Causes Of Interpersonal Conflict

Employee Interpersonal Communication Conflict; When Leadership, Engagement, and Consequences are Absent

Madeline J Palmieri

Walsh University

Abstract

My research paper will focus on the dynamic of a relationship between two of my coworkers, and the interpersonal communication issues and conflicts that arise between them. The first being the Customer Service Department Supervisor. She is a 38-year-old female, college educated, and has been with the company for about seven years. She has only been in the manager position for about 5 months. Her leadership styles tend to be rather ‘all bark, no bite’; she is bold, outspoken, and takes initiative, but only when it is a situation in which she wants to tackle. The second coworker is

James Traeger, Director of a UK based organizational development consultancy, has recently developed a program called Restorative HR. Within this approach, he states “Restorative HR practice is much more about culture change rather than technique,” according to Tragers (2016) Restorative HR Practice Toolkit. He then goes onto mention that at the heart of this approach, stems an ancient Chinese philosophy, “Confront the difficult while it’s still easy.” Engaging in fuller conversations, restorative mindsets, and adequate confrontation, will help the different departments and levels of management begin to connect with employees and shift the overall tone of the company to a more positive

This intervention can include mediation, role clarity and workload reviews, and redefining policies to ensure fair treatment. Also allowing the perpetrator and victim the chance to sit down through facilitated discussions, and creating a plan on how to move forward while looking at the future of the co-worker relationship. These interventions can also include counseling services which offer coping skills and provide adaptive emotional intelligence tips within the workplace. Employees with successful coping skills are better at recognizing and avoiding aggressive behaviors further on (Zapf & Gross, 2001). Consequences need balance, they shouldn’t always just be used when a person is needing reprimanded. These consequences can be good and positive; like implementing incentives based on job performance and acknowledging employees for their success. Too many negative consequences can also be detrimental to an overall company culture (Bearley, 2016). This can often promote unethical behaviors while instilling fear and anger into employees. Equal balance being placed on both ‘consequent’ actions will help promote an environment for employees to reach their full potential and achieve many great