Student’s Initial Post-Effective Conflict Resolution
Response to Ning Ivy Sun’s posting
Employees in the workplace have different personalities, opinions, and goals; hence, disagreements in the workplace are inevitable. The good news is that conflict doesn’t have to damage business. The reason is that Kimberly A. Benjamin’s six steps of conflict resolution can be used to resolve disputes whenever they happen.
The first step is to explain the conflict. The main idea of this step is to allow the conflicting parties to give details on the argument while agreeing on what the dispute is (Benjamin, 2019)To get the information needed in questions such as “How and when did the incident start?” can be asked.
The second step establishes a common goal for both parties. Once all the information has been gathered, both parties need to decide on what they see as their possible solution (Kaslow, Grus, Campbell, Fouad, Hatcher & Rodolfa, 2009). If they get to agree on a common goal, then they are most likely to achieve the goal.
The third is discussing ways to meet the goal. To reach the intended target, the parties have to brainstorm the possible solutions to the conflict (Ronen, Pliskin & Pass, 2018). The step allows each party to be familiar with what it wishes to happen.
In the fourth step, barriers to the goal are identified. It involves step establishing factors that would prevent the parties from reaching their goal. Acknowledging problems forehand helps the conflicting groups to work proactively to find solutions to the problem
The fifth step is agreeing on the most effective way to resolve the conflict. Here, both parties talk over the alternatives in an objective and neutral way. Then, they agree on the common goal with the conclusion they are willing to meet the goal.
Finally, the parties grasp the responsibility of resolving the dispute through the agreed options. To achieve this, they can state their responsibilities outlook using phrases such as “I acknowledge that I need to.” Responsibilities encourage the parties to hold themselves accountable to avoid future conflicts.
The six steps suggested by Benjamin are a useful tool for conflict resolution because they allow conflicting sides to air perceptions. However, they do not prevent conflicts from happening. Further steps can be added to address the root cause of the disputes.