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Reflection Journal
Name
Professor
Course
Date
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How Do You Communicate and Negotiate Conflict?
My ability to resolve conflicts and negotiate desired solutions have challenged and put
me in a position that will make me a better future manager. I am now able to take up tougher
challenges in similar roles. However, I have learnt that thoughtful communication and active
communication are skills that are highly needed during conflict. In this reflection journal, I tackle
topic seven as I give my reflection on communication and negotiation of conflict as a manager.
The description of my experience with conflict shows that a manager needs to put in
more skills than use of power and authority. In my role as a manager, I have encountered various
instances of conflict among team members. One notable event was a disagreement between two
team members regarding the allocation of tasks for a project. Both individuals had strong
opinions on how the responsibilities should be divided and were unwilling to compromise. The
situation escalated quickly, leading to tension and a breakdown in communication within the
team.
The interpretation needed some deep thought. Upon reflection, I realized that effective
communication and negotiation are crucial skills for managing conflict within an organization.
Communication plays a vital role in resolving conflicts as it allows individuals to express their
concerns, understand differing perspectives, and find common ground (Brand et al., 2020). In the
case mentioned, the lack of effective communication contributed to the intensity of the conflict
and hindered the team's progress.
Through evaluation, when I look back at the event, I believe that my initial approach to
resolving the conflict was inadequate. I made the mistake of assuming a passive role, thinking
that the team members would eventually resolve their differences on their own. However, this
approach only allowed the conflict to fester and worsen. According to Yue et al. (2021), I should
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have intervened early on, taking a proactive role in facilitating open communication and finding
a mutually beneficial resolution.
I have created a strategy plan to help me communicate better and resolve conflicts in the
future. First, I will put a priority on good communication among my team by promoting candid
conversation and attentive listening. I will create open lines of communication and make sure
team members are at ease sharing their thoughts and concerns. In addition, I will set aside time
for team meetings so that issues may be discussed and swiftly handled. Additionally, I will look
for professional development opportunities to improve my dispute resolution abilities. Attending
courses or seminars on conflict resolution, negotiating tactics, and efficient communication
approaches may be part of this (Kahlow et al., 2020). I will be better prepared to handle
disagreements in a proactive and constructive way by gaining new information and abilities in
these areas.
I will occasionally gauge the team's general contentment and harmony in order to gauge
how well my plan is working. Both casual talks and formal feedback processes, like anonymous
surveys or one-on-one conversations, can be used to accomplish this (Rahim et al., 2020). I can
determine whether my efforts to enhance communication and conflict resolution have been
successful and make adjustments as necessary by actively soliciting advice and feedback from
team members.
Overcoming resistance from team members who are not used to open communication or
have conflict anxiety may be one of the challenges in accomplishing these aims (Kayastha et al.,
2022). To combat this, I will establish a welcoming and inclusive team environment where
everyone's opinions are appreciated and encouraged. I want to foster an atmosphere where issues
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can be handled and resolved constructively by establishing clear standards and serving as an
example of courteous and effective communication.
In conclusion, the ability to effectively communicate and negotiate is crucial when
resolving disputes inside a company. I have learned the value of proactive action and honest
communication by thinking back on my previous experiences. With the help of my action plan,
which prioritizes communication, seeks professional advancement, and recurrently assesses team
satisfaction, I hope to enhance my dispute resolution abilities and foster a pleasant and effective
work environment. I am confident that by continuously putting these tactics to use, I can
strengthen my sense of self as a manager and add to the organizational success as a whole.
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How Do You Manage Change?
Change is a vital aspect of the architecture and management of any organization.
however, it comes with frustrations and confusion for the employees. The management is
therefore tasked with increasing employee engagement which helps reduce the risk and cost
associated with change. In this reflection journal, I tackle topic ten on the management of
change.
In describing experience, the function of implementing and managing the change in
organizations can only be tasked with the senior individuals in organizations (Hanelt et al.,
2021). Therefore, in my role, I manage change as a manager and this has presented numerous
challenges. One of the events that gave me a challenge as a manager was the execution of a new
technology in the organization. This is because the various employees affected by the change
tried to oppose the implementation. They were resisting because they were not ready to embrace
a change in the workflow and the productivity was affected negatively during this period of
transition.
On the interpretation, I did a close reflection on the management situation and came to
the conclusion that effective communication and leadership are crucial to managing change.
Managers must always give clear instructions and encouragement since people may find change
unsettling (Hanelt et al., 2021 and AlHamad et al., 2022). In this case, the resistance and output
loss were brought on by the team members' lack of understanding and buy-in (Fountaine et al.,
2019). I quickly realized that I needed to take a more proactive approach to managing the
transition and the worries of my employees.
In evaluating the issue of change, I came to the conclusion that my approach to change
management was inadequate. I believed that my crew would quickly get used to the new setup. I
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ought to have anticipated the challenges and created a thorough change management strategy to
facilitate the transition (Anwar & Abdullah, 2021). I also realized that because I had not clearly
explained the advantages of the new technological system, my team members were
unenthusiastic and resistive.
I have a plan to manage change better. First, I will prioritize honest team communication.
I will explain the change's benefits to the company and how it fits with our goals. I will
attentively handle their problems. I will also involve my team in decision-making to get their
opinion and buy-in. I can make sure their views and ideas are heard by asking for their input.
This builds trust and ownership of the change (Anwar & Abdullah, 2021). During change, I will
train and support my team. Workshops, webinars, and outside specialists can help with learning
and technical or operational issues (Hillmann & Guenther, 2021). I will also assign mentors or
swap champions to help their teammates.
I will track productivity, staff satisfaction, and change acceptability to evaluate my plan.
Team members will be checked in and given feedback often to assess their comfort and
understanding. To ensure change management success, I will adapt my strategy based on their
evaluations. Team members that reject change or fear the unknown might make change
management difficult (Hillmann & Guenther, 2021). To combat this, I will stress organizational
learning and growth. I intend to promote change adaptability and flexibility by emphasizing its
benefits and fostering a happy and helpful workplace.
In conclusion, organizational change requires strong leadership, open communication,
and team support. I have learned that proactive intervention and team understanding are crucial. I
want to improve my change management skills and help my organization succeed by prioritizing
communication, involving team members, providing training and support, and evaluating the
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change management process. I can create a culture of adaptation and resilience in my team by
continuously employing these methods.
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References
AlHamad, A., Alshurideh, M., Alomari, K., Kurdi, B., Alzoubi, H., Hamouche, S., & AlHawary, S. (2022). The effect of electronic human resources management on
organizational health of telecommunications companies in Jordan. International Journal
of Data and Network Science, 6(2), 429-438.
Anwar, G., & Abdullah, N. N. (2021). The impact of Human resource management practice on
Organizational performance. International journal of Engineering, Business, and
Management (IJEBM), 5.
Brand, T., Blok, V., & Verweij, M. (2020). Stakeholder dialogue as agonistic deliberation:
Exploring the role of conflict and self-interest in business-NGO interaction. Business
Ethics Quarterly, 30(1), 3-30.
Fountaine, T., McCarthy, B., & Saleh, T. (2019). Building the AI-powered organization.
Harvard Business Review, 97(4), 62-73.
Hanelt, A., Bohnsack, R., Marz, D., & Antunes Marante, C. (2021). A systematic review of the
literature on digital transformation: Insights and implications for strategy and
organizational change. Journal of Management Studies, 58(5), 1159-1197.
Hillmann, J., & Guenther, E. (2021). Organizational resilience: a valuable construct for
management research? International Journal of Management Reviews, 23(1), 7-44.
Kahlow, J., Klecka, H., & Ruppel, E. (2020). What the differences in conflict between online and
face-to-face work groups mean for hybrid groups: A state-of-the-art review. Review of
Communication Research, 8, 51-77.
Kayastha, N., Devkota, N., Mahapatra, S. K., Koirala, R., Paudel, U. R., & Parajuli, S. (2022).
Identifying Managerial Awareness Level on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution in
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Nepalese Banking Sectors: Descriptive Cross-sectional Analysis. Journal of Economic
Sciences, 1(2), 85-96.
Rahim, M. A., & Katz, J. P. (2020). Forty years of conflict: the effects of gender and generation
on conflict-management strategies. International Journal of Conflict Management, 31(1),
1-16.
Yue, C. A., Men, L. R., & Ferguson, M. A. (2021). Examining the effects of internal
communication and emotional culture on employees’ organizational identification.
International Journal of Business Communication, 58(2), 169-195.