Communication, Negotiation, and Conflict Resolution at Darwin

This report examines the challenges Mr. Mark Johnson faces as the new manager of the Darwin plant, focusing on conflict resolution, negotiation, and communication within the Australian Appliance Company. The analysis utilizes models and theories of motivation, power, and conflict to identify potential problems arising from changes in reporting structures and employee relationships. The report explores various conflict resolution approaches, including forcing, avoiding, compromising, accommodating, and collaborating, and recommends strategies such as fostering negotiation, management reviews, and collaborative cultures to mitigate conflict. The application of social learning theory and McGregor's X theory is discussed to improve employee behavior and motivation. Furthermore, the report addresses the implications of these challenges on Johnson's job performance and his potential for promotion, emphasizing the importance of effective leadership and conflict management in achieving organizational goals. The report concludes by reiterating the significance of proactive conflict management in maintaining stability and consistency within the organization.

Running head: COMMUNICATION, NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Communication, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

2COMMUNICATION, NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Table of Contents
1. Introduction:................................................................................................................................3
2. Use models or theories of motivation, power, and conflict to lay out and analyze the problems
that Mr. Johnson should anticipate in Darwin:................................................................................3
3. Solution to the problem, faced by Mr. Johnson:..........................................................................7
4. Theoretical framework to provide solution to John to mitigate conflict Darwin:......................9
5. What are the challenges implications identified in the case study in terms of Johnson at his job
or to the promotion at Darwin:......................................................................................................11
6. Conclusion:................................................................................................................................13
Reference list:................................................................................................................................14

3COMMUNICATION, NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION
1. Introduction:
According to Whetten David and Cameron Kim (2016) conflict is one of the critical
issues, which can severely affect the organizational performance. Too much arrangement from
the top management level is the major reason behind failure of the most of the large businesses.
It is true that the larger corporate entities have similar training and development program for all
the staffs which mean that they tend to pursue similar goals. This acts as the major threat for the
firms to maintain their productivity. As stated by Wallensteen (2018) such problem generally
stem from the lack of ability among the board of director to play the aggressive oversight role.
As per the case study, Mr. Mark Johnson has been appointed manager of the plant at
Darwin which is the oldest unit of Australian Appliance Company. In the new position, he is
responsible for the management of all functions and personnel at Darwin. Earlier the managers
have to report to the home office. Now the staffs have to report to Johnson. This is the kind of
changed relationship which is making it difficult for him to perform his task with utmost
efficiency. Present paper would put forth the discussion of the challenges, faced by Johnson by
using relevant frameworks. The ways of mitigating the challenges will also be discussed in the
paper.
2. Use models or theories of motivation, power, and conflict to lay out and
analyze the problems that Mr. Johnson should anticipate in Darwin:
Conflict is one of the most serious matters of concern in the contemporary times.
Interpersonal conflict is an alarming issue in the context of an organization and the ubiquitous
part of the contemporary organizational life. Currie et al. (2017) observed that it is imperative to

4COMMUNICATION, NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION
note here that the current business trends like workforce diversity, globalization and merger and
acquisition and cross cultural management are leading to greater degree of conflict. According to
the case study Johnson, the manager of plant at Darwin is facing major issues related to changed
relationship. Gilin Oore et al. (2015) showed that according to two dimensional model of conflict
behavior, there are five different approaches to conflict which reflect the personal assertiveness
of the individual people.
Badalona et al. (2018) stated that such approaches include forcing, avoiding,
compromising, accommodating and collaborating. The forcing response is the way of satisfying
own need by overshadowing the need of others. This can be done through manipulation and
formal authority. According to the case study, the senior management of Darwin is using their
formal authority in terms of shifting the reporting pattern of the staffs from the home office to
that of Johnson. It is important to note here that lack of self-confidence and tolerance often leads
the people in an organization to use the formal authority to satisfy their own need. Hence it is
important to motivate the employees so that the employees are able to put forward their best
efforts. By following the hierarchy of needs, the aim and need of motivation of the employees
can be identified. The theory of hierarchy of need discusses the elements that must be recognized
in order to motivate individuals. The needs of one individual varies from other individuals and
hence, they must be motivated accordingly. Needs such as basic needs, social needs or needs for
affiliation, security needs, self-actualization needs and self-esteem needs are the needs that has
been recognized in the hierarchy of needs that has been identified in the hierarchy of needs
established by Maslow. Furthermore, the hygiene needs theory also recognizes the importance of
inclusion of needs that must be present. According to the theory there must be factors that help in
satiating the hygiene needs of employees. Furthermore, it should be noted that presence of the

5COMMUNICATION, NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION
latter does not necessarily imply that one would be motivated as a result of the presence of the
hygiene factors, however, they might get demotivated if the latter are not present in the
framework of the organization. Motivation of the employees is the gateway to achievement of
employee engagement. Employee engagement refers to a state, when the employee are satisfied
by the activities that they are associated to. The latter should not be mixed up with satisfaction.
An employee might be satisfied with the incentives and various hygiene factors, however, they
might not be satisfied with the roles. Thus, the aim of the company to emphasize of the need s of
motivation of the employees. Motivation should be incorporated into the operations of the
company as it helps in reducing the conflicts and the grievances that might be experienced while
an organization is in operations. The accommodating approach is another vital approach of
organizational conflict. The avoiding response is another major type of conflicting behavior in an
organization. Leon-Perez et al. (2015) shaded light on the fact that such response stems from
neglecting the interest of both the parties, which can lead to greater organizational conflict. In
addition to that, lack of preparation among the managers to cope up with the stress often lead
them to show such response in the way of satisfying the need of both the parties (Bollen et al.
2016).
Repeated usage of this approach results in high degree of frustration results in frustration
among the human resources which ultimately leads to greater conflict. From the case study, it is
evident that the board of directors of Darwin has decided that the reporting manager of the staffs
will be Johnson. According to Johnson, he is going to face a new process and method which will
ultimately lead him to deal with the set of changed relationship. As the board of directors of the
company has decided the reporting manger, it will create conflict among the staffs to work in the
new process.

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Being the senior manager of Darwin, it is important for Johnson to take necessary step in
order to improve the behavior of the staffs which is the key of mitigating greater interpersonal
conflict. According to Social learning theory, it is the prime responsibility of the managers of the
corporate entities to practice equality and fairness in order to attain behavioral improvement.
This theory shows that there are four different steps such as the presentation of behavioral
principles or action guideline by using traditional instruction methods like lecture and discussion,
demonstration of the principles by the means of incidents, opportunities to practice the principles
by role play and feedback on performance from peers.
Based on these steps, it can be said that as the senior manager of Darwin, Johnson should
focus on creating a collaborative culture in the workplace, which can foster collaboration and
interaction among the staffs and lead them to understand the aim of the senior management of
Darwin to assign Johnson as the new reporting manager in a collaborative manner. However, it is
the prime responsibility of Johnson to use his current skills and competency in order to keep the
staffs motivated and thereby enable them to acknowledge Johnson as the new reporting manager.
From the case study and the statement of Johnson, it is evident that the staffs would be
uncomfortable in acknowledging Johnson as the new reporting manager. Therefore, it is
important for Johnson to carry out an assessment activity which can help him to strengthening
his effort towards improving the behavior of the staffs.
From the statement of Johnson, it seems that reporting to the new manager would create a
sense of leadership vacuum among the staffs which would create considerable confusions among
the staffs which is the key of generating greater conflict. Currie and Teague (2016) stressed on
the ideology that the compromising response is another major type of conflict in the context of
an organization. This is the way of acquiring the practical satisfaction of both the parties.

7COMMUNICATION, NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION
However, in this approach, the senior manager asks both the parties to sacrifice their own interest
which ultimately hampers organizational productivity. As the staffs are the key asset in an
organization, it is important for the managers to keep the staffs continuously which are the key of
improving the degree of productivity. Being the Being the senior manager of Darwin, as Johnson
is facing significant issues due to the changed set of relationship; he should focus on keeping the
human resources motivated. Douglas McGregor’s X theory shows that close supervision is one
of the major ways of appropriate management of the behavior of the staffs. Therefore, according
to this theory, Johnson should identify and assess the behavioral issues among the staffs and take
necessary actions for improving the same for the sake of generating positive attitude among the
staffs towards acknowledging him as the new reporting manager. Teague et al. (2015) shaded
light on the fact that the collaborating approach is another crucial approach to organizational
conflict. This is the attempt of satisfying the concern of both the parties. This is considered as the
problem solving mode which intends to find the best solution to any critical business related
issue. According to this approach, it is imperative for Johnson to resolve the issue related to
changed relationship by aligning the staffs in a single platform.
3. Solution to the problem, faced by Mr. Johnson:
As discussed by Danielsson et al. (2015) it can be said that appropriate management of
conflict is incredibly important factor as it supports in maintaining stability and consistency in
the internal functionality of an organization. Being the manager of Darwin, it is the prime
responsibility of Johnson to take proactive action for the sake of mitigating the challenges of
changed relationship. Fostering negotiation in between participate is one of the major ways of

8COMMUNICATION, NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION
resolving conflict at the initial stage. From the perception of Van Gramberg et al. (2017) it is
evident that management review is one of the major ways of resolving workplace conflict. As the
manager, it is imperative for Johnson to review the attitude of the staffs. Johnson should also
explore the fundamental issue which is resulting in changed relationship in an organization.
Reknes et al. (2019) showed that it is the prime responsibility of the managers to make the
employees aware about the issue which is the key of generating positive attitude among them.
From the case study, it is evident that the senior management of Darwin has decided to change
the reporting process. Now, they have to report to Johnson instead of the home office.
Now, it is imperative for Johnson to know the fundamental objective of the senior
management behind this decision and integrate this knowledge among the staffs. This is the way,
through which positive attitude can be generated among them. As opined by Raines (2019)
collaboration is another major way, through which high degree of conflict can be mitigated. The
manager holds the responsibility of aligning the staffs in a single platform and allow them to take
part in the decision making process. As the manager of Darwin, it is important for Johnson to
acknowledge the contribution of all the staffs and find the best way to solve the problems related
to changed relationship. Effective management is the most important way of mitigating greater
organizational conflict. The role of leadership is needed to be considered in this context. Being
he manager of Darwin, Johnson should act as the leader in order to evaluate the poor behavior
among the staffs and take necessary action in order to improve the same for the sake of fostering
the relationship among the staffs. Interactive commination is the key factor of dealing with the
issue related to workplace conflict.
Being the manager, it is the prime responsibility of Johnson to implement two-way
communication channel in the organization which can play a critical role in generating trust

9COMMUNICATION, NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION
among the staffs of Darwin, which is the key of leading them to show positive attitude toward
the decision taken by the senior management to report to Johnson. Fair grievance processes is
another major way of dealing with high degree of conflict in the workplace. De Clercq et al.
(2019) opined that written policies and definitions are the major ways of informing the staffs
regarding any kind of decision. As Johnson is the new reporting manager of Darwin, it is
important for him to keep the staffs informed about the new process.
He can send mass mail to the individual employees that he has been appointed as the new
reporting manager. This is the way, through which trust can be generated among them. In
addition to that, Johnson can also provide the staffs with clear guidance and direction to the
staffs in order to report to him. Kennison (2019) said that the managers hold the utmost
responsibility of encouraging the staffs to follow all the rules and regulations. Being the new
reporting manager, it is imperative for Johnson to implement workplace conflict policies and
procedures and generate urgency among the people to follow the rules and regulation to foster
organizational relationship. Cronin and Bezrukova (2019) commented that it is the prime
responsibility of the manager to create a workplace culture which is free from any kind of
conflicting attitude among the staffs.
4. Theoretical framework to provide solution to John to mitigate conflict
Darwin:
As opined by Black and Falk (2019) collaborative problem solving is one of the major
approaches of mitigating organizational conflict. The six step framework for managing the
interpersonal conflict is discussed below:
 Establish subordinate goal:

10COMMUNICATION, NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION
This is the first step of resolving conflict. It is the prime responsibility of the managers to
focus on the main issue which is resulting in greater degree of organizational conflict. In addition
the managers should also set the goal for the individual staffs. Zahlquist et al. (2019) said that
this is the way, through which a positive attitude can be generated among them. This is the key
of improving the productivity of the entire organization by generating positive attitude among
the human resources. By sharing the goal with that of the individual employees, Johnson can be
able to reduce the rate of employees’ turnover and improve the relationship between the
managers and the subordinates. Through this way, Johnson can mitigate the issue related to
changed relationship.
 Separate the people from the problem:
This is another critical way of resolving greater organizational conflict. The managers
should focus on the real issue and take necessary step in order to mitigate the same in a timely
and cost effective manner. Bajwa et al. (2019) observed that the managers must have the
knowledge about the mutual benefit of resolving the conflict. As the manager of Darwin, it is
important for Johnson to explore the interpersonal confrontation which hampers the stability of
the internal functionality of an organization. In this step, the managers should advocate the point
of view of the individual employees and align them with the broader organizational context.
 Focus on interest:
In this stage, the managers should focus on the interest of the individual staffs rather than
focusing on their position. The position can be defined as the demand while interest comprises of
the reason behind the demand. Thus, it is comparatively easy to establish agreement on the
interest. In this step, it is the role of the managers to redefine and broaden the problem among the

11COMMUNICATION, NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION
managers, which is the key of making the staffs more controllable (St John et al. 2019). Being
the manager of Darwin, it is important for Johnson to follow this step properly in order to
mitigate the challenge of changed relationship. He should make the staffs understand the point of
view of the board of directors behind hiring him as the new reporting manager.
 Invent the option for the mutual gain:
This step focuses on generating creative solution to any impending problem. As
highlighted by Wehr (2019) in this stage, it is imperative for the managers of the corporate
entities to focus on catering the attention of both the parties which play a critical role in
generating brainstorming ideas and mutually agreeable solutions. It is imperative to note here
that in this stage, the interpersonal dynamics become collaborative In order to mitigate the issue
related to changed relationship; Johnson should follow this stage which can help them to explore
more option as well as greater probability of finding common ground. This is the way, through
which the underlying objectives and concern of the individual employees can be mitigated.
 Use objective criteria:
In this stage, it is important for both the parties to have some incompatible interest. Here,
it is the role of managers to determine the fair way of mitigating the critical business related
issue. As the new reporting manager of Darwin, it is important for Johnson to enable the staffs to
understand the main objectives of the management. The staffs must also be empowered to judge
the fairness which is the key of fostering open and reasonable attitude among the human
resources. This strategy can encourage the staffs to avoid over attitude which would help them to
analyses the merits of argument.
 Define success:

12COMMUNICATION, NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION
This is the last stage of mitigating interpersonal conflict in an organization. In this stage, t
is the prime responsibility of the managers to focus on the mutual interest of the employees. As
the new reporting manager, it is important for Johnson to analyze his own mode of judgment
which can affect the satisfaction level and interest of the staffs. This is one of the most
significant collaborative problems solving strategy which serves the mangers with the ability to
explore possible solution against the standard.
5. Behavioral guidelines used by Johnson to tackle new Position:
As per the perception of Troitskiy (2019) the way of managing conflict comprises of both
analytic and behavioral element. It is the prime responsibility of the managers of the firms to
follow the analytic process and make an attempt of exploring the root cause of the problem. As
the new manager of Darwin, Johnson should put significant effort in the way of understanding
both the persona preferences and the situational considerations which are the key factors of
selecting proper conflict management mechanism. On the other hand, in order to execute the
behavioral element, the managers should implement an effective strategy for the sake of
encouraging a successful solution to the impending problem. As Johnson is facing major issue,
based on the set of changed relationship, he should focus on the skillful implementation of the
strategy which plays a critical role in attaining collaborative problem solving. It is the role of
Johnson as the new reporting manager to gather necessary information regarding the source of
conflict. Through this way the fundamental focus of the dispute can be examined properly.
From the case study, it is evident that the staffs are showing negative attitude in the way
of acknowledging Johnson as the new reporting manager. This is the perception and expectation
related conflict which requires comprehensive approach to be resolved. Examining the

13COMMUNICATION, NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION
situational consideration is another vital way of managing the interpersonal conflict in an
organization. The managers hold the responsibility of assessing the importance of mitigating the
issues (Zartman 2019). As a manager, it is important for Johnson to figure out the main issues
which according to him can cause severe relationship related conflict. This is the way; he can
take approach in terms of improving the attitude among the staffs. In order to implement the
conflict management approach, the initial thing, which the managers can do is to evaluate their
own personal preferences. Such preferences can reflect the essential elements of their personal
identity such as race, culture, ethnicity and the socio-economic background.
As Johnson thinks that he has stuck in the changed set of relationship, it is important for
him to implement collaborative problem solving approach. With the assistance of this strategy,
Johnson can be able to address the mass problem and explore comprehensive solution
accordingly which can satisfy the interest of both the employees and the senior management of
Darwin. Johnson should keep the staffs informed about the fundamental objectives of
management behind assigning him as the new reporting manager. On the other hand, Johnson
should also place issue to the senior management of Darwin in order to generate significant
solution. The role of two way discussion is needed to be considered in this context which
supports in making the employees learn about the about the necessary business related decision.
As the manager of Darwin, Johnson should conduct meeting by aligning both the management
and the staffs in order to clarify the issue. As discussed by Mikkelsen and Clegg (2019) this can
help the staffs to know about the main reason behind assigning Johnson as the new reporting
manager. In addition, such effort towards mitigating organizational conflict can also cater a
positive image among the management which is the key of securing his position as the manager.

14COMMUNICATION, NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION
6. Conclusion:
Based on the discussion, it can be concluded by saying that the appropriate management
of conflict is incredibly important factor in order to maintain stability in the internal functionality
of the internal functionality of the firm. Originations are considered as the social units which are
segregated into hierarchies and departments and individuals. Conflict in between different
business units is an inevitable factor in the life cycle in the organization. High degree of conflict
can have both functional and dysfunctional consequences. Thus, it needs to be mitigated
properly. The management should implement various methods and techniques in order to
mitigate conflict in a timely and cost effective manner.

15COMMUNICATION, NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION
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