01.30.08
What is Conflict Costing You/ Your Company Part III
Continuing from Part II, the second reducible cost is reduced decision quality.When a decision is being made under conditions of conflict, these decisions are always inferior to decisions made when cooperation prevails. Even if someone is not in a position that is deemed “decision maker” there can still be a cost to minimal decisions. For example, let’s say that a secretary decides to put all calls through to voice mail since he/she doesn’t want to talk with their supervisor – thus the supervisor misses an important call that can cost the company a huge sale. Good decisions must be based on an optimum quantity and quality of objective information. If conflict is present between people who share decision-making authority the resulting decisions are likely to be contaminated. A realistic figure for cost in this arena could be very low to exceedingly high depending on the decisions… let’s not put a dollar value here. We’ll just say that the cost could run from low to high.
…more reducible cost factors in Part IV
01.29.08
Strengths and the Effects on Others part 2
To change the pessimistic attitude/ mood is a topic for another time; however, briefly know that you are in control of yourself and your mood and your attitude and are the only one that can change such. You are also in control of how potent you would like to be. Of course different situations can call for different degrees of potency. If you think about potency in terms of cooking… some things taste better with a lot of seasoning (i.e. jalapenos…mmmm the more the tastier, my opinion anyway), and others require only a little seasoning to bring out the best flavor in the food. What is the strength that you need to make a difference in your environment?
… to be continued in part 3
01.28.08
What is Conflict Costing You/ Your Company? Series, part I
What is the cost that conflict is causing your industry, your company, your team? You might be amazed at the amount of money that is being thrown away by ignoring or down-playing conflict that is occurring in the office. “Conflict is the least recognized cost and the largest reducible cost to an organization.” (Managing Differences.Daniel Dana, Ph.D. copyright 2006). This series is going to take you through 8 different ways conflict is a cost to an organization. Before reviewing the next few sections, think of a conflict that is occurring in your organization, it can be between two people or between groups of people, etc. The more individuals involved the higher the cost. Also take into account, those that are observing or effected by the conflict that is around them; this is an additional cost as well. (Much of the information provided is research from Daniel Dana Ph.D.)
….. to be continued in part 2
Strengths and the Effects on Others part 1
Strength is defined as the “degree of potency of effect or of concentration ” in 5a of Webster’s Dictionary on-line. Thinking about that definition, relate it to your degree of potency of effect on those around you. What is your strength (degree of potency of effect) on others? Then think about whether your strength is a positive or negative; are you a happy go-lucky person, or do you have a negative or pessimistic view on life? Do others around you tend to match your attitude or mood? Or do they do a do a “180″ to your mood? If they match your attitude then the strength of your potency is high. If they go the opposite of your attitude then the strength of your potency is low. What could you do to increase your strength? Please comment with your ideas.
more to come…..
01.23.08
YOU’re In Control – conclusion
YOU can take this sort of control over change into YOUr personal life as well. Is there a need for a change of attitude when at home. Husband and wife come home from work, make dinner, crash and say so little to one another. What if just one of them decided that this was not enough for them, they decide to take control of the situation and make some changes. The husband decides that the first thing he is going to do when he (or his wife) arrives home is to give her a big, sweet kiss and hug. What changes could happen in that for their conversations, mood, even marriage. Thus his wife would change… she has to change because there is a change in her environment.
Control…. control is a magnificent thing. I often hear: “I’m not in control of …..”. But there is always a degree of control YOU have. YOU have control over what YOU do with something, how YOU react to an idea or negative comment/action, or how YOU will continue on with a decision YOU do not agree with. I challenge YOU to look at your different environments; where do YOU want to see change, what control do YOU have in making that change come about? DO IT!!!!
YOU’re In Control Part III
In discussing reactions, let’s say that every day your employee comes in and says “good morning”, it is in a rather gruff voice, and you truly don’t believe that he is wishing you a “good morning”. He goes to his office and does his job from that dismal start for the day. What would be the difference if you smiled, made eye contact and said “Good Morning, how is your day? Anything you need from me today?” What do you think the difference might be? You’d catch your employee off guard if this has been a pattern, he might feel connected, he might feel important…. even if in the first morning it did not work, let’s say you did this for a week…. your employee might start to come in and say “Good Morning” in a rather pleasant voice and look forward to any conversation he might get to have with you. You’ve made a change.
Changes like this can happen through out YOUr work environment. The control YOU have for YOURSELF and the decisions YOU can make to make those changes can mean the difference between a happy atmosphere and a negative atmosphere.
… to be concluded in the next segment.
01.21.08
YOU’re In Control part II
When we desire a change in the people around us there is a less direct way to make such a change happen. We can of course express our desire for the change in the individual. There are various productive and non productive ways for that to happen, both direct means though. There is a way to do so by being less direct.
As stated in the beginning of this segment of posts, YOU are in control of YOU. So if YOU take that to heart, YOU can ONLY change YOU. Also which is true is that everyone around YOU is connected to YOU in some sort of manner. We react a certain way due to the interactions of others surrounding us, even if they are subtle reactions. Should YOU start to decide to change YOUr reactions to others, they will have to change their reactions to YOU.
…… continued in next segment.
YOU’re In Control!!
What is in the title “YOU’re In Control”. Do YOU buy it? Well I’m selling it. In every decision of everyday YOU’re in control of YOU! YOU’re in control of YOU and everything about YOU, including the interactions that surround YOU. The power YOU have is immense.
YOU’re also in control of change. When others desire a change in something they typically look at that “something” to make the change. Whether it is a person or an object. If I want a change in my car, I either make that change in maintenance, upgrades, or even the purchase of entirely new car. There, I made the change. There are many things around us that we can “change”. What about when YOU want to change the people around YOU?…..
… See next installment.
01.16.08
Mediation, Conflict Resolution.
Mediation is a process in which two or more people (or groups of people) involved in a dispute come together to try to find a fair and workable functional solution to their problem/ situation. The goal of mediation is for the parties to work out a functional solution that they can all live with; thus focusing on the future, not on the past. (As JFK is quoted, “it is our goal not to fix a blame for the past, but a solution for the future”. ) I don’t often use the word “conflict” because it is seen as harsh… so think of the word “discord”, because it is a softer and possibly a little easier to relate to.
People in discord are about 30-40 percent less effective and efficient than those who are not in conflict. People close to people in discord are about 20-30 percent less effective and efficient than those who are not around people in discord. In dollars and productivity, what does that cost meant to you?… to your enterprise? In happiness, in creativity, in social interactions; what are the costs? I think the cost is immense and you will too once you really consider it. So, whether it is your employee, a co-worker, a friend, a customer, a client, an associate, or you that is in discord, if you’ve been wondering if talking to someone about mediation would be beneficial, really think it over, most mediation business’s will discuss the situation with you at no cost. Most likely, you’re overdue for some positive news!
What is that positive news? It is that a mediator can come into any situation and assist you/your team/your company in resolving the discord. You can move forward, you can stop the negativeness that is felt in the office, there is an agreement in place that everyone is involved in developing that is concrete and is going to be followed. The agreement can be whatever you make it to be with the concurrence of all parties involved. It is very important to understand the ownership and the control all parties have in a mediation setting. Once you step beyond mediation you go to arbitration. Arbitration is a great resource, for specific situations; as is litigation which is a further step beyond arbitration. However, in arbitration and litigation there is a 3rd party making decisions for you… you loose total control of the outcome. There is also added expense and time spent beyond mediation.
Within mediation you are looking at sitting down face to face within a week or two. Then you are looking at one to two days for the development of the agreement and then signing of the agreement; the development part is a structured setting in and of itself, includes much disclosing of information/feelings and then ideas for resolution. There is a financial expense in mediation, but it is minimal due to topics discussed here and when you look at the expense you occur should you require arbitration or litigation. Within mediation everything is confidential as well, beyond mediation there are public records.
It is common that disputes start with a “Blank” as discussed in the previous entry. One might think that it is just amazing that one blank can lead to the need for mediation. But when you think of the chain of events that can occur from someones action, who is acting on such a blank, the actions can be harmful to a companies reputation, productivity, and employee satisfaction. My uncle works for a company that if a a comma is placed out of order in a computer program that develops a certain product, then there is thousands of dollars wasted. That comma can be put there for various people who are disgruntled and wanting to get back at their manager, or whomever within the organization. Think of the areas where sabotage can occur without your organization… how much would you be willing to spend to over look disgruntlement? Others have said that if there is a problem with an employee/manager who is not working out then they would just fire that person. That method of dealing with an employee will be brought up in another entry to come.
Conflict/discord within any company/organization is the most reducible cost and the least recognized. It is a wonderful thing you can do for yourself/your team/ your company to get back to doing “good” and them move to being “great”. Wouldn’t it be great to have and work for a company with high reputation, with low employee turnover and high employee satisfaction. If more companies would look at mediation in terms of dealing with the discord within their organization they would be happier and healthier and sought after to work for.
Statistics from Managing Differences: How to Build Better Relationship at Work and Home. Dr. Daniel Dana, Ph.D. 2006
Good the Enemy of Great!!! part 1
I’ve heard it said, “2nd place is the 1st loser” just as “good is the enemy of great”. Websters Dictionary on-line defines good as “having desirable or positive quailties especially those suitable for a thing specified.” Doesn’t sound like an enemy does it? It all depends on the goals you set for yourself/your role at work/ your team/ your Company; are you satisfied with having positive quailities suitable for that role? What if you could do better…what if you could be “GREAT”?! Websters Dictionary on-line defines great as “standing above others in character or attainment or reputation”. What’s holding you back from being “GREAT”?
Ask yourself the following questions:
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Do you desire more from your team/Co/ self in work?
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What can you do to increase productivity?
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What are the attitudes within your team/Co/ from yourself?
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What are the personalities that you are working with, do they help promote the team/Co or do they hold it back?
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Is there an attitude that “this is good enough”?
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Are you encouraged to go above and beyond from others?
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What can you do to promote such an attitude in your place of work?
You would think that most Co/ Organization would encourage “greatness”… all too often there is not an encouragement to do so. There are no incentives, there are no rewards, there is no ownership, there are no plans on how to become “GREAT”! So then what? Do you just then give up and decide to be satisfied with “good”?… What are some ideas that you have that can make you/your team/Co. go from good to great, should you so desire to step outside of your comfort zone and leap to greatness? Please do share….
