Posted on : 2023-05-19 01:17:06
Article : Good evening, Friday Management TASK 242- Conflict managements are a natural part of working. They can lead to new, innovative solutions and more cohesive relationships when handled properly.
In an automotive parts manufacturing company in Maharashtra, India, a conflict has surfaced from the management styles of two managers, Kishore Dave and Prabhat Mankad. They head two different departments in the same organization. Dave’s problem with Mankad is that the latter is taking staff from his department without his approval. On the other hand, Mankad feels that he is doing the right thing by taking staff from Dave’s over staffed department.
Dave feels that Mankad is interfering with his duties while Mankad is sure that Dave would do well with a leaner workforce. Manoj Manjrekar, the director, had to help resolve the conflict between the two managers after they bitterly confront each other in his presence. Apart from Mankad and Dave’s viewpoints the director also has to consider Lalit Rawat’s opinion about the conflict. Lalit is the immediate works manager who was recently replaced by Dave. He had the same problems that Dave is having with Mankad, but he was able to take care of them without directly confronting Mankad. It is clear that Dave and Mankad have both personal and professional differences, which are unfortunately risking their effectiveness at work. Dave, the new head of Technological development has been having a feud with the manager of Product Engineering, Mankad. The conflict arose when Mankad started poaching Technical Development personnel to work under him in Product Engineering. The two managers also have dissimilar personalities, rather than helping find a solution to their standoff.
Before the confrontation, Dave had been buried deep in his work, and he did not seem to be bothered by Mankad’s poaching activities. This style of dealing with a conflict is known as withdrawing or avoiding. In this style of addressing conflicts, one stays clear of the conflict regardless of how serious it is. This type of conflict resolution may be advantageous when the opposing party is forceful or attempts aggression. In this case Mankad’s attempts to steal personnel under Dave’s watch seemed aggressive and Dave might have been waiting for the opportune moment to confront him so as to make him look like what he was doing was wrong. This approach was wrong since it only weakened Dave’s position, especially when regarded from Mankad’s point of view.
The other style of conflict management that is evident in this case is competing, which is also known as forcing. Mankad would have gone to any heights to obtain Dave’s people as no one stopped him. On the other hand, Dave was completely sure that he needed every member of his workforce. Each of the managers believed that their actions or opinions were right and the other persons had to be wrong. Being forceful may result in the quick ending of a conflict; unfortunately, it is not the best way to solve a conflict. By being forceful, neither Mankad nor Dave was able to achieve their objectives, instead they only exposed unprofessional behaviour when they decided to exchange words in front of their director.
In this situation what could be recommended as better solutions to end this conflict. Post your perceptive and suggestive comments on comments box or mail us. Our Solution will be posted on our Good Morning Management Solution post on 22nd May 2023.
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