eLearning - December 2008/January 2009 - (Page 14) Trendlines Workplace Conflicts Have Both Beneficial and Crippling Effects According to a report from CPP, Inc., workplace conflict is rampant throughout the business world, with U.S. companies spending more than 2.8 hours per week — which would equate to approximately $359 billion in paid hours in 2008. In many cases, this has a severely crippling effect on productivity and morale. However, the report also found that when properly managed, conflict actually benefits organizations, leading to innovation and motivation. Roughly one in three respondents in the U.S. say that conflict has led to personal injury or attacks, while one in five report that it has led to illness or absence from work. Additionally, 10 percent of workers report project failure as a direct result of conflict. “These figures should be a wake-up call to industry leaders,” says Jeff Hayes, CEO of CPP. “Companies are losing billions of dollars because of poorly managed conflict, and we expect that figure to grow in a down economy as stress and workload — two of the biggest causes of conflict — rise.” The study maintains that one-third of managers feel they’re skilled at dealing with conflict. However, only slightly more than one fifth of employees feel that their managers deal with conflict well. Positive outcomes seem to be directly tied to conflict management training. Countries with high incidence of training report high proportions of positive outcomes, while countries in which training is less prevalent report low proportions of positive outcomes. To read the complete report, visit www.cpp.com/ ConflictReport. Performance Management Is a Cornerstone Practice “Once viewed as a stand-alone employee appraisal process designed to feed compensation and promotion decisions, performance management has now become the cornerstone of modern talent management,” says Leighanne Levensaler, director of talent management research and primary author of two new research reports from Bersin & Associates. “Our research found that this seemingly simple process is undergoing significant transformation as organizations embark on automating goal alignment, assessment, coaching, development, and succession processes.” Important findings include: >> >> >> >> The performance management market is estimated to reach $520 million by end of 2008, a 35 percent increase from 2007. Effective employee management practices focus on alignment, coaching, development and measurement. The red-hot market for performance management software is paying off for buyers in terms of return on investment. Managers and supervisors drive the success or failure of any talent management strategy, but 45 percent of respondents believe managers in their organizations have difficulty in differentiating between high and low performers. Performance management based on coaching and development has stronger positive outcomes than that based primarily on competitive assessment. To maximize business value, high-performing organizations tailor practices according to operating functions, geography and culture, legal requirements, and unique needs of different workforce segments. Workplace Conflict CCP, Inc. Research (U.S. results) 81% Workers who >> 41% 33% 29% 21% 9% report having seen positive outcomes from workplace conflict have emerged from conflict with a better understanding of others say working relationships are improving found “better solutions” to problems through workplace conflict saw higher per- saw a major formance in their innovation through team after work- workplace conflict place conflcit >> For more information, visit the Website www.bersin.com. 14 December 2008/January 2009 Elearning! http://www.cpp.com/ConflictReport http://www.cpp.com/ConflictReport http://www.bersin.com
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