Negotiation aims to resolve the conflict between my colleague and me for the benefit of both the corporate operations and our relationship. Each of us tried to humiliate the other at the stalemate level, thus resulting in negligence of our purpose in the work environment. The process went into a stalemate when my workmates felt the adverse effects of our conflict on the operations of the business. My reaction stalled the normal operations in the sales department, which prompted the sales manager’s intervention. After understanding the cause of the problem, the chief accountant and the human resource manager were engaged because promotional issues lie in the human resource department.
However, the negotiation process faced potential barriers to achieving the anticipated goals. The conflict had escalated to a point where other persons got involved. The sales department personnel had realized that I had developed a bad attitude towards them. In response, they linked my behavior to pride since I had been working with them before getting a promotion. Moreover, my colleague viewed the human resource manager as biased since he is qualified for the position, and thus my promotion was allegedly not only based on merit but also as biased.
Additionally, neither my colleague nor I was willing to reconcile with each other at a time when the negotiation process was starting. I had anger and bitterness towards my colleague because I felt that he was the major cause of the conflict. I could not understand why he developed a bad attitude towards me after getting a promotion, and I had have worked with him in the sales department for a long period. I concluded that he was jealous and thus I considered him as the biggest enemy to my career success. On the other hand, my colleague could not understand why I put pressure on him after getting a promotion especially having worked with him and learned his working behaviors. He felt that I was trying to humiliate him due to my higher position. Therefore, he considered me arrogant and unworthy of being considered a friend. Hence, the negotiation process could not succeed without us resolving our twisted notions and attitudes towards each other.
The individuals involved in the negotiation process were of high caliber in the workplace. Our immediate bosses needed to be involved in the negotiation process, which explains why both the chief accountant and the sales manager were present. Their main interests were to present the departments since our conflict was interdepartmental when looked at from the business operations perspective. Moreover, they were to clarify our roles in our respective departments and inform us of the relationship between the two departments coupled with how we should conduct ourselves when interacting in business operations. Hence, the two had a great influence on the negotiation process, and their best no-deal options were to ensure that their departmental operations were not affected by the personal conflict between my colleague and me.
Besides, the human resource manager was very critical of the negotiation process, and thus he had to be present. The role of the human resource manager is to handle the welfare of workers in a workplace including resolving personal conflicts among others. A human resource manager has the relevant skills for resolving conflicts. Therefore, he was the best-suited person for the process, and the best no-deal option was to ensure our differences did not interfere with the smooth flow of business operations in the organization.
The map of the sequence of negotiations started with the understanding of the causes of conflict between the two of us. We were in a roundtable meeting in the human resource manager’s office. My colleague was given the first opportunity to explain why we conflicted. Afterward, I was allowed to talk, and everybody else was supposed to listen while one party talked. The sales manager was given a chance to explain the causes of the problem from what we had said. Surprisingly, he pointed out the problem to me for failing to use the laid down mechanisms of communication between departments. My colleague was pointed as the cause of the problem for reacting when I asked for a sales record and more so demanding that I comply with his work pace and attitude. The chief accountant was also given a chance, and he pointed each one of us as the cause of the problem.
Finally, the human resource manager told us that we were the causes of the problems revolving around our conflict. He noted that my friend was jealous of my promotion, and he cautioned him for trying to sabotage the operations of the accounting department. He also looked at me in the eye and said that I behaved mischievously after realizing there was a problem and failing to report the matter to the relevant authority. Finally, he asked each one of us to take time, relook at our roles in the workplace, and resolve to have healthy relations with everyone else in the workplace. We were given time to explain the causes of the conflict and to my surprise, we collaborated with the human resource manager’s comments. Before leaving the office, the human resource manager assured my colleague of promotion after achieving an exemplary performance according to the set rules of promotion in the organization. According to the set rules, promotion can only come after one achieves certain performance and qualifications.
Conflict Analysis Checklist
References
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Convette, A. (2006). Conflict Management: A Practical Guide to Developing Negotiation Strategies. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Furlong, G. (2005). The Conflict Resolution Toolbox: Models and Maps for Analyzing, Diagnosing, and Resolving Conflict. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Levinger, M. (2013). Conflict Analysis: Understanding Causes, Unlocking Solutions. Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace.
Lewicki, R., Saunders, D., & Barry, B. (2014). Negotiation. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.