Case Study of Conflict Between Management and Their Employees in a Child Care Center

A conflict is an intense argument or disagreement. There is conflict everywhere; schools have conflicts with other schools, sports teams have conflicts with each other, neighbors have conflicts with one another, and the list goes on. When conflict happens, a conflict resolution is needed to maintain peace within the work environment and accomplish goals. A resolution is an agreement to resolve a conflict. According to Fiske (2003), “Peace normally happens as an outcome of a well-managed creative conflict resolution.” For this paper, I will describe a conflict between management and their employees in a childcare center. I will also create a program that will help improve the relationship between the two groups.

Analysis of Management and Employee Disputes in a Child Care Facility

The conflict amongst management and their employees is that the managers do not listen to what their employees have to say. Instead, they tend to be judgmental towards them. The childcare center is family-owned. They have a couple of members from their family who are employed there along with others who are not a part of their family. There have been situations where an employee would make a mistake, and a manager would state how inexperienced that employee is or how they lack proper education or training, even though they hired that person to help them grow as a childcare teacher. Some employees are tardy daily for work, and management sees that as a problem as well. Instead of listening to what the employees have to say, they choose not to. The employees notice the judgment occurring throughout the center and start talking amongst each other, which sparks conflict.

The conflict around the workplace influences how things are functioning around the childcare center. Management is always closely watching their employees, ensuring they are doing what they are supposed to be doing. Employees are now fed up because they no longer feel appreciated in their work environment. They don’t feel the need to work at their full potential, which ultimately affects the children. There may also be signs of attribution errors amongst the employees. Although it may not be accurate for all of them, there may be a few employees that are getting called out on their performance because they are simply there for the money and not the passion. Some may see it as getting “picked on,” but there can be other reasons behind them not giving their full potential towards the children that they may not know about. As far as the dynamics go, there is a main manager (supervisor) and a director. They are mother and daughter. They also have a couple of family members who are employed at the childcare center, and the other employees seem to think that there is favoritism being taken place. So, one group consists of the family members of the childcare center. The other group is the employees that are not part of their family.

The Open Circle Program

The program that I came up with is known as the “Open Circle Program.” This program will help make peace between management and their employees by applying the elements of conflict. The elements are known as the 4 C’s, which are: contact, cooperation, communication, and conciliation. Both parties will gather in a room together; in other words, encounter each other. They will work together to reach a common goal that best fits everyone’s needs. Communication will be involved while expressing issues around the childcare center. Conciliation will take place if there is any arguing or if anyone seems to be angry. The central strategy that will be used will be a group meeting. To avoid interruption, there will be a ball being passed around, and when the ball is in an individual’s hand, they will have a chance to speak. This gives everyone a chance to state their opinions or frustrations and for management to point out any attribution errors that are present. Management will also offer training and post reminders on each employee work page to remind them of any important information that they need to know for future references. A social media platform will also be available; there will be a Facebook page with links to training videos, encouraging statuses, and reminders as well. Properly managed meetings can be an opportunity for each employee to share their side of the story.

Persuasion and Communication

Finally, the elements of persuasion that will be involved in the Open Circle Program will be by utilizing words by the main communicator. At the end, she will get the message across to everyone while communicating the message in a positive and nonjudgmental way. By linking the message with positive ideas and communication skills, it will enhance the chances of the audience being persuaded to take in the information effectively. Additionally, by fostering an environment of mutual respect and understanding, both management and employees can work towards a more harmonious and productive workplace.

As stated before, Facebook will be a platform for persuasive messages as well. In conclusion, conflicts will arise on a day-to-day basis, but there are effective ways to resolve them. When two groups aren’t seeing eye to eye, developing a program can be very beneficial for both parties. By applying the proper elements, incorporating social media components, addressing any attribution errors, and using elements of persuasion, the resolution should come easily. Once a resolution is reached, managers and employees can apply it to other similar situations to avoid any more conflicts.

References

Fiske, S. T. (2003). Social Beings: A Core Motives Approach to Social Psychology. Wiley.