Conflict management is larger then just wars between nations, it is as small as where is my cookie to a child, to as big as policy decisions that impact millions. I see them all, I am challenged with them all throughout my day; but what role do I play in those conflicts? While modern scholars admit that conflicts will and do happen in the workplace it is the response to the conflict that will determine the outcome of productivity (Katz & Flynn, 2013). Have I seen conflict? One could say after seven deployments and several years on the road I have seen my fair share of conflict. I have seen conflict on a global scale between near-peer nations, I have seen conflict on the small scale; distress caused from poor supervision. Conflict is everywhere and in every organization, it is how it is handle that makes the difference in productivity for all parties. Everyday there are new conflicts sources in senior management wether it is personal differences or environmental stress (Wheeton & Cameron, 2016).
One of my most recent conflicts just happened two weeks ago. I am in charge of 120 personnel and everyday there are little challenges and complexities. I recently had a young non-commissioned officer approach me with a problem. Her problem was that her supervisor was perceived to playing favorites to another junior non-commissioned officer. Her general complaint said that she could not leave to pick up her young boy from the child care because he was sick, her supervisor said she could not leave. In this case I had to play the mediator. I had to mediate delicately between a known hostile supervisor and disgruntled good Airmen. In this case, I allowed both to tell me their side. I gave the junior member my Air Force answer and allowed her to see my support for her case, yet I did not interfere with supervisors internal leadership. I believe that this is where I screwed up and knowing what I know now I should have negotiated evenly, it was not a collaborative win-win result. I could have improved the solution by noticing the discussion was not fair and I protected the integrity of the senior by not getting involved at all levels.
Conflict resolution is a difficult task to do so peacefully means that sometimes I have to play hard ball, sometimes I have to protect the institution while other times I am a major source. I have grown in my studies of mediation and resolution noticing that sometimes I need to take 15 minutes, slow down and understand the pulse of the problem. As I grow in my leadership and maturation in the Air Force I hope to improve on these skills as I transition.
References
Katz, N. H., & Flynn, L. T. (2013). Understanding conflict management systems and strategies in the workplace: A pilot study. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 30(4), 393-410. doi:10.1002/crq.21070
Whetten, D. A. & Cameron, K. S. (2016). Developing management skills, 9th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson.
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