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Managing Staff Conflict
May 26, 2009
Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
-Helen Keller
In her Exchange article "Referee or Team Builder?", which in included in the new Exchange CEU kit, "Teamwork," Yvonne Jeffries gives this advice on managing conflict in a child care setting...

"Managing staff conflict effectively begins with a clear understanding of how your organization views conflict and how it expects conflict to be managed. This becomes the framework for how directors, regardless of comfort level, manage conflicts.

"Effective directors make expectations as clear as possible. They do not concentrate on feelings and the personal aspect of the relationship. They do not focus on changing attitudes. Instead, they help employees problem-solve so they can get at the root cause of the conflict while managing their emotions. When conflict is managed in this way, employees can afford to view conflict as a natural part of the creative process.

"One cannot talk about staff conflict meaningfully without talking about organizational culture. An organization that addresses conflict directly through planning meetings, individual and group supervision, written communication, and policies and procedures, is more likely to resolve its conflicts constructively. When staff at all levels of an organization have authority that is commensurate with their level of responsibility, the potential for conflict decreases and the potential for constructive resolution increases."



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Comments (1)

Displaying 1 Comment
Marcia Lieberman · May 27, 2009
Lexington, MA, United States


I disagree with the author of this article, and find the tone self-righteous. As teachers and nurturers of young people, we know how important recognizing both feelings and intellect, process and product is. Maybe the article is aimed at an adult organization with a very different mission.

Certainly having clear expectations, policies and procedures for dealing with conflict within an organization is important, but ignoring the personal, emotional aspects of conflict may well impede finding the "root cause".

The more I read this excerpt, the more I think it is probably a poor choice to illustrate the author's views. I hope the rest of the article is clearer, and perhaps more persuasive.



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