http://smallbusiness.chron.com/examplesconflictsresolutionsworkplace11230.

html
Conflict is inevitable in workplace settings, and conflicts can arise between co-workers, supervisors and
subordinates or between employees and external stakeholders, such as customers, suppliers and regulatory
agencies. Managing conflict is a key management competency and all small business owners should study and
practice effective conflict management skills to maintain a positive workplace environment. Reviewing
examples of conflicts and resolutions in the workplace can give you an idea of what to expect when conflicts
arise.
Discrimination Issues
Discrimination can be a source of heated conflict, potentially ending in legal trouble for a company or its
owners. Discriminatory conflicts can arise from personal prejudices on the part of employees or perceptions of
mistreatment of employees.
As an example of a discrimination-related conflict, imagine a minority employee in a team setting who feels that
he is consistently assigned the most menial work tasks in the group. This employee may begin to harbor
resentment against team members and managers, eventually lashing out through decreased productivity or
outright verbal conflict. To resolve this issue, a manager could sit down with the whole team and discuss the
way in which job tasks are assigned, making changes as necessary to ensure that tasks are divided equitably.
Performance-Review Conflicts
No employee likes to receive a negative performance review, but giving negative feedback in a review can be
unavoidable based on the employee's own actions during the review period.
Employees may become angry over not receiving expected pay raises, promotions or other performance-related
incentives, and may lash out by spreading discontent through gossip and a negative attitude at work. Employees
may argue directly with supervisors during performance reviews, creating sensitive situations that require tactful
communication. To resolve a conflict arising from a negative performance review, work directly with the
employee to create a solid, time-bound plan of action to improve her performance, and tie the completion of
these goals to guaranteed incentives. Allow employees a voice when setting goals to increase their dedication to
achieving the goals.
Conflicts with Customers
Sales and customer service employees can experience conflict with customers on a fairly regular basis,
depending on the industry. A common conflict experienced by salespeople is a dissatisfied customer who feels
personally defrauded by an individual salesperson.
For example, if a car salesman sells a used car without a performance guarantee or warranty and the car breaks
down on the buyer, the buyer may return to angrily confront the salesperson and demand a refund. The best first
step to solve these conflicts is to involve a manager who has the right to offer refunds, discounts or other
conciliatory gestures to the customer unless you are in a situation where employees are empowered to make
these kinds of decisions.
Leadership Conflicts
Personality clashes between managers and subordinates can cause a range of interpersonal conflicts to arise.
Employees may feel bullied or pushed by more authoritarian managers, or may perceive a lack of guidance from
more hands-off managers. Managers with type-A personalities may set goals that are too ambitious for their
subordinates, setting them up for failure and inevitable conflict.
To handle these personality mismatches, first try to garner an understanding between the manager and the
subordinate so that each understands the others' perspective in the situation. Never treat conflict management
situations as disciplinary hearings, as if managers are inherently right and employees are inherently wrong; this
is a reliable way to lose good employees. If the two cannot come to an understanding, place the employee under
the supervision of another manager if possible.

Unclear Expectations
Weak leaders can set unclear expectations. When goals and priorities are not clearly defined and communicated,
team members make incorrect assumptions. They may work against one another's efforts, creating conflict and
preventing tasks and projects from being completed. If assigned roles are not clear, some key tasks may remain
undone while others are done more than once. Team members might even try to outdo one another. This kind of
situation builds frustration and shifts a team task from collaborative to combative as coworkers blame one
another for project failures or costly problems.
Leadership Bias
Leadership bias can also ignite conflict. Leaders are just as likely as everyone else to be drawn to some people
over others, but they cant let that natural tendency cloud their judgment. Too much focus on some staff
members over others can lead managers to award opportunities for special assignments and promotions without
fairly considering all team members skills or interests. Even if fair assessment is given, other staff members
wont perceive fairness in the process. The managers bias can turn the rest of the staff against that "favorite"
person.
Diversity
Diversity might mean cultural differences, varied business perspectives or even different professions. Cross-
functional or multidisciplinary teams involve multiple departments, with each member focusing on different
aspects of a project. Whatever is behind a teams diversity, a variety of backgrounds can mean either innovation
or exasperation. Team members might not agree on the best path to achieving objectives or solving problems.
Leaders of diverse teams who do focus on communication and team-building can find themselves managing
more conflicts than projects.
Power Struggles
Some coworkers encounter power struggles, particularly when roles and responsibilities are not clearly defined
or when the boss does not have the respect of all team members. In a power struggle, more than one coworker
attempts to take on the leadership role. A team with many leaders has no leader at all and cannot move forward.
Teams comprised heavily of managers are more likely to experience power struggles. Organizational leaders
should assign qualified team leadership as well as document and communicate each team members role,
responsibility to the project and level of authority.

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/workplaceexamplesconflictnegotiation11402.html
Sustained workplace conflict can become disruptive to productivity and lead to excessive employee turnover. Managers and human
resources professionals need to become proficient at crisis management, and part of crisis management is workplace conflict negotiation.
Understanding the different ways that workplace conflict can develop will become a helpful tool in understanding the best ways to approach
conflict negotiation.

Clarification of Guidelines
Sometimes all a workplace conflict situation needs is clarification of company policy or employee job duties. For example, if two employees
begin disputing responsibility over performing a specific job duty, then the situation requires a clarification of each set of job tasks by
management. Negotiating an end to a conflict caused by misinterpretation of policies or duties is an opportunity for the company to create
clearer guidelines that prevent these sorts of conflicts in the future. When negotiating the clarification of guidelines, it is important to have
the departmental manager, the employees involved in the conflict and a human resources representative on hand so that the clarifications
through negotiation become part of company job duties.
Workload
Conflicts can erupt in the workplace as a result of an excessive workload causing stress on the staff. Management needs to adopt a proactive
negotiation approach when it comes to elevated work levels. This is where anticipation in company planning of annual peaks in production,
such as holidays, or rise in customer demand due to the release of a new product is critical. Prepare employees for the rise in workload by
offering overtime or staggering shifts to help deal with employee stress. If the workload situation is not dealt with in advance, then conflict
negotiations become a matter of finding solutions to ease the extra work burden the staff feels. Additional employee breaks or bringing in
part-time temporary staff may help to solve the workplace conflict.
Employee Input
Employees need to feel involved in the success of the company or workplace conflict can arise. When the staff feels alienated by the
management teambecause management is not allowing employee input into company decisions, then the employees will begin to exhibit
insubordinate behavior. Negotiating with a staff that feels alienated is a sensitive process. The company wants to avoid telling the staff to get
back to work and delivering instructions without seeking input fromemployees. A staff that is continually told what to do even after it has
given signs that it is unhappy will escalate the conflict with management. The management teams need to set up ways for employees to give
input, such as having managers adopt an "open door" policy or putting an employee suggestion box in the break roomand using it.
Information Exchange
People communicate in different ways. Some people require very little information to understand a subject, while others need more
information and a clearer explanation in order to gather meaning. When employees with different ways of conveying and processing
information try to communicate in the workplace, there can sometimes be a conflict. Negotiating a misunderstanding of information can be
as simple as letting each side state its position, and then the manager acts as a facilitator who assists each side in gaining understanding.
Before bringing the parties together to solve this sort of conflict, the manager should spend time discussing the issue with each party
individually to make sure that when an understanding is made, that understanding will not spark another conflict.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/cdfact/l701.html
An outline of suggestions for use in managing conflict within and among
community groups is presented below:
1. Recognize and Acknowledge that Conflict Exists.

2. Analyze the Existing Situation.
o Know exactly what the conflict is about. Does it involve values,
goals, means to goals, territory, or a combination of these?
o Analyze behavior of involved parties: members of the groups(s)).
o Determine if the conflict approach is being used by the concerned
party (as discussed in previous section).
o Find out how other, similar conflicts have been resolved.

3. Facilitate Communication.
o Enhance communication. Open the lines for free discussion and
involve all members.
o Encourage accurate communication and feedback because negotiation
(discussed below) depends on good communication.
o Listen and raise questions.
o Allow free expression. Constructive disagreement should not be
suppressed.
o Supply information and facts.
o Maintain an objective level (not emotional).
o Stay on issues, not people.
o Provide the tact needed to "save face" for parties.

4. Negotiate.
"Techniques used in labor disputes offer potential in community problem-
solving." (Schilit 1974)
Some useful principles based on negotiations between labor and
management, and in business affairs may be applied in conflict management
in community groups. As Nierenberg (1968) states, "Whenever people
exchange ideas with the intention of changing relationships, whenever they
confer for agreement, they are negotiating." He adds, "The satisfaction of
needs is the goal common to all negotiations," and that "the satisfaction of
needs is the goal common to all negotiations.... Negotiation is a cooperative
enterprise; common interests must be sought; negotiation is a behavioral
process, not a game; in a good negotiation, everybody wins something."
The importance of discovering common interests, or "points of common
agreement," is stressed by Nierenberg (1968):
Always he on the alert to convert divergent interests into channels of
common desires. In exploring these channels, both parties to the negotiation
may be stimulated by the idea of sharing common goals. These goals are
reached by finding mutual interests and needs by emphasizing the matters
that can be agreed upon, and by not dwelling on points of difference.

5. Make necessary Adjustments, Reinforce, Confirm.

6. Live with Conflict. All conflict cannot be resolved.
Sometimes, individuals or groups do not feel it is to their collective interest
to resolve a conflict. The price is too high. Resolution involves compromise
or capitulation. If a party is unwilling to compromise or to capitulate, then
the conflict is likely to continue.
Many social analysts believe that the middle class in Western industrial
nations has embraced an anti-conflict, anti-violence value orientation. This
has resulted in rule by consensus and conflict avoidance. Some or most
community leaders find conflict both embarrassing and distasteful. This
attitude is especially useful to those who use a conflict strategy - that is, they
exploit peace at any price. But, it may not always be in communities' interest
to compromise or capitulate on these terms. Learning to live with conflict
may be a real community service. As close knit groups have demonstrated
for centuries, communities can live with conflict when they collectively
determine it is necessary.

Conflictpathbetweentwo(ormore)teammembers:
a.EntertheconflictzoneteammembersAandBstarttoargue
b.Oneofteammembersbecomesstubborn
c.TheblamegameteammemberAblamesteammemberB
d.ActionsspeaklouderthanwordsthreatsspokenbyteammemberAtowardsteammemberB
e.Attack&CounterAttackthreatsspokenbyteammemberBtowardsteammemberA
f.TheExplosionexplosionofanger;teammembersdonotspeaktoeachother
g.PickingupthePiecesprojectmanagerdidntintervene/mediateontime
Projectmanager/leadermustintervenebeforeTheBlameGameandimposemediationprocess
asmediator.
http://www.assignmentpoint.com/business/management/assignmentonconflictmanagement
withreallifeexample.html

Example of a conflict situations:
In RMG sector, there was happened a great conflict between garments labors and garments owners in August2010. The main issue
of that conflict was poor wages structure.
More than 100 garment factories halted production in August2010 as workers continued riot for cancelling new wages, stoking concern
about the industrys future.
The labour trouble, which has continued to rock the countrys two apparel hubs outside the capital, left more than 50 people injured and
police said workers smashed dozens of factories and several vehicles at J amgora in Ashulia.
Owners said they were forced to suspend operations for the day after thousands of workers went on the rampage, vendalising plants,
putting up barricades and damaged vehicles on the roads. In Fatullah, workers clashed with police, which led to the suspension of
several factories in the area as owners feared further trouble.
Workers of Pall-mall, Microfiber, Liberty, Mitsuwear and Cadtrex garment factories, all located in the citys Katherpul area, started
demonstrating inside their factories. They tried to come out of the factories, but the move was thwarted by armed police, deployed at
factory gates. Most of the garment factories remained closed for the time being. Additional police forces were deployed in the area to
avert any unwarranted situation. Personnel from the elite force Rapid Action Battalion were also patrolling in the areas. The workers
also chanted slogans demanding immediate release of a union leader Manto Ghosh. The workers of Sonargaons Sinha and Opex
factories also brought out demonstrations inside their factories. J ibon Kanti Sarker, chief of the Fatulla Model Police Station, said the
police dispersed the agitators as they tried to obstruct the traffic on the highway. Hundreds of workers also staged demonstration at
Mirpur in the capital but police cleared the street when workers assembled. President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and
Exporters Association (BGMEA) Abdus Salam Murshedy said owners would be compelled to stay out of apparel business if the situation
does not improve in the industrial belts. We need security for our investment. Such vandalisms will shatter the image of the country and
will force global retailers to change their destination,he added. Meanwhile, two cases were filed against 10,000 workers with Ashulia
police station last night on charges of vandalism and creating anarchy in the industrial hub. One filed by police and another one by
general manager of Shed fashion The government Thursday announced news wages for the countrys three million apparel workers
increasing their minimum monthly basic wages to 3,000 taka (43 dollars), up by 80.45 per cent from 1,662.50 (28 dollars). The union
leaders and workers have rejected the salary-structure and demanded of 5,000 taka as minimum monthly wages with the effect from
August 1 and warned of launching a nationwide shutdown unless their demand was met.
Anal ysis of this confliction:
1. These confliction was a conflict that goes under the types of interest conflict. That means Conflicts of interest result when one or more
of the parties believe that in order to satisfy his or her needs, the needs and interests of an opponent must be sacrificed. Interest-based
conflict will commonly be expressed in positional terms. A variety of interests and intentions underlie and motivate positions in
negotiation and must be addressed for maximized resolution. Interest-based conflicts may occur over substantive issues (such as
money, physical resources, time, etc.); procedural issues (the way the dispute is to be resolved); and psychological issues (perceptions
of trust, fairness, desire for participation, respect, etc.).
2. This confliction stage or level was inter-group conflict. That means inter-group conflict occurs between two competing or distinct groups.
Intergroup relations between two or more groups and their respective members are often necessary to complete the work required to
operate a business. Many times, groups inter-relate to accomplish the organizations goals and objectives, and conflict can occur. Some
conflict, called functional conflict, is considered positive, because it enhances performance and identifies weaknesses. Dysfunctional
conflict, however, is confrontation or interaction between groups that harms the organization or hinders attainment of goals or
objectives.
- See more at: http://www.assignmentpoint.com/business/management/assignment-on-conflict-management-with-real-life-
example.html#sthash.9saievof.dpuf