8600-312 Understanding Conflict Management in the Workplace

Unit Overview

8600-312 Understanding Conflict Management in the Workplace is a unit within the ILM Level 3 module that focuses on building the ability to understand and deal with conflict management effectively within the workplace. The organisation is characterised by individuals with different backgrounds, beliefs and values. These differences may be cultural or individual and may result in conflicts in various aspects hence relating the necessity of the leader to ensure that they put in place effective strategies to adequately address the issues that may cause conflicts within the organisation. Most of the types of conflicts that are experienced within the organisation include work-style-related conflicts, task-based conflicts or personal conflicts.

Failing to address these conflicts effectively could affect the performance of the team or organisation in general by compromising the ability to collaboratively work on preset goals and objectives within the team or organisation. As such, managers need to master their role in influencing the work environment by creating effective strategies and interventions that can be used to effectively address different forms of conflict that could arise within the organisation. This involves being able to identify the causes of conflict before they have a negative effect on the individuals hence putting up effective interventions for the shortcomings arising as a result of the conflicts.  

8600-312 Understanding Conflict Management in the Workplace is, therefore, a critical unit within this module that build the capability and skill of the leaders in handling conflicts. The unit aims at improving the awareness and knowledge that is required to effectively manage conflicts at work and supporting individuals to embrace the differences that could result in conflicts, which is a requirement of the practising or potential first-line managers within the organisation. The unit is taught in 4 hours of guided learning and contributes 1 credit value towards the completion of the module.

Suitability of the Unit

Conflict management is a critical step in improving the performance of a team or organisation in general. It is a process that is reburied by any manager to ensure that they are able to create a conducive and supportive environment for the employees. As such, 8600-312 Understanding Conflict Management in the Workplace is a critical unit in promoting leadership and management training to ensure that individuals within positions of leadership have the ability to effectively influence the performance of others through resolving various forms of conflict that arise within the organisation.

It also involves setting an environment that focuses on appreciating diversity based on the individual and cultural factors of the different people within the workplace to ensure they are able to positively contribute to the work teams without conflicting with each other.This unit is significantly designed to meet the learning needs of the first-line managers, junior managers and team leaders. These are groups of leaders within the organisation who have the responsibility of handling issues that may arise within the lower levels of the organisation.

Team elders and junior managers, for example, have the responsibility of overseeing project teams which comprise a group of individuals, and it is important to ensure they have the ability to effectively manage conflicts and causes of conflicts within their teams. However, the unit is not limited to these stakeholders. Other managers at higher levels can pursue the unit to improve the ability to create an environment within their areas of operation that is based on diversity and integration hence addressing conflicts. Team members and employees can also pursue the unit to improve their understanding of the team and organisational environment to ensure ether are able to follow the set principles and modules.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the unit, the learners should be able to:

• Identify the main causes of conflict within the workplace

• Identify the stages of development of conflict as supported by an established model

• Explain the impacts that conflicts could have on individuals and team performance within the workplace

• Show mastery of techniques that are supported by recognised models that a manager can use to minimise and resolve conflicts that may arise within the workplace

• Describe the contribution of a manager in creating a positive atmosphere that minimises adverse effects of conflict within the organisation

Key Learning Areas

8600-312 Understanding Conflict Management in the Workplace as a unit makes critical contributions in building the capabilities of leaders at lower levels to effectively play their managerial roles and facilitate the accomplishment of organisational goals and objectives. This unit is important in building this understanding and ensuring that the leaders understand both the personal and work-related causes of conflicts. In this area, the learners are trained on the possible causes of internal conflict, which may include personal values and business values.

The learner is also guided in understanding interpersonal conflicts that may arise due to personal differences and frictions, as well as the effect that these forms of conflict could have on the individuals. Before completing the unit, the learners must exhibit the ability to understand the different stages in the development of conflict and their responsibility to address the conflict by minimising or resulting it, as well as the techniques that they should use to achieve this goal.

Wrap Up

8600-312 Understanding Conflict Management in the Workplace is a critical unit that should build the theory and practice of the learners hence improving their performance within the work setting. On completing the unit, the learners are required to complete various forms of assessment that determine the mastery of theoretical and practical concepts. They are reburied to complete a written assessment that evaluates both theory and practice and gives an overview of the performance towards accomplishing learning goals and objectives.