Communication Climates, Essay Example

A1. Even though conflict is usually considered undesirable, it may also yield several benefits. When the parties to the conflict are committed to a solution with a win-win mentality, they may come across solutions they could not have thought of otherwise. Having conflicts also confirms the fact that the parties are paying attention to the issue and are full engaged. If conflicts rarely arise in a team, it may be a sign that either not everyone is engaged or groupthink exists. It will be a sign that the team may not be considering all the alternatives and, thus, not coming up with the best ideas.

Another benefit of conflict is that it forces parties to compromise and make them more attentive to others opinions. Conflict is also a sign of democratic climate within the teams where people are not hesitant to express themselves. Because conflict forces team members to seek resolution to their differences, it also improves their problem solving and negotiation skills. Conflicts also force involved parties to put more efforts into building relationships. Conflicts may also be a sign of relationship strength as we often expect our sincere friends to be not afraid to have conflicting ideas or opinions. People who always avoid conflict with us may simply want to be in our good books and may not be truly concerned about our best interests. It is not surprising that conflicts often arise in close relationships such as in families and among couples. If conflicts are resolved successfully, they may also give greater confidence to the parties involved regarding the effectiveness of their teamwork.

A2. Shelley Frost argues that conflict is to be expected in any environment where multiple people work together because people often have different backgrounds and opinions. Thus, companies should train their employees on conflict management because it has several benefits. First of all, effective conflict resolution skills help employees strengthen their relationships and become more respectful towards each other. In times of conflict, instead of focusing on differences themselves, employees with effective conflict resolution skills may focus on successfully navigating through those differences. Second benefit of teaching conflict resolution skills to employees is that it improves employees’ problem solving skills. This also improves employees’ performance and save time because they can solve their problems themselves instead of always looking to the management for guidance (Frost).

The third benefit of teaching conflict resolution skills to employees is that it reduces tension at workplace that may otherwise occur if employees don’t know how to deal with conflicts. If conflicts are not dealt with in a timely manner, they may also affect those who were not involved in the first place. Persistent tensions leads to workplace politics and may also lower employees’ morale. The fourth benefit of teaching conflict resolution skills to employees is that it increases understanding for each other among the employees. Thus, employees are more willing to compromise and take each other’s concerns into account. The parties may also put more effort into understanding the whole issue as well as searching for other possible solutions (Frost).

Reference

Frost, Shelley. What Are the Benefits of Good Conflict Resolution Skills? 10 October 2012 <http://smallbusiness.chron.com/benefits-good-conflict-resolution-skills-37268.html>.