Analyzing Workplace Conflict: Causes and Resolution Importance

This essay addresses the research question of what causes conflicts in the workplace and why conflict resolution is important. It highlights that conflicts are unavoidable due to differing opinions, personalities, and goals among employees. Using the scenario of conflict arising from laziness at work, the essay suggests problem-solving as an appropriate resolution strategy, emphasizing the importance of identifying the root cause and allowing both parties to express their views. The essay references Kearrin (2016) to categorize conflicts and James (2012) to support the idea that proper resolution strategies can minimize workplace differences. It concludes that while conflicts are inevitable, effective conflict management ensures employees work with a common understanding, thereby reducing conflict levels and leading to desired outcomes such as agreement and collaboration, symbolized by a handshake.

Running Head: CONFLICT MANAGEMENT 1
Conflict management
Names
Institution

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Conflict Management
The research question, in this case, will be “what causes conflicts in workplace and why
resolution conflict is important?’
Background
Conflicts within an organization are unavoidable since employees have different
opinions, personalities and goals (Kearrin, 2016). As a conflict resolution consultant, there are
different conflict solution strategies that a person can use to solve an issue affecting employees.
For example, in a situation where employees enter into a conflict because of laziness at work
which make some to undertake more tasks than others, one may choose from various resolution
strategies which include negotiation, arbitration, problem solve, and persuasion, among others. In
this case, problem solve strategy will be appropriate for this issue. The mediator should first
identify the cause of the solution, allow both parties to provide their views and then suggest the
ways of overcoming the differences.
Findings
According to Kearrin (2016), there are various causes of conflicts and the strategies of
addressing them depend on various factors such as the causes, the people involved, the people
involved and so forth. From this incidence where employees conflict because of laziness, it is
clear that sometimes conflicts are caused by lack of taking responsibilities in the right manner.
This incidence shows that although conflicts may be inevitable, use of proper resolution
strategies can make managers to minimize the chances of differences in their workplace (James,
2012). It also implies that the strategies of solving conflicts depend on the nature of the issue
being addressed. Kearrin (2016) asserts that there are different types of conflicts which include

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man vs self, man vs man, man vs society man vs nature, man vs machine and man vs
fate/supernatural. From this categories, this type of conflict can be classified as man vs man
because it involves human being having a dispute with another human being.
Conclusion
Although conflicts can be inevitable in workplace because staff members have varying
opinions, different perceptions towards work, personalities and goals, ensuring that there is
proper conflict management measures can assist in ensuring that employees work with common
understanding and hence minimize the level of conflicts.
Predicted/desired outcome
The desired outcome, in this case, is that the workers who conflict because of lack of
taking responsibilities in the right manner will have a handshake as a sign of coming into an
agreement. According to James (2012), shaking hands between two or more parties during
conflict resolution implies that they have agreed to away with their differences and are ready to
work together.

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References
James, F. S. (2012). University Students' Perceptions of Conflict Resolution. Journal of
International Students, 2(1), 67-78
Kearrin, S. (2016). Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding in Laos: Perspective for Today's
World. Contemporary Southeast Asia, 38(2), 34-45