TM - October 2007 - (Page 43) emphasis here is on telling the other person how you feel — not on placing blame. What happens if you suppress, rather than express, your emotions? They do not simply go away. Usually, they will fester inside, and eventually they will come out in some form of destructive behavior. So, it is important to deal with your emotions before they deal with you. • Create solutions. After you and your conflict partners understand one another’s needs, you can then try to devise solutions that meet them. Come up with a wide variety of possible solutions — you are not confined to reaching a simple compromise. After you have developed options, you can review them to see which might best meet both parties’ needs. These skills can be learned initially through training experiences, but they need to be nurtured through coaching, mentoring and practice. There will be no dearth of practice opportunities because conflict is a regular and inevitable part of organizational life. If leaders model effective conflict management behaviors, it will be much easier for others to follow their example. Championing Organizational Conflict Competence conflict management systems is a recent phenomenon. They meld conflict training and support with alternative dispute-resolution systems that include elements such as mediation and arbitration to provide a wide variety of conflict management approaches to employees and other organizational stakeholders. The emphasis in these processes is on helping to deal with conflict at the earliest possible time in the least formal way. The emphasis on dispute prevention underscores the importance of putting conflictresolution skills in the hands of all members of an organization. By developing better conflict management skills in all employees and making sure the right climate is created in which people can use those skills effectively, leaders can ensure their organizations can deal with conflict more effectively. Additionally, it can save money that is wasted when conflict is handled poorly, and it can enable organizations to benefit from the creativity and better decisions that can come from effectively managed conflict. Craig Runde and Tim Flanagan are directors at the Eckerd College Leadership Development Institute and are Improving individual employees’ conflict skills is co-authors of “Becoming a Conflict Competent Leader.” the most important component of developing They can be reached at editor@TalentMgt.com. organizational conflict competence. To leverage these new skills, leaders need to ensure organizational values are aligned with the kinds of conflict manEarn your degree in 18 months online! agement behaviors they want employees to exhibit. They also need to make sure organizational policies and procedures are in line with the use of constructive conflict behaviors. Performance measures should incorporate conflict If you’re responsible for recruiting, managing, inspiring, or retaining management as a stanemployees, this is the degree for you. dard competency, and the organizational reLearn more about these important skills and importantly, how to measure ward structure should the impact of effective human capital management from the nationally-known reflect the importance thought leader in human capital development and ROI – Bellevue University. of conflict-competent behaviors. AN NOUNCING … our NEW Master’s Degree in Human Capital Management In larger organizations, it is prudent to take a systems approach to conflict management. The emergence of what are known as integrated Call today to enroll. 800-756-7920 • www.bellevue.edu Accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The Bellevue University College of Business also is accredited by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE). Bellevue University does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or disability in the educational programs and activities it operates. http://www.bellevue.edu http://www.bellevue.edu
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