Understanding Conflict Management Systems ... - Wiley Online Library

A RT IC L E S t i c l e s Understanding Conflict Management

Systems and Strategies in the Workplace: A Pilot Study Neil H. Katz Linda T. Flynn

In today’s business environment, workplace conflict is a significant issue. Research in the conflict management discipline says that conflict in the workplace is on the rise and will continue to go up; however, many leaders and managers are not fully aware of structures and processes available to manage it. This article presents the results of a pilot study conducted in Broward County, Florida, of workplace leaders’ and managers’ awareness, perception, and use of conflict management systems and strategies. The findings reflect the lack of a clear definition of the issue, the absence of integrated conflict management systems within most organizations, and dissatisfaction with antiquated grievance systems. There is substantial opportunity for additional research.

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onviolent, collaborative conflict resolution methods such as facilitation, negotiation, mediation, and consensual decision making are part of a long history in many regions of the globe, including sub-Sahara Africa, India, Iceland, and the Roman Empire. However, these proven conflict resolution methods were not well known in the United States until the 1980s, when developments in various areas converged to expose these methods to a wider audience. Among the most important of these initiatives were widely popular books such as Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement without Giving In (Fisher, Ury, and Patton 1981) and The Mediation Process: Practical Strategies for Resolving Conflicts (Moore 2003); national

Conflict Resolution Quarterly, vol. 30, no. 4, Summer 2013 © Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the Association for Conflict Resolution Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) • DOI: 10.1002/crq.21070

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organizations providing conferences and networking services, including the National Conference on Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution; and institutes such as the Theory and Practice Research and Educational Centers funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, including university centers such as the Harvard Negotiation Project, the Program for the Analysis and Resolution of Conflicts at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and the Dispute Resolution Program at the Kellogg Business School of Northwestern University. Throughout the 1990s, interest in collaborative conflict resolution techniques continued to accelerate in academia, training organizations, and numerous sectors of society such as business, education, family, and religious institutions. Substantial support of these methods existed among people and institutions of great influence, including the US Congress, which passed the Administrative Dispute Resolution Act in 1990 authorizing and encouraging federal agencies to use alternative dispute resolution (ADR), and the presidency: In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 12891 mandating that all US federal agencies form labormanagement partnership councils and undergo training in interest-based negotiation, as well as other conflict resolution and collaborative decisionmaking methods. By the late 1990s, hundreds of colleges and universities and training organizations offered theory and practice in conflict resolution techniques: facilitation, negotiation, advanced communication skills, conflict and communication styles, and mediation and arbitration. Prominent private sector firms such as General Electric, Prudential, Johnson and Johnson, and Alcoa were developing in-house mediators, arbitrators, ombudspersons, and other conflict resolution specialists. Large federal agencies such as the US Postal Service, the Department of the Interior, and the Departments of the Navy and Air Force trained many of their own employees to become ADR specialists. These trained staff handled cases of workplace conflict effectively and efficiently in terms of cost, settlement satisfaction, durability of the agreement, and overall satisfaction with the process (Lipsky and Seeber 2006). By the turn of the century, optimism that these dispute resolution practices were becoming the norm in communities, groups, families, and workplaces took hold among many scholars and practitioners. William Ury’s The Third Side (2000) promotes the belief and promise that negotiation will take over as the norm in settling international disputes, with military interventions becoming more and more obsolete. Jack Gordon’s

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The Pfeiffer Book of Successful Conflict Management Tools (2003) gives readers access to dozens of ideas, strategies, inventories, questionnaires, surveys, and experiential learning activities to manage conflict more effectively at the individual, team, and organizational levels. In a major study of private sector workplace conflict systems by scholars of the prestigious Institute of Conflict Resolution at Cornell University’s School of Labor and Industrial Relations, Lipsky, Seeber, and Fincher (2003) noted the broadening acceptance and institutionalization of processes such as mediation, arbitration, fact finding, and ombudspersons and wrote, “Research strongly suggests that ADR is firmly institutionalized in a majority of United States corporations, at least for employment and commercial disputes” (xvii). The Cornell study authors optimistically concluded their book by referring to Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point (2002) phenomenon to characterize the incredible growth and bright future for conflict management practices in the workplace. The authors predicted that “growth will get to social and behavioral epidemic proportions where ‘everyone will be doing it’ and conflict management processes and systems will become as essential to organizational life as other features of Human Resources such as benefits, compensation and hiring” (139–40). This article summarizes the results of a pilot study conducted in Broward County, Florida, designed to gauge the awareness, perception, and use of conflict management methods and systems. The study findings, of a mixed-method design, highlight the results of in-depth interviews with leaders from a cross-section of public, private, and nonprofit organizations and employee surveys from those organizations. The study gathered leader and employee views of workplace conflict, perceived value of the systems, and awareness of and satisfaction with existing conflict resolution practices, including how the system “consciously or unconsciously exposes and resolves dissatisfaction” (Constantino and Merchant 1996, 22). The results of this study, funded under a local grant requiring a community engagement focus in Broward County, cannot easily be generalized to a larger population. The pilot study findings do, however, reveal some important challenges for consideration by scholars and practitioners, including a distinct lack of awareness of the value of effective conflict management systems and strategies, a potential need for the conflict management field to improve public education and communications with business communities, and identification of areas for future research and exploration.


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Work and Conflict: Yesterday and Today To provide a context for the study, we provide a brief review of the literature, which lends evidence to the belief that workplace conflict is a significant variable in workplace productivity, effectiveness, and overall success. Scholarship on workplace conflict has experienced several transformations. While early twentieth-century classical organizational theorists such as Max Weber and Henri Fayol viewed organizational conflict as unpleasant, hostile, and senseless (Alghamdi 2011), most scholars today recognize the inevitability of workplace conflict, defined as “members engaging in activities that are incompatible with those of colleagues within their network, members of other collectivities, or unaffiliated individuals who utilize the services or products of the organization” (Roloff 1987, 19). Moreover, contemporary theorists, including Taylor (1992), and Rahim (2001), Lam (2005), Wilmot and Hocker (2007), and Ritzer (2008), not only admit the inevitability of conflict as a natural occurrence in organizational life but also argue that conflict can serve a positive function in the workplace environment. The human relations and interactionist perspective places the emphasis on how conflicts are managed as the critical element in determining if they have a negative or positive effect on the workplace environment. Conflict management “involves designing effective strategies to minimize the dysfunctions of conflict and enhancing the constructive functions of conflict in order to enhance the learning and effectiveness of an organization” (Rahim 2001, 76) and developing macrolevel strategies to lower dysfunctional conflict and improve functional conflict (Ozkalp, Sungur, and Ozdemir 2009). Functional conflict flows from the skillful management of substantive disagreements between organizational members, resulting in stronger group performance through better understanding of different perspectives and solutions. Dysfunctional or affective conflict “emerges as a strain or breakdown in interpersonal relationships leading to hurt feelings and emotions of anger and betrayal, and takes its toll on group and organizational loyalty, performance, satisfaction and commitment” (Jehn 1995; Rahim 2001, 2002; Wang, Jing, and Klossek 2007; Alghamdi 2011). Today’s organizations deal with high levels of workplace conflict resulting from differences in human relations, confusing organizational structures, competition among members and units for scarce resources, budget cuts, employee layoffs, job expansion, and global competition. Groups and organizations experience increased interdependence among stakeholders, and more demanding and complex work assignments. These challenges Conflict Resolution Quarterly • DOI: 10.1002/crq


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accelerate the need to work more often in teams and task forces and the necessity of success in networking, partnerships, and critical alliances. Demanding customers and clients, employee differences, and employee desire for more participation in decision making also heighten tensions in the workplace. Several studies document that senior and middle-level managers and supervisors spend 21 to 42 percent of their time dealing with conflict as a primary party or as a third party (Thomas and Schmidt 1976; Watson and Hoffman 1996; Dana 2001). Other studies conclude that over half of supervisors’ and managers’ workdays are spent engaging in back-and-forth communication trying to reach agreement and collaboration among horizontal and vertical stakeholders and constituents (O’Leary and Van Slyke 2010).

Conflict and the Workplace Ample evidence exists that workplace conflict that is not handled well has heavy direct and indirect costs for employers, employees, and organizational effectiveness and efficiency. Research notes that more performance problems result from strained relationships than from deficits in skills or motivation. Dana’s (2001) exit interview data document that 50 percent or more of voluntary resignations relate directly to unresolved conflict and show that “conflict is a decisive factor in at least 90% of involuntary terminations excluding cases of staff reduction due to downsizing, mergers and restructuring” (22). Additional studies more specifically document the psychological effects of unmanaged conflict due to hostile work environments (Bloom 2006). As organizations become conscious of costs and bottom-line calculations, attention must be directed to conflict management systems and strategies. Dana (2001) proclaims, “The means by which organizations manage conflict might very well be one of the most significant factors they currently face in regards to costs, efficiency, effectiveness and employee retention” (see http://www.mediationworks.com). Organizational conflict is experienced at all organizational levels and results from many procedural and personnel issues (Hovtepo, Assokere, Abdul-Azeez, and Ajemunighbohun 2010). Data on the causes of conflict range from the obvious—lack of resources, poor communication, competition, power abuses, and salary/rewards comparisons and dissatisfaction— to less obvious causes such as ambiguous reporting lines and unclear expectations, extreme behavior regulation, and subtle cultural differences (Arops and Beye 1997; Hovtepo et al. 2010). In summary, scholars note three key elements influencing conflict manifestations: Conflict Resolution Quarterly • DOI: 10.1002/crq

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Power—the capability and the means to accomplish things

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Organization demands—differing expectations of work duties, quality, and speed

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Worth—self-esteem and other emotional needs

Each of these is highly relational and interdependent, affecting the kinds and intensity of conflict in work settings (Arops and Beye 1997).

The Role of Culture and Leadership Although a comprehensive exploration of the relationship of leadership style, organizational culture, and conflict management systems and strategies is beyond the scope of this article and the pilot study, a brief acknowledgment of their importance in workplace conflict procedures and practices is necessary. Organizational culture is key to influencing conflict management systems and strategies. Several studies make a compelling case that organizational culture is one of the most important variables in organizational success. Organizational culture is defined as “a pattern of shared basic assumptions—invented, discovered or developed by a given group as it learns to cope with its work of external adaptation and internal integration that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to those problems” (Schein 2010, 18). Since culture is a “shared set of values, beliefs, norms, attitudes, behavior and social structures that define reality and guide everyday interactions” (Ford 2001, 2), its impact on the organization and its members is profound. More specifically, the overall culture affects fundamental parts of the organization, including “how the organization is structured, role expectations, how to act on the job, how to solve problems, who makes decisions under varying circumstances, job descriptions, how to think about and behave towards co-workers, and supervisory and industry norms and practices encompassing such beliefs and practices on issues of diversity, openness to feedback, and ongoing learning” (Bates et al. 1995, 1568). Indeed, the subculture of conflict is a critical dimension of the overall organizational culture. Closely related to the role of organizational culture in influencing conflict dynamics are the critical variables of leadership style, behavior, and perception. In particular, Argyris and Schön (1974) noted the important Conflict Resolution Quarterly • DOI: 10.1002/crq


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distinction between espoused theory and theory in use. Their research explores the gap between leaders’ espoused theory, which is the worldview and values people give allegiance to and proclaim to others that they believe governs their behavior, and theory in use, the worldview and values implied and witnessed by their behavior that actually predict and govern their actions. The wider the gap is, the more the likelihood is of potential conflict issues between leaders and their employees.

The Broward County Pilot Study The impacts of workplace conflict have been widely studied (Ury 1993; Ury 2000; Cloke and Goldsmith 2005). Research shows that unresolved conflict represents one of the most significant costs in many businesses, yet it remains largely unrecognized (Dana 2001). This study seeks to understand the use of conflict management in the workplace by uncovering workplace managers’ and leaders’ perceptions and attitudes of the field and its offerings. Our research objectives were to gauge the current state of conflict and conflict management systems within a designated business community and evaluate the awareness and perception of conflict management strategies. In addition, the study lends some evidence to the importance of the close relationship of organizational culture, leadership, and conflict in an organization, an area that warrants additional research as a full analysis is beyond the scope of this pilot study. Our main preliminary assumption is that the awareness and popularity of conflict management systems is low. Secondarily, there is little or no awareness of what an effective conflict management system model, including relevant tools, training, and resources in the community, consists of. Methodology

The research team used a qualitative and quantitative mixed design for data gathering. It identified participating organizations in partnership with United Way of Broward County and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Broward Economic Development Alliance located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Organizations were contacted through an introduction from a community partner, a follow-up e-mail from the principal investigator, and subsequent telephone calls for scheduling interviews. All participants received full informed-consent forms adhering to Nova Southeastern University’s Institutional Review Board standards. The sample included a cross section of Conflict Resolution Quarterly • DOI: 10.1002/crq

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public, private, and nonprofit organizations in Broward County, ranging in size ranged from twenty to over two thousand employees. The team conducted twenty-five interviews with C-level executives and other high-level managers using a series of open-ended questions based on the following subject areas: •

The interviewee’s definition of organizational conflict

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The current state of issues and disputes within the organization and with the client or customer base

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The use of techniques to manage and resolve disputes

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The perceived and real effect of disputes on the productivity and efficiency of participants and subordinates

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Any current or past training within areas of conflict management

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Satisfaction with current conflict management systems

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The overall effect on the organization—its turnover rates, sabotage, slowdowns, and direct costs

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Awareness of resources and training for managing conflict

Subsequent to the review and analysis of the qualitative interview data, ten of twenty-five organizations consented to distribution of a survey to their general employee base. The survey design, based on Dana’s (2001) workplace conflict survey, investigates satisfaction with conflict management in the organization, the types of conflict, and behavioral reaction to conflict in the workplace. The 219 completed surveys represented a 60 percent response rate based on consenting organization employee counts. Results Summary

Within the geographically restricted sample, we made the following findings: •

There is little awareness of how much conflict affects an organization’s performance and finances.

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The types of conflicts are varied.

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Leaders and employees hold differing definitions of conflict and views on the effectiveness of any systems in place.

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There is little awareness of the tools and strategies available to mitigate conflict in the workplace.



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Another finding points to the importance of leadership style and organizational culture in effectively managing conflict. The types of conflicts within organizations are broad-based and diverse. With today’s economic climate, both nonprofits and private sector organizations face serious financial challenges, and these effects of the economy result in increased workload, uncertain job security, and employees who are dealing with high stress situations, which sometimes translates to additional internal organizational conflict. In ranking the types of conflict in the workplace, the surveyed employees attributed disagreements in the following ranked order: 1. Employee-employee issues 2. Employee-manager/supervisor issues 3. Employee-client issues 4. Manager-client issues Broward County is the most racially diverse county in South Florida: according to the 2010 Census, 37 percent of the population belongs to a minority group. Many organizations with diverse employee populations identify cultural and generational differences as a basis for conflict. Since the demographics of Broward (and other areas of the country) are diverse, so is the workplace. For example, due to many economic and demographic variables, more and more workplaces have older and younger generations working together. Other types of conflicts are rooted in differing communication styles, lack of communication between management and employees, interpersonal disagreements, and a lack of effective conflict management training and systems. In addition, the team observed distinct differences between the nonprofit sector organizations and private sector organizations, with nonprofit cultures being closely aligned with the mission and vision of their organization. Nonprofit leaders discussed their experiences with turnover rates that are higher than those in private sector organizations. Leaders attribute this higher rate to higher emotional stress since the employees of nonprofits tend to deal with vulnerable populations. After a time, it takes a toll and can result in more interpersonal conflict with others or a desire to self-preserve by leaving the organization. Many organizations in the study had a formal grievance process or an unwritten grievance process. Of the organizations with conflict management systems, 21 percent of the employees and managers stated they were Conflict Resolution Quarterly • DOI: 10.1002/crq

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not aware of any such systems in their organizations. Only 36 percent of employees surveyed were satisfied with the way their organization manages conflict. The most common formal grievance systems were standard processes of completing a grievance form, submitting it to a supervisor, and waiting for a response or an escalation of the grievance to a higher level in the organization. Organizations have these systems in place, although they often choose to resolve the majority of conflicts informally to avoid a long formal process. According to many leaders and employees, the formal systems are likely to cause more conflict than resolve it due to the lengthy, arduous, complicated path to resolution and the likely win-lose outcome. Large and small organizations alike tend to use outside services for employee conflict, including human resource consultant services, employee assistance program services, and legal counsel services for serious situations. The larger organizations have legal staff on-site, while the smaller organizations may hire outside counsel as needed. The research team did not predefine conflict for the interview participants but rather asked the participants about their definition of it. Not surprisingly, leaders held varying definitions of conflict. Some defined it very narrowly as a dispute between employees or managers and employees. Some indicated a conflict is a serious issue in the workplace, whereas a dispute is minor and not considered a conflict. A few held a broader view and considered conflict anything they intervened in and mitigated in a given day: employee-employee disputes, employee-supervisor disputes, supervisor-supervisor disputes, financial controversies, board relationships, client-employee relations, and community relations. Employees also held different views of what is considered conflict in the workplace. As a result, the differences in how people define conflict can be a root cause of conflict. For example, one leader shared a story about a generational conflict in her workplace. An older worker lodged a complaint with a supervisor against a younger worker for “disrespecting” her in the workplace. The stated cause was that the younger worker did not consistently greet the older worker in the hallway when they crossed paths. The older worker perceived this as disrespectful, and it subsequently led to various confrontations with an escalation of the conflict. The younger worker could not understand why the older worker was upset: her perception was that if she greeted everyone once during the day, there was no need to greet each other each time they passed in the hallway. The supervisor receiving this complaint refused to take it seriously because she did not view it as a real Conflict Resolution Quarterly • DOI: 10.1002/crq


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conflict. Bur eventually the relationship between the two workers became so volatile that it affected others in the workplace. Finally, the leader stepped in and held meetings with the employees and the supervisor. Through conversation and dialogue, the root of the problem surfaced: a difference in greeting protocols between generations and the perception of what constitutes a valid conflict. During the interviews, leaders were asked how much time was spent on conflict in the organization in a given day. The answer to this question seemed to be influenced by how each interviewee defined conflict, although reported time spent on conflict was high even with varying definitions. Leaders stated they spent approximately three to four hours a day (38 percent of a total work week) on conflict. One leader described her job as full-time conflict management, emphasizing that any high-level management job is primarily about managing conflict within an organization. Throughout the interview process, these conversations about conflict in themselves resulted in increased awareness by the leaders of the time and money spent on conflict in their organization. None of the organizations had ever attempted to estimate the cost of conflict within their organization. Connections: Leadership and Culture

The research team, which entered this study with a focus on investigating systems, processes, and procedures that organizations used to manage conflict, observed a distinct link between leadership style, organizational culture, and the type of systems used and the perceptions of effective conflict management. The level of conflict in an organization in relation to leadership and culture was not directly measured in this study, although it is a recommended area for future research. As expected, nonprofit and private sector organizations operate in very different cultures. Every nonprofit organization attempts to have its leaders and employees closely aligned with the mission and vision of the organization. Almost unanimously, the mission and vision was the first subject of conversation in these interviews. In addition, many organizations align their conflict management policies with their mission and vision. For instance, one organization serves community populations dealing with mental and physical abuse. In the interview, the leader explained that it has a zero-tolerance policy for any physical or mental abuse among employees, no matter how insignificant. The leader told the story of an employee who threw a pen toward another employee during a meeting and was immediately terminated. Conflict Resolution Quarterly • DOI: 10.1002/crq

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In another organization, the same behavior may not be interpreted as a serious offense, but in this organization, the action represented everything it protects their client populations from in their daily lives. Many nonprofit organizations have top leadership and management teams with extensive experience in the private sector in an attempt to bring more financial and management expertise to the organization. Leaders voiced the challenges of clashes between business and nonprofit cultures. Cited as new trends for the nonprofit sector are the employment of research analysts for more evidence-based planning, a focus on revenues, and tighter structures for increased cost and service efficiency. These new processes sometimes are difficult to align with the client-centered service culture of nonprofits. Although several leaders employed team-building and communications training to assist with these differences in employee experience, many lacked the funds to invest in extensive training so dealt with situations as they arose. All noted differences between business culture and nonprofit culture in situations that elevate conflict in their organizations. Another observed dichotomy of cultures is the culture of avoidance and the culture of engagement. The majority of the organizations employ a culture of avoidance among leadership and employees to varying degrees. A number of leaders admitted they ignored certain interpersonal conflicts in their organizations with the expectation that the conflicts “will work themselves out” or “just go away.” One leader explained that the organization avoids confronting conflict as a matter of policy. The employee survey supported the existence of this culture of avoidance: 51 percent reported that people in their organization avoid others with whom they are upset, 56 percent avoided dealing with a conflict issue directly and instead complained to others about it, 43 percent said people do not go directly to the person with whom they are having a problem, and 43 percent got someone else to take care of the issue for them. One could argue that this type of behavior is inherent in workplace situations, although a few organizations stood out from the others in engaging their management teams and employees to resolve conflict. As we know through espoused theory and theory in use (Argyris and Schön 1974), there is often a disconnect between a leader’s view of the organization and employees’ views. The team observed a connection between flexible leaders and favorable employee attitudes toward conflict management. Leaders who promoted collaboration and a shared responsibility for handling conflict through mediation, negotiation, or facilitation rather than the traditional grievance process had lower conflict in their organizations. Conflict Resolution Quarterly • DOI: 10.1002/crq


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Innovative Practices

A number of innovative and effective conflict management practices emerged during the study. Overall, organizations employing these practices exhibited a high level of cultural competency, a learning approach to managing conflict, and a flexible conflict management system. Cultural competency is a core value, distinct from diversity training, and is inclusive of an awareness of many different group orientations: race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, job category, and others. Competency identification begins with an intense selection and orientation process, a reflection of community within the organization, and creating a culture of respect and inclusion through training and flexible management. For example, one organization’s leadership planning strategy was uniform across the organization, with a mandatory criterion for leaders to “manage others” in order to move up a grade level. After identifying an area of conflict in one group of engineers, executive management realized this process did not work since engineers seek autonomy in their work and generally have no desire to manage other workers. A different leadership plan was developed for this group based on individual contributions with no direct reports for anyone in the group. As a result, conflict was greatly reduced within the employee group, and the organization activated a program to review each department and work group separately for leadership and training programs. This organization also operates global offices within many countries and cultures, with employees working together on various projects. The company invests in developing its own training and awareness programs for teaching cultural competency across borders. Learning-centered conflict management practices identified in the interviews include training in communication skills (specific to interpersonal relationship skills), conflict resolution training, reflective and active listening, and cross-functional job awareness. One organization monitors the internal and external environment through conversations, politics, and state laws and develops customized training programs based on any potential conflict issues. One example involves a state law recently enacted in Florida allowing employees to carry firearms to work if they have a concealedweapons permit. The organization developed a training program focusing on violence in the workplace, awareness of this new law, and preventative practices. The program is mandatory for all employees and includes followup touch points. Rather than waiting for a conflict to surface in the organization, the organizational team anticipates potential issues and develops employee conflict management training programs. Conflict Resolution Quarterly • DOI: 10.1002/crq

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The study investigated the ideal picture of conflict management within organizations: the research teams asked what leaders would like to see in their workplaces if there were no budgetary restraints. Due to the economy and restricted budgets, many organizations have been forced to cut training programs for management and employees. After our conversations, many leaders were better informed about conflict management and training tools and expressed interest in learning more about practice models for conflict management. They also expressed a desire for professional skills and ethics training, innovative team-building workshops, conflict identification training, client conflict training, communications, and meeting facilitation training. One of the public organizations in the study that must negotiate pay and benefits with its employees had been in negotiations for over a year with no resolution in sight. It was revealed the organization does not use professional facilitators or coaches, allows each side to choose a nonneutral person to lead the negotiations, and allows employees to attend the negotiations with loud noisemakers they can use to protest the direction of the negotiations. The process is highly contentious and emotional; in fact, the leader’s home was defaced with spray paint. Although this organization realizes the benefit of conflict management services and training, the traditional adversarial process of contentious labor-management negotiations is so ingrained in its history there is much skepticism about change.

Conclusion The findings of this pilot study do not support the optimistic claims of scholars and practitioners that workplace conflict management systems and approaches are widely used, at least in Broward County. There is instead an overwhelming reliance on traditional practices of dealing or not dealing with conflict through executive denial, managerial avoidance, formal grievances, and litigation or threats of it. If differences are to be facilitated, negotiated, or mediated, organizations often call in outside experts instead of developing their own capacity. And there is a widespread lack of knowledge of the availability of experts in conflict management, despite the fact that the country’s largest graduate program in conflict analysis and resolution resides at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, the largest city in Broward County. The reasons behind this situation and the issues raised may extend to all corners of the organizational nation and the field of conflict resolution. Multiple interpretations and definitions of conflict seem to have a negative Conflict Resolution Quarterly • DOI: 10.1002/crq


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effect on process and resolution. Many organizations do not realize the benefits of conflict management training and tools or lack the resources or knowledge to incorporate them into the processes of their organizations. Most important, most organizations do not realize the high cost of unmanaged conflict and many avoid dealing with conflict rather than facilitating a more inclusive problem solving process. Mayer (2004) believes that the field of conflict resolution is in crisis and needs to be redefined to be relevant and effective. Conflict management has the potential to be a viable, credible set of theories, principles, and practices applied to business, the economy, the environment, and social relations. Business and global relations are swiftly evolving. The Internet is fueling globalization on a daily basis, and the triple bottom line (people, planet, profit) is becoming increasingly important to society and organizational survival. Conflict management has the potential to play a key role in the success of organizations, although perhaps not in its traditional form. Nevertheless, although conflict management principles, skills, and procedures are seen as valuable for many situations, they struggle to be recognized as a viable solution for the myriad conflict issues faced by today’s organizations. Although additional research is warranted, the findings support the idea that the success of any conflict management model in today’s society must be flexible, adaptable to a breadth of situations and cultures and leadership styles, be practical and cost-effective, and be easily communicated to all employees in an organization. Our job as scholars and practitioners is to reframe the conversation about conflict and its related costs and to communicate clearly the range of methods and the benefits of effective conflict management practices and systems through a different lens. In essence, we must build a powerful business case for how the conflict field and practice contributes to organizational effectiveness and efficiency. Highlighting how a more facilitative and meditative approach in the workplace saves dollars, reduces turnover rates, boosts morale, and increases productivity is required to gain the attention of the business community. This develops a mind-set of viewing differences and conflicts as inevitable by “encouraging the surfacing of issues, ideas and concerns” (Katz and Cohen 2009, 87), and seeing the advantages of workplace differences managed successfully as a “source of innovation, enlarged perspective and vitality for the organization” (87). Powerful leadership models and benefit-centered conflict management case studies address the real needs and concerns of contemporary businesses and organizations and are Conflict Resolution Quarterly • DOI: 10.1002/crq

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KATZ, FLYNN

Neil H. Katz is professor and recent chair of the Department of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale. Linda T. Flynn is a doctoral candidate in organizational conflict studies at Nova Southeastern University. Conflict Resolution Quarterly • DOI: 10.1002/crq