RUNNING HEADER: CONFLICT RESOLUTION THROUGH CULTURAL CHANGE AND ACTION 1

CONFLICT RESOLUTION THROUGH CULTURAL CHANGE AND ACTION

By Jaron McAlister
LEPSL 580: Conflict Resolution and Decision Making
10/21/2018
Word Count 498
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The unfortunate and sudden passing of the Chief has left the department in search of

new leadership. City officials have recognized the leadership attributes and conflict resolution

tactics in which I have implemented and have found this new direction of leadership favorable.

In order to successfully operate in an environment which learns from conflict, the cultural

change within the department must be all personnel encompassing. “It does not matter how

elegant or effective conflict resolution systems are, without a cultural shift they do no work”

(Cloke & Goldsmith, 2011, p.321). The new culture will support and embrace group-think and

open lines of communication, while mitigating repressive reactions to new forward-thinking

ideas. The premise of the new culture will be to empower all personnel at each level of the

department, maximizing morale and personal accountability. Open and fluid lines of

communication will be a critical factor in creating the culture based on conflict resolution. “The

wisest course of action is to design and implement systems, structures, processes,

relationships, and cultures that prevent paralyzing impasses, unnecessary costs, petty personal

squabbles, and large-scale systemic dysfunctions in unresolved conflicts from occurring at all”

(Cloke & Goldsmith, 2011, p.307). In order for the new culture to progress and develop, many

techniques may be utilized to help support it including; peer counseling, team building and

public dialogue.

Personal recognition is a powerful tool to promote the empowerment of an employee

and this can be achieved through peer counseling, coaching and mentoring. An individual will

take on more ownership of the direction of the department when a supervisor or peer shows

genuine interest in that individuals development.

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Police departments inherently and naturally create teams whether through specialty

teams or patrol teams. Supervisors must ensure they implement conflict resolution techniques

within the team and be cognizant not to create an “us verse them” mentality. The core concept

of team work is very powerful and creates deeply seeded feelings of loyalty and trust. These

feeling of trust and loyalty should be expounded upon with open communication.

Gossip and the dissemination of incorrect facts can be detrimental to a department.

Gossip leads to fragmentation instead of unification and takes a large amount of energy and

time away from progress. Public and open dialogue can directly address this issue and quells

the firestorm which gossip often creates. Again, open lines of communication without fear of

repercussion will lead to a healthier and more relaxed environment.

A major hurdle to overcome is to show the department my personal and complete

dedication to conflict resolution by finding closure with Rob. The stressed relationship with Rob

has been public and has had an adverse effect on the department. Rob approaches and thinks

on issues differently which should be embraced as varied opinions are extremely beneficial to

group think. “It is helpful to design and execute a ritual or ceremony of release, as a signal

through action that the conflict is really over for you” (Cloke & Goldsmith, 2011, p.329). The

department will see first-hand the importance and power of conflict resolution and will

embrace and accept it as the departments cultural norm.

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REFERENCES:

Cloke, K., & Goldsmith, J. (2011). Resolving conflicts at work: Ten strategies for everyone on the

job, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.