Conflict Management Strategy

The project involves the creation of a recruitment plan. The plan of recruiting new employees within an organization is important because it ensures that the best people are got for the job. It is also because the cost of making bad recruitment decisions can be high in terms of money and time. The paper will examine the project conflict and stress identification process. It will also look at consensus decision-making process.

Recruitment is a timely and cost efficient process that involves looking for and bringing the best-qualified candidates to fill job openings. Different tools are utilized for finding a candidate who is best suited for a particular position. However, there are conflicts that can arise during recruitment. One of the potential sources of conflict in a recruitment project is corruption risk. The recruitment process involves so many corruption risks that can lead to a conflict in the process. The corruption risks include an employee who is taking part in the recruitment process manipulating the selection procedure in order to secure an appointment for a family member or friend. Another corruption risk is when a selection panel member does not declare an existing conflict of interest and goes ahead to advance the interests of a candidate who is a relative or a friend (Rosenberg, 2002).Another corruption risk can occur when the convener of the recruitment committee ends up appointing members of the recruitment panel who can be influenced so as to make sure a candidate that is favored is selected. Another corruption risk can take place when a candidate falsifies his or her qualifications in order to enhance the prospects of securing a position (Rosenberg, 2002).

The second potential source of conflict is the conflict of interest among the recruitment panel. The conflict of interest involves a person being influenced by his or her personal interest when they make an employment decision. The conflict of interest comprises of factors such as friendship or family relationship with the candidate, financial interest, acrimonious relationship with the applicant and close working relationship with the candidate (Rosenberg, 2002).

Conflicts have different impacts depending on how they are managed. The result of a conflict is not in all cases negative, and there are instances where a conflict can lead to a positive effect. A conflict can be termed as good or bad depending on the impact it has on the project. There are various ways that can be used to determine whether a conflict is good or bad. The conflicts in the project can be termed as good if they bring a positive change in the recruitment process. The conflict is also good when it provides an opportunity for new possibilities within the recruitment process. It is also a good conflict if there will be an increase in productivity as a result of the recruitment process. These effects of the conflict will positively impact the recruitment process and hence termed as a good conflict.

A bad conflict is one that leads to an increase in stress in the recruitment process. It is also a bad conflict if it causes a degradation of the relationship among the recruitment panel and the applicants. In the recruitment project, the two conflicts that have been identified are bad conflicts. This is because they lead to an increase in stress among recruitment process since the best candidates might end up not being selected. It can also lead to disagreements among the members of the recruitment panel because of the conflict of interest that they have.

The potential sources of stress in the recruitment project include lack of consensus in decision making. The recruiting panel might fail to agree on who to select among the applicants hence lead to a stressful situation. Another source of stress in the recruitment project is the lack of funds to successfully conduct recruitment. The recruitment process is quite tasking and it requires a lot of resources. Lack of adequate resources such as inadequate funds can slow down or hinder the recruitment project. Another source of stress is the failure to capture the best candidates for a position. This can be caused by lack of proper advertising of the position or the use of inappropriate media to pass information regarding the job vacancy. Stress related to the recruitment project can be reduced through working together as a team when making recruitment decisions (Saint, & Lawson, 1994). This entails eliminating the conflict of interest among the members of the recruiting panel. Another way of reducing stress is through making the necessary resources available before the recruitment process begins. The organization should make sure that all resources required for the recruitment process are available in order for the process to run smoothly without stress. Stress in the recruitment process can also be reduced through proper advertisement of the job vacancy through the use of appropriate media. The organization should make sure that they use appropriate media to make information about the job vacancy available to all interested parties.

Consensus decision-making involves group members developing and agreeing to support a decision since it is the best interest of the entire group. It is a dynamic and creative way through which an agreement between all members of a group can be reached. As opposed to voting for something or letting the majority win, a group that is applying consensus decision-making is committed to getting a solution that everyone will support. The approach that I will use for consensus decision making is making it all about full agreement. The integral part of the approach will be unanimity which means full agreement. Unanimity is valued since it ensures that a group is able to deal with people’s concerns fully (Saint, & Lawson, 1994). The perspective values a sense of unity that is created through the commitment a group makes when finding a full agreement.

Consensus decision making is a process that entails several steps. The first step is holding a discussion on the issue that needs the decision to be made. The next step is the identification of the emerging proposal from the group members. The next step involves the identification of any unsatisfied concerns among the group members. The next step is to modify the proposal collaboratively with the group members. The next step involves assessment of the degree of support among the group members. The last step is the finalization of the decision followed by its implementation (Saint, & Lawson, 1994).

There are various facilitation tools that can be used to gain consensus. The first tool is going round in order to allow everyone to speak their mind but with less opportunity of getting argumentative. Another tool is taking a break to prevent losing focus and getting tired. Another tool is the use of consensus voting procedures as a way of starting point of discussion that will lead to a decision.

References

Avery, M., & Madison, W. (2001). Building united judgment: A handbook for consensus decision making. Madison, Wis.: Center for Conflict Resolution.

Rosenberg, N. (2002). Conflict of interest. New York: Hyperion.

Saint, S., & Lawson, J. (1994). Rules for reaching consensus: A modern approach to decision making. Amsterdam: Pfeiffer &.