Introduction
Conflict may be
defined as the real or perceived individual or social opposition to the most
basic needs, wants and values that causes disagreement and or cut throat
competition when not checked. It is multifaceted and diverse. Companies have
different ways of dealing with conflict or minimizing the impact of it in the
operations of the company. In this paper I will look at and analyze two books:
Resolving Conflicts at Work, by Goldsmith and Cloke (2000), and Future of
Success, by Reich (2000). The book by Goldsmith and Cloke suggests ways of
minimizing the impact of interpersonal, organizational and technological
conflicts. The writer notes that it is important for a person to look at one
self and try and fit in the social setting of the workplace while accommodating
behaviors, ideals and personal opinion of others.
In his book
Reich (2000) noted that his working life was costing him his personal life and
quit as the secretary for labor in the US to show what success is all about. In
his book Reich also focuses on technology and how it has affected almost every
angle of our life by cutting down costs hence prices and improvement on quality.
However he argues there is the other side of technology which has seen
deterioration in security and caused every human being to seem to be living on
the fast lane of life. Therefore there seems to be conflict between the advent
of technological advancement in our lives and the benefits versus havoc that it
has caused.
This paper will
focus on those conflicts deeply and analyze the experiences in life that makes
me indentify with those conflicts and ways of responding to them either
positively or negatively. I will also look at what conflicts I indentify and do
not indentify with and the ways I could deal with them and the suggestion I
would give to others faced by similar types of conflicts in the family and
society at large.
Theme
and Focus
Technological
advancement and the dangers in our social and individual lives is main focus of
Reich’s book. It analyzes the benefits and the pitfalls that have brought
conflict in the society due to penetration of technology to almost, if not all,
aspects of human life. It is a speculative book that looks at the reasons
people are becoming uneasy day by day with a unique focus on the Americans and
the reasons that may be causing this malaise. Reich argues that technologies
and high intellect marketing coupled with instantaneous marketing has greatly
cut costs for end user of a product. It has also increased consumer taste and
preferences. On the other hand, according to Reich it has increased the level
of the insatiable nature of individuals to a new high. This has played havoc in
companies and almost every part of human life causing some form of frenzy and
hurriedness in life. Governments have also been affected in the seemingly fast
moving world where they have to contend with the speed that is there. This is a
reflection of how there is conflict between technology and the human beings.
The highest
paying jobs also are very demanding and they demand so much attention and great
creativity. According to Reich, who quit job as cabinet secretary after
realizing his job had occupied too much of his private time, leaving such a job
is viewed by many as a weakness and public trust betrayal. Therefore there
seems to be a conflict of personal and public interest and a choice has to be
made. This call for a human being to choose the best path and follow what might
not be detrimental as Reich did.
There is
greediness for high paying and socially highly regarded jobs. All this is to
satisfy a hunger for money and wealth according to Reich. This makes people to
neglect or to gladly outsource for services they would rather do such as child
rearing and house care and sometimes their husbands. In the long run they start
complaining they are paying too much in services and it was their mistake in
the first lace. I find that there are two conflicting interests in me if that
happens. It is my duty to evaluate the best alternative and follow the right
path.
Also Reich notably says that companies
nowadays need creative and resourceful minds. These employees are not expected
to last long in the companies as they seek to get greener and even more
lucrative pastures. This is a problem of people conflicting with organizations
and they end up being paid less since there is little expectation in the long
life of the company. Traditionally high paying jobs have become less
fashionable and employees in those dockets are getting lesser and lesser
payment because they can easily be replaced. Technology has allowed easy access
to education and reduced the rate of employment in some fields. This conflict has
resulted in the current situation and companies and multinationals have taken
advantage of that loophole to further their interests. This is a big conflict
as noted by Reich.
Reich further
notes that there is a personal and social choice for sustainable life and an
equally satisfying job that people are bound to make. This is because the
traditionally brushed aside luxuries have become necessities in the world and
particularly in America. For example it is hard to volunteer today at work so
as to have experience at work place because the need to pay bills and to buy
necessities such as computers will supersede the moral need to volunteer.
Breadwinners are not left behind as they try and work really hard to live on
the same level as others. Therefore I note that there is seemingly a conflict
between the rich and the poor, where the rich are in constant need to stay at
the top and the poor desire the good lives of the rich generating a race
towards being the best or reaching for the best.
The main focus
of Goldsmith and Cloke (2000) is to help people to indentify the areas of
conflict that are within self. They say that conflict is what a person can be
able to see in the back of their minds eye when they imagine looking deep into
the underneath surface. What I unveil is the conflict beneath me that makes me
be remote controlled by them. If I unveil such things as family misdeeds, past
heartbreaks or I unveil a hidden treasure within myself, it will define the
path that I take and the association that I develop with people everywhere
especially the workplace where I am bound to spend most of my time. The author
believes that in every conflict there is hidden agenda. This is termed the
‘iceberg of conflict’ and the author suggests that I take a look at every stage
that contributes to the current conflict.
According to
Goldsmith and Cloke (2000), it is important for me to understand the culture
around which I find myself in when involved or met by a certain conflict. They
continue to suggest that I should be aware of the manner in which to deal with
conflict in the different situations that it might occur. The way I deal with a
particular conflict in a Muslim country is not the same way I deal with it in a
Christian country. Or it is not possible to deal with old and young people at
the same time due to the generational gap. Therefore the authors encourage
people to come up with ways of handling unique situations in a unique way. They
note that if I do that people are bound to respond in a similar manner. I am
also advised by the author to be an opportunist in a conflict situation and to
take advantage of it. This is to ensure that I maximally benefit from the
conflict.
The authors
place great emphasis on communication skills and how they affect positively or
negatively the impact of conflict. Poor communication they note, can affect the
way I handle a particular conflict and has the capacity to deteriorate the
conflict situation while good communication skills can serve as healing to a
conflict. Poor communication can also be the primary source of conflict
especially within the organization. Therefore the authors encourage me to focus
on improving communication techniques such as good listening and instantaneous
feedback. They also encourage me to follow the right channels of communication
and to make sure it systematically flows. Such techniques as emphasizing
instructions, validating claims and reframing statements are encouraged by the
authors as ways I could use to foster my communication skills (Goldsmith and Cloke,
2000).
Emotions are a
source of conflict if they are concealed and released in a manner that
negatively affects association with others. The authors strongly advise me to
look deep inside me for those emotions and talk about them to people and this
will effectively remove them from my mind. Concealed emotions, the authors
note, serve to harm the need for good and effective communication and I should
learn to deal with it. I should learn to manage anger and other such emotions.
I am further
advised to look at what is important and separate them from the unimportant in
the resolution of a conflict. They note that a conflict is always muddled by an
unimportant part of it that if tackled, the conflict is resolved. The past may
be affecting the present or an option affecting a choice. The latter hinders
the operation of the former and hence a conflict arises. This should be my area
of focus and the base from which I handle the situation. There are bad
behaviors that I am bound to encounter when in my resolution of conflict. This
am advised by the authors should serve the purpose of fine-tuning my behavior.
This will include perseverance and patience and person to person empathy.
Experience
and Response
The conflicts
described in the books relate so much to my life. My family is always working
and there is little that comes our way in terms of motherly and fatherly love.
This is also evident in the neighbor hood I come from and there is no sign of
relenting. This is a pointer as to how conflict has emerged between satisfying
the needs of the employer, the family and the social needs. Though the family
and the social ones supersede the job requirements, people are simply drifting
away from their families. I find this wrong and it’s the high time that
individuals prioritized their needs and requirements.
Though the world
may revolve around the need to have all in life that make it comfortable, it is
the responsibility of a person to be able to stand the high moral ground and do
what is right for self and the society. This is because it is a prerogative for the measurement of
integrity. Legacy is what I will leave behind and my kids will know me for who
I am not what I want to be. Therefore in as much as I struggle to keep them at
par with the rest in the social ladder, the company that I offer to them will
be most remembered and the issue of social disintegration will not be there.
I find companies
and multinationals not doing what is right. They should be made to have a
minimum pay for each employee depending on the level of qualification. The
government should have policy that guides the remuneration of workers even in
the private sector no matter how big the position is. People should learn not
to be greedy and stay on one job to make companies attach a tag of remuneration
to that job. Public pressure should not be reason I should be made to stay on a
particular job. Personal timetable and reason should be the bench mark for me.
The embracing of technology has penetrated my life too. It is quite easy to
talk to a person at any part of the earth and it is equally easy to obtain a
product from whichever angle of the earth. This is quite good although it calls
for me and the rest to be careful not to fall in trap of harmful technology
that does not have security and harms morally. It is also important to use it
to maximum positive benefit.
The conflicts
and the sources of conflict discussed by the authors Goldsmith and Cloke relate
to my day today experiences in a vast way too. They are seen in school,
workplaces and even in families. In school I meet with people who will always
complain that their dad who passed away ten years ago is the source of their
failure since he was a drunkard and left nothing for their family at the time
of death. This should not be the case and it is paramount that they learn that
the death of a person should not be the reason we live in sheer regrets and not
accomplish the goals of today.
It is often a
common scenario to hear a friend complaining that their boss is too bad because
he hinders the development of them upwards in the company. The reason may be an
underlying issue of lapses in communication that hinders the relationship
between the two and therefore one views the other on a bad picture. It is
important for people and organizations to have good communication channels and
boundaries to enable effective vertical and horizontal communication and hence
growth of the organization and individuals.
The authors
advise I look at the important and unimportant factors in life that affect my
conflict resolution genius. When I lost a game at the zonal having thought that
I had prepared well, I lost the impetus for practicing in hand ball again.
Although this still rings in my head as a reminder that I should practice, the
fact that I lost brings me down. I have learnt that I can separate that past
failure from my future ambition and be the best. I would also advise people to
sift luggage from unnecessary baggage and move on in a progressive manner.
In school and
every place including the social ones, culture is evident. People have
divergent cultures that shape their belief. I have learnt to accommodate and
respect that and not to allow that to be a source of misunderstanding between
us. This should be encouraged in an organization which is also a social place
with different people. This will foster growth and encourage understanding
which is good for the company. In schools it is also good to encourage that and
this will define the future peace of the world and families.
Conclusion
Reich has
interesting views on the aspect of technology in our lives. Though the book title
suggests that he will talk of the future, he instead looks at the social life
of the American people and the detrimental way technology has affected it. He
offers plausible solutions to these problems and instills some wake up call to
the people including me. This is beneficial and highly informative and
interesting to have such a perspective. I learn that there is a reason I do not
get satisfied; because I want to be like the rest and own a big car and
comfortable house hence I end up working long hours to be there. It has also
become like a culture and as noted by Reich it is detrimental.
Goldsmith and
Cloke (2000) view conflict as an item in the society that each person has a
mandate to deal with at the individual level by focusing on areas that will
help them do that. This will help the person realize individual goals and at
the same time foster a culture of growth within self and organizations. In
their book they offer practical ways to help me and others to be able to do
that. That is the main focus of that book and it helps me to look at
experiences in my life that have been associated with conflict within self or
between people or organizations and to suggest to people ways to deal with them
based on the description offered by the authors.
References
Cloke, K. & Goldsmith, J. (2000). Resolving Conflicts at Work: A guide for
everyone on the job. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Reich, R.B. (2000). Future of Success. New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
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