Coming to a Solution
The desired result from confronting a difficult employee’s inappropriate behavior is an agreed upon solution. You know that this inappropriate behavior will continue unless you and the employee agree on a solution. The employee needs to know what is inappropriate about their behavior and they also need to know what appropriate behavior is. The need for a manager to communicate clearly is always high. It is especially important in these situations. Make very sure the employee understands the requirements and the consequences.
1. Winning too much: The need to win at all costs and in all situations.
2. Adding too much value: The overwhelming desire to add your 2 cents to every discussion.
3. Passing judgment: The need to rate others and impose your standards on them.
4. Making destructive comments: The needles sarcasm and cutting remarks that we think make us witty.
5. Starting with No, But, However: The overuse of these negative qualifiers which secretly say to everyone that I’m right and you’re wrong.
6. Telling the world how smart we are: The need to show people we’re smarter than they think we are.
7. Speaking when angry. Using emotional volatility as a management tool.
8. Negativity or “Let me explain why that won’t work”: The need to share our negative thoughts even when we weren’t asked.
9.Withholding information: Refusing to share information in order to maintain an advantage over others.
10.Failing to give proper recognition: The inability to give praise and reward.
11. Claiming credit that we don’t deserve: The most annoying way to overestimate our contribution to any success.
12. Making excuses: The need to reposit our annoying behaviour as a permanent fixture so people excuse us for it.
13. Clinging to the past: The need to deflect blame away from ourselves and onto events and people from our past; a subset of blaming everyone else.
14. Playing favorites: Failing to see that we are treating someone unfairly.
15. Refusing to express regret: The inability to take responsibility for our actions, admit we’re wrong, or recognize how our actions affect others.
16. Not listening: The most passive-aggressive form of disrespect for colleagues.
17. Failing to express gratitude: The most basic form of bad manners.
18. Punishing the messenger: The misguided need to attack the innocent who are usually only trying to help us.
19. Passing the buck: The need to blame everyone but ourselves.
20. An excessive need to be “me”: Exalting our faults as virtues simply because they’re who we are.
1. Why is it important to create the “right” morale in a company?
2. What are the ways which can help to ensure social and psychological climate inside a company?
3. What is the difference between “attitude” and “behaviour”?
4. What things can help a company to form the trustful internal relations?
5. How can misunderstanding arise in a company?
6. What difficulties is a first-class manager often confronted with?
7. What are the main guidelines to manage your self?
8. Why is the ability to monitor your time important for a manager?
9. How can you explain the rule “communicate as much as you can”? Why is the ability to communicate so important for managers?
10. How can you recognize what’s important from what is urgent?
11. What does it mean “acknowledge accomplishments?”
12. Why are some employees “difficult”?
13. Should you listen to gossip and rumor? What would be your actions in such situations?
14. Explain the rule “Draw out the reason behind the behaviour”?
15. Name and explain habits that can complicate interpersonal relations?
1.moralenморальное состояние, нравственная атмосфера
2. lendaear уделить внимание, выслушать
3. carrotandstickморковка и кнут, пряник и кнут
4. burnoutnпереутомление, изнеможение
5. mindvвозражать, иметь что-либо против…
6. succeed ( in)v достигать цели, преуспевать; быть приемником
7. keeppromisesсдержать обещание
8. trustfulrelations доверительные отношения
9. identityneeds потребности личности, индивидуальные потребности
10. standonprinciples придерживаться принципов
11. well-beingn благосостояние, благополучие, процветание
12. attitude(to, towards) позиция, отношение к чему-либо
13. technicalexpertise техническая квалификация, компетенция, опыт
14. managerialexpertise управленческая компетентность, опыт
15. stickinthemiddle держаться в середине
16. undeniable неоспоримый, несомненный, неопровержимый
17. undeniablesign явный признак
18. beoutofhand выходить из под контроля
19. peern равный по положению, статусу
20. blowupsn вспышки гнева, раздражения
21. excelv отличаться, выделяться
22. assumev допускать, предполагать
23. quitv прекращать что-либо делать
24. takecreditfor получать похвалу за что-либо
25. gossipn слухи, сплетни
26. rumourn молва, слухи, толки
27. reportedly по сообщениям, как сообщают
28. remaincalmandimpartial оставаться спокойным и беспристрастным
29. non-judgmentaladj. не поверхностный
30. smoothlyadv. спокойно, учтиво, вежливо;
31. bullyn хвастун, задира, забияка
32. instantsuccess мгновенный успех
33. impasse тупик, безвыходное положение
Syn.: dead end, deadlock
34. consequencen последствие, результат
35. overwhelmingadj. подавляющий, превосходящий, несметный
36. rate( smb.) v давать оценку кому-либо
37. imposev навязывать, навязываться
38. cuttingremarks резкое, саркастическое замечание
39. smartadj. толковый, сообразительный
40. emotionalvolatility эмоциональная неустойчивость
41. withholdv утаивать, скрывать; воздерживаться от…, отказывать
42. overestimatev переоценивать
43. fixturen постоянное качество
44. clingto…v держаться за что-л., цепляться
45.deflectblameaway отвести от себя вину, оправдаться
46. gratituden благодарность, признание
47. subsetподмножество
48. passthebuck переложить ответственность на другого
49. exaltvпревозносить, восхвалять
Conflicts in a work environment are inevitable. Whenever people must work together, there will be degrees of conflicts. Why? Because people will not always be in perfect agreement on all issues, goals or perceptions.
Conflict is neither positive nor negative. If conflict is managed correctly, it can be helpful in meeting the organization’s goals.
In order to handle conflicts, a manager needs to understand why conflict occurs. The sources of conflict include shared resources, differences in goals, differences in perceptions and values, disagreements in role requirements, nature of work activities individual approaches and the stage of organizational development.
Knowing the potential sources of conflict is important to a manager, but developing strategies for dealing with conflict is essential to the organizational climate.
In order to manage conflict, the manager must first analyze the following factors:
1. The type of conflict –between individuals, between individuals and groups, or between work groups.
2. The source of conflict – shared resources, differences in goals, role conflict, etc.
3. The level of conflict – how heated the situation is.
When these factors have been determined, the manager’s challenge is to select the appropriate strategy. The manager may attempt to reduce the level of conflict or resolve the conflict. In special situations he may attempt to increase the level of conflict.
1.Limited resources. Conflict can arise in organization because limited resources must be shared by the organizational members. A manager of a work unit depends on the allocation of money, personnel, equipment, materials, and physical facilities in order to accomplish objectives.
Some managers, despite the system used for allocations, will inevitably receive fewer resources than others. This can lead to lack of cooperation and eventually open conflict.
2. Differences in goals. Individuals may have goals different from those of the organization they work for. An individual’s goal may require promotion within a three-year period. The organization may have a tradition of “seasoning” an employee over a longer period. There may be conflict in this situation.
4. Nature of work activities.
Conflict can result between individuals and groups concerning the quantity of work assigned as well as relationship among the work units in performing the work. Individuals and groups compare the workloads each has relative to the other. If there is inequity there can be conflict.
If the work is not on time or is of poor quality, open conflict can result. Another conflict situation can be created when two work groups or individuals are placed in competition with each other. If management has set it up so that both groups have the opportunity to win, positive results can occur. But if it is a win-lose situation, conflict may be the outcome.
5. Individual approaches. People have different styles and approaches in dealing with others and with situations. One person may be reflective, speak little, but deliver words of wisdom when ready to talk about a topic. Another person may be combative in nature, with an argumentative approach, immediate response with little thought, and pressure for agreement.
- Do not avoid the conflict, hoping it will go away. Trust me. It won’t. Even if the conflict appears to have been superficially put to rest, it will rear its ugly head whenever stress increases or a new disagreement occurs. An unresolved conflict or interpersonal disagreement festers just under the surface in your work environment. It burbles to the surface whenever enabled, and always at the worst possible moment. This is not an option.
- Do not meet separately with people in conflict. If you allow each individual to tell their story to you, you risk polarizing their positions. The person in conflict has a vested interest in making himself or herself “right” if you place yourself in the position of judge and jury. The sole goal of the employee, in this situation, is to convince you of the merits of their case.
- Do not believe, for even a moment, the only people who are affected by the conflict are the participants.Everyone in your office and every employee, with whom the conflicting employees interact, is affected by the stress. People feel as if they are walking on egg shells in the presence of the antagonists. This contributes to the creation of a hostile work environment for other employees. In worst case scenarios, your organization members take sides and your organization is divided.
How to Mediate and Resolve Conflict
Meet with the antagonists together. Let each briefly summarize their point of view, without comment or interruption by the other party. This should be a short discussion so that all parties are clear about the disagreement and conflicting views. Intervene if either employee attacks the other employee. This is not acceptable.
Ask each participant to describe specific actions they’d like to see the other party take that would resolve the differences. Three or four suggestions work well. An example is, “I’d like Mary to send the report to me by Thursday at 1 p.m. so I can complete my assignment by my due date of Friday at noon.” A second example is, “I would like to have responsibility for all of the business development and follow-up with that client. The way the work is divided now causes Tom and I to never know what the other person is doing.”
Sometimes, as in the second example above, you, as the supervisor, must own some of the responsibilities for helping the employees resolve their conflict. Always ask, “What about the work situation is causing these staff members to fail?”
- If the situation needs further exploration, use a process in which you ask each participant to additionally identify what the other employee can do more of, less of, stop and start.
- All participants discuss and commit to making the changes necessary to resolve the conflict. Commit to noticing that the other person has made a change, no matter how small. Commit to treating each other with dignity and respect. It is okay to have reasonable disagreements over issues and plans; it is never okay to have personality conflicts that affect the workplace.
- Let the antagonists know that you will not choose sides, that it is impossible for a person external to the conflict to know the truth of the matter. You expect the individuals to resolve the conflicts proactively as adults. If they are unwilling to do so, you will be forced to take disciplinary action that can lead to dismissal for both parties.
- Finally, assure both parties that you have every faith in their abilityto resolve their differences and get on with their successful contributions within your shared organization. Set a time to review progress.