MANAGING CONFLICTS- PART 2

Mike Ihezuo

I know of one organization (among many, anyway) where the atmosphere of people eating an uncanned drink is rare because of stinking hatred ocassioned by Conflicts, strive and quarrel. In this organization, the management is daft and adamant to manage the Conflicts or intervene, or even do the least: resolve Conflicts. What that management think they know is, it doesn’t concern them, there work is going on. But that management is wrong. They can’t be getting expected output. Work can bind people, just like sharing a society as citizens or indigenous people, but Conflicts can severe whichever people. So when work is going on, and Conflicts exists, know that there is a severance force to performance index, productivity and effectiveness. The worst hit here is efficiency. Conflicts impairs Productivity and mars Efficiency. For instance, when your staff or people are in Conflicts situations, it saps their energy, makes them withdraw their best inputs. So address conflicts. What I’m saying can apply to associations, clubs, unions even the larger society like a nation. So scale it to your situation.

Resolve conflict within a group as quick and honesty as possible.

There are losses when this unresolved conflict is the case such as;

1. Lost productivity:
+ Lack of team initiatives.
+ Employees failing to facilitate each other’s work.
+ Time wasted by employees wrangling with each other, talking to sympathizers, and brooding about problems
+ employees “I don’t care attitude?

2. Direct costs:
+ Capital plant and equipment carelessly treated, vandalized, stolen

+ Overpayments due to lack of deligence and poor discussion of purchasing or hiring decisions

+ Cash crisis (possible bankruptcy or sale) due to failure to plan.

3. Perception costs:
+ Lost customers through discourtesy or poor service.

+ Your employees transfer their grievances to the customers.

+ Reduced attractiveness of company to investors

+ Reduced credibility to bankers.

4. Legal costs:
+ Prolonged deliberation over succession, estate, restructuring plans, etc.

+ Prolonged debates while professional advisors’ clocks are running

+ Advice on dealing with threats of litigation

+ Litigation itself (plaintiff and/or defense)

5. Costs of not having the best people in the right jobs:
+ Replacing employees who leave due to conflict

+ Keeping poorer employees when better ones can’t be hired because of conflict

+ Unnecessary parks, cars, and excessive compensation to nonperforming family members on payroll (many family-run businesses pay a high price for obvious, and unsuccessful, attempts to “avoid” conflict in this way)

+ Private compensation by owner to make things “fair” to family members not employed in the business.

+ Bad investment decisions

+ Cost of delay on good decisions.

The truth is: No one can resolve every interpersonal conflict amicably. Not every difficult associate, colleague can become a great teammate.

Mike Ihezuo is a Motivational speaker, Leadership and  Conflicts Management coach.  Contact-+234-90-5790-1334.

leadermikeo@gmail.com

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