Workplace Conflict Management: Case Study of Bob and Roger

This report examines a workplace conflict between two employees, Bob and Roger, at Sledge Harbor Marine. The conflict, stemming from a disagreement over a safety hazard, escalated due to miscommunication and differing perspectives, impacting workplace culture and productivity. The report analyzes the conflict's elements, including personality differences and poor communication, and proposes solutions such as promoting respect for differences, root cause analysis, collaborative coaching, and seminars on active listening. It discusses the benefits and risks of each solution, along with ethical dilemmas that arise during conflict resolution, and the importance of organizational policies regarding social media use. The report emphasizes the need for effective conflict management to maintain a healthy work environment and improve organizational outcomes. The report also explores the benefits and risks of the conflict resolution processes and provides communication of advice and implementation of policy based on social media.

Running head: WORKPLACE CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
Workplace Conflict Management
Name of Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive Summary
Conflicts are an inevitable part of the managers’ role. It is important to concentrate on reducing
the level of conflicts in the organization so that there is an increase in the organizational
productivity. This report is based on the case study involving the conflict between Bob and
Roger employed in the same organization. The various ways of handling this conflict situation
would be discussed. The benefits and risks of each such process would be explored. The analysis
of the ethical dilemmas of the members would be analyzed. The organizational policies focusing
on social media would be discussed. The various ethical dilemmas that might come up in the
conflict resolution process would be analyzed.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Discussion........................................................................................................................................2
Outline of relevant issue..............................................................................................................2
Elements of Conflict Management System.................................................................................3
Solution for workplace conflicts..................................................................................................5
Benefits and risks of the conflict resolution processes................................................................7
Communication of advice..........................................................................................................10
Implementation of policy based on social media......................................................................11
Analysis of ethical dilemmas.....................................................................................................12
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................14
References......................................................................................................................................15

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Introduction
In modern organizations, where is a large number of employees and there is the
involvement of complex processes, it is obvious that there would be frequent conflicts between
the team members. If these inter-personal conflicts are not addressed, then they are bound to
have a negative impact on team work and productivity (Moore, 2014). This would cause
hindrance for the employees in achieving the organizational goals. This would not only prevent
the organization in realization of its goals but it would also lead to poor performance of the
employees (Triplett & Loh, 2017). Hence, it is important to resolve the conflicts arising in the
workplace so that a healthy work environment can be maintained. The act of conflict resolution
requires particular leadership traits, decision-making abilities and problem-solving skills.
This case study analysis is based on the interpersonal conflict issues between the
employees of Sledge Harbor Marine. This report aims to manage the conflicts so that the matter
is being handled in a timely and sensitive manner. The relevant issue would be discussed along
with the various elements of the conflict management system. A framework for resolving the
conflicts would be suggested along with its benefits and risks. A communication process would
be outlined in which the various communication modes would be discussed. The analysis of the
ethical dilemma for the firm would also be outlined.
Discussion
Outline of relevant issue
The case revolves around two employees named Bob Smith and Roger Jones who were
employees of the company. There was a considerable age difference between both the employees

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as Roger was 24 years old while Bob’s age was 40 years. They had an argument over a minor
safety hazard on the vessel, which lasted more than three months. The conflict took place during
maintenance work on the port and argument was about the safety hazard of the electrical cords at
the vessel. The primary reason for the heated exchange was miscommunication and different
perspective of both the parties. Bob and Roger may have different opinions regarding the safety
hazard in the vessel and were unable to achieve common grounds. This aggravated the conflict
situation in the coming months. This minor conflict resulted in a huge debate everytime as both
parties attacked each other time and again. There were instances of taunts in front of everyone
not only in the workplace cafeteria but there were virtual conflicts in the social media websites as
well. There were inappropriate posts in the social media which not only affected the relationship
of Roger and Bob, but it also affected their relationship with the other employees of the
organization. There was a negative influence on the organizational culture and there was a
decrease in the motivation level of the employees too. This affected the organizational
productivity and this was a matter of concern for the managers.
Elements of Conflict Management System
The key drivers of the organizational conflict were the difference in personalities of the
two members involved and the poor communication of both of them. Both the employees were
from different backgrounds and they had diverse experiences in life. This is the reason they
failed to understand the differences between the viewpoints of each other. There were also poor
communication skills, which made them difficult to agree on a common point (Snyder &
Diesing, 2015). Another reason for this was their lack of listening skills in understanding the
opinions of each other. They were rigid in their thought process and did not welcome the idea of
the other party. Bob was not open to the idea of Roger and the vice-versa was also true. There

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was lack of ideas, which made them prone to conflicts, which was indirectly responsible for this
issue.
There are potential risks if the underlying conflicts are not resolved. There is the
possibility of permanent damage in the inter-personal relationships of the employees of the
organization. There would be subsequent decrease in the productivity of the employees. This
would be due to the fact that the organizational conflict would affect the mental health of the
employees (Einarsen et al., 2016). When engaged in conflicts, the employees tend to become
prone to stress and this affects their personal as well as professional lives. There can also be
situations in which the concerned employees would avoid being together in meetings and this
may hamper the organizational work processes (Triplett & Loh, 2017). There are also
possibilities of employee turnover which would increase the attrition rate of the organization
(Leon-Perez et al., 2015). This would increase the overall cost of the company and there would
be less operational profit of the company. There would be an increase in the various kinds of
costs such as operational, legal, workplace and other kinds of expenses for the company, which
is detrimental for the long term profit of the company. The increase in the operational expenses
and other kinds of expense would not be considered good for the sustainability of the
organization.
There would also be rising instances of absenteeism of the concerned employees like Bob
and Roger. This is because of the fact that there would be lowering of the employee morale and
hence the employees would not be eager to attend office everyday. There are also possibilities of
workplace violence, if the tension between Roger and Bob continues to grow. This would not
only mean that there would be tensions between these two entities, but it would also spread to
other employees of the organizations. There can be organizational violence which may result in

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legal problems between the employees which would become a hassle for the company (Triplett
& Loh, 2017).
Solution for workplace conflicts
It is important to find suitable solution for the conflicts that have arisen in the workplace
(GilinOore, Leiter & LeBlanc, 2015). There should be a meeting that should be organized in
which both Bob and Roger should be invited. The following are some solutions which should be
implemented in the case study scenario-
 Teach employees to respect differences- It is important to invite both the employees and
tell them to understand each other’s differences. The situation should be made understood
to them and how different approaches can complement each other should be elaborated.
The HR manager should possibly realign the roles of each concerned parties in the given
situation and should utilize their respective strengths (Brown, Thomas &Bosselman,
2015). It is advisable to implement one suitable diversity program that would mitigate the
future conflicts in the organization (Ju et al., 2014). A customizable program for diversity
management should be created
 Perform root cause analysis of the problem- Bob and Roger both should be asked about
their own viewpoints and what is bothering them. It is important to understand the actual
causes of conflict between both the parties (Latino, Latino & Latino, 2016). It would be a
good idea to know their individual perspectives so that it can be solved accordingly
(Charles et al., 2016).
 Collaborative coaching program- The human resource managers should consider a
collaborative coaching program in which attempts are taken for resolving the particular
situation (Desimone & Pak, 2017). In this program, the moderator should understand the

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important traits of each person and expectations from each other. It is important to foster
better communication processes and understanding between the key parties involved.
 Stop meeting Bob and Roger separately-If the individuals having conflict meet the
moderator separately, then there is risk of polarizing their positions. If the person who is
designated for solving the conflicts become familiar with the individual parties, then both
Bob and Roger would try to prove themselves right (Triplett & Loh, 2017). In such cases,
it would be difficult to come in negotiating terms with both parties involved.
 Seminars on active listening- It is important to conduct seminars on “active listening”, in
which the participants would be subjected to good listening skills that would help the
organization to meet its objectives (Jahromi et al., 2016). When in conflicts, the person
spends his or her time in formulation of his rebuttal. This is the reason that the person
would hear what they actually want to hear and this let him miss the words that the
speaker actually wants to communicate (Jahromi et al., 2016). The manager should
ensure that both parties are listening by asking open-ended to them and using positive
feedbacks to reinforce the things that are actually being said (Stewart, Atilano & Arnold,
2017).
 Request for behavior changes- Bob and Roger both should be subjected to request in
their behavior changes and this should be done in an official manner (Jahromi et al.,
2016). They should not be asked to change their attitudes but they should only be asked
to behave in a positive manner in the workplace (Cahn & Abigail, 2014). This request
should be done in an official manner and an agreement should be signed in which the
conflict parties would agree to behave appropriately in their workplace.

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 Determination of the underlying need- The ultimate goal of the conflict resolution
process is the decision of the right person and the wrong person (Jahromi et al., 2016).
The moderator should look for needs of the employees especially the unmet ones
(Chemolli &Gagné, 2014).This would not only increase the employee satisfaction but
would also lead to resolution of the conflicts.
Benefits and risks of the conflict resolution processes
There are several benefits as well as risks of the conflict resolution process, which needs
to be kept in mind before implementing the conflict resolution process (Jahromi et al., 2016).
They are discussed as below-
 Teach employees to respect differences- The benefit of undertaking this tactics for
conflict resolution is that it would make the concerned employees to understand the
perspective of the opposite party (Jahromi et al., 2016). This would also make a long-
term identification of the various background differences between Bob and Roger. One
risks for using this method would be that there are possibilities of misunderstanding the
cultural or the educational backgrounds of each other, if it is not communicated well
(Mao & Hale, 2015).
 Perform root cause analysis of the problem- The benefits of such a technique lies in the
fact that it would uncover the relationship between symptoms and causes of the problems
that have transpired between the two employees (Reason, 2016). It would target the
issues at their root itself, which would help in the better resolution of the issues. The risks
of this process include that this method presumes that there is always a single source of
problem and this may not be effective in this scenario. Chances are that the problem may

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persist and there would be further worsening of their interpersonal relationship (Jahromi
et al., 2016).
 Collaborative coaching program- The benefit of this option is the development of the
leadership skills of the concerned employees. The coaching programs would enhance the
communication skills as well as public speaking ability of the employees, which would
help them to understand each other’s point of view in a better way (Maltbia, Marsick
&Ghosh, 2014). One of the main risks associated with this program is that there are
chances of absenteeism from such programs and the employees may not find adequate
time to attend such coaching programs.
 Stop meeting Bob and Roger separately- One of the greatest advantages of this method
is that it would not lead to misinterpretation of both the parties (Jahromi et al., 2016).
However, on the other hand, if the two parties are not met separately, then the moderator
may miss some important points that both the participants would not share when
discussing things together.
 Seminars on active listening- One of the main benefits of this process is that it enhances
the ability to absorb as well as pass the data as well as information being provided during
the process of exchange of data (Freeman et al., 2014). This would make both Bob and
Roger to empathetic and consider each other’s views in a positive manner. On the other
hand, this kind of technique would be helpful only in one-to-one conversations and would
not be helpful in group communications.
 Request for behavior changes- The benefit of this approach is that this would prevent the
inter-personal clashes that were increasing between Bob and Roger. However, the request

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for behaviour change may further infuriate the concerned parties and the problem may
become aggravated.
 Determination of the underlying need- This would help the moderator to determine the
actual reason for conflict between Bob and Roger, which would help him to take more
appropriate steps. However, the determination of the crux of the matter may be a time
taking and tedious process, which would dilute the purpose of the conflict resolution
process.
Conflict Resolution Process Benefits Risks
Teach employees to respect
differences
Understand the perspective of the
opposite party, Long term
identification of background
differences
Chances of miscommunication
Perform root cause analysis of
the problem
Uncover the relationship between
symptoms and causes
Assumption that there is single
source of problem
Collaborative coaching
program
Enhance communication skills as
well as public speaking ability of
the employees
Absenteeism, Busy schedule of
the employees
Stop meeting Bob and Roger
separately
Not lead to misinterpretation Moderator may miss some
important points
Seminars on active listening Enhances the ability to absorb as
well as pass the data, participants
become empathetic
Not applicable in conversations
involving multiple persons
Request for behavior changes Prevent the inter-personal clashes Request for behaviour change

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may further infuriate the
concerned parties
Determination of the
underlying need
Determine the actual reason for
conflict
Time taking and tedious process
Fig: Benefits and risks of the conflict resolution processes
Source: Created by author
Communication of advice
It is important to communicate the conflict resolution advices to the concerned employees
in a timely, proper and informative manner so that the entire process of the resolution is not
diluted (Sallis, 2014). The following should be some of the most important tools for
communicating the various advices to the concerned employees-
 Intranet- This is a private hub, which is usually accessed by the authorized users and
help in better collaboration and better internal communication (Mishra, Boynton &
Mishra, 2014). Roger and Bob should be informed about the actual issue and the
solutions for them in their own intranets and they should be asked for attending a face to
face meeting, which would give greater clarity of the event.
 Discussion Forums- This kind of forums should be organized when there would be the
presence of the concerned employees and one or multiple members from the senior
management (Romero et al., 2013). This type of forum is helpful in knowledge
dissemination and in fast resolution of the matter (Jahromi et al., 2016). This forum
should be integrated with the internal email, which would help in understanding the
viewpoints of both the employees.