Conflict Case Study

Scenario

You are a department manager in a mid-sized company that provides technology support services.  You have ten employees who are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service.  One of your employees, who has been with the company for two years, is performing at a substandard level and you have received numerous complaints from customers and coworkers.  In addition, this employee has displayed confrontational behavior which has created a hostile environment.  You must now meet with this employee and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal.

Conflict Resolution Techniques
For this case study I draw upon personal experience as both a Lead and a Supervisor at different companies, as well as knowledge I have gained through academic study. It is challenging to deliver bad news, reject a request, or deliver an ultimatum. In this case study, the circumstances presented are advanced, more escalated, with a prior history of confrontational behavior and disharmony in the given environment. Given that both customers and coworkers have complained about the individual, there is also likely going to be expectations and/or heightened visibility to the corrective action. In other words, did management do something about the situation and did the individual pay heed?

In this advanced scenario, it is important to be clear in delivering the message, to give it gravity, because in actuality there is a job on the line. This is not to say that opening the meeting with an indirect approach/neutral conversation is off limits. In meeting this person, privately, I would make sure to read their body language, tone, mood, etc., as quickly as I could to ensure the best approach for the conversation. Conceivably, a simple “How is it going?” may, in and of itself, be the open door the individual wanted or needed, unleashing an emotional torrent; Anticipating this reaction would require (on my part) calm, listening, sympathetic, and respectful behavior. It is possible in this case, that the individual expected this conversation and has a pre-disposition toward the interaction. This person may believe that they have been wronged, and/or they are not being understood. These points are part of the reason it is important to listen with earnestness, giving them a chance to voice their views.

Ultimately the conversation must be steered by me to the ultimatum, but I would not use that word, rather, I would use the word “choice”. I would back this choice up with the facts, that complaints have been received by both customers and coworkers and steer attention toward their importance to and in the company, their rights to their feelings and opinions.

I would wrap the conversation with a positive note regarding the individuals two years of service and that there is an obvious good history to be noted and appreciated, that a standard or above standard level of technical and professional performance is attainable.

Roebuck, D. (2006). Improving Business Communication Skills, Fourth Edition. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.