Change in organizations is not only a short-term exception in business. Meanwhile it is a continuous proceeding in most companies. This study describes how conflicts occur in organizations and how a mediative approach - especially a transformative one - creates opportunities for implementing conflict-solving instruments. This study considers the resultant challenges of organizational changes and how a corporate conflict management can support the personal transformation of employees by empowering and developing their individual skills.
Transformation was and is omnipresent in business and social life: In the 1940s Polanyi called it Great Transformation, in the 1990s Malik named it Transformation21 which means a process characterized by “exponential increasing complexity”, “appearance of global cross-linked system” and “dynamic of self-accelerating change”.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Basics about Conflicts
2.1. Terminology and Types
2.2. Perceptions in Organizations
2.3. Functions of Conflicts
2.4. Conflict Management
3. Mediation
3.1. Basic Principles
3.2. Main Types
3.3. Organizational Relevance
3.4. Conflict Interaction
4. Approaches of Implementation
4.1. Assertive Conflict-Solving
4.2. Empathy and Assertiveness in Conflicts
4.3. Creating Value through Conflicts
4.4. Time-optimized Conflict Clarification
5. Organizational Development
5.1. Change and Transformative Approach
5.2. Employee Transformation
5.3. Prospects for Organizations
6. Conclusion and Outlook
Objectives and Themes
This work aims to provide a scientific exploration of how conflicts arise within organizational structures and how a mediative, particularly transformative, approach can facilitate effective conflict-solving. The core research focus is on how organizations can navigate internal challenges and leverage them for developmental opportunities.
- Theoretical foundations of conflicts in business environments
- Mediative conflict management and its transformative potential
- Implementation of assertive yet empathic conflict-solving tools
- Strategic connection between conflict resolution and organizational development
- The impact of empowerment and leadership styles on organizational change
Excerpt from the Book
3.4. Conflict Interaction
A conscious conflict solving does not only care about solving a problem, it also has to focus on the interactional crisis between the parties. Figure 3 shows the two steps as transformative theory understands the changing conflict interaction: On the left it represents the negative circle if conflicts appears: conflicts generate for all involved persons a sense of their own weakness. This incapacity of interaction means to the parties “a sense of lost control over their situation, accompanied by confusion, doubt, uncertainty, and indecisiveness”46 All this is a “natural human response to conflict”47 and nobody is able to defend oneself against these feelings in such situations, even more there is rising a sense of self-absorption. The illustration shows a negative conflict spiral where negative emotions and self-centeredness increase and strengthen a downward process because the parties start a kind of feedback loop and reinforce each other in their own negative thinking. “This vicious circle of disempowerment and demonization is exactly what scholars mean when they talk about conflict escalation.”48 To end this reinforcement and the circle of mutual disrespect and missing appreciation is a major task in conflict transformation.49
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the ubiquity of transformation in modern organizations and identifies conflicts as inherent catalysts for change that require professional management.
2. Basics about Conflicts: Defines terminology and types of conflict while analyzing their perception in organizational structures and their systemic functions.
3. Mediation: Explores the principles of mediation, its different theoretical types, and its practical relevance for interacting within complex organizational settings.
4. Approaches of Implementation: Details practical methods for conflict-solving, ranging from assertive behavior to time-optimized clarification and value-creating processes.
5. Organizational Development: Discusses the link between conflict management and organizational transformation, focusing on empowerment, leadership, and future prospects for the workforce.
6. Conclusion and Outlook: Synthesizes the findings, emphasizing the necessity of soft skills and a transformative mindset for future-oriented leadership.
Keywords
Conflict Management, Mediation, Organizational Development, Transformative Approach, Empowerment, Change Management, Leadership, Communication, Conflict Interaction, Assertiveness, Empathy, Corporate Culture, Shared Leadership, Value Creation, Conflict Escalation
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The work focuses on the scientific analysis of conflict origin in organizations and investigates how transformative mediation can be utilized as a tool for constructive conflict-solving and sustainable organizational development.
What are the central thematic areas covered?
The text addresses conflict terminology, systemic functions of disputes, various mediation theories (facilitative, evaluative, transformative), and the practical implementation of conflict-solving in the context of organizational change.
What is the core research objective?
The primary goal is to demonstrate how organizations can move from viewing conflicts as negative disturbances to seeing them as opportunities for growth through institutionalized, mediative conflict management.
Which scientific methods are applied?
The research relies on a comprehensive literature review of management models, system theory, and organizational development strategies to build a theoretical framework for mediative conflict intervention.
What does the main part of the text cover?
The main part encompasses the definition and types of conflicts, the mechanics of conflict interaction, specific mediative instruments like 'time-optimized conflict clarification', and the crucial role of leadership and empowerment in transformation processes.
Which keywords best characterize the study?
The study is characterized by terms such as Conflict Management, Transformative Mediation, Empowerment, Organizational Development, and Shared Leadership.
How does the author define the 'Value Triad' in conflicts?
The value triad is described as a three-piece process starting with finding value in human beings, moving to appreciating value through unbiased interaction, and culminating in adding value through financial and personal growth.
Why is 'Time-optimized Conflict Clarification' considered significant?
It is significant because it provides a methodic, nine-step, and structured approach that helps organizations achieve quick, sustainable results, thereby restoring operational effectiveness in a time-sensitive professional environment.
- Citation du texte
- Sebastian Dürbeck (Auteur), 2016, A mediative approach in organizations. Personal transformation and development in disputes, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/334696
