Passive aggressive conflict between employees in the workplace has always been mildly amusing to me. It accomplishes nothing positive, yet many people seem to be addicted to it. Perhaps they find the drama exciting and some camaraderie with co-workers who also participate in passive aggressive conflict. Not only does it erode working relationships in the organization, it also lowers productivity. Managers are challenged when it comes to quelling passive aggressive conflict in the workplace because it tends to be very subtle. Indeed, a manager who doesn't work directly with subordinates may be unaware of its presence until rumors grow enough for it to reach their level. Even when awareness is achieved, how does one go about approaching it? The use of a mediator can be extremely beneficial as they have specific training, and will be viewed as an objective party free of bias (hopefully).
So how does one become a mediator? There are many courses one can take to become a mediator, and that is only the beginning. According to the website, www.mediate.com, "You will want to get at least one, preferably more, 30-40 hour comprehensive
mediation training. Trainings available here: Mediate.com/University. You
really want an A-Z overview of the world of mediation, as well as the
opportunity to try this mediation thing on for size (role play). The reality is
that, if you are turned on to mediation, this will just be the beginning of your
training. You will want more, really as much as you can get. There are many ways
to mediate. Learning from a variety of capable practitioners and trainers is
smart. There is no single recipe for success. In fact, one could argue that it
is the mediator’s flexibility that is most connected to success, rather than any
magical formula." (1). I believe that the use of a mediator can significantly improve working relationships and productivity in the workplace in a very efficient time frame. If the mediation is unsuccessful, the mediator will hopefully be able to give expert advice as to what the next step is that management should take.
1. http://www.mediate.com/articles/melamed10.cfm
Friday, March 6, 2015
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Blog #2
Genuineness is going to be a personal trait that will likely be appreciated by everyone in your life, regardless of how emotionally invested they are in you. To quote our book, "Genuineness is essential to all vital relationships. To the degree that I lack authenticity, I am unable to relate significantly to any other person. I must dare to be me to be able to relate to you." (1). A spouse may be happy that they feel they know you on a deep level because of it, while a co-worker (peer, subordinate, and boss alike) might have faith that you are a solid person who can be trusted to represent the organization in a positive way. Genuineness in management is, in my opinion, extremely important when considering work productivity, employee/customer satisfaction and happiness, and the organization's image/reputation. It can be challenging to maintain genuineness in all of one's relationships, including the relationship to self; we are presented with situations often, possibly daily, in which it would be easier in the short term to "chameleon" ourselves to a stressful environment to avoid confrontation, save time, or simply go unnoticed until the situation passes. This short term ease, however, can become much more problematic if the behavior becomes a barrier in our relationships. Our family, friends, and co-workers may begin to think of such a person as "shady", "untrustworthy", "aloof", "spineless", etc., and the effort required to repair those relationships may be much higher than the effort it takes to be genuine in every moment. Being genuine in management helps build relationships with customers as well. Customers may be cautious when dealing with a new person or organization, and the sooner a manager succeeds in showing themselves as genuine to the customer, the better. One should be careful of swinging the pendulum too far in the other direction as well; 'what you see is what you get' is part of genuineness, which can be used inappropriately as a rationalization of apathy or lack of concern for others. It's ok to make mistakes when working on genuineness, as being genuine also means owning those mistakes and communicating your apologies timely and openly. A sincere apology the moment you realize you've done something wrong goes a long way when bringing genuineness to a relationship.
1. "People Skills" by Robert Bolton
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Blog #1
This blog is for comparing Bolton's inventory with another behavioral and personality inventory. I chose the SAPA Project (1) and my results (2) are listed on the link below. The key difference between behavioral and personality inventories is that behavioral inventories focus on aspects that a person can control while personality inventories focus on aspects at the core of a person which are not easily changed or controlled. I wouldn't say the SAPA Project is very closely related to Bolton's inventory. Bolton's inventory is much more streamlined and easier to answer which makes me much more likely to pursue it. After taking the longer SAPA Project, I still don't feel like its impact was as strong as Bolton's inventory nor did it prompt any kind of reflection as did the Bolton inventory. It should be mentioned that my opinion may be influenced by the fact that I've read the accompanying Bolton text, which might enhance my understanding of it and deepen its impact. The only similarity I saw was that the SAPA Project did include some questions related to both personality and behavior. The SAPA Project is free to use and is accessible without registering for anything. It seems to be well thought out and the multiple sources that collaborated to make the SAPA Project are all listed and explained. I imagine the intended use is to give the user a tool for increasing their own self-knowledge but it could easily be applied to the employment and career environment. It could also be used by employers as part of the hiring process as it gives the employer information on the applicant in regards to how they will fit in the company. A user might use the information gathered to do a self inventory to gauge any personal efforts and improvements.
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