STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING WORKPLACE CONFLICTS IN AN ERA OF GLOBAL ECONOMIC RECESSION IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Abstract

Peace is a sine qua non for progress and development in every social system. The absence of peace in the workplace can hinder productive activities and progress. This study stressed that conflict is an inevitable element in every workplace and that the constructive resolution of conflicts in the workplace is needed for organizational efficiency and productivity. Based on the above, this study examined the compelling need for the adoption of a variety of conflict management strategies for prevention and management of conflicts in the workplace, in an era of global economic recession, which is currently replete with conflicts. Industrial harmony is therefore, a necessary precondition for realizing the strategic and corporate objectives of every organization. It is  the argument of this study that conflict in the workplace can assume a ‘functional’ or ‘dysfunctional’ dimensions, depending on how effective or defective are the management strategies adopted to manage the conflict. Hence, there is the need for a constructive management and transformation of conflicts in the work place. To this end, the study presented some conflict management strategies and a conflict management model for the prevention and management of workplace conflicts. In the end, the study made some recommendations on how to peacefully manage conflict in the contemporary workplace.