Conflict and Negotiation in Organizations, Essay Example

According to Corvette (2006), there are various ways in which conflict and negotiations are related. First and foremost among these relationships is that negotiations is a possible solution to an existing conflict. When there is conflict within an organization, whether it is between peers or between subordinates and their superiors, there are several ways to resolve the situation. Some resolutions require the imposition of one authority over another, while other such as negotiation requires a reasonable discussion leading to an appropriate and acceptable compromise between parties. However apart from this, Corvette (2006) also discusses that further conflicts can arise out of negotiations, which is another way through which the two may be related. This is often the case when two or more parties enter into negotiations without clear ideas of the needs of each party. During the negotiations, it is very possible for some parties to realize the existence of irreconcilable differences in their position with those of other parties, and this leads to more conflict which may no longer be solvable through negotiations. Another relationship between conflict and negotiations may be related is that the level of conflict indicates where negotiations are still viable and where they are not. In this relationship, the viability of negotiation can be expressed as a function of conflict. As the conflicts between or among parties increase, the possibility of the negotiations being viable to produce suitable outcomes that may be agreed upon by all parties diminishes. Conversely, if there are fewer conflicts between or among parties, then the possibility of negotiations being successful improves.

References

Corvette, B. (2006). Conflict Management: A Practical Guide to Developing Negotiation Strategies. Prentice Hall.