BML 302-Bml 401 Topic Eight Managing Tension

TOPIC EIGHT : MANAGING TENSION
Managing the tension

As much as leaders today say that they want to delegate more authority to encourage more initiative on
the job, more creativity, innovation and more ownership for results for many leaders, this is something
easier said than done. While leaders increasingly recognize the importance of inviting others to participate
in decision making, they also know that they are accountable for results. They realize they need to let go,
and they also need to hold on. Managing that tension is a constant challenge.
The balance between hanging on to decisions and letting go allowing other employees the authority they
need to make their own decisions, without being constantly over- ruled by management is a constant
struggle, but one that must be faced.
So how do you manage the tension between holding on and letting go?
1- Building a strong culture of creativity and innovation,
2-Ensuring that his people are responsive to the needs and desires of the company’s customers.
3- Provide guidance without undermining the passion, creativity and innovation are both essential for
organizations today; not to innovate is to stagnate.
Leaders must let go and encourage others to make the decisions they are closest to. Yet they cannot
abdicate their responsibility to provide direction.
Managing that tension takes honest and open communication, with a lot of listening. Effective leaders
realize they need to let go, and they also need to hold on.
When people work together, there will be tension and conflict between individuals and groups from time
to time. Even in the best of work environments, organizational tension is inevitable. Conflict, tension,
and pain are sometimes good for the organization. I will use organizational tension as the driver for my
strategic plans. My vision is to build internal systems that manage conflict instinctively while fueling better
customer service, product offering innovation, and continual business improvement.
Can organizational tension actually be good for a business, its employees, and ultimately the
customer?
Internal conflict can be a powerful source for finding fresh solutions and making important business
BML 302-Contemporary Issues in Leadership 71 Management University of Africa -Study Pack

improvements. Leaders should acknowledge that the pain that conflict causes through bouts of
disagreement and heated debate can be a spark of opportunity to make the organization better.
The Nature of Organizational Conflict and Workplace Tension

Conflict is the natural outcome of disagreement often resulting from individuals or groups with differing
values, desired outcomes, or frame of reference. Such workplace tension produces a situation where
executives can spend time upfront by finding resolution through negotiation or spend time on the back-
end trying to resolve a destructive battle. Left unmanaged, organizational tension and conflict will inflict
unnecessary pain through internal struggles and in the worst scenarios cause long term strife to the
organization or loss of talented employees.
Executives must acknowledge the reality that unresolved conflict is an unnecessary and costly business
risk. When addressed early, most conflicts can be resolved timely and gracefully. However, if conflict rises
to the level of battling, the organization will lose and everyone in it will suffer. Often times in a long-
standing conflict, no one even remembers how it began or why. Accordingly, the best option for leaders
is to design internal systems to manage conflict instinctively by;
1) Establishing ground rules for resolving differences constructively,

2) Empowering the organization to embrace the opportunities that
conflict provides,
3) Creating situations for continual and productive debate.
Design the Organization to Manage Conflict Instinctively

Organizational design experts notoriously say that every organization is perfectly designed to produce its
outcomes, whatever they may be. In other words, nothing is an accident. Metaphorically speaking, design
your business as an organism that expands and contracts as pressure valves reduce the opportunities for
major conflict and discontent. Purposefully then, the organization will be designed to encourage
thoughtful disagreement focused on superior outcomes rather than personal threats.
To bring this design to your organization, time and money must be appropriated to produce effective
programs, such as:

• Corporate Direction
A clear direction for the organization gives it purpose and helps its members to move in the same
direction at the same time. The board should set an example for the organization with a unified vision,
clear direction, and guiding principles for working together. With such direction, the management team
can confidently set out to strategically design an operating plan that meets the expectations of the board.
• Strategic Management
Everyone likes to feel that they are a part, no matter how small, of controlling their destiny. Include as
many managers and staff in the strategic planning process as possible. Open and inclusive
 Workplace relations
planning sessions create buy-in to the corporate direction at all levels. Additionally, periodic review of
strategic plans at all levels of the organization brings insights for what is going well and what may not be
going so well.
Strategically managed organizations do not wait until the year-end financials fall short of expectations.
They are reshaping plans and operations continuously to better meet business goals.
• A Communication Plan with Ground Rules for Open Dialogue
Design a communication plan that is free flowing from the bottom up, top down, and in between.
Effective communication is planned, diligently executed, and tested for accuracy of messages.
In fact, executives should worry when their management teams and employees agree with them all the
time, rarely having an idea for how to change operations for the better.
• Training and Development
Today's businesses have a wide range of development needs at multiple levels of the organization. Start
by ensuring that the entire organization (board, management, and staff) is trained in effective
communication techniques and has the ability to recognize critical conversations and proceed with care.
There is a direct correlation between successful organizational results, and the ability to successfully
handle difficult conversations.
• Facilitation and Mediation
Professional facilitators are trained to ask the hard questions and push groups to make tough decisions.
When appropriate, have a third party facilitate the discussion or mediate an important negotiation.
Furthermore, if you have talented employees experiencing unresolved conflict, mediation through an
executive coach may be just the solution.

Executive coaches are trained to help teams and individuals see all sides of a situation, shedding light on
better decisions and appropriate behaviors.
Outcomes of Successfully Managed Conflict

When purposefully designed systems with structure, procedures, and processes are in place, discussions
are elevated beyond personal likes and dislikes. Conversations can be based on an already agreed upon
strategy or framework. The discussion is more likely to be about standards and options.
Organizations designed to manage conflict produce executives who view creativity, adaptability, and
innovation as the keys to success. They also produce employees who feel free to disagree within
boundaries and valuable to the outcomes of the organization. Managers and staff generally do not expect
a perfect organization with orderly meetings, clear solutions, and no conflict. Even though uncomfortable
at times, these individuals and groups confront conflict head-on, placing equivalent value on their own
goals and the relationship/s involved.
Organizational conflict, when managed effectively, can improve decision making, illuminate varying
options, and ignite the creation of innovative products. With thoughtful internal systems lead by
executives who walk-the-walk, your casino can manage conflict instinctively. Through the pain that comes
with conflict, the organization gains an opportunity to improve.
Managing the People within the team

Teams bring together the best talent to solve a problem, however sometimes these talented people may
clash and this could negatively affect the task at hand. This could be affected by the emotional
intelligence of the individuals and so it is critical that the members ensure they know about each other’s
current situation, work experiences, expectations personality and cultural differences in order to avoid
conflict.
It is important for the team members to share the following information during the first meeting in order
to shorten the learning curve in knowing each other;
 Position & responsibilities
 Team experiences
 Expectations

 Personalities
 Cultural differences
Conflict in teams
For a team to achieve the set goals depends largely on their ability to manage conflict. In the words of
Katzenbach, “An effective team is about hard work, conflict, intergration and collective results.”
Types of Conflict
There are four types of team conflict namely;
a) Analytical conflict
Happens when teams disagree about topical issues, project issues or problem solving. It is constructive
conflict since it leads to better solutions.
b) Task conflict
Members conflict on non-attendance to tasks by some members thereby dragging the others. It can be
solved by adherence to ground rules.
c) Interpersonal conflict
This type of conflict comes fro differences in personality,attitude, diversity or communication styles. It can
be very disruptive to the team.
d) Roles conflict
This kind of conflict emanates from leadership roles and responsibilities and mainly propelled by power
struggles. It can be diffused by having very clear roles and ground rules.
Approaches to handling conflict

Most teams use one of the following three approaches to manage conflict;
i) One on One-Individuals involved work it out between themselves
ii) Facilitation –Individuals involved work with a facilitator/mediator
iii) Team-Individuals involved discuss it with the entire team
Under One-on-one conflict management, Deborah Borisoff and David A. Victor , developed a detailed way
of solving conflict in teams which was named Chevron Chart of Five “A’s”. These included;

Steps to interactive conflict Management
Steps Description
Assessment  Allow time to cool down and evaluate the situation
 Gather appropriate information
 Assess compromise points
 Asses other party’s needs
 Determine preliminary conflict-handling behavior
Acknowledgement  Listen to other party’s concerns
 Understand other parties viewpoint
Attitude  Avoid stereotyping
 Remain objective
 Remain flexible and open
Action  Observe other parties verbal and non verbal communication
 Watch your verbal and non verbal communication
 Stick to issues
 Don’t present issue in a win-lose context
 Be sincere and trust worthy
 Remain open minded and flexible
 Don’t make promises you cant keep
Analysis  Make sure all parties’ concerns are articulated and considered
 Summarize and clarify decisions
 Review procedures of implementing any changes

BML 302-Bml 401 Topic Eight Managing Tension

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TOPIC EIGHT : MANAGING TENSION

Managing the tension

BML 302-Contemporary Issues in Leadership 71 Management University of Africa -Study Pack

The Nature of Organizational Conflict and Workplace Tension

1) Establishing ground rules for resolving differences constructively,

Design the Organization to Manage Conflict Instinctively

BML 302-Contemporary Issues in Leadership 72 Management University of Africa -Study Pack

BML 302-Contemporary Issues in Leadership 73 Management University of Africa -Study Pack

Outcomes of Successfully Managed Conflict

Managing the People within the team

BML 302-Contemporary Issues in Leadership 74 Management University of Africa -Study Pack

Approaches to handling conflict

BML 302-Contemporary Issues in Leadership 75 Management University of Africa -Study Pack

BML 302-Contemporary Issues in Leadership 76 Management University of Africa -Study Pack

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