Submitted by:

CESAR D. LAZARO
MPA-1A

Final Exam in PA 212 - Conflict Management and Consensus Building

1. What is conflict? How can conflicts affect the work performance of employees and
the overall development of the organization?
Conflict is a serious disagreement or argument between two or more individuals
or group with each individual or group trying to gain acceptance of its views or
objectives over others. It is the perception of differences of interest among people.
Conflict is inevitable when employees of various backgrounds and different work
styles are brought together for a shared purpose. Conflicts can affect the work
performance of employees and the overall development of an organization, hence,
it should be managed and resolved. Disagreements among employees in an
organization, their differences of opinion, attitudes, needs and views on the service
challenges are unavoidable. They can be a source of strength and creativity within
the organization, but they can sometimes develop into conflicts. And if conflicts are
not appropriately and adequately addressed or stopped before they fully develop,
the negative effects of workplace conflict that includes work disruptions, decreased
productivity, project failure, absenteeism, turnover and termination will ultimately
decrease performance, productivity, and service delivery of an organization and also
affects the quality of services to clients.

2. Think of a conflict that transpires in your organization. Identify the source of

conflict. What strategies are formulated or developed to reconcile this conflict.
Conflict is a constant in modern life and this is also the case in the delivery of
services in the government sector. In our organization, the Sangguniang Bayan Office
of Dumangas, Iloilo, inter-personal conflicts between employees are very common.
These conflicts vary from different interests, ineffective communication, up to
incompatible goals. Different interests amongst employees often times deter
successful implementation of solutions and goals. While some employees are
eagerly working for the proper accomplishment of the office’s daily outputs and
operation, a number of employees are only interested at clocking out at five.
Ineffective communication also leads to further frustrations as corrective coaching
on these employees often fell on deaf ears. Making things worst are the
incompatible goals of these erring employees, which is to be promoted via political
accommodation and not by merit and competence, which is far from aligned to the
organization’s goals that is to deliver effective and efficient public service.
 Some significant sources of the above-described conflicts are application of
unfair procedures, unfair systems of promotion and inadequate grievance and
disciplinary procedures to address such issues.
As of date, no solid strategies or solutions are formulated or developed to
reconcile these conflicts. Only verbal reprimands, most of which sounded like
suggestions, are given. And while the chronic disagreements, the low level of
commitment resulting to a low level of resolutions and the tolerance of antagonism
remains, the intensity of stress and emotions in the workplace continues to increase.

3. The significant role of a Manager is recognized as very instrumental in resolving

conflicts. What should be the manager’s capabilities and attributes needed to
manage conflicts effectively?
Managing conflict is difficult and effective managers should have the ability to
confront the issues head on with a high level of sensitivity and empathy. To
effectively manage conflict, managers should have the ability to communicate
effectively which starts with listening, as it helps in understanding the problem in the
hope to solving the issue. It also makes employees aware on how to best
communicate their feedback making them more comfortable addressing the
problems with managers before they escalate into a major issue. Aside from giving
those involved a chance to speak, managers should also have the ability in
moderating the discussion or mediation of the problem. Managers should also have
the ability to spot signs of conflict and be pro-active in handling them. They should
also be capable of framing discussions and solutions in resolving conflicts objectively
and most importantly, managers should be able to make hard decisions as there are
situations where a decision cannot please all parties.

4. Draft a conflict resolution and consensus building mechanism that is applicable to

your organization.
In government offices, like the Sangguniang Bayan Office, there are many
opportunities for disagreements and disputes that arise among its employees even
before policy change or reforms are being introduced or implemented. Whether
conflict happens between groups or individuals, productivity and quality of service
suffers and the work environment becomes tense and unpleasant for all involved.
Collaborative strategies such as consensus building can be formulated or
designed to respond to challenges like incompatible interests, clashing values,
disagreement over facts, lack of trust, unequal representation, overlapping
directives and limited resources by resolving argumentative public disputes,
improving public engagement in decision making, and making decisions that can be
effectively and sustainably implemented.
Even though not all conflicts are amenable to collaborative solutions, the
strategies and tools of consensus building can be applied to a wide range of conflict
challenges that occur in the office.
Because conflicts exist all the time, the need to institutionalize conflict
management systems providing the skills, resources, procedures and, the concrete
organizational entities, to manage conflict is essential.
To effectively reconcile different types of conflicts, the first step, like in most
problems, is to acknowledge that there is a problem. Each conflict must be assessed
individually and dealt with based on its own characteristics using this proposed
Preventive Conflict Management System and Containment Conflict Management
System.
Preventive Conflict Management System
a. Written rules, policies and agreements – employees should understand how
workplace conflicts will be resolved and employees should be guided by
employee handbooks and HR policies
b. Early recognition of the problem – includes continuous information gathering
and diagnosis from all parties involved before issues escalate
c. Establishment of Post-dispute analysis and feedback – Procedures to
evaluate and learn from previous disputes
d. Establishing a forum – regular meetings to discuss issues that may eventually
cause disputes
e. Fair Grievance Process – impartial grievance committee available to hear
grievances and intervene before conflict emerges
Containment Conflict Management System
a. Open-door Policy – encourage employees to meet with their immediate
supervisor to discuss and resolve work related issues
b. Management Review – unresolved conflicts are reviewed by the
management level
c. Facilitation – a neutral HR manager acts as facilitator to help settle the
dispute
d. Mediation – a voluntary dispute resolution step through a mediation by a
trained third party
e. Arbitration – a neutral third party hears all sides to a dispute and issues a
binding decision.