The management of labor disputes is a vital function in the company, anyone who has responsibilities or responds to obligations of a managerial nature, with total security spends much of his time facing conflictive or problematic situations to solve them.
Of these situations, the majority are problems that arise within the group of people who are under their charge, either as employees or volunteers. Situations that must receive an answer because not facing them would lead to a worsening of these, which would harm the organization, the group, the individual and the person in charge himself, for not offering a way out of a certain situation. Therefore, one of the skills that any supervisor must master is coping with conflictive situations that arise at any time in an organization or human group.
The most appropriate approaches to deal with such situations are problem solving and advice, which should be applied not only when problems arise, but throughout the entire supervisory process, in carrying out adequate preventive work. It is therefore assumed that infractions are actions / errors that can be corrected constructively, leaving the application of expeditious disciplinary sanctions when the previous route has been exhausted and the offender persistently maintains his erroneous and damaging attitude.
In order to carry out an adequate control of difficult situations and not make mistakes in the assessment of such situations, the recommended actions to be taken are the following:
- Know the group operating rules that are applied in the organization and communicate them in a timely manner to all those who are under their direction Supervise individual execution by maintaining direct communication that prevent the emergence of conflicts Promptly identify any deficiencies that occur Respond promptly employing the necessary skills.
For the treatment of the conflict, the use of assertive skills (capacity for self-assertion and personal rights) is necessary and fundamental. Assertive managers are those who communicate frankly, honestly and directly everything they consider they should say to the people under their charge, while respecting the right of those to express their own opinions.
What do we understand by a conflict?
We understand by CONFLICT, the situation in which a part of the members of a group adopts a significantly different position from the rest of the members, decreasing or canceling cohesion. That is, it can arise when there is disparity of criteria within the members that make up a group.
Other authors define it as "that state of tension, which arises between two or more parties, because they have equal, different or opposite interests in someone or something, which they find difficult to be compatible or equitably shared between them."
Well-managed conflicts do not necessarily have to be viewed only as negative. These can help the groups to mature and even serve as a trigger that allows a relaunch in the activity of the same.
There are two main types of conflicts:
- Latent (exists but is not clearly manifested) Manifest (manifests clearly).
Other classifications:
- Intrapersonal: They have an inner root in the person (values, intimate circumstances,…) Interpersonal: The prototype; two people confronted about a third, an idea or a good to which both aspire. Intragroup: They are exactly the same as the interpersonal only that the confrontation occurs between subgroups within the same original group. Intergroup: Those that occur between groups.
Conflicts should not be forgotten but resolved, since an unresolved CONFLICT will lead to the splitting up and dissolution of a work group / team, voluntary or not, sooner or later.
To resolve conflicts within groups, it is recommended to follow the following steps:
- Define the problem (What is going wrong?) Analyze its causes (Why?) Define objectives to act (What do we want to achieve?) Generate alternatives (What can we do?) Choose the most optimal alternative (Can we What should we do?) Make the chosen solution operational (How do we do it?) Put it into practice (Do it) Evaluate (How have we done it?).
The application phases to proceed to the resolution are:
- Immediate phase.
- First step. The task of the leader / manager is to make the conflict manifest to all members of the group in a clear, objective and non-offensive way. Second step. Expose the possible outputs:
- Reach a compromise between both positions Integrate opposing ideas to find new solutions.
THE IDEAL CONSISTS OF NEGOTIATING SOLUTIONS WITHOUT LOSS;
EVERYONE BENEFITS, EVERYONE Yielded.
The skills necessary to deal with a conflict.
In complicated situations such as making criticisms, giving bad news, etc., it is important that the manager / manager, apart from communicating the facts in an appropriate way, also knows how to help the volunteer to control the anxiety that this situation may generate, way that you understand and accept the message. For which, it is recommended, as measures to face a difficult situation:
- Find a quiet, private place and invite the volunteer to sit down and calm down Listen carefully Use a low volume of voice and a calm tone Let the volunteer express their irritation and feelings, accepting them as a normal reaction to such Reflect those feelings: Acknowledge their irritation and show understanding, without implying agreeing with that way of expression Show empathy with the person Wait for them to express all their irritation before answering Show an open mind about what is supposed to be wrong and what should be done until all the facts are analyzed Offer possible alternatives that allow you to cope with the situation Express your own feelings about the situation Request a change in behavior in successive situations
Also the manager / manager is open to receiving criticism for his performance in the fulfillment of his functions or responsibilities. In such situations, the attitude of the same, should not be evasive or disqualifying, but open and tending to create a climate of frank communication that sets the guidelines of the mood that is considered should be adequate to receive and give criticism.
Some critical considerations to keep in mind are:
- Listen carefully Request the clarifications that are considered appropriate Suggest or request changes regarding the way in which the criticism is made, if it is inappropriate Reformulate and summarize the criticisms that have been made, as well as the consequences that They may have had the facts Recognize the facts and agree, if the criticism is adequate, or deny the allegations that are considered inappropriate Request or suggest alternatives for action Request, where appropriate, apologies and accept responsibilities Express commitment to rectify. Show in a personalized way feelings related to the situation, thanking the attitude and behavior of the critic.
In situations in which the other interlocutor is aggressive and provocative, the following procedure or skills must be followed according to moments or stages of the situation:
- Discuss:
- Expose positions Reformulate positions of the other.
- Persuade:
- Reasoning own position. Insist on approach
- Negotiate:
- Seek alternative solutions Establish viable commitments.
- Show persistence:
- Reiterate approach Reiterate reasons.
- Protect yourself:
- Accept the possibility that he is right ("fog bank" technique) Insistently reiterate one's position ("broken record" technique).
- Conclude the relationship:
- Invite to withdraw or indicate withdrawal Involve other people.
THE APPROACH INTERVIEW
It can be considered as a discussion between the volunteer and his immediate manager to correct the lack of success of the volunteer in carrying out his voluntary action in an acceptable way.
Two types of errors usually occur:
- Commission: Where the work is done, although not in an adequate way. Omission: Where you stop doing something for which you were responsible.
An interview of these characteristics is carried out when the volunteer:
- He is not capable, that is, he does not have the necessary qualities or requirements to carry out a certain activity. Corrective action in these cases involves: a) giving training, b) transferring the volunteer from the position and c) redefining the position. He / she does not want to do things well, that is, the volunteer seems to lack the degree of commitment necessary to carry out an activity volunteer adequate to the needs of the same. Corrective action in these cases requires discovering and acting on the source of dissatisfaction produced by this low level of commitment. You do not know the rules, that is, when you have not been correctly informed of the rules that govern your voluntary action. The corrective action in this case is twofold:
- The position is clearly defined and what is expected of the volunteer in it. Those responsible must regularly inform, both positive and negative, of their performance to the volunteers in the development of their voluntary action, so that can learn and improves their activity.
This type of interview must meet three basic objectives:
- Define the situation. Clearly describe the incident of ineffective performance that led to the interview situation. Specify responsibility for failure. Examine the causes of ineffective performance, from the point of view of the interviewer and interviewee. Decide on corrective action. Establish an action plan to reduce or correct ineffective performance.
The interview, when carried out, must follow a semi-structured approach, that is, one in which the topics to be discussed are identified but there is flexibility for the interviewer to treat them as they wish.
Every interview must follow a structure or sequence of development. Therefore, before proceeding to explain the specific development that an interview of the characteristics we are talking about should follow, we are going to present the general scheme that any interview should follow.
Sequences to plan the content of the interview
Principles for conducting the interview
As we have already seen, the basic format that a discipline interview must follow is the following:
- Establish the rules of the game. It is important to establish the objectives of the interview with the interviewee and emphasize your interest in knowing their views on the subject. Discuss unacceptable performance. It consists of describing what happened, from the point of view of the person in charge and the volunteer. Discuss the reasons for unacceptable performance. It consists of examining the factors that have led to such a situation. Plan such a situation. It consists of planning corrective action, a set of goals or specific actions must be established to be carried out by the interviewee with the help of the person in charge or other members of the organization.
Therefore, conducting a disciplinary interview involves the following process:
- Before the interview:
- Check
- The facts as they are known and have been referred Position regarding the disciplinary procedure and the rights of the volunteers Who will be present.
- During the Interview:
- Perform:
Explain the position of the address.
- Ask:
Volunteer comments about what happened, reasons and attitudes.
- Ensure:
That each understands the position of the other.
- Examine:
Shared problems to find a solution.
- Persuade:
If the issue is not resolved through mutual examination and discussion of the problem, try to persuade the volunteer that continuing such behaviors is not in their best interest.
- Disapprove:
If persuasion fails, disapprove of what happened.
- Penalize:
If all else fails, apply penalties.
- After the interview:
- Annotate:
Agreed problems and actions.
- Perform:
Whether any necessary management action was agreed.
- File:
Interview notes for future reviews.
In the development of these interviews, the following should be avoided :
- Criticize the volunteer personally, focus on the activity Interrupt or contradict while he is receiving the information transmitted by the volunteer on the subject Take an active role in the interview (do not do all the work) Make ultimatums.
Instead it should promote :
- Provide concrete behavioral information. Describe clearly and concisely what you have been seen to do. Then ask her to explain the reason for her behavior. This allows the interview to focus on the facts and makes the interviewee responsible for investigating the causes of their performance Listening to giving the volunteer ideas The ideas and explanations of the volunteer can be very useful Alternatives Being clear and direct
