Organizational Performance

Plano’s Conflict Management System (Article 1 of 3)

November 30, 2007 | Dr. Anthony Picchioni – Chairperson, SMU Dispute Resolution Program & LaShon Ross – Director of Human Resources, City of Plano, Texas

  Embracing Conflict: It’s all about Perspective…and Skill Aristotle said, “Anybody can become angry, that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way, that is not within everybody’s power. That is not easy.” How do you help employees who cannot work together without being disagreeable? How much of your time is spent facilitating conversations between employees? Are you able to initiate “crucial conversations” that are imperative for productivity and efficiency? Most of us know how to compete because we were raised to “be the best”; take the lead”; “reach the top”; and “win”. But, how many times were we taught skills to mediate or collaborate? Too often, people are held captive by their inability to address critical issues. We sugarcoat performance evaluations to avoid discomfort. We ignore substandard performance because we cannot f...