Business Management Forum Post

I need a 200-word reply to each of the following two forum post that were made by my peers in my class:

Forum 1

The conflict experienced by the owner and CEO of the small machine and tool company is called intergroup conflict. As discussed in our reading this week, intergroup conflict occurs when there is conflict among work teams or departments (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2013, p. 374). Past relations have been harmonious with labor relations however; the economic downturn and subsequent layoff discussions have now caused volatile relations. The recommended action to take when intergroup conflict increases is to eliminate specific adverse interactions between groups (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2013, p. 376). Secondly, team building must take place to reduce tensions. Management must remember to foster positive relations during these discussions and display empathy and compassion as further suggested in our reading. Management and labor relations must find ways to work together. Working together will reestablish trust and will set the stage for future negotiations.

In the scenario experienced by the small machine and tool company, it is imperative for management and labor relations to find ways to eliminate the barriers of effective communication. Based on layoff discussions, there are strong personal barriers that both sides must overcome. Semantic barriers are also plaguing communication efforts since arguing, name-calling and profanity have manifested as a result of layoff discussions. To mitigate these challenges, both sides must focus on interpersonal communication. As discussed in our reading, "researchers have found that good communication skills will lead to more innovative decisions." (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2013, p. 403). Lastly, the styles of communication must be monitored when both sides sit down to discuss future endeavors. Both parties must stay away from communication deemed aggressive. Aggressive communication is observable in both verbal and non-verbal communication.

Evidence-based decision making would help to resolve this case through transparency. Evidence-based decision making reduces the ambiguity of an argument by conscientiously using the best data when making decisions (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2013, p. 360). Notable principles used in evidence-based decision making include: sticking to the facts, viewing the organization from an outside perspective and getting everyone involved in the decision-making process; not just the senior executives.

References:

Kreitner, R., & Kinicki, A. (Eds.). (2013). Intergroup conflict. Organizational Behavior (10 ed., pp. 374-376). Retrieved from GCU Library

Forum 2

It is without a doubt that technology has overtaken most working environments in some way, shape or form. For example, many organizations who are national and global rely on this technology to be able to interact with members of the organization who are hundreds or thousands of miles away. While this is a positive thing, there are some things that are affected such as interpersonal dynamics within the organization. Relying on electronic sources doesn't allow for a physical interaction among employees and therefore makes it very difficult for employees to get to know each other and form a positive relationship. These dynamics impact some major things such as whether or not employees like working in that environment and their overall performance at work (Meyers, 2013). I work for a company who has 12 offices spread among 5 different states. This calls for many meetings via GoToMeeting or Skype. All the while, communication takes place, it is hard for to depict a coworkers behavior based on their tone of voice. While they might be smiling when they say something, I can't see, I judge solely on the tone of voice and the tone of the emails. While x and y coworkers might be similar to me in work ethic, this interpersonal dynamic is hard to occur through technology. This affects myself being able to work on projects with them based on this judgment. I imagine the same happens in many environments.

Some of the benefits of using technology in the workplace is the ability for the business to grow and expand. They are able to do this knowing they have the proper means of communication to keep the business well informed altogether regardless of the location of different assets in the organization. This also allows the organization to tackle obstacles such as hard to work with schedules. Everyone can be in their office multitasking, rather than spending time away from their desk in a conference room. Some of the challenges are the inability to work with people who we believe are something else, based on what we hear or read. This challenge could be overcome by using different methods of technology to communicate. Audio, visual and written communication would allow employees to express and exchange interpersonal dynamics a lot more than relying on one source. It is important to explore various methods when we notice one of them is not working.

Meyers, S. P. (2013). Team Dynamics - how they affect performance. Retrieved December 01, 2016, from http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/team/dynamics/overview/

[1] Original Forum Post was: Many types of negotiations occur in business settings. This example is indicative of the ethical dilemmas inherent in many negotiations.

Assume for a moment that you are the owner and CEO of a small machine and tool company. You have 35 employees, most of whom are highly skilled machinists who belong to a local union. Generally, you are an open manager with an abiding sense of fair play and ethics. For this reason, you have been able to attract workers who are skilled and committed to the company's long-term success. In fact, labor relations are calm - even harmonious. For example, contract violations are usually handled between you and shop stewards in a problem-solving context with an almost complete absence of acrimony or contentiousness. Now, however, you face a serious and unprecedented issue. Due to an economic downturn, business activity has taken a sharp decline with the expectation that things will get much worse. You have just met with your accountant who has informed you there is no other choice but to lay off people or reduce wages. Your initial meeting with the union representatives shocked you into reality because it was filled with divisiveness, arguing, name-calling, and even occasional profanity. Things turn much worse in the second meeting because the union lawyers are present. After reading the article "Ethics in Negotiation: Oil and Water or Good Lubrication," you are stunned to discover that the deceptive tactics outlined in the article read like a primer for what the union is doing. Answer the following questions based on the case and the article:

1. What type of conflict is occurring in this case, and what conflict management style would you, as the manager use? Justify your choice.

2. What are the challenges to effective communication in this case and how can these challenges be mitigated?

3. How would evidence-based decision making help in resolving this case?

[2] Original forum post was: Workers increasingly rely on means of technology-mediated communication in the workplace. Besides e-mail, workers commonly utilize tools, such as instant messaging and virtual meeting spaces, to regularly interact with coworkers and clients. How do you think such tools impact interpersonal dynamics in the workplace? What are the benefits and challenges of these tools? How might those challenges be overcome?