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Workplace Tension Resolution Carolyn Miller HRRM Director Chatham County Sources of Workplace Tension? • Employees • Supervisors • Customers • Unknown persons What do they all have in common??? Causes of Workplace Tension • • • • • • • • • Opposing positions Competitive tensions Power struggles Egos Pride Jealousy Performance discrepancies Compensation issues Perceived unfairness Two Major Causes of Conflict • Communication (or lack thereof) • Emotions What is the Definition of Effective Communications? • Effective communication occurs only if the receiver understands the exact information or idea that the sender intended to transmit. • The more communication transactions that take place, the more difficult it is “to get it right” The Basic Communications Process Idea Interpretation Message Message Exercise 1 • On the sheets of paper provided, record a recent difficult conversation you had in the right column; to the best of your ability, record the exact words of yourself and the person you were talking to • In the left column, record your unspoken thoughts and feelings The Ladder of Inference John wants the project to fail. Abstract John isn’t committed to this project. John is intentionally late. John is late to the meeting. Specific The meeting is planned to start at 7:00. John arrives at 7:30. Feelings…nothing more than feelings… Are feelings an appropriate part of a difficult conversation? We are taught to be “rational” Why do we avoid feelings? • Messy • Make us vulnerable • We have to hear the other person’s • We have to hear the other person’s feelings Problem with Leaving Feelings Out • Often, the problem is really about feelings • They will leak in (or explode) anyway • Our feelings get in the way of good listening • We leave out part of ourselves Feelings Become Something Else • Attributions or judgments about the other person’s intentions • Blame Dealing with it—5 Guidelines 1-Define Acceptable Behavior • Have clearly defined expectations for employees • Well articulated chain of command Dealing with it—5 Guidelines 2-Hit Conflict Head-On • Secret to conflict resolution is conflict prevention where possible • Be proactive and seek out potential areas of conflict and intervene and a fair and decisive fashion (ideally comes from employees themselves) Dealing with it—5 Guidelines 3-Understanding the WIIFM Factor • Try to understand the other’s motivations • Everyone has their own objectives to meet-approach conflict from the perspective of taking action Dealing with it—5 Guidelines 4-The Importance Factor • Pick your battles and avoid conflict for the sake of conflict • If it is important, keep lines of communication open Dealing with it—5 Guidelines 5-View Conflict as an Opportunity • Tremendous potential to teach/learn • Always value the feelings/opinions of others How-To Punch List 1. Address the conflict directly 2. Listen to both sides (3rd story) 3. Bring both (all) parties together How-To Punch List 4. Find common ground 5. Encourage compromise 6. Confront negative feelings 7. Be positive!! Left-Hand Column Revisited Questions?