Question1-5

1a. Describe THREE causes of conflict at work

1) when bullying, harassment or personality clashes occurs between employees at the workplace.
2) when differences of opinions occurs between individuals that cannot be resolved instantly.
3) when employees feels like they dont get the appericiation or the credit they deserve for the effort they put into their work.

2. Describe the stages in the development of conflict.

The stages of development in conflict can be broken down to 5 parts: lantent, perceived, intentions, behavior and finally outcomes.

latent - nothing is happening, the calm.

perceived - people are starting to become aware of the conflict. overhears gossip or comments about opposition in the workplace.

intentions - stress and anxiety is felt as the employees dwells on what their opposition is planning to do.

behavior - this is where the action happens and the conflict is open. the usual responses to conflict in this stage is fight (by challenging the opposition), flight (by ignoring or turning their back on the opposition), freeze (by doing nothing or acting passive) and face (by trying to approach the problem in a mature way).

outcomes - the aftermath. the outcomes can be various, but the common ones are through resolution through consent (by negotiating), enforced resolution or stalemate. in the last case, the problem is unresolved as neither party budges for the other.

3) Explain the effects of conflict on individual and team performance at work.

While a conflict detected and taken care of at a early stage can help the manager reevaluate and identify weak areas, it's often very damaging. the negative effects conflict has are various and includes the following: loss of productivity, loss of trust between the employees, inappropriate behavior, reduced motivation to acheive objectives and costumer dissatisfaction.

This contributes to making teamwork within the group very difficult. they will be unproductive which leads to a failure to make objectives. individuals working there will end up becoming very dissatisfied and stressed out. they'll be very unmotivated and unwilling to improve their skills and develop themselves.

3) Describe a recognised technique that a manager could use to minimise and resolve conflict in the workplace.

There are various methods that the manager could use.

- if collaboration doesnt work, the manager can compromise, and try to find a acceptable solution that the oppositions could agree upon. even if it doesnt instantly create trust within the team, its a great first step that can reduce anxiety and tension for the short term.

5) Describe how a manager could promote a positive atmosphere in order to minimise the adverse effects of conflict.

as a manager, there are 3 main things you could do to promote a positive atmosphere:

- put systems and procedures in place by establishing formal producures rewarding fairly and working safely.

- develop relationships within the workplace by making employees feel valued and needed, encouraging initiative and helping them develop new skills.

- get people working together by creating a positive enviroment for them, agree on solutions collectively and identify/discuss problems together.