Conflict Resolution in the Workplace: An Interdisciplinary Prescription for a Healthier Organization
Introduction
Conflict is rarely defined within organizations; instead, examples are given ranging in scale from mild tension with a colleague caused by miscommunication all the way to interinstitutional conflict involving many stakeholders competing for resources (Zweibel, Goldstein, Manwaring, & Marks2008). Unidentified, and under resolved conflict in an organization can lead to mountainous waves of tension that infect the everyday work environment with decreased productivity and burnout. The focus of this paper will be to examine the effects of conflict resolution through an analysis of business, psychology, and cultural and ethnic studies. Business. Business is the concept of providing goods and services to customers with the prospect of making a profit or not. Human resources (HR), a sub-discipline of business are concerned with the implementation of policies, tools, and strategies related to the management of people. People and problems co-exist. It is impossible to have one without the other. The Nominal Group Technique (NGT), an HR tool, can be used in a conflict situation in the workplace in order to establish the perceived causes of employment relations conflict (van der Waal & Uys 2009). Psychology. The science of psychology focuses on the mental and emotional behaviors of groups and individuals. The psychological process of mentally diagnosing the conflict or stressor is the first step of resolution. Interpersonal conflicts at work may be a source of stress for young adults who have just entered the workplace (Weitzman & Weitzman, 2006). Identifying the needs of self and others affect the cognition and emotions of young and middle aged adults involved in conflict resolution in the organizational workplace. Organizational policies as well as individual perceptions are key concepts in adopting the appropriate conflict management style. Cultural and ethnic studies. Cultural and ethnic studies examine the interpretations, beliefs, ideologies, and practices of a group or society. Research investigating the influence of culture on conflict management and resolution behaviors has demonstrated that individualism and collectivism do indeed influence a person’s style of conflict resolution behavior (Kaushal, Kwantes, & Catherine, 2006). While foreign ownership of an organization does not seem to play a role in conflict resolution, multivariate data shows that culture does. For example, Japanese conflict resolution strategies in the organizational workplace may not be culturally acceptable for the American employed in Japan. Purpose. The purpose of this paper is to explore, build upon, and network the ideas of conflict resolution in the organizational work environment through a circle of adducible methods. Producing quality interdisciplinary work involves redefining problems, exchanging methods, translating categories, and testing outcomes against multiple and often conflicting standards of quality (Boix, Mansilla, 2005).

Reference
Introduction
Zweibel, E. B., Goldstein, R., Manwaring, J. A., & Marks, M. B. (2008). What sticks: How medical residents and academic health care faculty transfer conflict resolution training from the workshop to the workplace. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 25(3), 321-350. doi:10.1002/crq.211
Business
van der Waal, C. S., & Uys, J. M. (2009). Applying the Nominal Group Technique in an Employment Relations Conflict Situation: A Case Study of a University Maintenance Section in South Africa. South African Journal of Human Resource Management, 7(1), 137-143. doi:10.4102/sajrm.v7i1.232
Psychology
Weitzman, P., & Weitman, E. (2006). Brief Report: Promoting Postformal Thinking on the Job: A Protocol for Interpersonal Conflict Resolution Training. Journal of Adult Development,13(1), 45-51. doi:10.1007/s10804-006-9006-z