University Reflective Journal on Individual and Group Skills: COMM1040

This reflective journal assignment analyzes a workplace conflict scenario encountered by the student during their tenure as a junior manager. The student reflects on a performance appraisal conflict between employees and supervisors, detailing the issues of perceived unfairness and lack of transparency in the appraisal process. The journal explores the student's initial judgments, the evolution of their understanding through discussions with colleagues and employees, and the eventual changes implemented by the company in its appraisal policy. The student reflects on the importance of gathering information, considering multiple perspectives, and questioning authority when necessary. The assignment concludes with insights on how to handle similar situations in the future and the lessons learned about the value of research, analysis, and open-mindedness in conflict resolution and leadership. The student also discusses the importance of understanding the root cause of conflict and the need for managers and leaders to handle situations with prudence.

Running head: INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP SKILLS
Individual and Group Skills
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP SKILLS
Last year I was working as a junior manager in a large multinational farm. During my
tenure I saw many conflicts to arise and solved. The most significant one that impressed on
my mind is a performance review conflict that emerged between certain employees and their
supervisors. The company that I worked with performed two performance appraisals every
year. This ensured that no employee had to wait more than 16 months for their raise or
promotions. In the beginning, when I joined the organization the situation seemed stable.
After a few months, word of mouth came that several employees will have their performance
appraised. The appraisal process was based mostly on interview that included the supervisor,
the general manager, the CEO and the employee. The situation was tense for many days and
after the day of appraisal it seemed that many of the employees were not happy. The situation
was becoming worse slowly and many of the employees that had their performance
appraisals were behaving in a hostile manner. They were involved in many disagreement with
the supervisors and started performing badly.
One day it escalated severely and they had a open row with the supervisors. The
problem became clear at once. The employees felt that they have been under-appraised and
were not happy with the results of the appraisal. They also believed that the appraisal process
was unjustified and lacked clarity. Their complaint was that then supervisor did not support
them during the process and thus they did not get a better raise. They were also expecting a
promotion in post which did not happen. They accused the supervisor of favoritism. These
employees had been in the organization for a long time and contributed much to the success
of the company. The supervisors refuted all claims and insisted that the appraisal has been
fair. When the incidents were taking place, at first I thought that the employees that were
involved in the conflict were at fault. I felt that it was wrong of them to question the appraisal
procedure and they were just bitter that they could not achieve what they hoped for.

2INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP SKILLS
The situation had both positive and negative aspect. The positive aspect was that the
situation that was steaming underneath was out in the open and both the employees and the
authorities were now able to discuss the situation and solve it (Rahim 2017). The negative
aspect of the situation was that the employees and the supervisors should have discussed the
issue peacefully. The workplace environment during those days were quite tense and there
was much speculation that was going on. The supervisor that was accused was known to be
dominant person and many people also felt that the employees were right in their accusation.
At the beginning of my tenure, I was hopeful. I had assumed that the organization was
in a no conflict state. Soon that belief changed. Even at the beginning of the conflict, I had
automatically assumed that the employees that accused the appraisal process and the
supervisor were wrong to do so (Schlaerth, Ensari and Christian 2013). While I do believe
that they could have handled the situation in some other way, I believe they were right to
bring up the issue. I assumed that as most people supported the supervisor, he must have been
right. This influenced my thinking and I also criticized the employees severely. As we started
to discuss the situation amongst us, I realized that those employees were not the only people
in the company that felt that the appraisal process was not justified. Many of them also
supported the claim that the supervisors had some favorite candidates that he supported
whenever any promotion was concerned (Nebbia et al. 2016). We were called by the
authorities to discuss our opinion about this issue.
From my childhood, I have always been taught to listen to my seniors and not to
question them until the situation becomes unbearable. I have also been taught that large
multinational companies always have proper policies at place, for every aspect of their
business. (Baillien et al. 2014) I did not even take time to read or analyze the situation or
their appraisal policy. When I listened to my colleagues, I realized that I needed to dig deeper
and understand the whole scenario. I talked with the employees and found out that they have

3INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP SKILLS
faced similar scenarios for years. They have tried to reason with the supervisor, but they do
not want to perform unnecessary flattery to gain his support. Before the final decision was
taken, all the employees were called once again to ask specific responses about the situation.
Most of us agreed that the policies that the company had was not adequate neither was it
justified on many grounds. For example, process did not include the extra efforts that
employees gave neither the corporate citizenship behavior of the employees. Finally, the
company changed their appraisal policy and made it more transparent. They also it mandatory
for the supervisors to explain their choices with proper validation and proof from the
employee’s record (Leon-Perez et al. 2015).
From the incident I concluded that these kinds of situations might arise in companies.
It is the responsibility of the managers and the leaders to handle the situation with prudence.
The supervisor failed to do that while the managers and the CEO took constructive initiative
to solve the situation. They must have felt that the old employees like those will not retaliate
if something was not seriously wrong. The situation also taught me that it is alright to
question authority if one feels that the situation needs change. I believe that I could have
behaved differently than I did at the beginning. I behaved ignorantly. Without gathering
knowledge and proper insight, I judged them for their action. I could have been more
sympathetic and understanding (Overton and Lowry 2013). I could have discussed with the
employees and other colleagues at an earlier stage and reviewed the appraisal policies before
making the judgment. Knowledge about the supervisors past behavior, opinion of the past
employees and examples of successful appraisal policies would have been useful in this
situation. Presently, I feel that this situation could have been avoided easily, if the employees
and the supervisors had behaved in a more responsible way. The CEO and other managers
like Human Resource Manager and the Operation Managers should have looked into the
policies and procedures more critically (Saundry and Wibberley 2014).

4INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP SKILLS
Next time, if I ever find myself in the similar situation I will ensure a number of
things so that I do not make the same mistake. The first thing that I will do will be to gather
all possible data and information about the situation. I will also take multiple opinion from
the employees. Next, I will analyze the situation and the information. I will try to relate these
to each other and make sense of the information that I have gathered. I will investigate the
matter deeply before making decision (Ashkanasy, Zerbe and Hartel 2016). I will also advice
the other people involved in the situation to take lesson from this situation. Throughout this
process, I have learnt that earlier my judgment was clouded by my inherent consciousness. I
had a closed minded view and that hindered my judgment. Through this incident I have learnt
to become inquisitive and curious. I have learnt the value of research and analysis. In future,
when I go to work for other companies, this situation will help me in detecting conflict
situations beforehand, analyze the situation to determine the underlying reason of threat and
mitigate these situations easily.

5INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP SKILLS
Bibliography
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