As part of
group work for our Persuasive Communication unit my group and I had to create a
conflict simulation workshop that would enable managers with the necessary
skills to resolve conflict when it arises in the workplace. Our chosen topic of
conflict was a pay rise as this is an area of conflict that everyone will
experience at least once in his or her working life.
Our chosen
theory for our simulation was “Address
the concern, not the emotion” Fisher & Shapiro (2007). This theory is made up of 5 stages:
§ Appreciation
§
Affiliation
§
Autonomy
§
Status
§
Role
The main purpose of our negotiation was to find a common ground for employee Dorothy Smith and her manager. Dorothy was requesting a pay rise of 10% but her manager was not willing to do this as the company only allows a pay rise of 5%. Dorothy is a mother of three and spends a lot of time in the office and not enough time at home. Our theory came into work within the negotiation as Dorothy’s manager needed to address the concerns of Dorothy, why she wasn’t happy and what he could do to make everything better for both Dorothy and himself.
Fisher &
Shapiro defined the theory as an application of the appraisal theory. They suggest that positive thoughts bring
positive results and negative bring forth negative results. In the negotiation
meeting it was important the manager did not suppress the feelings of Dorothy
but address the five steps of the theory.
When putting
the theory into practice Dorothy’s manager was able to find a suitable conflict
resolution for both individuals giving Dorothy a 5% pay rise with additional
privileges which gives her more time for her children. The manager was able to
leave the meeting a happy man as he had made his employee happy.
Please feel free
to leave your thoughts below J
I think that the 5 stages are a great way of keeping employees happy.
ReplyDeletei like how he worked around the company policy but still managed to provide what Dorothy wanted this theory seems to work for the most part and i agree with the statement that a negative approach would have brought on negative results.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the 5 stages applied are an impressive way of maintaining happiness within the workplace. Although Dorothy did not receive her requested 10% pay rise, her manager was able to give her additional privileges for her to spend more time with her children. I feel this helps the employee to feel appreciated by the company as well as the manager meeting his employees needs. This raises efficiency within the workplace.
ReplyDeleteI think that this was a brilliant way to negotiate with his employee using the 5 stages, although he wasn't able to give her the 10% she would of liked he did however grant her privileges that money can't buy!
ReplyDeleteI think that this system is great however I don't think its realistic in most jobs today. It could be that I'm in New York, but its a tough market right now and everyone is looking for work. So unless Ms. Smith was an intricate part of the business, where it takes specific lengthy training, then her job could have been compromised. In our market, her home situation, does not have any place in her reasons for promotion. Here, they would just fin someone else to replace her and pay them less if she refuses the 5% raise.... Hope that made sense
ReplyDelete