Introduction
Conflict management is one of the most difficult and complex issues in the workplace. The example of a small job shop machine tool company vividly portrays that ethical dilemmas and principles are neglected by trade unions in order to sustain their image and policies. In general, the owner of the company should understand that conflict is an affliction common to all of us, however, the ways that people “struggle” with one another are quite diverse.
Main body
The best solution for the owner is to accept a certain position and examine his own ethical standards. On the one hand, it is important to present financial estimations and financial forecasts which prove his words. This step will help the owner to reduce negative feelings and misunderstanding between the trade union and the company. There is a touch of idealism revealed in our belief that appropriate control over the process of communication may lead to more equitable, humane, and satisfying forms of conflict than are often experienced. Still, the relationship between communication and conflict is not straightforward. Sometimes the ostensibly “best” forms of communication lead to the worst consequences and vice versa (Booth 43).
The next step is to communicate with workers. This step will help the owner to create a positive atmosphere and explain the situation to the workers. Policies aimed at achieving a measure of pay fairness are thus shaped in practice through a process of cooperation and conflict between the employing organization and the employees’ representatives. Both sides, though close to the scene, are guided in their dealings by their own beliefs about pay fairness rather than by well-founded factual knowledge about the employees’ pay-fairness notions (Costantino and Merchant 76).
These notions, which in principle are supposed to guide the policies aiming at a measure of pay fairness, are in practice largely hidden from their eyes. Illegitimate union activity by an employee meriting discipline might be evidence of an intent to harass the employer as distinguished from an aggressive representation of the legitimate interests of union employees. Strike-related activities such as illegal job actions or misconduct during or following settlement are wrongful activities that call for discipline or discharge (Booth 49).
Both of the steps mentioned above will help the owner to prove and keep his ethical standards and avoid tactics used by the trade union. The owner should not follow the advice of his attorney because aggressive behavior and attitude will worsen the situation. Conciliatory approach will help the owner to maintain positive atmosphere and find the best possible solution for his company and the workers. Conciliatory remarks are statements that seek reconciliation, for example, through concessions, compliments, statements empathizing with the partner’s feelings or point of view, or statements acknowledging the speaker’s own contributions to conflict (Costantino and Merchant 78).
These are essentially relationship-repair messages, which are the direct counterpart of demands, criticism, ridicule, and accusations. Conciliatory behavior by one party may lead to a softening of another person’s stance or halt an escalatory spiral, as it allows the other person to maintain or restore face. Conciliatory remarks clearly represent a more direct style of conflict than other styles considered thus far, as conciliatory behavior generally implies that the existence of a conflict has been acknowledged. Still, conciliation is primarily aimed at relationship repair. It does not necessarily lead to a direct discussion of the content issues at hand, particularly if a person concedes simply to end further consideration of the conflict.
Conciliatory behavior is the best way for the owner to avoid litigation and keep his personal principles. It can be described as a cooperative but nonassertive style of conflict, which is similar in the latter respect to conflict avoidance. Systems principles suggest that there is some point of optimal variety, where the system is not chaotically patterned (i.e., random shifting from one style to another) but there is adequate flexibility to shift styles as the situation demands. Behavioral flexibility thus characterizes the communication of more interpersonally competent individuals and couples (Costantino and Merchant 79).
Following “Monkey management” approach, the owner should take into account the fact that “every monkey should have an assigned next feeding time and a degree of initiative” (Monkey management, n.d.). The determination of wages is influenced by a large number of factors such as employees’ personal characteristics, firms’ economic conditions, as well as union status. It is important to control for the contribution of these factors in order to reveal a pure union/non-union wage differential. Therefore, it would be useful to recognize empirically how these factors affect the determination of wages in Japan.
The next section gives a brief introduction to literature in Japan, which will help readers to understand the subsequent analysis more easily. Second, the influence of firm size on wage differentials is negatively correlated with the movement of business cycles. When the economy is in a boom (or a recession), the wage differential due to size is smaller (or larger). In sum, the differentials are affected by business cycles. So the trade unions should decide the destiny of the workers and choose between unemployment of 35 employees because of the company’s “bankruptcy” or reduced wages for some of the employees.
The decision is influenced by other factors such as strong union movement by several leaders, closed-shops, cheap union fees, and others, Specifically, the analysis indicated a significant negative correlation between strength of situation orientation and the tendency to compromise between distribution rules (Costantino and Merchant 85).The core distinction is between a personal and an institutional approach.
The former gives empowered business owners more latitude for individual action but is less measurable against any common standard of societal expectations. The latter risks inhibiting innovation and adaptability in individualized situations but permits broader management involvement and greater external observation and evaluation of performance. The case shows that tradition of business ethics is not uniquely distinguishable in standards or implementation procedures from the personal ethics of individuals where the scope for action stems largely from the level of personal wealth.
Business ethics is judged differently, almost independently from the actions of individual executives, with standards and implementation procedures determined by an impersonal institution. Great care must be exercised in all of these areas. Expenses for implementation and control cannot get out of hand, and policing and enforcement cannot be done in a way that adversely affects the attitudes or the creativity of the employees.
Complying or not complying with a law is fairly straightforward; however, great care must be exercised in assessing and evaluating the correctness or incorrectness of moral and ethical codes and philanthropic giving. Extensive value judgments and the personal desires of top management enter into these decisions. “By setting specific times for addressing the problem, managers empower employees to make interim decisions about the problem, and still report back” (Monkey management n.d.).
Conclusion
In sum, the owner of the company should follow his personal values and moral principles and choose the best possible way for his company and employees. Conciliatory behavior will help to reduce aggression and negative feelings towards the owner and support conflict resolution. As the most important, the owner should communicate with workers and explain the situation. If wages are not reduced, the company will fail and all employees will loose their jobs. Effective communication strategy and ethical standards allow the company to avoid conflict development and maintain positive relationships with all parties involved.
Works Cited
- Booth, A. K. The Economics of the Trade Union. Cambridge University Press, 1995.
- Costantino, C., Merchant, Ch. S. Designing Conflict Management Systems: A Guide to Creating Productive and Healthy Organizations. Jossey-Bass; 1 edition, 1995.
- Monkey Management. n.d.. Web.