Speech (conflict of management at workplace)

Speech title:

Management of Conflict

General Purpose:

This presentation is to aid the audience in better management of conflict at the place of work. It is designed to assist the audience to capture the essentials of management of conflict at the workplace

Specific Purpose:

The specific purpose of the presentation is to find specifically how to understand the cause of conflict and prevent it from taking shape.

Introduction

Attention getter:

Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means: Ronald Reagan. According to this great president, conflict can be managed without further loss. I will attempt in this presentation to explain how management of loss can be achieved and gain other advantages in the attempt.

Thesis Statement

An analysis of the factors that cause conflict at the work place and how to prevent them from taking shape

Body

Preview Statement

The workplace in recent times has become dynamic. Because of these changes and the inadequacy of management to anticipate them and adequately plan for them, it becomes problematic to foresee conflict and adequately prevent it or at worst prepare for it. Conflict can be caused by many factors. These include abut are not limited to:

1. Divergent opinion- given that the workplace contains different people with a different background it is expected that these individuals will have a difference in purpose and opinion. The lessons that got these individuals to the work place were as different as the individuals themselves hence they base their knowledge and experience on these backgrounds. It would be proper for management to seek the differences in background and bring them to common understanding. This will aide in providing a similar purpose for which the employees shall work towards (Goetsch & Davis, 2014)

2. Difference in Objectives- individuals in the workplace should be driven by singular objectives. In the event there are conflicting and opposing objectives, the employees of an organization will find themselves clashing. It is the function of management to lay out the objectives of the organization and departments for which the employees are engaged. These objectives should be well thought out and geared towards similar purpose.

3. Selfishness- when an individual places their own needs, ambitions and aspirations above the common interest of all individuals’ management will be at a loss and the whole organization may fall to ruin. It is important for management to source for individuals that are selfless and root out any individuals that show signs of selfishness.

4. Poor communication- communication that does not deliver the intended message or one that is done without proper regard for the etiquette of communication may breed conflict. Sending a wrong message to the wrong recipient or totally not knowing how to send a proper message will lead to further conflict (Suter & Johnson, 2014).

5. Unhealthy competition- competition is brought about by scarcity of resources. Employees could fight over positions and organizational resources including vehicles, residence, office space, positions among others. Management should prepare adequate policy that will ensure that the employees understands what their positions afford them. It would also be important to note that healthy competition is profitable to all. Unmotivated employees will not perform as required. The motivation behind the competition should be carefully selected (Thompson, 2013).

6. Bad policy- policy is what shapes the culture of an organization. Having a policy that gives importance to a section of the team will create conflict. Changes in policy that are not well communicated will also lead to conflict at the work place. It is the duty of management to ensure that policy changes are well communicated while at the same time ensuring that the policy is balanced to cover all individuals equally. It has to be fair and just (Kantek & Kartal, 2015).

Conclusion

Summary

The causes of conflict are all caused by individuals and are choices that are made. Should such choice be struck from options then there will be lesser instances of conflict. Management has to carefully ensure that the choices are made by responsible individuals who have a stake in the organization or that they are guided by sound policy. The policy of the organization is what forms the culture of the organization. A weak policy will enslave the organization to conflict and loss in both resources and revenues, including human resources. Upright individuals would not like to work in an organization that is tainted by conflict and a bad name.

Closure

In conclusion it has to be noted that even the best managed organizations with the best policy and policy makers cannot go without conflict. There is no single institution that has no conflict. It is the role of both the management and the employees of an organization to ensure that the conflict in an organization is minimized and that the losses are small.

Reference

Goetsch, D. L., & Davis, S. B. (2014). Quality management for organizational excellence. Pearson.

Kantek, F., & Kartal, H. (2015). CONFLICT MANAGEMENT IN STUDENT NURSES: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. Journal of Educational & Instructional Studies in the World, 5(3).

Suter, R. E., & Johnson, J. R. (2014, January). Identifying and resolving conflict in the workplace. In Cambridge University Press.

THOMPSON, J. D. (2013). 6 Organizational management of conflict. Industrial Organizations and Health, 1(4), 138.