Chapter 1

1. TEAM DYNAMICS:
- Informal & formal teams

Teamwork & Conflict Management:

- Good team dynamics = Open communication
- Conflict often arises from allocation of workload
- Role Overload – One member takes up more than they can cope with.
- Role Conflict – More than one member wants to play a certain role, i.e. leader
- Role ambiguity – Lack of clarity between roles that members are expected to play
- Synergy – Interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effort
is greater than the sum of their individual efforts.

2. CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
- CONFLICT - Disagreement through which parties perceive a threat to their needs,
interests or concerns.

Functional & Dysfunctional Conflict:

- Functional Conflict – Non-aggressive, stimulates creativity, allows ideas to flow, find
solutions, higher productivity
- Dysfunctional Conflict – Aggressive, refuse to get to solutions, task compromised,
reduced productivity, waste of human capital

Advantages of Conflict:
- Creates awareness of problems, can be addressed to benefit business
- Stimulates creative thinking
- Helps others understand problems better
- Helps others learn from one another
- May lead to collaboration – encourages ownership and commitment in a team.

Disadvantages of Conflict:
- Reduce productivity
- Lower morale
- Inappropriate behaviour (Violence)
- Lead to poor decision making
 3. REASONS FOR CONFLICT:

- Change
o Helps to increase survival chances
o Change creates uncertainty
- Inclusivity & Cultural Diversity
o Ignorance
o Stereotyping
- Lack of/poor communication
o Not informed of decisions
o Creates uncertainty and rumours
o Poorly defined job descriptions
o Inconsistent management actions
o Poor listening skills
- Resource Allocation
o Insufficient resources
o Unequal distribution of resources
o Fighting for resources
- Personality and Emotions
o Clashing personality types
o React differently to situations
- Values and Ethics
o Beliefs, guides, preferred manner of handling situations
o Linked to culture and religion
- Inner Conflict
o Past experiences, issues, beliefs & morals
o Jealousy
o Feelings of inferiority
o Need to control or impress (seeking approval)
o Oversensitivity & low self-esteem

Resolving Inner Conflict:

- Identify inner conflict
- Refer person to correct department (HR, manager, counselor)
- Extent of intervention based on intensity of the problem.
o Effect it‘s having on the workplace
4. SKILLS A MANAGER NEEDS TO HAVE IN ORDER TO MANAGE CONFLICT
Ability to deal with change
- Help employees cope with change – overcome anxieties
- Communication and training – used to reduce resistance

Tolerance Regarding Inclusivity and Cultural Diversity

- Expose and educate cultural diversity
- Keep peoples’ backgrounds in mind

Communication Skills
- Communicate info clearly and understandably
- Create trust
- Regular meetings – Feedback and suggestions from employees
o Or suggestion box, newsletters, memos & notice boards
- Regular written reports – Proposed plans, status of current activities &
accomplishments
- Listen to reason for unhappiness – Acknowledge and understand before responding.
- Negotiation, mediation, conciliation and arbitration used to reduce or eliminate
conflict.

The Ability to Think & Act Strategically

- Develop shared mission & vision – Employees understand purpose and direction
- Use tools such as SWOT
- Understand long-term goals
- Get lower levels to buy-in and give feedback on strategic plans

Emotional Intelligence to Deal with Different Personalities and Emotions

- Managing relationships maturely
- Vent emotions healthily
- Ask “Why?”
- “How do you propose we solve this fairly?”

5. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

- Stimulating Functional Conflict – Devil’s Advocate
o Prevent “Group think”
 o Group think – Team members don’t criticize each other because they want to
get along – Hampers critical thinking
o Devil’s Advocate – Criticizes proposed plan of action in order to encourage
analytical thinking and test the plan of action.
o Programmed Conflict – Used to elicit debate and different opinions
- Negotiation
o Two people sorting out differences
o Not suitable when root of conflict lies within their value systems, people are
not willing to renegotiate their values.
o If fails, see conciliation to arbitration (Third-party interventions)

- Smoothing
o Ignore differences, focus on what both parities have in come
o Conflict is “smoothed over” (bad if the conflict is serious)
o Short-term solution
- Forcing
o Authority forces their solution onto their subordinates
o Autocratic – Leads to resentment
- Avoidance
o Pretending the problem is not there
o Perception exists it’s not worth it to argue
o May worsen conflict of serious issues
- Compromise
o Democratic style
o Opposing opinions on an issue but both parties have equal power.
o May cause more conflict if a person is constantly compromising to
accommodate others.

6. CONFLICT MANAGEMENT THROUGH THIRD PARTY INTERVENTIONS

- If conflict cannot be resolved among the two parties involved.
- Both parties must feel they can trust the third party
- Seen as fairer to use an outsider of the business as third party.

Conciliation:
- Third party facilitates discussion i.e. both parties get to speak

Mediation:
- Third party gives advice, ultimate decision still up to the original parties
 Arbitration:
- Decision taken out of hands of original party.
- Third person makes judgment call

Con-Arb Process
- Process of conciliation and arbitration for unfair labour practices affecting individuals
- Takes continuous action in one days

CCMA
- Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration
- Organization that acts as a dispute resolution body.
- Promotes cooperation
- Prevents strikes, lockouts, promotes productivity
Workplace Forums (WPF)
- Enables workers at all levels to participate in consensus decision-making with senior
management.
- Increase efficiency in the workplace.
- Employees elect workers to represent them in the WPF
- Issues which management must consult with WPF:
o Criteria for merit increases
o Training-related issues
- Management and WPF must take joint decisions on Disciplinary Procedures and
Affirmative Action.
- If no consensus can be reached, issue can be referred to the CCMA

Employers Organizations
- Provide workers with Labour or Industrial relations expert when needed.
- Used to stay up to date with amendments in labour legislation
- Examples:
o NAPE – National Association of Private Employers
o COFESA – Confederation of Employers in South Africa
- Will assist employers on:
o Employment contracts
o Dispute resolution
o Disciplinary and grievance procedure