Communication And Conflict

In today's workforce communication and conflict resolution are paramount to a successful organization. As with any leadership trait, these skills must be developed and regularly practiced by leaders. There are many skills involved in both the communication process as well as with conflict resolution. According to Schermerhorn, the communication process is a simple process of sending and receiving messages with attached meaning (2005). The process is further defined by having three elements, those being a source, a receiver and in some instances feedback. Conflict resolution according to the text, is a situation in which the underlying reasons for a given destructive conflict are eliminated (Schermerhorn, et al, 2005). We will take a look at two that we feel are the best in each category: providing feedback in the communication process and collaboration as a conflict resolution.

The communication process involves a sender and a receiver of information. This information can sometimes be misinterpreted and the wrong meaning communicated and received by the receiver. In order to prevent this from happening, feedback provided to the sender from the receiver can help to clarify the information presented. Feedback is defined as "The process through which the receiver communicates with the sender by returning another message. The exchange of information through feedback can be very helpful in improving the communication process, and the popular advice to always 'keep the feedback channels open' is good to remember (Schermerhorn, et al, 2005)". Sometimes, knowing feedback works is to experience a situation where feedback was not provided and the sender assumed that the message was understood by the receiver. In many situations the only way to prove something will or will not work is to experience failure. Let us look at an example of failure in communications and feedback.

As an example, there is a company fielding a new database at an overseas location. Many of the steps involved in the fielding process are reviewed during an initial meeting with the locations fielding team and a fielder from the United States. The initial meeting only lasts a week, and a great deal of information is provided to the location in steps that need to be completed prior to the database going live. During one of the meetings on the final day a vital piece of information was provided to the team. Before the system could be tested, key personnel had to be appointed in writing and complete a computer-based training (CBT) module. The response was just, "Yes I understand." The stateside fielder returned to the U.S. and proceeded to get all the necessary data sets loaded into the database. After a month, the fielder returned to the overseas location to test the system. Upon arrival the fielder learned that none of the key personnel had taken the required CBT course. There was a misunderstanding on the specific dates that the required training needed to be accomplished. Had the receivers of the message provided feedback to the sender or engaged in an exchange, maybe this situation would have been avoided. Since no feedback was provided, the sender presumed the information was understood. With the information being misunderstood, the fielding of the new database had to be postponed for a week while the required training was completed. As this example demonstrates, feedback is a very important piece of the communication process and had feedback been provided initially a delay would have been prevented. Even if there is good communication in the workplace, conflict will arise. Good leaders will be prepared to handle conflict through a process called conflict resolution.

Conflict is an everyday occurrence in all aspects of our lives, professional and private. Conflict is caused by feelings of being challenged by another person, situation or by needs not being met in certain situations. As Lyman Beecher once said "No great advance has ever been made in science, politics or religion, without controversy. (Goodman, 1997, p. 202). Possessing the proper skills for dealing with conflict can be beneficial whether it is a dispute at the office or problems with your spouse and children. Understanding the most effective way to handle conflict and the steps necessary to manage the conflict are a good starting point.

There are many different types of conflict. Substantive conflict is simply a disagreement in the necessary path to take to accomplish something. While emotional conflict is more serious in that it involves personalities and personal dislikes over issues such as trust, anger and resentment. There are also functional conflicts, which can result in positive benefits and dysfunctional conflicts, which are destructive in nature and relate back to emotional conflict (Schermerhorn, et al, 2005).

Conflict should not always be perceived as a negative thing. In a recent issue of Nursing, 2005, the author states there are three points to help manage conflict more effectively, "1. Solve problems by 'talking out,' not 'acting out'. 2. Use conflict as an opportunity for problem solving . 3. Use conflict to improve how you react to a situation." (Cox, 2005). Even though conflict is not always negative, there should still be effective steps in place to manage and resolve the conflict. There are many lessons that can be learned during the process of conflict resolution.

There are several types of conflict resolution available,