M

O
D 0
U 2
AVT 4233
AVIONICS MAINTENANCE SYSTEM MANAGEMENT
L
E

Note: Contents of this module are lifted/taken from the references cited on page 28.

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 Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
Fernando Air Base, Lipa City, Batangas

FINALS (RESIDENTIAL)
LEARNING MODULE 02:

HANDLING A PROBLEM
CORRECTLY

Course Learning Outcomes [CLO]

CLO 1. Describe on how to Module Learning Outcomes [MLO]

deal with his/her subordinates
and the management.
CLO 2. Express ways on how
to develop personalities as an options available when that can be found in
individual, show and build
confidence on an
organization.
CLO 3. Identify the proper
handling of problems on an
organization.
Topic Learning Outcomes
MLO 1: Categorize the [TLO]
personnel management
TLO 1. Classify problems
faced with problem
employees workplace
MLO 2. Compare the TLO 2. Determine ways
different responds in on how to handle the
problem properly
hadling a conflict

2
TABLE

OF
C O N T E N T S

Page Time allotment

4 Organizational Problems in
workplace
20 minutes

6 5 most common problems in

organization
30 minutes

11 Principles for addressing

workplace conflict
30 minutes

14 Understanding
Conflict 50 minutes

24 Enrichment Activity 54.8 minutes

Total: 184.8 minutes

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 Organizational Problems in the
Workplace

As organizations continue to diversify, the opportunities for workplace

problems intensify. Small business owners and managers typically face one or more of

three potential levels of conflict – employee, team or organization-wide issues. Often

the underlying causes of these problems are the lack of open, flowing communications

or using the wrong organizational structure. Many businesses compound problems by

avoiding communicating a clear chain of command path.

Individual Employee Issues

Individual employee problems can be personality conflicts, supervisor issues, personal

trauma, or company structure oriented. Management must learn the cause of the

problem and who or what keeps "fueling the fire." If there is no clear trigger, the

answer could fall back to insufficient or confusing communications. For example, an

employee in a decentralized organization may feel they must answer to multiple

supervisors if the chain of command is not communicated clearly.

Team Problems and Disconnect

To be high performing, teams must be dedicated to working toward an

agreed goal. Should they experience personal disconnect with other team members, the

team can become non-functional. These issues often stem from organizational or

management communication breakdowns that confuse team and personal common

goals. Team leaders must offer constant feedback and foster cohesiveness.

When facing team issues, managers must diagnose the problem and take

immediate corrective action to avoid more serious performance breakdowns.

Organization-wide Problems

Simple employee or team issues can quickly expand to your total

organization if you don't take immediate corrective action. You must avoid this

situation at all costs, as it often results in your staff forming two groups, both at odds

with each other. Should all your avoidance actions fail, be ready to take much more

dramatic corrective measures. You must prevent these problems from negatively

changing the corporate culture you have carefully cultivated to make your company

and workplace a high performing entity.

The 5 Most Common Problems
of Organizations

1. Absence of clear direction.

Lack of direction is one of the most common organizational problems

and it stems from two root causes:

•The leader or leaders rarely discuss or chart a deliberate direction or strategy for the

future, or they fail to communicate a coherent message about the strategy to all

members of the organization.

•There are many activities to execute and the organization lacks the alignment needed

to gain the traction necessary to help the organization transform, adapt, and shape the

future—activities that would ensure the organization’s long-term, sustained growth. In

short, too many functions and individuals lack an understanding of how they fit or why

they matter. As a result, people become complacent, content to just show up, take care

of today’s business, and hope that someone is in the wheelhouse steering the ship.
 2. Difficulty blending multiple personalities into a

cohesive and unified team.

This can be an enormous challenge,

regardless of whether the team is part of the executive

“ suite, a special project team in an R&D lab, or an

operating team in a production facility. People’s

I think as a
company, if you can personalities vary widely, and the diversity of

get two things right backgrounds, opinions, views, and experiences can

– having a clear cause challenges for teams. This creates a unique set
direction on what of potential issues and opportunities.
you are trying to do
and bringing great
people who can If you can get people to come into

execute on the stuff alignment and support common objectives, a diverse

– then you can do team of leaders can produce amazing results, take on
pretty well the demands of customers, and meet the threat of

- Mark Zuckerberg competitors. However, if leaders stay in their silos,

protect their own “turf,” fail to share information,

refuse to collaborate on shared problems, or lack the

ability to think with an entrepreneurial mindset, the

organization will under-produce. You have to have a

team that is both in the business and on the business.

3. Failure to develop key competencies and behaviors.

In our work with organizations, we commonly encounter a lot of

hardworking people who have good intentions. However, despite their experience in the

industry, their technical talent, and the subject-matter expertise that many leaders bring

to the table, creating a high-performance organization is often still out of reach.

Nearly everyone we meet, including senior leaders, has at least one (and

in some cases, multiple) leadership weaknesses. Sometimes leaders are aware of their

behavioral shortcomings; in other cases, they are blind to their leadership deficits.

People inside the organization are often afraid to candidly say what they think, and

helping enormously successful leaders with their Achilles heels can be tricky.

Leading and managing an organization is a complex task that requires a

unique mix of skills. Leaders have to utilize their natural strengths, but they also have to

search relentlessly for ways to close their own performance gaps and improve their

behavior.

Without continuous improvement, an organization’s capabilities will be

severely limited. In short, if leaders don’t constantly raise their game, they will suck all

the energy and employee engagement out of an organization. Leaders need to be

constantly aware of and working on their personal opportunities for improvement.

4. Poor communication and feedback.

There seem to be two extremes in this area: Either people do everything in

their power to avoid confronting others and holding them accountable or they relish any

opportunity to chew people out, belittle them, and crush their spirits.

I have worked with countless leadership teams in which the number-one

problem was a lack of honest, constructive, and open dialogue about the team members’

practices, styles, skills, or behaviors. Without a culture of openness, feedback, and

coaching, organizations will struggle to grow.

In fact, next to pitfall #1 (“absence of clear direction”), this is the most

frequent lament we encounter. In fact, this issue is so predictable, common, and

destructive that we prepare material on this topic prior to any work we do with individual

leaders or leadership teams.

Many teams try to muddle through this somehow, enduring the bully or

trying to guess what others want and need from them.

People often tell us that they fear reprisal or retaliation if they open up—

but the reality is that leaders can’t execute on their strategies, lower costs, or effectively

launch new processes or services when people fail to communicate with constructive

candor, so this is an issue that must be overcome.

 5. Lack of awareness.

Building a solid organization takes

hard work and a keen awareness of the culture and

environment that exists in a business. Most

executives are very busy people; a lot of things vie

for their attention. Market conditions can change fast

“ in a VUCA (velocity, uncertainty, complexity, and

ambiguity) world and demand huge portions of a

What is necessary leader’s time. We affectionately call this the “task
to change a person
magnet.”
is to change his
awareness of
himself Unfortunately, while they’re busy

focusing on their many necessary operational

- Abraham Maslow
distractions, many managers take their eye off the

teamwork ball. This means that communication

suffers and leaders get preoccupied and fail to

recognize people, celebrate progress, build the talent

pipeline, or invest time reviewing processes,

practices, and better ways of working across

functions. People then become disengaged, feel

marginalized, and lose focus and commitment.

PRINCIPLES FOR ADDRESSING WORKPLACE CONFLICT

Common and ineffective strategies to deal with workplace disputes include:

•Avoidance

•Indirect communication in the form of complaints and/or gossip,

•Bartering

•Emotional reactions

•Righteousness: holding on to positions

Principles to Help:

Pay attention to your emotions and how they influence you. Realize that emotions

are part of the workplace and that negative emotions can fuel the conflict.

Acknowledge your emotion and then determine its source. Is it based on a bad

experience or a past interaction that may be influencing the current situation? Is it

based on something you have no control over? Take the time to deescalate before

moving forward.

Consciously decide how to respond to a conflict situation. Most people

remember how you respond to a situation rather than what happened. While you often

do not have control of many situations, you can choose how to respond to others to help

reduce work conflict and stress. By responding appropriately to a conflict situation, you

take responsibility for your actions.

Give yourself time to prepare. You should address difficult issues after you have had

time to organize your thoughts. Take the time to understand and be clear about what

your real concerns. Ask yourself, “What is the underlying reason or the ‘why’ behind

what I want?”

Listen, Reflect, Inquire. Do you have enough time to listen? Is the setting appropriate?

Make good eye contact and keep your facial and body expressions in check. Listening

is hard when emotions are high. Cool down first. Do not listen only to hear what you

expect the other person to say or to confirm your viewpoint. Listen with an open mind.

Help the other person feel heard. Empathize. Ask open ended questions to gather

information.

Use “I” messages to express your concerns in a non-confrontational way. Focus on

and clarify your issues, feelings, or opinions. “I feel frustrated when you come in late

because I am not able to end my shift on time,” rather than “You are always late.” “I”

messages place the responsibility on you and include three components: 1) your

personal reaction/feeling, 2) a description of the situation/action, and 3) the

impact/consequence from your perspective. “You” messages focus the blame on the

other person and they are likely to elicit a negative or defensive response.
Frame the issue in terms of interests. Frame the discussion by being direct about your

interests. Ask powerful questions to better define the problem for the two of you to address

together. The best questions are open-ended questions rather than questions that require a

“yes” or “no” reply or a short answer. Good questions include “What would that look like?”

“How would that work in this situation?” “How do you want to move forward?”

Focus on what you can change – the future. Discussion about the past and/or arguing

about examples may be necessary for understanding, but it is not to convince the other

person you are right or to defend yourself. Focus on how you can both work more

productively in the future.

Recognize that other viewpoints are possible and likely. Although you feel differently

about the situation, the other person’s feelings are real and legitimate to them. Denying their

existence is likely to escalate the situation. It is difficult to find solutions without agreement

on the problem. If you do not understand the other person’s viewpoint, you run the risk of

not solving the right problem which could make the conflict worse.

Brainstorm creative options. By involving the other person in resolving the conflict, you

gain his or her commitment and develop a stronger working relationship. Being open-

minded to solutions expands the universe that can bring you relief.
Understanding Conflict Handling Styles

In a dispute, it's often easier to describe how others respond then to

evaluate how we respond. Each of us has a predominant conflict style. We can gain a

better understanding of the impact that our personal conflict style has on other people.

With a better understanding, you can make a conscious choice on how to respond to

others in a conflict situation.

Behavioral scientists Kenneth Thomas and Ralph Kilmann, who

developed the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, have identified five styles—

competition, collaboration, compromise, avoidance, and accommodation. No conflict

style is inherently right or wrong, but one or more styles could be inappropriate or

ineffective for a given situation.

1. Competing

Value of own issue/goal: High

Value of relationship: Low

Result: I win, you lose

Competitors come across as aggressive, autocratic, confrontational, and intimidating. A

competitive style is an attempt to gain power and pressure a change. A competitive style

can be appropriate when you have to implement an unpopular decision, make a quick

decision, the decision is vital in a crisis, or it is important to let others know how

important an issue is to you – "standing up for your right." However, relationships are

harmed beyond repair and may encourage other parties to use covert methods to get their

needs met.
2. Accommodating

Value of own issue/goal: Low

Value relationship: High

Result: I lose, you win

Accommodators set aside their own needs because they want to please others in order to

keep the peace. Smoothing or harmonizing can result in a false solution to a problem and

can create feelings in a person that range from anger to pleasure. Accommodators are

unassertive and cooperative and may play the role of a martyr, complainer, or saboteur.

However, accommodation can be useful when one is wrong or when you want to minimize

losses to preserve relationships. It can become competitive – "I am nicer than you are" – and

may result in reduced creativity and increased power imbalances.

3. Avoiding

Value of own issue/goal: Low

Value of relationship: Low

Result: I lose, you lose

Avoiders deliberately ignore or withdraw from a conflict rather than face it. Avoiders do not

seem to care about their issue or the issues of others. People who avoid the situation hope

the problem will go away, resolve itself without their involvement, or rely on others to take

the responsibility. Avoidance can be appropriate when you need more time to think and

process, time constraints demand a delay, or the risk of confrontation is not worth what

might be gained. However, avoidance is destructive if the other person perceives that you

don’t care enough to engage. By not dealing with the conflict, this style allows the conflict

to simmer potentially resulting in angry or negative outbursts.

4. Compromising

Value of own issue/goal: Medium

Value of relationship: Medium

Result: I win some, you win some

Compromisors are willing to sacrifice some of their goals and persuade others to give

up theirs too–give a little, get a little. Compromisors maintain the relationship and can

take less time than other methods, but resolutions focus on demands rather than needs

or goals. The compromise is not intended to make all parties happy or find a decision

that makes the most business sense, but rather ensures something just and equitable

even if it causes a loss for both parties. Power is defined by what one part can coerce

or get the other to give up. To split the difference game playing can result and the

outcome is less creative and ideal.

5. Collaborating

Value of own issue/goal: High

Value of relationship: High

Result: I win, you win

Collaboration generates creative solutions that satisfy all the parties’ concerns and

needs. Collaborators identify the underlying concerns, test assumptions, and

understand the views of others. Collaboration takes time and if the relationship among

the parties is not important, then it may not be worth the time and energy to create a

win-win solution. However, collaboration fosters respect, trust, and builds

relationships. Collaborators address the conflict directly and in a way that expresses

willingness for all parties to get what they need.

In any conflict ask: "Is my preferred conflict handling style the very best I can use to

resolve this conflict or solve this problem?"

Focus on Interests (Needs), Not Positions (Wants)

Understanding people's interests is not a simple task, because we tend to

communicate our positions – things that are likely to be concrete and explicit. Try to

recognize the difference between positions and interests to assist in creative problem solving.

Positions are predetermined solutions or demands that people use to describe what they want

– what the person wants to happen on a particular issue.

For example: "I want the report."

Interests define the problem and may be intangible, unexpressed, or not

consistent. They are the main reasons why–the motivation behind the position. Conflict

usually exists where these motivations/needs are not understood or mismatch in some way.

For example: "I need to receive the report by Friday, so I can have time to review and edit

before the due date next Wednesday."

Remember that figuring out your interests is just as important as figuring out their interests.
How to Identify Interests

To identify interests of the other person, you need to ask questions to

determine what the person believes he or she truly needs. When you ask, be sure to clarify

that you are not asking questions for justification of their position, but for a better

understanding of their needs, fears, hopes, and desires.

Using open-ended questions that encourage a person to "tell their story" helps

you begin to understand their interest. Open ended questions are opposite of closed-ended

questions, which require a response of "yes" or "no." To illustrate the difference, consider the

following example:

Did you have a good relationship with your supervisor? (closed-ended)

What is your relationship with your supervisor like? (open-ended)

Examples of open-ended questions:

What’s your basic concern about …?

What do you think about …?

How could we fix …?

What would happen if …?

How else could you do …?

What could you tell me about …?

What do you think you will lose if you …?

How can I be of help?

Listening Effectively

Problem solving requires effective listening skills. When you listen

effectively, you help calm the other person’s emotions so they feel heard. Once emotions

are deescalated then both parties can use cognitive problem-solving to generate

options.Pay attention to your listening behaviors.

Be cautious of:

•Assuming that you know what the speaker is going to say next

•Thinking about what you are going to say while the other is talking

•Preoccupation with your appearances or trying to impress

•Judging or being critical of the speaker

•Trying to look interested, but not hearing what the other person is saying

•Tuning out because the information conflicts with your ideas and beliefs

•Interrupting so you can argue your idea or find holes in the other person’s argument

•Tuning out because of how the speaker is talking – too loud, unpleasant or because the

speaker is monopolizing the conversation

We filter information through our biases, values, emotions, meaning of words, and

physical frame of mind. Be cautious of:

•Hearing what you want to hear and not what is really communicated

•Past negative experience coloring what you hear

•Attempts to hear something that fulfills your wishes or desires

•Forming an opinion about the value of what is being said, i.e., too boring, too complex,

nothing new, unimportant, wanting the speaker to get to the point

•Emotionally charged words used in communication like absolutes, assumptions, and

demands: "you should," "you have to," "you lack," "you never," "you always," "you fail to

understand," "every time you," "you are confused," etc.

•Low energy and how this impacts listening and responses

•Assuming your own meaning of words and expressions is the same as the speaker

How to Listen Effectively

•Prior to the meeting, recognize and understand the emotions. Are you nervous? Are you

angry at the other person? Are you frustrated about something? Ask yourself what is causing

the emotion. Are you carrying the emotion over from one issue to another? Are there personal

problems from home that are interfering with work?

•When meeting, pay attention to the speaker. Resist distractions. Put down your pen, make

good eye contact, and lean forward to show your interest. Don't interrupt. Jot down notes if it

helps.

•Listen with an open, curious mind. Do not judge what the other person is saying as "wrong."

Clarify meaning by asking questions to get additional information.

•Don't react to emotional outbursts. Talk to the other side about their emotions. Talk

about your own emotions. Acknowledging emotion proactively will stop it from

dominating the discussion. Examples of what you can say "You feel that…" or "It must

have been frustrating to have …“

•Reflect and clarify on meanings. After the speaker is finished say "Did I understand

you correctly that you are saying …?" "Let me see if I have this correctly, …" "From

you point of view, the situation is …" Try summarizing, mirroring, or reframing.

Summarize to bring the discussion and check progress on moving forward.

Summary:

Many roads can lead to organizational problems at the workplace.

Successfully solving these issues, however, usually follows the same plan. First, manage

and resolve the current problem right away. For example, two or three employees may

have interpersonal conflicts. If you are not part of the problem, you must become the

solution.

Second, learn the problem's root causes. Address and correct these issues to

avoid a repetition of the problem. This is simple to state, but often more difficult to

accomplish. Yet, it is imperative you take these two steps to maintain a high-performing

staff.
 REFERENCES

Call number / e- provider Materials(testbooks, journals, online)

http://www.gnof.org/wp- CompassPoint Nonprofit Services. July 6, 2012.
content/uploads/2015/06/Supervisor-Roles- Supervisor Roles and Responsibilities: Helping
and-Responsibilities-Packet.pdf people succeed. Oakland: CompassPoint Nonprofit
Services.
http://www.apexcpe.com/publications/4710 Delta. (n.d). Understanding and Managing
01.pdf Organizational Behavior. Los Alamitos: Delta
Publishing Company
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/24 Roper, K. O., 2007. Successful distributed work
2024371_Successful_distributed_work_arra arrangements. Emerald Group Publishing Limited
ngements_a_developmental_approach

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/30 Riaz, M. N. 2016. Define Management and the

7931813_Define_management_and_explain Functions of Management.
_the_functions_of_management_with_suita
ble_examples_from_your_area_of_work

https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/h Itika, J. S. (n.d). Fundamentals of human resource

andle/1887/22381/ASC-075287668-3030-
01.pdf
https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/ha
ndle/2142/526/Albright_Handling.pdf?sequ
ence=2&isAllowed=y
management. Mzumbe: African Studies Centre
Albright, E. M. (n.d). Handling employee Problems.
Illinois

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 ENRICHMENT
ACTIVITY

Direction: Answer the following questions based on your understanding.

ACADEMIC HONESTY STATEMENT:

For this exam/quiz/activity, I make the following truthful statement: I understand that acts

of academic dishonesty shall be penalized to the full extent as indicated in the provision

of the PHILSCA Student Manual (page 30, No. 6)

Signature of Student Over Printed Name

1. When you are faced with a problem, what do you do ?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

2. How do you weigh the pros and cons before making a decision?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

3. Your manager wants to buy a new software to help increase the team’s productivity,

and she asks for your recommendation. How do you respond?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Prepare for a quiz 

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 RUBRICS

74 and below 75-83 84-92 93-100

Evidence Little to no facts,Attempts to Develops the Thoroughly

concrete details, develop the topic answer with develops the
or examples with facts, facts, concrete answer with
included concrete details, details, or facts, concrete
and examples but example details, and
some of the examples
information is
irrelevant
Explanation Little to no Explanation and Clear explanationClear and concise
Analysis explanation or analysis attempt and analysis thatexplanation and
analysis of to discuss the discusses most ofanalysis that
information information but is the information thoroughly
presented unclear or lacks presented discusses the
depth information
presented
Conclusion Abrupt ending Ends with a Ends with a Effectively ends
concluding concluding with strong
statement that statement about concluding
does not clearly the topic statement
relate to the topic
Organization and Little to no Attempts to Organize ideas in Strong
Transition attempt of organize the a logical way. organization and
organization ideas but Transitional transitional
transitional language is used language used
language is skilfully
needed throughout
Mechanics Distracting Mechanical A couple of Mechanics reflect
mechanical errors errors distract errors are careful editing
throughout sometimes present, but they
do not distract

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