Organizational Behavior: Conflict and Culture

Subject: Management
Pages: 3
Words: 673
Reading time:
3 min
Study level: College

Suppose you are a senior manager in a global management consulting company. Which conflict management style do you think is the best and would you adopt? Justify your answer.

Conflicts are always common in different working environments. A company that operates globally will encounter numerous conflicts. This fact explains why the organizational leaders in such a firm should be aware of the most desirable conflict management approaches. My role as a senior manager encourages me to embrace the power of accommodating conflict management style (Thomas 3). This style makes it easier for managers to cooperate with all the affected parties. This approach preserves the best relations while at the same time producing positive results. This conflict management style increases the level of cooperation between the manager and his or her followers (Schein 76). Experts have shown conclusively that the accommodating style can deliver positive results within a short duration.

Several factors explain why this is the best style to adopt. To begin with, senior managers should not focus on their personal goals. Instead, they should be ready to compromise and promote the best organizational relationships. The future performance of the consulting company depends on the manner in which conflicts are addressed. This conflict resolution approach will also make it easier for me to address the unique needs of more clients from diverse backgrounds (Adewale and Anthonia 121). This is the case because the company provides quality consulting services to the global consumer. The style will also make it easier for me to monitor and address the issues raised by every involved party. This conflict management style will eventually support the company’s goals. It will also make me a successful senior manager. The most important goal is to ensure the consulting company becomes a global leader.

Assimilation is one of the main strategies that can be used in merging organizational cultures. Based on your study answer the following sub-questions:

In which situations do companies tend to adopt assimilation strategy normally?

Mergers have become common in the recent past. This process brings together different employees who have diverse organizational skills and cultural orientations. Assimilation strategy is widely used to support the performance and success of such mergers. However, the assimilation strategy is only applicable in specific situations. For instance, a company that lacks a strong organizational culture can embrace that of the acquirer (Gelfand, Erez, and Aycan 503). As well, the method is useful when the acquiring company has a superior organizational culture. The employees of the other company should also be willing to embrace the culture of the acquirer. Many giant firms use this strategy in order to ensure the merger succeeds. Conflicts, challenges, and problems reduce significantly thus producing positive results.

Suppose that an organization desires to develop its own organizational culture. As a consultant what are the main elements of organizational culture would you recommend to be nurtured? Support your answer by a clarifying example for each.

Consultants possess desirable competencies in organizational management. As a consultant, I will outline the most appropriate elements that can help an organization develop the best organizational culture. The first element is the establishment of a powerful mission. This mission will communicate the company’s objectives to different stakeholders. The vision and model of the business should also be founded on the targeted organizational culture (Thomas 4). The second issue to consider is the promotion of positive workplace practices. For instance, employees should be encouraged “to work as teams, support one another, and focus on the best results” (Treven, Mulej, and Lynn 30).

Communication and problem-solving strategies should also be implemented. The company can also “embrace the power of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory to fulfill the expectations of every employee” (Sulkowski 67). Conflict resolution should be a priority in order to address every problem at the workplace. A code of ethics should also be recommended in order to guide the actions undertaken by different employees. The company can also use effective leadership to produce the most desirable culture. These attributes will eventually make the firm successful.

Works Cited

Adewale, Osibanjo and Adeniji Anthonia. “Impact of Organizational Culture on Human Resource Practices: A Study of Selected Nigerian Private Universities.” Journal of Competitiveness 5.4 (2013): 115-133. Print.

Gelfand, Michele, Miriam Erez and Zeynep Aycan. “Cross-Cultural Organizational Behavior.” Annual Review of Psychology 58.1 (2007): 479-514. Print.

Schein, Edgar. Organizational Culture and Leadership. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons, 2004. Print.

Sulkowski, Lukasz. “Elements of Organizational Culture: Theoretical and Methodological Problems.” Management 16.2 (2012): 63-71. Print.

Thomas, Kenneth. “Making Conflict Management a Strategic Advantage.” White Paper 1.1 (2014): 1-9. Print.

Treven, Sonja, Matjaz Mulej and Monty Lynn. “The Impact of Culture on Organizational Behavior.” Management 13.2 (2008): 27-39. Print.