given the final statement regarding the appropriate action to take against an
individual found wrong.
Providing Counseling Programs as Action Plan

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Workers go through various challenges. Sometimes their family issues can impact their
behaviors at work. Counseling programs should be open to any employee. When an employee
has a problem they should come out and share with the counselor. However, sometimes workers
can hide their family issues affecting their relationships with other employees. But with
persistent commitment to encourage them to come out speak about their challenges workplace
conflicts can significantly be reduced.

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