Develop a communication strategy to resolve conflict in the work environment. One of the key challenges for managers is to find adaptive communication strategies that create an open, enabling work culture. Management have asked you to develop a communication strategy to improve staff morale following a meeting highlighting entrenched conflict in the workplace. Management is supportive of positive resolution and reluctant to lose staff members. Management perceive that the conflict is the result of:

• diversity issues inherent in the organisation (eg. racial, gender, sexual, religious issues)

• discrimination issues

• power issues. The critical analysis of the work environment and the resultant communication strategy will demonstrate your understanding of:

• structural issues (mechanistic or organic structure or a hybrid of both)

• cultural ethos of the organisation

• characteristics of prevailing work culture of the organisation (e.g. accessibility between, and adaptivity of, management)

• work relationship issues such as interpersonal and group communication

• ethical and legal best practice. Select an organisation that you are familiar with or have thoroughly investigated (minimum of ten staff). When approaching your analysis, take the above elements into consideration. However, focus only on those elements that are most appropriate to the development of a communication strategy to improve staff morale.