Conflict management in the workplace: case study of centro comunitário S. Cirilo (CCSC)

Ahamefula, Okereke Pascal

http://hdl.handle.net/10284/4309

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Authors

Ahamefula, Okereke Pascal

Advisor(s)

Cunha, Pedro

Abstract(s)

This research project explores the nature of conflict, the conflict process, conflict resolution skills and conflict management techniques in the case of workplace conflict in Centro Comunitário S. Cirilo. Conflict is a normal and natural aspect of life. Conflict becomes a problem in organizations when excessive levels of destructive conflict occur. Problematic levels of workplace conflict occur in approximately 10% of organizations. Attempts to address problem levels of destructive conflict are proving ineffective. Even in the US, Portugal and other parts of the world, where there has been widespread implementation of ADR based workplace conflict management systems, levels of destructive workplace conflict are raising. As ADR includes all the options to solve conflicts, this is a troublesome trend. A partial explanation for this is that there are many problematic areas in the theoretical framework on workplace conflict. For example, conflict theorists are focusing efforts on trying to consistently achieve win-win outcomes with conflicts that have become escalated and destructive, despite the evidence that once conflict has reached this point, win-win outcomes are unlikely to be achieved. The theoretical chapter gives an overview of sources and discusses types of conflict, conflict resolution skills and conflict management techniques. A semi-structured interview was used to reach both target groups: people that live and come in contact with the Center for psycho-social help, as well as the staff who are working in Centro Comunitário S. Cirilo (CCSC). We used in-depth interviews to reach the staff while using focus group discussion (FGD) to target other people who live and go for psycho-social help in the centre. During the interview a total of 23 people were reached: five staff and eighteen persons who live and come in contact with the Center. The results were analyzed using a Colaizzi's process for phenomenological data analysis approach. Open coding identified significant inconsistency and themes between much of what the conflict literature claimed and what was actually being experienced by workers, managers and other conflict professionals. The theoretical framework identifies the following as factors that contribute to destructive conflict in workplace: power, gender, culture and organizational culture. The conclusions of this research are that managers at Centro Communitário S. Cirilo (CCSC) are quite familiar with the conflict resolution process and the majority of them apply conflict resolution techniques. It is easy to achieve a win-win outcome when it comes to a person who lives in the Center with negotiation mediation and reconciliation but among the employees it is always difficult to achieve that because of tension and friction associated with their workplace. Finally, the research findings showed that the individuals holding the ultimate power in organizations, who are usually the CEOs/Directors, should be made personally responsible for the levels of conflict in their organizations. Potential implications of this research are that it has identified a theory that may help reduce problem levels of destructive workplace conflict both in Centro Comunitário S. Cirilo (CCSC) and in other countries experiencing the same workplace conflict dynamics.