Evaluative Study on Workplace Conflict Resolution Strategies: A Leadership Perspective

Abstract

Organizational conflict, or workplace conflict, is a state of discord caused by the actual or perceived opposition of needs, values and interests between people working together. Conflict in organizations are inevitable between formal authority and power and those individuals and groups affected. The disputes over how revenues, work, how long and hard people work, the jurisdictional disagreements among individuals, departments, and between unions and management are different sources and kinds of conflict that happens in organisation. There are subtler forms of conflict involving rivalries, jealousies, personality clashes, role definitions, and struggles for power and favor. Conflict within individuals between competing needs and demands to which individuals respond in different ways. that occur in individuals, between individuals, and between groups. Conflicts within work groups are often caused by struggles over control, status, and scarce resources. Conflicts between groups in organizations have similar origins. The constructive resolution of such conflicts can most often be achieved through a rational process of problem solving, coupled with a willingness to explore issues and alternatives and to listen to each other.

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International Journal of Management, IT & Engineering
Vol. 7 Issue 7, July 2017,
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Evaluative Study on Workplace Conflict
Resolution Strategies: A Leadership Perspective
Prof. Dr.C.Karthikeyan*
Prof Pious Thomas**
Abstract:
Organizational conflict, or workplace conflict, is a state of discord caused by the actual or
perceived opposition of needs, values and interests between people working
together. Conflict in organizations are inevitable between formal authority and power and those
individuals and groups affected. The disputes over how revenues, work, how long and hard
people work, the jurisdictional disagreements among individuals, departments, and
between unions and management are different sources and kinds of conflict that happens in
organisation. There are subtler forms of conflict involving rivalries, jealousies, personality
clashes, role definitions, and struggles for power and favor. Conflict within
individuals between competing needs and demands to which individuals respond in different
ways. that occur in individuals, between individuals, and between groups. Conflicts within work
groups are often caused by struggles over control, status, and scarce resources. Conflicts between
groups in organizations have similar origins. The constructive resolution of such conflicts can
most often be achieved through a rational process of problem solving, coupled with a willingness
to explore issues and alternatives and to listen to each other.
Keywords: Conflict; Resolution; Leader; Strategy; Intra ; Interpersonal; Organisational;
Motive; Anger; Anxiety
* Director-Adithya School of Business, Adithya Institute of Technology, Coimbatore, Affiliated
to Anna University, Chennai
** Professor, Christ University Bangalore

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Objectives of the Study:
(i) To learn the importance of conflict management as a leader
(ii) To analyse the various factors leading to conflicts in an organisation
(iii) To evaluate the reasons for the direct and indirect relationship of conflicts due to
leadership issues
(iv) To learn from better practices and techniques to arrest or avoid conflicts in
organisations.
Review of Literature:
Conflict can be defined as the behavior by a person or group intended to inhibit the attainment of
goals by another person or group (Gray & Starke, 1984).
Riggio (2003), there are four main types of conflict in organizations. The first is intraindividual
conflict. This occurs when a person is faced with two different decisions. An example of this
could be a manager faced with the decision of ignoring a star performer’s late arrival to work
because he or she is a star performer, or disciplining that person like any other subordinate. The
conflict occurs within the mind of the manager.
Ruble and Thomas (1976) model of conflict behavior, employees have the ability to deal with
conflict five different ways. Managers in today’s workplace have ample opportunities to observe
this model. Depending on the attitude and behavior of the employee, it is possible to be
managing a department that has traits of all five conflict modes.
Ruble and Thomas’ (1976) model, it can be noted that a significant number of nurses deal with
conflict through avoidance. Nurses deal with conflict through avoidance in attempt to maintain
the status quo and prevent the disruption of relationships (Baltimore, 2006).
Robbins (1978), historic conflict philosophies by managers can be grouped in three distinct
categories: traditionalist, behavioralist, and interactionist. This method was very similar to the
traditionalists method; however, behavioralists did not always look at conflict as damaging to an
organization. Managers using this philosophy knew that conflict was inevitable, yet they still felt
strongly about solving the conflict, rather than stimulating it. Managers using this method

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believe that there is a right answer, and that once that answer is reached, all parties need to
comply. The third historically used philosophy was that of an interactionist. The interactionist
approach takes a very different look at conflict from the previous two methods. It proposes that
―managers should continue to resolve those conflicts that hinder the organization, but stimulate
conflict intensity when the level is below that which is necessary to maintain a responsive and
innovative unit (Robbins, 1978). Effective and efficient managers realize that if they manage a
department where there is absolutely no conflict, there is also no real potential for growth or
innovation. Procedures and ideas need to be challenged if organizations want to see continuous
quality improvement.
Robbins (1978) states: ―adaptation is possible only through change, and change is stimulated by
conflict‖ (pg. 69). Although there are some positive aspects to the above three mentioned
methods of dealing with conflict, choosing only one of the methods would not be sufficient for
front line managers. A more effective use of the methods might be to employ each as appropriate
to the situation. Therefore, Robbins suggested a contingency approach of managing conflict,
which in his words if used successfully, ‖gives the right tools for the right job‖ (pg. 74).
Robbins (1978) believes that conflict can be condensed into three general categories:
communication issues, structure problems, and personal behavior factors. For managers to be
able to successfully stimulate and combat conflict, they must to be able to classify where the
conflict arose from, and what their roles need to be in the conflict resolution process. The
contingency approach to conflict resolution, builds on
Ruble & Thomas’ (1976) model of how employees deal with conflict, but it also adds several
different factors. The first conflict management style deals with problem-solving. This is a very
common method that is currently used in many work environments, and has strengths and
weaknesses. If someone is confused, misunderstood, or under-trained, this is a style that could
produce results; however, if the situation is any deeper than that, managers may quickly feel
discouraged if this is the only technique that is brought to the table. Learning how to align super
ordinate goals is the next piece to the contingency puzzle. The likelihood of this type of conflict
occurring in an organization is high.

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Riggio (2003), this technique could be used for intergroup conflict. Avoiding conflict often
results only in a short-term fix and is generally never an answer to long term situations. When
managers handle conflict through avoidance, they will tend to inadvertently give employees
more power because employees will try to take matters into their own hands, and come up with
solutions. Whether managers want to admit it or not, when they permit conflict, they give the
impression of promoting it. The fifth technique in the contingency approach model is smoothing.
This technique is essentially how it sounds. Managers using this technique will try to highlight
the similarities while not placing a huge impact on the differences.
Robbins (1978) pointed out, there is not a clear loser when a compromise is made, but the flip
side of that is there is not really a clear winner. If a manager is trying to use compromise between
two employees who strongly dislike each other, the compromising solution may only be
temporary because neither employee will feel like their solutions were really used to solve the
problem. Authoritative command is also a common approach to conflict management.
Robbins (1978), however, suggested that conflict can be classified as functional or dysfunctional
based on how the conflict affects an organization’s performance: The Effect of Conflict
Management Styles on Employee Attitudes Work load, unethical behavior by colleagues, social
exclusion, time pressure, downsizing, and organizational change programs can all be easily
identified as things that cause stress at work and accordingly bring out some type of stressor
response (Bright & Jones, 2001).
Hackman and Oldham (1976) developed this model, and believed that five specific areas had
huge impacts on job satisfaction. Those five areas included: skill variety, task identity, task
significance, autonomy, and feedback. The basics of skill variety deal with the idea that a worker
will be able to use a wide range of skills in his or her job. Having the primary job function center
around putting the same three bolts on the same piece of metal on a daily basis would definitely
not be considered skill variety. Task identity is the idea that the worker is involved in the
complete process from beginning to end. The first two factors in the Job Characteristics Model
are generally not influenced by managers or supervisors. Employees are made aware of the job
functions prior to starting, and they can make an educated decision as to whether or not this is a

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job they want to do. The last three factors; however, are definitely influenced by managers
and/or supervisors in an organization.
Wall and Callister (1995) represents a synthesis of prior definitions, arguing that ―conflict is a
process in which one party perceives that its interests are being opposed or negatively affected
by another party‖. This study adopts Deutsch’s (1973, p.10) definition of conflict as "an action
that is incompatible with another action that prevents, obstructs, interferes, injures, or in some
way makes the latter less likely or less effective" from a social psychological perspective. Most
process models focused on the stages of conflict, increasing the complexity and difficulty of
understanding conflict phenomena and dealing with conflict effectively.
Deutsch’s (1973) conflict definition addresses the flaws in process models by clearly refining
conceptualizations. Most process models define conflict as opposing interests, confusing conflict
with competition and overlooking the reality that people with cooperative, highly overlapping
goals can be and often are in conflict (Tjosvold, 1998). Confusing conflict with competition
induces negative conceptions of conflict that in turn accelerate the difficulty of positive conflict
management as more destructive approaches like competitive and avoiding approach are
fostered.
Deutsch’s (1973) definition addresses the flaws by distinguishing competition and conflict,
which helps understanding the potential value and positive aspect of conflict. With this 17
definition, competition implies opposing goal attainments between two interaction parties,
whereas conflict can occur both in cooperative or competitive contexts. Causes of conflict The
focus of conflict researchers has not been on determining the causes of conflict (Deutsch, 1990;
Wall & Callister, 1995). Various factors contribute to setting the stage for conflict to emerge.
Dirks and Parks posited that the interdependence of the disputants, with actual or perceived
differences in goals, values, or aims, who view the other party as potentially interfering with the
attainment of those goals, values, or aims lead to conflict in the workplace (Dirks & Parks,
2003).

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Putnam and Poole (1987) viewed the competition for resources, coordination of systems, work
distribution, and participation in decision making as key factors to conflict in organizations. The
rising conflicts between departments within organizations are attributed to the increasing strains
produced by resource and workflow interdependence between departments and differences in
their short-term objectives and their desires for autonomy (Barclay, 1991; Dutton & Walton,
1966; Gresham et al., 2006; Lovelace et al., 2001; Nauta & Sanders, 2001; Van De Ven & Ferry,
1980). Conflict management studies Conflict management researchers suggest that conflict is a
multidimensional construct (Jehn, 1992; Pinkley, 1990). Conflict can be a benefit or a detriment,
which 18 depends largely on the type of conflict and how it is managed (Amason, 1996; Jehn,
1995; Jehn & Mannix, 2001; Simons, Pelled, & Smith, 1999). Researchers have identified
several different types of conflict, which resulted in a proliferation of terminology with
significant conceptual overlap (Dirks & Parks, 2003). In particular, one distinguishable type of
conflict (e.g., interpersonal, relational, affective, and emotional conflict) induced negative
results, whereas another distinguishable type of conflict (e.g., task, debate, substantive, and
cognitive conflict) promoted positive outcomes (Amason & Schweiger, 1997; Dirks & Parks,
2003; Simons & Peterson, 2000). They argue that there is consistency in conflict style across
types of conflict and these types very much influence conflict management styles (Sternberg &
Soriano, 1984).
Among them, Kilmann and Thomas' (1975) two-dimensional model of conflict management
and Rahim's (1983) dual concern model are the most widely used models. However, research
findings have been conflicting.
De Dreu and Weingart's (2003) meta-analysis found the same significant relationship between
both types of conflict and conflict outcomes. They concluded that both types of conflict were
disruptive and the classification was not so useful. This study follows the second main stream of
conflict management research led by Deutsch (1973, 1983) and others.
Johnson, Johnson, and Tjosvold (2000) demonstrate the open-minded discussion of conflicting
perspectives for mutual benefit, labeled constructive controversy, is an effective way to manage
conflict effectively in order to capitalize on the potential positive outcomes of conflict (De Dreu

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& Gelfand, 2008; Tetlock, Armor, & Peterson, 1994). Open-minded discussion of controversy
and conflict management between departments Effective collaboration between departments is a
pressing challenge for organizations (van Knippenberg, 2003).
Introduction; Whenever two individuals look into the same issue in different ways, a conflict is
bound to happened and it does arises either at the spur of the moment or get triggered indirectly.
In simple terms conflict is a fight either between individuals ,among group members or among
departments in an organisation. Never in organisation situation two individuals think alike and
including their thought process, even to the level of understanding. Disagreements happening
with in individuals have different values, opinions, needs, interests and usually stand at a point
of uncertaninity. Conflict is defined as a clash between individuals arising out of a difference in
thought process, attitudes, understanding, interests, requirements and even sometimes
perceptions. A conflict results in heated arguments, physical abuses and definitely loss of peace
and harmony. A conflict can actually change relationships. Misunderstandings as well as ego
clashes also lead to conflicts. Every individual has a different way to look at things and react to
various situations. Mike wanted to meet Henry at the church. He called up Henry and following
was the conversation between them.
A conflict has five phases.
1. 1st phase: Prelude to conflict Preceding conflict inflicting factors which possibly arise
a conflict among individuals due to lack of coordination, differences in interests, dissimilarity in
cultural, religion, educational background all are instrumental in arising a conflict.
2. 2nd Phase: Triggering Event – Never any conflict arise on its own, there needs to be an
intervening direct or indirect event which triggers the conflict. Like for example two people from
different cultural backgrounds trying to convince each othre, thus triggering the conflict between
them.
3. 3rd Phase : Initiation Phase - Initiation phase is actually the phase where the conflict
begins. Heated arguments, abuses, verbal disagreements starts in the sequel indicating that the
fight is already on.
4. 4th Phase : Differentiation Phase – This is the phase when the individuals voice out
their differences against each other in the differentiation phase.

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5. 5th Phase : Resolution Phase – The parties involved must try to compromise to some
extent and resolve the conflict soon. The resolution phase explores the various options to resolve
the conflict.
Conflicts are many like verbal, religious, emotional, Social, personal, organizational, and
community conflict.Conflicts and fighting with each other never lead to a conclusion. If you are
not on the same line as the other individual, never fight, instead try your level best to sort out
your differences. Discussion is always a better and wiser way to adopt rather than conflicts.
Personal conflict: A conflict between two people, according to Boston University FSAO, can be
personality or style differences and personal problems such as substance abuse, childcare issues,
and family problems. Organizational factors such as leadership, management, budget, and
disagreement about core values can also contribute can become causes of workplace conflict as
poor communication, different values, differing interests, scarce resources, personality clashes,
and poor performance. Social conflict refers to interpersonal, intragroup, and intergroup
differences apart from that the interpersonal level includes disputes between peers as well as
supervisor-subordinate conflict. The basic incompatibility between the authority and structure of
formal organizations and the human personality cannot be separated from the culture that
surrounds it. Intragroup conflict: The scarcity of freedom, position, and resources, lack of
independence tend to resist the need for interdependence and, to some extent, conformity within
a group. Hence People who seek power struggle with each other for position or status within the
group. Rewards and recognition are often perceived as insufficient and improperly distributed,
and members are inclined to compete with each other for these prizes. In western culture,
winning is more acceptable than losing, and competition is more prevalent than cooperation, all
of which tends to intensify intragroup conflict. Group meetings are often conducted in a win-lose
climate where, individual or subgroup interaction is conducted for the purpose of determining a
winner and a loser rather than for achieving mutual problem solving. Intergroup conflict:
Intergroup conflict occurs in four general forms. Horizontal strain involves competition
between functions, for example, sales versus production, research and development versus
engineering, purchasing versus legal, line versus staff, and so on. Vertical strain involves
competition between hierarchical levels, for example, union versus management, foremen versus
middle management, shop workers versus foremen. A struggle between a group of employees

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and management is an example of vertical strain or conflict. A clash between a sales department
and production over inventory policy would be an example of horizontal strain. Certain
activities and attitudes are typical in groups involved in a win-lose conflict.Hostility between the
two groups increases; mutual understandings are buried in negative stereotypes.
Role conflict: The multiple roles people play in organizations, sometimes
described organization as a system of position roles who share interdependent tasks and thus
perform formally defined roles, which are further influenced both by the expectations of others
in the role set and by one's own personality and expectation. Passive aggressive behavior:
Passive aggressive behavior of workers and managers that is noxious to team unity and
productivity that lead to sabotage projects and end up stifling a team's creativity. Conflict is not
always destructive. When it is destructive, however, managers need to understand and do
something about it. A rational process for dealing with the conflict should be programmed. Such
a process should include a planned action response on the part of the manager or the
organization, rather than relying on a simple reaction or a change that occurs without specific
action by management.
Stress: Interpersonal conflict among people at work has been shown to be one of the most
frequently noted stressors for employees. Conflict has been noted to be an indicator of the
broader concept of workplace harassment. It relates to other stressors that might co-occur, such
as role conflict, role ambiguity, and workload. It also relates to strains such as anxiety,
depression, physical symptoms, and low levels of job satisfaction. Positive outcomes: Group
conflict does not always lead to negative consequences. The presence of a dissenting member or
subgroup often results in more penetration of the group's problem and more creative solutions.
This is because disagreement forces the members to think harder in an attempt to cope with what
may be valid objections to general group opinion. But the group must know how to deal with
differences that may arise. True interdependence among members leads automatically to conflict
resolution in the group. Interdependence recognizes that differences will exist and that they can
be helpful. Hence, members learn to accept ideas from dissenters (which does not imply agreeing
with them), they learn to listen and to value openness, and they learn to share a mutual problem-
solving attitude to ensure the exploration of all facets of a problem facing the group.

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Conflict management: Improving organizational practices could help resolve conflicts,
including establishing superordinate goals, reducing vagueness, minimizing authority and
domain-related disputes, improving policies, procedures and rules, re-apportioning existing
resources or adding new, altering communications, movement of personnel, and changing reward
systems. Workplace conflict may include disputes between peers, supervisor-subordinate conflict
or intergroup disputes. When disputes are not dealt with in a timely manner, greater efforts may
be needed to solve them. Party-Directed Mediation (PDM) is a mediation approach particularly
suited for disputes between colleagues or peers, especially those based on deep-seated
interpersonal conflict or multicultural or multiethnic ones. The mediator listens to each party
separately in a pre-caucus or pre-mediation before ever bringing them into a joint session. Part of
the pre-caucus also includes coaching and role plays. The idea is that the parties learn how to
converse directly with their adversary in the joint session. Some unique challenges arise when
disputes involve supervisors and subordinates. The Negotiated Performance Appraisal (NPA) is
a tool for improving communication between supervisors and subordinates and is particularly
useful as an alternate mediation model because it preserves the hierarchical power of supervisors
while encouraging dialogue and dealing with differences in opinion.
Counseling: Nondirective counseling, or "listening with understanding", is little more than being
a good listener and able to vent one's feelings that is, to express them to a concerned and
understanding listener, is enough to relieve frustration and make it possible for the frustrated
individual to advance to a problem-solving frame of mind, better able to cope with a personal
difficulty that is affecting their work adversely. The nondirective approach is one effective way
for managers to deal with frustrated subordinates and co-workers. There are other more direct
and more diagnostic ways that might be used in appropriate circumstances.
Change: Management sets a vision of the future. The manager reflects in their decision-making
activities the values of the organization as they have developed through time, from the original
founder-owner to the present top-management personnel. The navigation between the values of
the organization, its objectives, goals, and management has expectations concerning the
organization's effectiveness, efficiency, frequently initiates changes within the organization.
Most long lasting conflict that is negatively affecting work and people must be resolved. And,

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this kind of conflict can pose a challenge because employees demonstrate that they can't resolve
it alone. So, the supervisor's intervention is needed.
How to effectively and successfully make Conflict Resolution
 Do not avoid the conflict, hoping it will go away. An unresolved conflict or
interpersonal disagreement festers just under the surface in your work environment. 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. Every
employee with whom the conflicting employees interact is affected by the stress. People feel
a hostile work environment in worst case scenarios, and the organization gets divided. To
mediate and resolve conflict help employees resolve conflicts in respective workplace itself.
Conduting a meet with the antagonists together and put their point of view, without comment
or interruption by the other party. 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. If the situation needs further exploration, additionally identifying 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 and reasonable disagreements over issues
and plans have personality conflicts that affect the workplace. Finally assure both parties have
faith in their ability to resolve their differences and get on with their successful contributions
within shared organization.
Facilitation and its importance?
Facilitation process trains, builds team, meets leaders, manages, the content, process, and
structure to meet the needs of an individual, group or team. The process of facilitation is used for
helping a group of people to achieve their goals, their reason for holding the meeting
etc. Facilitation is provided by a person, called the facilitator, who leads pairs of people or
groups to obtain knowledge and information, work collaboratively, and accomplish their

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objectives. A facilitator should add great value to any group planning session or meeting as the
facilitator keeps the group on task, moving together in the same direction and ensures the
participation of each group member.
Group Facilitation: Facilitation for groups or teams is provided by internal or external people
who are skilled in: Presenting content and information, Designing and formulating a process that
helps a group achieve its objectives, Providing an appropriate structure to a meeting, training or
team building session, or another work event, so that the mission of the group is accomplished in
the session, Promoting shared responsibility for the outcome of the meeting, and, Drawing forth
from participants the answers to their questions, necessary decisions, and solutions to problems.
Individual Facilitation: A skilled facilitator can provide the structure, content, and process
needed by the individual employees to reach a mutually satisfying solution to their issues.
Facilitation is a powerful tool that is used to help individuals and groups more effectively and
efficiently achieve their purpose. Under the leadership of a skilled facilitator (one who provides
facilitation services), meetings, team building sessions, and training classes achieve results not
possible without facilitation. Whether they are the meeting leader, a manager, or a group
member, following strategie scan bring back the group members hand holding for the discussion
and competing conversations.
The proficient use nonverbal communication by looking or wave to the participants. Turn the
opportunities of the floor for a minute while the other participants rejoin the group. Never let
fear on to manager's or team leader's mind and also must be on the look out for a proper
communicating ability to do the job to control meetings.Intervening with a professional way
of questioning. Put questions to the group members and ask for a opinion with a brief summary
of the discussion occurring in the meeting as a whole, and request the people to share their ideas
with the rest of the people in the meeting. Verbally intervene for participation: Generally, it's
better to use this tactic as a second or third attempt to pull people in. It's direct and very
effective but can embarrass team members.Establish a group signal. The group signal reminds
participants to hold one discussion at a time. A signal that works effectively is to make a non-
verbal time out sign followed by holding up one index finger to indicate one meeting.

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The culminators of Conflict in an organisation due to Leader’s Bad Practices Contributing
to Conflict in organisation:
Leaders sometimes never have conciousness of what they are doing: The first and foremost
consideration that employees look at the leader is to provide them with the leadership they
need to succeed, and are they getting that, and is the leader in place leads and manages in a way
that makes employees know that the leader knows what is going on in the organization. They
have to be able to see that the department’s goals are part of something bigger and that they help
move the something bigger forward. The worst manifestation of not knowing what a leader is
doing is to give employees the wrong information and then lie when confronted with the truth.
Also the leader demonstrate incompetence when they present information that is wrong or when
the leader interpret the numbers incorrectly when talking or presenting to reporting staff. They
will always catch out when leader don’t tell the truth, pretend to know or withhold information
that made them fail. And, they will hate the leader. A conflict in the relationship starts here.
What they percieve about the leader and what the actually see differs.
When the leadre treat them disrespectfully; When leaders disrespect for employees, they
injure their feelings, their self-confidence, and their self-esteem. Furthermore, if they treat them
disrespectfully, they will never garner their respect in return. Employees are feelings-oriented
people who are like radar machines scoping out the work environment. When the leaders talk
over them, belittle their ideas, ignore their input, and criticize them unfairly, they feel
disrespected. Calling last minute meetings with no regard for their prior commitments, refusing
to okay vacation time use that was appropriately requested, and failing to commit needed
resources in a timely manner are hallmarks of disrespectful behavior. Employees know when
they are not respected and they will hate the leader and all the more the chances of conflicts are
high.
The work is all about leaders and not giving due credit to the employees; If the leaders
become the center of the employees' world everything starts with them and ends with them, then
they formulate expectations for employees based on whether their outcomes will make the leader
look good? Worst, whether the leader chastise employees for errors or unmet goals because they

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made leaders look bad? When everything is all about the manager, employees know and they
hate the leaders and conflict too engulfs their mind.
When leaders are a blockhead or a Jerk: If leaders are unreasonable, selfish, manipulative, or
stupid in their behavior toward their reporting staff? A prima donna that requires their attention
and approbation—constantly? Do leaders think about their feelings or the impact of their
decisions on their work? Do they tell tales about one employee to his or her colleagues in the
department? Do they play one employee against another by offering a prize for the best project?
Think about a time when leaders thought of another individual as a jerk? Was he or she a lot like
the leader? If so, the conflict developes.
Leaders over manage smart employees: Even earnest managers think of assessment
about how much managing an employee needs. When they trust their employees and let them
figure out how they accomplish their job, and significant contributions, or micromanage and
nitpick their ideas and work, leaders never tap into their discretionary energy or the best they
have to offer. Sure, the new employees, employees in training, and employees who change jobs
or acquire new responsibilities need more guidance. But, if leaders don’t watch their need to
guide them lessen over time, then leaders are the problem. They start micromanaging and they
will hate their leader or run away as far as possible as quickly as they can.
Leaders at times don’t know what they are doing themselves: Leaders don’t have to know
how to do every employee’s job to be a good manager. But, they have to understand enough
about their work to guide them. They need to communicate with the employee often enough to
know how workers are progressing and what challenges they experience. If leaders make
decisions about their work, they must know more than the minimum about the project or job. If
they tell employee what to do or how to do it, which is not recommended, the employees better
know more than the employee does, or he will hate the leader or conflict arises on the opinion of
leaders.
Leaders need not know everything about the employee or act as if so: Leaders need to know
everything about the lives of the reporting staff as far as possible , but they need to act as if they

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have lives. Asking employees to work late, work more, and assigning more work than they can
do will stress out the employees. They want to do well at work, but they also have myriad
responsibilities with home, family, friends, volunteering, sports events, and so much more.
Offering some flexibility and understanding will earn their respect. In fact, the youngest
generation of employees, unlike their older coworkers, demands flexibility and free time to
pursue all of their other interests. Put barriers in their way and you will find yourself without an
employee. And, who leader lose will be your most skilled, highly valued employees who have
the skill set necessary to network and leave. If leaders make them feel guilty, object to what
they need to do, or act as if you are put out every time they pursue their other priorities, the
employees will develop conflict easily.
Leaders refuse to give credit when the credit is really due: Employees enjoy recognition and
credit for their accomplishments. They like having coworkers praise their work and think highly
of them. Where managers mess up in this arena is by taking credit for their employees’ ideas and
accomplishments. Not mentioning that the idea was employees is the fatal omission a manager
makes.
Leader’s approbation of senior managers creates conflict and also disappointment among
the employees; When you throw your employees under the bus, you will not recover. The
minute an employee knows that, rather than supporting her and offering reasons why a project or
timeline may have failed, you blamed her, it’s all over. Even if you are disappointed in the
employee’s performance, you publicly blame them to your shame. Rather than earning the
approbation of senior managers, you will be known as the manager who throws employees under
the bus. And, those employees will hate you.
When leaders are a bully and this gets to the root of the conflict easier than ever:
Bullies reside in boss’s clothing more often than leaders ever think is possible. The bully
behavior is one of the bad boss indicators noted by employees most frequently in workplaces.
Bully behavior encompasses bosses who yell and cuss at employees, physically intimidate
employees by physical proximity, and block employees from getting away either from their desk

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Conclusions and Suggestions:
Firstly; Preventing is better than cure, and building a Trust Relationship Over Time: Trust
is built and maintained by many small actions over time. Setting up team norms or relationship
guidelines and a set of rules or guidelines that a team establishes to shape the interaction of team
members with each other and with employees who are external to the team. Team norms can be
developed during an early team meeting. More norms can be added as the team sees the need for
additional guidelines.Once developed, team norms are used to guide team member behavior.
Team norms are used to assess how well team members are interacting. Team members as
coworkers: all team members are equal; every team member's opinion will be thoughtfully
considered; each team member will keep all commitments by the agreed upon due date; each
team member agrees to constantly assess whether team members are honoring their commitment
to the team norms. Team member communication: team members will speak respectfully to
each other; will not talk down to each other; will positively recognize and thank each other for
team contributions. Team member interaction in meetings: team members will listen without
interrupting; hold no side or competing conversations; follow the rules for effective meetings;
attend the meeting on time; always work from an agenda; minutes will be recorded at each
meeting; end meetings on time.Team organization and function: leadership will rotate
monthly; the team management sponsor will attend the meeting, at least, monthly.Team
communication with other employees including managers: team members will make certain
they have agreement on what and when to communicate; complaints about team members will be
addressed first in the team. Team problem solving, conflict resolution, and decision
making: team members will make decisions by consensus, but majority will rule if timely
consensus is not reached; conflicts will be resolved directly with the persons in conflict.Team
norms can encompass as many topics as the team deems necessary for successful functioning.
Start with a few team norms and add more norms as needed.Make sure the team norms are
written and posted where team members are reminded of their commitment. Take a look
at Twelve Tips for Team Building to identify other areas for potential team norms.With effective
team norms in place, your team will be able to focus on its business purpose. The team was
undoubtedly founded to help the company continuously improve and achieve its strategic goals.
Don't let ineffective relationships and interactions sabotage the team's work. Clarifying the job
description of a manager varies from organization to organization. The manager's role and job

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description are at a pay grade or job classification level of the organization that integrates
functions and departments for implementation success. The manager who is responsible for a
department normally has directly reporting employees for whom he or she has leadership
responsibility.Larger organizations may also have senior managers or managers of managers
who report to either the director level or the vice president level, depending, usually, on the size
of the organization.The best description that I've seen recently for what a manager does or should
do, from the Harvard Business Review, is: "Management is the responsibility for the
performance of a group of people."My traditional definition echoes a similar role: A manager is
responsible for overseeing and leading the work of a group of people. But, what else does
manager mean and what does a manager do?Leading people is the usual description of what a
manager does.But, he or she is also responsible for leadership over a segment of work, a sub-
section of the organization's results, or a functional area with or without reporting staff.
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