CONFLICT IDENTIFICATION AND RESOLUTION
Conflict can be defined as opposition or friction arising from difference in ideologies between two people or a group. Conflict occurs on various levels, it can occur between one self and the environment, between one self and another person or one and the society.D.jordan(1996) suggests that there are two types of conflict; good which is described as cognitive conflict(C-type conflict) and detrimental, defined as affective conflict(A-type conflict). Conflict unfortunately is inevitable .It occurs in all organizations be it a school setting, workplace or the society at large. People respond differently to various situations. The differences in people is not a bad thing since diversity is part of human nature however, it is the attitudes that arise that make a situation a negative one.
Conflict in a team environment say a workplace occurs in various forms mostly due to competitiveness and different ideas among workmates. Having a competitive attitude in the workforce is a good attribute .It plays a key role in motivating the workers to be more productive. Given a scenario of drug testing in the workplace, provide key lessons in solving conflict. It’s important to note that while a negotiation framework is imperative in conflict resolution, the structure of a framework should be flexible. Prior to negotiation, all facts should be clearly laid out and dealt with as best as the situation depicts. A good example is, John a company janitor, tests positive for drugs. As a consequence of the latter is test results. John should meet up with his superior and a counselor to discuss his future at the company. Of all the conflicts in a workplace the most common and challenging are personality clashes. This type of conflict in the workplace is more often than not fuelled by the differences noted and end up being ignited by emotions and perceptions about somebody else’s motives and character. For example, team leader criticizes someone for being late to work because he views the worker as unreliable and lazy .The worker views the team leader as out to get him because he is not one of his favorites. The best way to tackle personality clashes would be for the worker at fault to accept his/her mistake(s) and not take it as an attack towards him. The team leader on his part should also inform the worker on why he is unhappy with his actions and issue a stern warning to the worker and install stiff penalties if the action recurs.
Another type of conflict at the workplace is differences in background and gender. Conflicts can arise between people at the workplace because of their differences in their personal experiences and gender. This may be due to differences in age, sex, educational backgrounds, personal experiences and ethnic preferences. The best way to tackle this type of conflict at the workplace would be to advocate for equal rights at the workplace and not discriminating against an individual because of their uniqueness.

Differences in leadership is also another type of conflict that may occur at the workplace. Leaders have different methods that they apply at the workplace. One may apply a hands on approach in the way he handles issues whereas another may be open and inclusive. This may end up confusing and irritating the workers in the long run. To avoid such a scenario, it would be in the best interest of the leaders to harmonize their diverse leadership techniques and come with a solid set of principles and guidelines that can be employed to provide consistency in how decisions are made and implemented. By doing so, work activities are harmonized and contributes a certain level of orderliness in the workplace.
This principles and values can be created identifying six to eight core values of the workplace that they would like to operate under that will propel the outcomes arrived at by the company. A leadership that uses this core values to guide their decision making process, increase the productivity of the company. The next step in creating principles and values is to identify the irrational rules, policies and protocol. Removing of irrational rules eliminates unnecessary obstacles in the way of attaining quality products or service to the clients.
There are various ways used to resolve conflict one of them being compromise. It is ensures that each side of the conflict is forced to make concessions. However, relying on this solution too much of compromise may cause the parties to the conflict feel too comfortable and may reduce the benefit of constructive conflict leading to more optimal solutions and benefits. This makes team members give and take to ensure all members have equal stakes at the negotiating table. But, compromise still requires the members to give a little to ensure fairness throughout the team.
Integrative bargaining
This method is sometimes preferred if the members are typically co operational with each other and conflicts are usually minimal. All team members are brought together and are forced to search for a solution that will provide a solution that team members will be comfortable with. This ensures that the interest of team members stay intact and that he/she can continue with the same beliefs and thought processes.
Avoidance
This is the least recommended approach for resolving conflict. It involves ignoring the differences within the team and hope they will not have to integrate their positions based on personal feelings. It is usually effective when it is used to not express personal feelings towards each other in aim of keeping things professional. However this technique can destroy the team if anger builds up and personal feelings are not expressed at any point leading to hate.