Conflict is one of those inherent clauses that is never described in your job description, but will take up much of your time and energy. This is the reason many managers find it convenient and justified to ignore it. However, a postponed conflict will never go on its own, and will linger long enough to haunt you all the time.
Traditionally, many reasons could be given for postponed conflicts, however contemporary studies show that most of them are myths and often bear a cost to the organization.
Firstly, most managers think that the conflict will solve on its own if left alone. Such an approach, though suitable for very small conflicts, usually turns out to be detrimental for the organization. Postponed conflicts will never solve themselves out, and their lingering may cause the working environment to become tense. They might heat up at other times, or may become the cause of creating other conflicts. This can greatly demoralize the employees, and can lead to increased employee turnover, reduced productivity, escalated absenteeism and diminishing efficiency.
Another approach that managers traditionally use to justify ignoring conflict was that employees are the best judge of their situations, and will be able to sort out their issues themselves. However, rarely does this happen in reality. People in conflict seldom see the logical point of view, and are unable to take right decisions because of their varying interests. A little confrontation and perspective from a manager can help them see the light, and all can then work towards improving the productivity of overall organization.
It is true that dealing with conflict is usually uncomfortable for everyone involved. However, postponing it is not an option either, as it will help other problems to spawn such as manipulating, gossiping, backbiting etc. Hence, effective conflict resolution is required by a manager in the larger interest of the organization. It may reveal negative emotions from the employees, and may as well deter a manager from implementing conflict resolution, but seen in the long run will always be beneficial for the organization.
Postponed conflict might be a wise choice if it is implemented as a well thought out strategy. However, if it is being used just because a manager does not have the guts to take the necessary actions, then it might be a fatal problem for the organization. Whenever a manager faces a conflict situation, he should always assess his behavior before taking action that whether his avoidance due to fear of confrontation or it is the best possible solution for the organization?
Instead of being afraid a manager should always realize his fear and remember that consequences are not always as bad as they seem and he will be helping in easing the tension at the workplace. Further to this, he will be able to save many people’s time and energy, hence improving productivity of the whole organization.
