Page 57 - DMGT519_Conflict Management and Negotiation Skills

Unit 3: Personality

Notes
she asked him to stop apologizing, to no avail. Frustrated, she confided in a few co-
workers about her unusual dilemma. Consequently, these co-workers lost respect for
Tim.
Although the cab incident was not common knowledge in the office, Tim sensed that
others knew about it by the way they interacted with him. The incident became the office
"elephant" that the employees "in the know" saw, but didn't explicitly acknowledge.
Meanwhile, Laura was tired of hearing Tim apologize and her feelings of discomfort
increased. So when another editor position opened up in another journal division of the
company, she applied for the job and was transferred to the other journal. In her new
position, she didn't have Tim bothering her anymore. But she was unhappy with her new
job. The journal material was very boring. She didn't work as well with her co-workers as
she did in the previous journal (excepting Tim). She realized that she really enjoyed her
old job. She began to regret her decision to avoid the conflict with Tim by moving to the
new job. In an effort to seek advice as to how to solve her problem, Laura decided to
consult with the company ombudsman.
Analysis of Conflict
The initial cause of the conflict, the sexual advance in the cab, occurred in a private enclosed
setting. Sexual overtures are inherently private, but the consequences were played out in
the public context of the office. And, as Bartunek at al. state, the public spaces of the
workplace keep conflict in check and "masked through shared conventions that keep it
from open view" (1992, p. 213). Informal, private conflict handling is generally manifested
through non-rational expression, such as gossip, strong emotion, and passive-aggressive
behavior (Bartunek et al., p. 216). As seen in the conflict between Laura and Tim, in the
privacy of their instances of being alone together, "non-rational discourse dominates" and
"members find ways to express their disagreements with each other"; consequently, "these
means have substantial - though hidden - impacts on the course of public conflict" (Bartunek
et al., p. 217). Tim's apologies became a non-rational expression conveyed privately to
Laura. In kind, Laura responded through informal, private means. And the private
interactions had a detrimental impact upon the office environment.

In fact, the primary reason Laura came to the Ombudsman for advice was that the conflict
was private, and she wanted to share her problem in confidence. The Ombudsman's role
is well suited to informal conflict handling. Unlike formal complaint resolution process,
the Ombudsman maintains confidentiality of the problem unless given express permission
to do otherwise. Hence, the Ombudsman can exercise more informal dispute resolution
options, such as listening, providing and receiving information, reframing issues and
developing options, role-playing and shuttle diplomacy (Rowe, M., 1995. pp. 5-7). In
doing so, an Ombudsman can be a calming influence that enables people to think through
their problem. Particularly with situations where people feel harassed, the Ombudsman
can offer more options than the formal grievance process.
In Mary Rowe's article, "People Who Feel Harassed Need a Complaint System With Both
Formal and Informal Options", she raises the possibility that people who are more affected
by harassment are those with the least amount of power in the workplace (p. 171).
Consequently, these people need employers "to provide many different access people and
different options open to the choice of complainants, including the option of learning on
a confidential basis how to deal directly with harassers" (p. 171). The issue of power in the
case of Laura and Tim is a large underlying factor, which has influenced the turn of events.

Laura certainly felt powerless. Tim's aggressive sexuality displayed in the cab, as well as
his underlying assumption that his sexual advance would be welcomed by Laura, reveals
Contd...

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