Introduction
Despite the commonly believed negative nature of the conflict, it could be said that this social phenomenon can be regarded as a source of transition since the absence of this matter leads to the development of groupthink. The overall conflict can be viewed as time-consuming while being the critical cause of deliberation, but suppressing debate might have an adverse influence on the firm’s prosperity and development. Based on the factors provided above, it is evident that conflict is a necessity, as it enhances the information, viewpoints, opinions, and perspectives sharing. Nonetheless, the primary issue is the negotiation process, as the each participant knows that he/she is right while finding a solution. In this case, the conflict minimizes the risks of making wrongful decisions. Consequently, different approaches have to be utilized to avoid confusion including loosing and tightening control.
It could be said that the critical goal of this paper is to determine the role of the negotiation in the decision-making process while depicting the significance of conflicts to enhance the overall functioning of the organization. The literature review will provide new insights related to the workplace-based problem. In the end, the conclusions are drawn to summarize the core findings of the literature synthesis.
Literature Review
Issues with Gaining Power
Firstly, the dynamics of power within the organization play an essential role due to the possibility to have an influence on the corporate structure (Drummond, 2008). Meanwhile, the application of formal and informal powers contributes to the development of the structure, which is favorable for gaining control (Drummond, 2008). This matter is critical for the organizational functioning, as it determines the flow of information within the company. Understanding of these concepts is vital and can be applied critically in the context of the workplace-based issue while modifying and altering the corporate structure.
In turn, the organizational dynamics affect the flow of information in the organization, as the employees belonging to the lower hierarchy tend to have a different perception of the use of power (Mechanic, 1962). Meanwhile, various sources of power are highlighted and are related access to persons, instruments, and information (Mechanic, 1962). It remains apparent that this matter reveals the novel insights regarding the workplace-based issue while depicting the vitality of the group dynamics. Based on the factors emphasized above the ability to understand the complexity of the organizational dynamics and apply this aspect to gain power in the organization.
Positive Intentions of the Conflict
Meanwhile, it is critical to determine the positive nature of the conflict, as this conflict can be regarded as a source of creativity and rise of the employee’s engagement in the process (Joni & Beyer, 2009). In this case, the conflicts tend to be diversified, as only a ‘good’ fight can be considered as the cause of the positive results (Joni & Beyer, 2009). It is apparent that leaders can cultivate the development of the good fights to improve the organizational performance and communication network. The good fight can be defined by the well-established value generation, future orientation, and the prioritization of the noble intentions (Joni & Beyer, 2009). The leaders have to be able to resolve a conflict in the short-term, set the informal structure while conducting the communication with the participants informally and eliminating of the categorization between the winners and the losers (Joni & Beyer, 2009). It could be said that the presented instance defines the actions of the leaders, which have to be implemented in the context of the presented case while developing the understanding that the cultivation of the conflicts has a beneficial influence with the assistance of the coherent actions of the management.
In turn, the conflicts have a positive impact on the teamwork while increasing the avoidance of the problem escalation (Crowley, Payne, & Kennedy, 2014). Meanwhile, the well-established teamwork advances the quality of interactions (Crowley et al., 2014). These aspects are vital for the firm’s functioning, as the managers of the company have to understand the significance of the concepts to be able to control the conflicts to cultivate the positive outcomes. Based on the information provided above, It is evident that these matters define the organizational efficiency while determining the understanding of the nature of the conflict from a dissimilar perspective.
Issues Related to the Negotiations
It is evident that negotiations play a substantial role while finding the solution to the issue. Nonetheless, the moves of the leaders affect the flow of negotiations as the mistakes influence the performance adversely while evaluative actions ensure the positive outcomes for the both parties (Sebenius, 2001). In this case, the individual negotiators have to be able to assess the counter moves of the competitors while depicting their interests (Sebenius, 2001). Meanwhile, the solution has to cover the interests of other parties, as, otherwise, this aspect will contribute to the rise of the subsequent conflict (Sebenius, 2001). It could be said that the publication reveals a particular set of concepts, which can be a basis for the pattern’s development for the resolution of the conflict.
Furthermore, the negotiations have to cover multi-issues simultaneously, and various approaches are used to describe the appropriate actions to cultivate the development of the positive outcomes (Ambad & Kulkarni, 2015). It is apparent that multi-issue nature of negotiation is common the modern business world, and the warranty-based bilateral concepts assists in the minimization of the future conflicts while being able to cover the viewpoints of all participants (Ambad & Kulkarni, 2015). It could be said that this concept determines a particular approach, which can be used for the resolution of the conflict and minimize the drawbacks related to the dissimilar nature of opinions.
Conclusion
It could be said that the literature review depicts the issues from various angles while identifying the issues of power due to the dissimilar understanding of power by different levels of subordination. Meanwhile, the management can modify the organizational structure to gain power. This aspect can be utilized in the context of the workplace-based problem to enhance the overall unity of the organization while eliminating the gap between the opinions about power. Despite the negative nature of the conflict, the publications portrayed that its positive influence cannot be underestimated due to the ability of the concept to increase employees’ creativity. The actions of the leaders define the flow of the negotiations while mistakes cannot be avoided and lead to the positive outcomes. It could be stated that a combination of these factors offers new insights while depicting the novel principles associated with the necessity to rise conflicts and negotiations to view the current issue from dissimilar angles.
Workplace-based problem
The workplace-based problem has to be described to highlight the issues that the company currently faces. The company specializes in the crude oil production while being a global leader with the international recognition. Meanwhile, the company considers the necessity for expansion to maintain its position of the frontrunner. Despite the extended years of operations in the market, the company’s decision-making related to the first takeover was overpriced due to the prioritization of the geographical enlargement in GoM region and enhancement the availability of complex drilling operations. This acquisition impacted the subsequent takeovers, as it received a higher degree of scrutiny while highlighting the significance of risk assessment. In the context of the presented case, the primary goal of the paper is to determine the application of the conflicts, negotiations, and mistakes in practice while referring to the workplace problematizing.
The idea of giving and receiving instructions will be considered in the context of the presented situation, as this aspect is regarded as one of the instruments for modifying the nature of the corporate culture to gain power. It is apparent that the overall concept has a positive influence on the overall functioning while the introduction of instructions can be regarded as a cause of ambiguity and causing confusion. As for the examples, I chose to obey the instructions related to the new procedures that I have to practice during my work shifts. This task was related to the introduction of a new documentation system, which will ensure the flow of information among the departments. The specific instructions regarding the procedure were provided. Consequently, my obedience was a source of power, as the management had control over my actions while increasing the power distance. Nonetheless, the lack of my initiative was a cause of the absence of creativity while determining the development of groupthink, as following the instructions eliminated the possibility to spot the mistakes, which were present in the system.
The application of Joni and Beyer’s theory has to be evaluated while considering the context of the workplace-based issue. It could be said that the conflict was related to usage of the necessity of the acquisition as the primary expansion instrument. In this case, the primary tension was the overpriced takeover without the well-developed acquiring strategy and absence of the knowledge regarding the liquidity and financial stability of the acquired company. As for the application of the assessment tool, the time for ‘fight’ was appropriate due to the essentiality of the organization to maintain its positions in the crude oil market. It remains evident that that the actions were long-term oriented with the principles of values generation. These activities lacked the compliance with all representatives of the company while management disregarded the rules while making the situation unfavorable. Despite the initial tensions concerning the decision-making process, the overall conflict can be viewed as a good fight since it was the initiator of the well-established subsequent due to the increased level of scrutiny of the first takeover.
The flow of events would have been different if Sebenius’ theory was applied from the beginning. In this case, the final decision could have had a different nature, as the positive outcomes of both parties will be prioritized. Consequently, the company would discover alternative expansion tools or emphasize the vitality of the research of the options before the selection. This matter will improve the overall satisfaction while contributing to the increased efficiency in the organization. Based on the factors mentioned above, the utilization of the theory proposed by Sebenius will diminish tension between different levels of subordination while finding a created and rational resolution.
References
Ambad, P., & Kulkarni, M. (2015). A warranty-based bilateral multi-issue negotiation approach. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 22(7), 1247-1280.
Crowley, M., Payne, J., & Kennedy, E. (2014). Working better together? Empowerment, panopticon and conflict approaches to teamwork. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 35(3), 483-506.
Drummond, H. (2008). The dynamics of organizational collapse: The case of Barings bank. London, UK: Routledge.
Joni, S., & Beyer, D. (2009). How to pick a good fight. Harvard Business Review, 87(12), 48-57.
Mechanic, D. (1962). Sources of power of lower participants in complex organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 7, 349-364.
Sebenius, J. (2001). Six habits of merely effective negotiators. Harvard Business Review, 79(4), 87- 95.