It is usual, and almost a truism, that relationship problems are practically a sine qua non condition in human groups. And since organizations are made up of them, they are not outside of this difficulty.
If the main reason why conflicts occur in the workplace could be precisely located, it should begin with the concept of alienation. And it may be somewhat surprising. It is true and that is why it is required to justify such a statement.
First of all, I propose to think about this concept from the following coordinate: Alienus. The alien in oneself. The strange thing is that it is not only part of one, but it is one.
It is convenient to go little by little, in order to make this position more intelligible.
Their origin is not elsewhere than in the subject himself, taken in his pure individuality. In other words, it is not the human group that is responsible for generating them per se but rather that each of the members brings them with them.
If one starts from the psychoanalytic conception of Lacanian orientation, the subject starts from a founding division, which constitutes it and reveals its cause in the first years of life, and even before birth, from the maternal desire before giving birth.
There is, then, a primal alienation between the infant and the Other of language, embodied most of the time in the mother.
This division between one's own desire and another's desire is perverted from its very base, where precisely distinguishing What the Other wants from What I want will imply a trajectory that only a psychoanalytic experience can mark.
In this way we have: an initial own alienation, to which a second one is added, with the human group in which the subject will develop. And the human group in the company will be one of the privileged in adulthood.
Thus we see a constant dialectic between my own desire and the desire of others, whom we will now call our fellow men, thus cementing the origins of discomfort and conflict.
Personal differences with others (of perception, history, ideas, among others) are nothing more than the product of that original difference. They are the constant attempt of the subject to achieve their own place.
Purely own and exclusive that is different from others. This is where the concept of alienation carves most powerfully. I am alienated and I fight against it.
Is there a solution to this aporia that appears to us as a dilemma?
The answer is positive. If you are faced with a conflict there are 2 fundamental things that you should keep in mind:
- Put the focus on the problem and not on the person. Acknowledge its existence and the need to resolve it.
Taking the first point into consideration becomes relevant as approaching a situation from this perspective will imply a certain optimal emotional distance and which in turn is the only one that will allow the analysis of ideas and proposals instead of wanting to abolish or cancel the other.
Acting consistently with the second of the items will make effective action possible, capable of developing real coping strategies. As opposed to the delusion that not seeing the problem would end up killing it.
In short: the attempt to put an end to relationship problems for good is a pipe dream. However, this should not be inhibitory or paralyzing to the leadership structure when these occur.
Not only can solutions be found from tools such as mediation; personal interviews; the reengineering of processes or a reformulation of the organization chart. Even these difficulties are also capable of generating a very positive qualitative leap for the company, as a company devoid of conflicts is an organization without creative potential.
