Category: Conflict

Self-Assessment And Conflicts Resolvement

Every week throughout the semester our class has been asked to complete several self-assessments and miniature simulations. Many of these self-assessments pertain to specific skills that are crucial not only in the workplace, but also in our day to day life. For instance, a number of the assessments focus on self-awareness, ethical leadership, teamwork, motivation, and creative problem solving. Of course, these self-assessments were not designed to measure how much we’ve learned throughout the semester, rather they were designed to reflect our strengths and weaknesses concerning workplace performance and are derived from morals, beliefs, and values (Brown, Sitzmann, & Bauer, 2010). Likewise, the miniature simulations actually place you in a real-life scenario in which you are part of the Human Resources team and have to make a series of ethical decisions to help the organization be successful. No doubt, these assessments and simulations are not easy, thus challenging your problem-solving abilities as well as your belief system. Indeed, several of the assessments indicate that I’m proficient when it comes to certain areas of management, including communicating effectively, motivating others, teamwork, and solving problems creatively. Yet, some of the other assessments show areas in which I’m weak and need improvement, such as managing interpersonal conflict, strategies for handling conflict, gaining power and influence, and avoiding stressful situations. Therefore, throughout this essay I will be taking a closer look at each of these weaknesses, interpreting the results, and developing a strategic plan on how to turn these weaknesses into strengths.

Interpersonal conflict in the workplace usually pertains to disagreements and negative emotions amongst co-workers, which typically leads to low levels of productivity and high levels of turnover (Lawless & Trif, 2016). Furthermore, the Managing Interpersonal Conflict assessment assumes that most conflicts are centered around three separate but closely related aspects and measures a person’s ability to manage conflict by combining the total from each of these aspects. First, is the ability to initiate a complaint or how well a person goes about presenting a problem to others, which can be important because it plays a role in how others react to the problem and how long this problem will persist before a resolution is found (Pearson, 2019). Second, is the ability to respond to criticism or how a person goes about responding to the initial complaint, which can either contribute to a prolonged issue or a quick resolution (Pearson, 2019). Last, is the ability to successfully mediate a conflict or assisting others in the process of working through issues on their own (Pearson, 2019). Although this assessment gave me a combined score of 135, which put me in the normal range for being able to manage interpersonal conflicts, it also shows that I need to improve when it comes to being able to initiate a complaint. In addition, Lawless and Trif (2016) indicate that there are several different approaches a manager can use when dealing with conflict. For example, when handling a complex issue and a long-term resolution is needed a collaborative approach is recommended, thus finding a solution that benefits both parties, basically making it a win-win for everyone involved (Lawless & Trif. 2016). Besides that, another way to deal with an interpersonal conflict is by using the accommodating approach, which involves one party giving up their side of the argument in order to save the relationship between parties (Lawless & Trif, 2016). Of course, one of the most successful ways of managing a conflict is the compromising approach, which requires both sides of the party to have a give-and-take attitude toward the issue until both parties are satisfied and the issue is resolved (Lawless & Trif, 2016).

Following this further, conflict resolution skills and the approach a manager decides to use play a critical role in the outcome of a conflict, which if not handled correctly could possibly damage the reputation of the organization, hamper productivity, and lead to a loss of employees (Walker, 2009). According to the Strategies for Handling Conflict assessment I tend to be proficient when utilizing the collaborative, accommodating, and compromising approaches, but need to improve when it comes to applying the forcing and avoiding approaches (Pearson, 2019). In fact, this assessment measures a person’s ability to manage conflict in each of these strategies and then combines the total to rate whether that ability as high, normal, or low, which my overall score was a 62, thus placing me in the low category (Pearson, 2019). No doubt, using the forcing approach usually leads to a win-lose situation and is rarely effective when trying to resolve a conflict (Lawless & Trif, 2016). However, this approach may be necessary when a quick decision is needed or when you need to put your foot down and stand behind your decision (Lawless & Trif, 2016). Obviously, the avoiding approach is typically seen as running and hiding from the conflict, hoping that it will just go away on its own (Lawless & Trif, 2016). Nevertheless, this approach may be useful when dealing with relatively small issues, where in the grand scheme of things ignoring the problem won’t hurt anything, thus avoiding any unnecessary confrontations (Lawless & Trif, 2016).

Certainly, these approaches are effective tools when it comes to successfully resolving conflict in the workplace. Yet, it is important for managers to recognize how these approaches are influenced by a manager’s ability to display power and influence in the workplace (Dirik & Eryılmaz, 2018). Moreover, power and influence in the workplace can motivate employees to work toward accomplishing organizational goals, which inevitably results in a more positive sense of job satisfaction (Dirik & Eryılmaz, 2018). According to the Gaining Power and Influence assessment not only does a person’s position in the workplace play a role in portraying power and influence, but their personal characteristics and attributes are also closely related to this ability (Pearson, 2019). In fact, this assessment measures several of these personal characteristics, such as expertise, effort, and interpersonal attraction, as well as a manager’s ability to be influenced by negative outside sources (Pearson, 2019). Indeed, after taking this assessment the results show a combined total of 156, which put me in the normal ability range for being able to display power and influence in the workplace, but also shows that I need improvement when it comes to being able to resist being negatively influenced by outside sources, thus suggesting that I find new ways to protect myself from these influences or at least be able to identify these influences and minimize them (Pearson, 2019). Unquestionably, the assessment that opened my eyes and left a lasting impression on me is the Style Under Stress assessment, which focuses on how likely a person is to avoid conflict, mainly by remaining silent and hoping the issue resolves itself (Pearson, 2019). This assessment also looks at a person’s tendency to handle conflict by resorting to violence as well as their ability to be effective during crucial conversations Granted, my overall score for being able to effectively handle a crucial conversation was good and shows that I have the ability to listen to others, make the conversation safe, and move toward a positive action plan (Pearson, 2019). On the other hand, this assessment also shows that I have a high tendency to avoid and withdraw from conflict, but when forced to deal with a situation I have the ability to remain calm and tend to handle the issue without resorting to violence (Pearson, 2019). Of course, there are several negative impacts that can result from avoiding workplace conflicts, such as a lack of teamwork, camaraderie, and productivity (Trudel & Reio, 2011). In some incidences not being able to successfully manage workplace conflicts have led to violence or even resulted in the organization eventually going out of business (Trudel & Reio, 2011).

In conclusion, these assessments have truly become an asset, essentially bringing to light several of the skills and abilities in which I have acquired and use successfully as well as the ones I need to add to my toolbelt and learn to improve upon. Many of these abilities that I have been found to be proficient in, such as teamwork, motivating others, and communicating effectively are largely due to the prior workforce experience I’ve acquired over the last couple decades. Whereas, many of the skills and abilities that I’ve been missing and need to improve upon, such as strategies for handling conflict, conflict resolution, and gaining power and influence in the workplace are a direct result of always wanting to avoid conflicts and confrontations at all costs. However, these assessments have shown me that avoiding a conflict doesn’t mean that I’m a bad manager, it just means that I was unaware of the tools I need to properly handle these types of issues, such as the collaborative, accommodating and compromising approaches. Thus, my plan to become a more effective manager and successfully handle conflicts is by first understanding that learning how to properly use these tools will take a lot of practice and be a continues process. Therefore, it will take time, patience and the courage to stop avoiding conflict. Thus, taking the bull by the horns.

How Is The Theme Of Conflict Presented In Romeo And Juliet?

Introduction to Conflict in Shakespeare’s Masterpiece

In ‘Romeo and Juliet’, Shakespeare explores the subject of conflict in a variety of powerful ways. The main way conflict is demonstrated is through physical violence, purposely connected to the fact that the play is set in an era characterized by the wars between some of the European countries. Shakespeare also explores other types of conflict, including the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets as a consequence of the macho Italian culture present in those years, the consistent parental conflict between Lord Capulet and Juliet, the inner and emotional conflict that conditions Romeo and Juliet, and conflicts caused by friendship, loyalty, pride and honour.

The Role of Historical Context in Shaping Conflict

Shakespeare’s play recapitulates the story of two young lovers who, despite the opposition of their families, decide to marry clandestinely; however, the pressure of the family feud and a chain of fatalities lead to the couple choosing suicide rather than living without the other. Conflict is the theme that sustains the structure of the play, as it appears in the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and denouement. The audience is constantly noticing the numerous conflicts by the language used, especially by the contrast between love and hate that is successfully produced with oxymorons, juxtapositions and paradoxes. In Romeo and Juliet, a well done tragedy, the rule of the three unities is not kept which gives a sense of disorganization that brings conflict with it, as the three unities rules gave strict directives and limitations of place, time and action that directly avoided a complicated trama, and since Shakespeare ignores this rules, the trama itself is complicated and so on it portrays a sense of complexity and conflict . Also the technique was derived by French classicist, a culture that existed during the French revolution, a period of time known by its wars and conflicts between two sides; the good ones; the victims, and the bad ones; the powerful.

Language and Imagery: Tools to Highlight Conflict

Furthermore, Shakespeare mixes prose with verse, this could represent the contrast between love and hate portrayed through the entire play. Also, this might be used to resemble the different social and economical status of the characters, as the main ones that use prose are the nurse and the servants. But, verse, on the other hand, is portrayed through the characters of Romeo, Juliet, Tybalt, Benvolio, Mercutio and any socially “important” character. He also mixes the tragic events with funny ones in order to make conflict seem ridiculous and absurd. An example would be when Lady Capulet mocks Lord Capulet in Act One, Scene One, by saying “A crutch, a crutch! why call you for a sword?” just before they intervene in a serious fight between the Montagues and Capulets. Conflict is expeditiously introduced in the Prologue. The Chorus intones a Shakespearean sonnet (which was something usually used in the love poetry of the Elizabethan times) presenting the rivalry between the Montagues and Capulets. By mentioning the “ancient grudge”, Shakespeare highlights that the feud between these two families originated a long time ago and it informs us that it has spread throughout the entire community when we read “where civil blood makes civil hands unclean” since we assume that by civil he is referring to everybody.

This is directly connected with the characteristic national and/or international conflicts of this era such as the Italian and Anglo-French wars. Furthermore, the Prologue lets the audience know that this ancient grudge has resulted in recent violent altercations by saying that it would “break into new mutiny.” This is significant since it already tells the audience that Romeo and Juliet are going to be victims of this problem, making the audience feel powerless and sympathetic towards both of them. The Prologue then describes the situation of Romeo and Juliet, an unsuccessful and unlucky couple, labeling them as “star-crossed lovers,” which refers in a literal way, to be against the stars. During that period of time, people believed that the stars determined people’s fates. Considering this, Shakespeare creates dramatic irony by giving the audience information clarifying that Romeo and Juliet will die as a consequence of the conflict spreaded by the older generations and the conflict would only be resolved through their deaths: “Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Do with their death bury their parents’ strife.”. Shakespeare also expected a sense of empathy from the audience towards Romeo and Juliet. Both of them are victims of fate, caught up in the conflicts between their parents, and a 16th century, as well as a modern audience would be likely to identification with them.

Shakespeare introduces conflict with a violent scene In Act 1, Scene 1, the exposition, to emphasise the “ancient grudge” between the families and, partly, to highlight the possible consequences of unnecessary conflicts to the audience. The play begins with random violence from the servants, the macho posturing spreading into a violent brawl. This whole fight is a consequence of the macho Italian culture in the late 16th century that “forced” men to prove their masculinity with violence. And also the focus on family name played a part, honour and pride, springs out of a small insult of biting a thumb. Basically the main cause of this fight is the competitive environment that men and women, but especially men lived in. This conflict also introduces the main antagonist of Tybalt who ridicules Benvolio for being “drawn among these heartless hinds”. A hind is a male hart, so basically he is insulting his manhood to provoke him. Here the animal terminology refers to the low status of the servants that were previously arguing. Benvolio tries to preserve the peace by saying “ I do but keep the peace: put up thy sword, Or manage it to part these men with me” showing him as a peacemaker and a foil to Tybalt.

The Intertwining of Love and Hate

However, Tybalt states that he “hates the word As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee: Have at thee, coward!” peace. Tybalt figuratively refers to peace in such a way to represent his repulsion towards the actions caused by it. This exhibits the profound, established hatred and opposition between some members of the Montagues and Capulets. He also compares it to hell which, if we consider the importance of religion during the Middle Ages, we can deduce that it was a really serious topic for them. Taking into account context, we can clearly witness that Tybalt considered the Montagues as the most horrific thing in earth. When the Prince appears with the intention of ceasing the brawl, he refers to them with an interesting terminology, comparing them with “beasts” to illustrate his low opinion of them. The play is structured so that the conflicts caused by love and hate are never far apart so that they remain a focus in the audience’s minds. In the ball scene love and hate are successfully juxtaposed. When Tybalt, Capulet’s nephew, notices that Romeo is at the ball uninvited, he is outraged that a Montague has dared to attend the ball causing conflict “Now, by the stock and honour of my kin, To strike him dead, I hold it not a sin.”

A conflict between him and Lord Capulet who doesn’t want any confrontation at his party “Content thee, gentle coz, let him alone”. Romeo approaches Juliet and kisses her immediately afterwards which emphasizes the important role of conflict in their love story. Romeo is more than surprised that Juliet is the daughter of her father’s enemy; “Is she a Capulet? O dear account! my life is my foe’s debt” expressing how bad his luck is and completely changing the mood of the scene from an optimistic one to a pessimistic and heavy tone. Juliet is equally stunned and furious at fate when she finds out the true identity of Romeo: “My only love sprung from my only hate!” The contrast between love, represented by Romeo and Juliet, and hate, portrayed by Tybalt, is a procedure to combine the two concepts and establish relationships between them. More exactly, it is used as a technique to present two opposite concepts that are related at the same time. By using this, Shakespeare is able to further enhance the beauty of their love story since the presence of violence makes it seem against the odds. Also the instability of this scene’s tone triggers a sense of conflict. Conflict is played out in all its forms in the climax of the play. In Act 3, Scene 1, the slightly optimistic tone of the play when Romeo and Juliet marry changes dramatically as Romeo is drawn into the family feud.Tybalt provocatively labels Romeo as a ‘villain,’ and when Romeo rejects the challenge to a duel, Mercutio steps in to defend his family name. This is as a consequence of the patriarchal society in which notions of reputation, masculinity and prestige were proved by physical violence,and Mercutio intervenes to protect Romeo’s honour shouting “O calm, dishonourable, vile submission! Alla stoccata carries it away.”.

Mercutio gets gravely hurted and immediately declares “A plague o’ both your houses!” as soon as he discovers the cause of his death, the needless but prominent hatred between the two families. In the film version directed by Baz Luhrmaan in 1996 the situation is accompanied by a serious storm, this pathetic fallacy emphasizes the transformation into a tragedy. By wishing a “plague” on them, this phrase could easily be interpreted as a curse, highlighting how cursed these two families are. This situation is the catalyst for the tragic route that the play takes from this point onward. Moreover, Romeo passes from the stage of childhood into adulthood. Romeo isn’t genuinely interested in participating in the family’s grudge, but his responsibility for his best friend’s death “O, I am fortune’s fool!” generates in him a powerful thirst for revenge that is successfully sealed by killing Tybalt showing that hatred only breeds hatred. This impulsive decision feeds the conflict he had once desired to conclude: “This day’s black fate on more days doth depend; This but begins the woe, others must end.” He is implying that fate controls everything so he is going to fight Tybalt and let fate deliver the final outcome.

The Impact of Patriarchal Society on Conflict

As a concept, this could be considered as an ethical lesson about the consequences of our actions, especially reminding us, the audience, that the simple existence of a conflict, or part of it, can trigger a tragic event. Another type of conflict presented in the play is the relationship between parents and their children. The discord between Juliet and her parents is clearly detectable in the play. In Act 3, Scene 5, as a father in a patriarchal society, a society where man had all the power, Lord Capulet believes he has the right to choose who Juliet should marry, and with the intention of solidifying his social position and wealth, he chooses Paris, a noble, wealthy gentleman.

When Juliet refuses to marry as she loves and is already married to Romeo, Lord Capulet becomes furious, as he perceives it to be the reaction of an ungrateful, disobedient child. His tone is angry and violent and his threats are shocking. He accuses her of being a “mistress minion” sarcastically as she is doing the opposite of obeying which is the main job of a minion, “green-sickness carrion! where the idea of an illness caused by not being married was implied to make her scared”, “baggage” or prostitute to make her feel dirty, “tallow-face” tallow is the fat part of an animal and the idea of being “ fat” is usually associated with ugliness, “curse” to victimise himself and make her feel pity for him, and “hilding” or despicable; when he refers to her as a mistress minion he is calling her a spoiled and immoral woman just because she isn’t doing what the man of the family wants, revealing the authoritative and patriarchal side of Lord Capulet that he wants to maintain. Shakespeare used animal imagery to reflect how much the marriage of Juliet and Paris meant to Lord Capulet, since this terminology was typically used to describe or dishonor the low status members of the community, the servants. This scene illustrates the obsessive necessity that Lord Capulet has for control. He wants to possess Juliet; in most of the scenes he easily manipulates her treating her as a unworthy puppet in order to receive specific and planned benefits. Also, he doesn’t retain any gram of empathy for her unhappiness.

Clear evidence is when he threatens to disown her if she doesn’t marry Paris, with: “I tell thee what: get thee to church o’ Thursday, Or never after look me in the face.” and if she doesn’t obey, he will leave her to “hang, beg, starve, die in the streets ” direct aggressive verbs, illustrating how little he cares about his daughter’s happiness and how much he does for what this marriage would imply. Lord Capulet isn’t aware of Romeo and Juliet’s marriage but the audience is. The perception of the audience would be mixed between dramatic irony and suspense since the scene is juxtaposed with Romeo and Juliet’s wedding night. During Elizabethans times, Catholics considered bigamy a mortal sin, so this situation would engage them since they would want to discover if f Juliet will develop into a sinner or not. Language is also systematically used to represent conflict in a variety of ways. Romeo uses terms commonly used in a battle description such as “siege” or “’well armed” while he expresses his love towards Rosaline. This use of imagery represents his incessant fight with this toxic obsession.

By using oxymorons, Shakespeare also magnifies conflict through antagonistic concepts by using words like “brawling love”, This is a negative concept (brawling) contrasted with a positive topic: love. Considering that an oxymoron possesses an imbalanced nature of the phrases it subconsciously emphasizes conflict. In Act 1 Scene 1, Romeo enthusiastically says “O brawling love, O loving hate”. These terms contradict themselves and emphasize the continuous imbalance that is deliberately generating and even worsening the conflict. As an audience we notice conflict a lot more if there is such a prominent contrast as this one. Light and dark imagery is also used as representations of love and hatred, to illustrate the of aversed possible choices on every situation.

In Act 3 Scene 5, Juliet has a conversation with Romeo, already exiled, and declares that there is lightness in the darkness: “More light and light, more dark and dark our woes”. This contrast between light and darkness is developed metaphorically by the oppositions love-conflict, sometimes creating irony. For example, the love of Romeo and Juliet is a light in the heart of the darkness and hatred that surrounds them, but they are always together at night, in the dark, while quarrels and clashes take place in broad daylight. Conflict is finally resolved in the denouement of this exceptional play. Romeo and Juliet, the two heroes, both kill themselves. It is also the outcome of the play because the truth about the secret marriage, the elaborate ploys by the Friar Laurence´s confession: “I married them”. The stupidity of the two families are disclosed by Prince Escalus, the man in charge of justice, and Capulet and Montague end their feud. Their reconciliation was already mentioned in the Prologue “They share words of reconciliation and peace, with the Montagues offering to “rise her statue in pure gold” and the Capulets offering the same for Romeo, saying: “O brother Montague, give me thy hand: This is my daughter’s jointure, for no more can I demand.” In conclusion, this play presents different types of conflict in a variety of engaging ways. This is a really important theme since it clearly sustains the structure of the play, as it appears in the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and denouement.

Conclusion: The Timeless Message of Conflict and Resolution

Romeo and Juliet is a truly mythical play, an eminently paradoxical genre of love and tragedy, a wonderful contrast made to emphasize how pain can easily come with love and hatred as a consequence of human stupidity. In my opinion, Shakespeare wanted to influence the audience into ceasing any kind of conflict before it concludes in a catastrophic situation.

The Ways Shakespeare Presents Conflict In The Tragedy Of Romeo And Juliet

Shakespeare introduces the audience to the conflict by portraying it as early on as the third line of the prologue – “From ancient grudge break to new mutiny”- which hints at the physical conflict throughout the play. In the Elizabethan era, violence would often occur in the taverns, workplaces or more often, in the streets like they do in the play. As the rivalry is between the Capulets and the Montagues- both high-class families- they would probably use more sophisticated weapons like swords and rapiers as they say in the play moreover than the knives, rocks and sticks that the lower classes would use.

Along with physical conflict, Shakespeare also uses verbal conflict and even some internal conflict which is often shown between Romeo and Juliet who are torn between their family and their love for each other. Physical violence was very common in the 16th Century so it’s not surprising that the majority of the conflict in Romeo and Juliet is physical. In those times men were often expected to be violent in order to protect their family, home and pride following the saying “an eye for an eye” (Exodus 21:23-25)- a demonstration of how much religion influenced lives of those in the 16th century; this could explain the reason for the rivalry against the “Two households”- Capulets and Montagues; who may both want to be the leading family of Verona, possibly explaining the “ancient grudge” between them. However, this violent nature, that is nurtured since birth, is built deep in the men; as their threats to their children, even their daughters- like Juliet – are violent. In Act 3 Scene 5, Lord Capulet threatens to strike Juliet- “my fingers itch”- after she refuses to marry Count Paris; he then goes on to say that if Juliet does not go through with the marriage he would “drag [Juliet] on a hurdle hither” which shows how he would turn to violence first to punish her. The first fight in Act one Scene one happens on a ‘Sunday’, which would’ve been significant as Sundays would’ve been the ‘Holy’ day or the ‘sabbath’; which would contradict the Christian standards that would have been incredibly important considering the value of religion in those times.

The start of the fight actually involves the servants of the Capulet household provoking the servants of the Montague house by ‘biting the thumb’. The modern-day equivalent of this would be putting the middle finger up to someone or ‘giving someone the finger’. This scene soon escalates from a “quarrel” (verbal conflict) into the physical conflict. The Prince highlights the severity of the conflict by referring to the families as “Rebellious subjects” and the conflict as a “forfeit of peace”. Another key conflict in the play is the duel between Mercutio and Tybalt. ‘Duelling’ derives from a mix of both ‘duellum’ meaning war and ‘dualis’ meaning of two which was first used in the late 15th century- under the rule of Tudor England- and would’ve been a sword fight often used to sort out debates between two people- hence ‘dualis’ and Mercutio’s line “Alla stoccata”; meaning to thrust or stab with a rapier. This would have made sense as in the 16th century with swords and not guns or pistols, which became the weapon of choice to duel with circa 1750; meaning that Romeo and Paris would have fought with swords too in the final scene.

Before Mercutio’s death in Act 3 Scene 1, he shows evidence of the verbal conflict in the play with “A plague a’both houses!” which would have been significant at the time as this is a referral to the great plague; which the audience would have been familiar with especially the time, as the Globe would have closed at the height of it. This means the audience would have seen this quote as a ‘curse’ in the sense that the ‘plague’ spread ruthlessly and unbiasedly killing millions, a reason they need to ‘die out’ in order to ensure the safety of others. However, a modern audience may also be able to interpret this as a way of expressing how doomed both families already were, or foreshadowing the future events that would lead on to the fatal ending that arguably gave the play the title of a ‘tragedy’. Another example of verbal conflict is between Lord and Lady Capulet where Lady Capulet says, “A crutch, a crutch!”; publicly embarrassing Lord Capulet in a patriarchal society. This could be a product of an arranged marriage that would have been common in the 16th century, especially between wealthy families to unify them for either business purposes, for power or for status. This could have caused resentment between the two marrying as neither of them had any ‘love’ or feelings for one another or as Lord Capulet says in Act 1 Scene 2- “too soon marr’d are those so early made” which could be something he knows through experience.

The use of this insult by Lady Capulet in the first scene could be used to portray her bitter character which is later shown and directed on Romeo as she wants “vengeance” for her nephew Tybalt by sending “one”-presumably an accomplice- to “give him such an unaccustom’d dram” in other words to poison Romeo. Shakespeare often portrays internal conflict by using oxymorons and often using love as the dilemma; an example of this occurs early in the play with Romeo over Rosaline where he uses language like “O brawling love, O loving hate” and “Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health”. The effect of these oxymorons could be seen as Romeo being torn between the ‘bittersweet’ of his unrequited love for Rosaline being like an addiction and almost having the effect of poison. With Juliet, Shakespeare shows emotional conflict too, with the lines- “’Tis but thy name that is my enemy; /Thou art myself, though not a Montague/ What’s Montague?… O be some other name! /What’s in a name?” and “My name… is hateful to myself”- these lines clearly show how the conflict between the Montagues and Capulets has induced an internal battle of whether to choose her true love or her family. By doing this Shakespeare encourages the audience to sympathise with Juliet right up until the end where she is about to take her life with Romeo’s “happy dagger” which is another example of an oxymoron showing how the external and physical conflict has caused confusion and emotional turmoil; which lead to her being happy to take her own life. The use of the oxymoron would have utterly bewildered the audience, as any sane person would never even consider the idea of suicide- let alone be happy to commit suicide- and on top of that, this would have been the number one sin in Christianity. Even in the modern world, with social services to help those with suicidal thoughts; the thought of one taking their own life still remains taboo in certain cultures and religion, so the impact of this on the audience would have been immense.

In conclusion Shakespeare portrays conflict in three different and in diminuendo like ways throughout the play of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ between the ‘Montague’s’ and ‘Capulet’s’; the most common and superficial being the physical conflict including the fights and duels but when analysed in more depth include elements of verbal conflict too which happen within the two families as well as between the two families. The third of the types of conflict presented is internal conflict; which is conflict on the smallest scale, happening within the individual characters- mostly Romeo and Juliet themselves- which is often caused due to them being torn apart between their family and their love; as said before. Alongside the ‘love’ in the play, I believe that the conflict in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ overrode the love as there were many more scenes focusing on the conflict, as opposed to the scenes between the “star-crosse’d lovers” themselves.

The Present Law Of Divorce

Divorce occurs when a marriage comes to an end. It is said that divorce law should seek to support the institution of marriage since it is not only a heartache for the couple going through a divorce, but it involves expenses to the state. Divorce can be seen to shake social stability by challenging the traditional image of the family. According to Ruth Deech, the increased divorce rates will result in greater understanding of divorce as a solution to marital problems so people will be more willing to use it. The pressures on the divorce system leads to a relaxation of practice.

It is also said that the law should not exacerbate the bitterness between the parties although opponents would state that increased bitterness is an inevitable part of divorce. Expecting a legal system to enable parties to separate happily married and have a good divorce is imaginary. The purpose should not be to exacerbate the bitterness but to remove it. Where children are involved, divorce law should promote a continuing relationship between the spouses. According to Beck and Beck-Gernsheim, divorce is not the legal end of marriage but transforms itself into a new phrase of post marital separation marriage.

The current law according to the MCA 1973 involves the special procedure. A petitioner can lodge at the court the petition outlining the grounds for divorce, a statement concerning the arrangements for the kids and an affidavit confirming the truth of the documents. There is no need to prove the legitimacy of what is stated unless the respondent attempts to defend the petition. The expense involved in defending the petition and the reluctance of lawyers to become involved and defend divorces mean that only a few petitions are defended. In 2017, the government introduced a trial project to allow someone to use a digital divorce application form for those acting without legal advice. According to Liz Trinder, it has potential to provide a fast and accessible process for persons going through a stressful divorce. The divorce decree is completed in 2 stages: the decree nisi is pronounced and later the decree absolute is declared.

Divorce can also occur through fault-based petitions. The sole ground for divorce is set out in s.1(1) MCA 1973: the marriage has irretrievably broken down but the only way of proving irretrievable break down is by proving one of the 5 facts set out in s.1(2). If none of the 5 facts are proven, a divorce cannot be granted. A no fault system is a divorce system which requires the parties to allege and prove something blameworthy about the other party. It could involve proof of a matter which did not show blame or not require proof. The current law under MCA 1973 is a mixture of a no fault and fault-based system. It is no fault in the sense that the ground for divorce is irretrievable breakdown and it is fault based because the only way one can prove that is by relying on one of the facts which include fault based factors such as adultery (s.1(2)(a) MCA 1973) and unreasonable behaviour (s.1(2)(b) MCA 1973). It would be possible to have a no fault-based divorce if a party relies on the 2 or 5 year facts but most divorce rely on the fault based facts.

There are many reform proposals on the topic of divorce. Firstly, a notification system should be implemented, and this is recommended by the Trinder report. There is no supervision of this scheme and no facts need to be proved. All that is needed is for one or both parties to notify the state that the marriage has broken down irretrievably and 6 months later, one would confirm the intention to divorce and it would then be issued. This would make the law on paper be the same as the law in practice. Secondly, addition of no-fault ground. The No Fault Divorce Bill 2015 proposed a simple amendment to the MCA 1973 which would introduce a 6th fact: 2 parties had signed a declaration that the marriage had irretrievably broken down. This retains fault for cases where it is clear who is responsible for the breakdown of the marriage but allows a no-fault divorce in cases where the parties do not wish to raise the issue. Thirdly, the modern law can be modified. The MCA 1973 should be kept but the current facts should be amended. The 2-year waiting ground should be reduced to one year. Lastly, according to the Coalition for Marriage, there are 5 reasons not to allow no fault: (1) there will be an extra 10,000 divorces per year, (2) marriage will be reduced to a contract that can be ended with minimal notice and lose its special status, (3) any reform would be unfair to a spouse who has been committed to their marriage vows and will now be divorced with quick notice, (4) provisions under the current law that allow the court to prevent a divorce if it causes a party severe financial hardship would be lost and (5) reform would trivialize marriage.

However, there have been some criticism of the present law. Firstly, it can be confusing and misleading. The confusion is said to flow that although irretrievable breakdown is stated to be the ground for all divorces, it is not enough to show that the marriage is irretrievably broken down because one of the 5 facts must be proved. Mears states the law is not misleading because lawyers can explain the position of the law to their clients and according to the Trinder report, the public is unaware that the behaviour fact does not require serious allegations. Secondly, it can be said to be unjust and discriminatory. The Law Commission states that the ground of 2 years’ separation is not readily available to those who are unable to afford alternative accommodation for those years. Those who cannot afford to live separate must use one of the fault-based grounds or wait 5 years. Thirdly, it is said to distort the parties bargaining positions. Where one spouse is desperate to go through a quick divorce, the other spouse will be happy for there to be a delay. Since the party who is wants the divorce is dependent on the other’s party consent defend the petition, this gives the non-consenting spouse a weapon that can be used in the bargaining process.

Fourthly, it provokes hostility and bitterness. The system encourages the parties to use the fault-based grounds because they are quicker to use, and this can lead to distress and bitterness in the making of the allegation because those are made in public documents. However, some may say that this is an inevitable part of divorce. Fifthly, it does not nothing to save the marriage. The parties are required to focus on making allegations rather than saving the marriage. The only provision that may assist with this is contained in s.6 MCA 1973. Lastly, it can make things worse for the children. Children whose parents divorce may suffer more if the parents are in constant arguments. The law does not seek to reduce conflict, but it may exacerbate by focusing on one party’s blame worthy conduct.

The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill 2019-2020 fell due to dissolution of Parliament in November 2019. In the Queen’s Speech in December 2019, the government confirmed plans to bring the bill back. It has its second reading in the HOL and now has moved to the committee stage. If enacted the bill will see extensive reform to the law of divorce with the introduction of no-fault divorce. The bill removes the requirement to provide evidence of fault or separation and replaces it with a notification process where a statement of irretrievable break down is provided. Research by Liz Trinder for the Nuffield Foundation shows that any reform would be consistent with international trends.

In conclusion, the present law on divorce is in a strange state. The law can be said to be unsatisfactory. According to Eeeklar, we may become uncomfortable when the government intervenes in the process of marriage and divorce and tries to impose its own vision of how people should be behaving. It can seem to be heavy handed, domineering and insensitive. There are many who still support the institution of marriage and believe that vows are to be taken seriously and obeyed for the rest of their marriage. According to Sir Edward Leigh, society needs to be judgemental of parents who do not stay together. Sir Paul Coleridge has created the Marriage Foundation which is a group that argues that divorce and relationship break down is associated with harmful effects on society. Divorce and relationship break down can cause harms but whether they are worse than unhappy couples staying together is up for debate. For some divorce can be a tragedy and for others, the start of something new.

Management: Skills, Behavior, Conflict And Organizational Change

“On Wednesday, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg – Australia’s economy stood up relatively well in the face of a global, once-in-a century pandemic” (ABC NEWS: Matt Roberts). (Khadem, 2020)

The first recession of Australia after three decades. Economy is faring better than other advanced countries and declining while fighting against coronavirus infections. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg conceded that Australia will face a recession, after GDP data is released, breaking its record of 28 years without one. First recession of Australia but not bad as overseas and economists say state and federal governments could help to recover economy faster. It does not mean that Australians are not feeling the financial pain and thereby, economists highlight two big risks for Australia’s economy. Firstly, It is interesting to know what steps can be taken when job keeper ends and secondly, what happen in a second wave of covid-19 infections. (Khadem, 2020)

As the Treasurer revealed the national accounts data released on Wednesday through the slide below and said Australia’s economic contraction is not bad when compared to overseas. (Khadem, 2020)

Introduction

This essay explains the important concepts of management skills and help me to better understanding and applying it on the news article mentioned above. I want to highlight the current situation of Australia with related to its recession. As, the Australia is facing its first recession after decades which not only effects the business, people of Australia but also the countries around it. Recession can be defined as – a temporary decline in economy, which reduces trade and industrial activity and leads to fall in gross domestic product. Furthermore, some activities are taken into consideration and implementing the management theories and skills help businesses and organizations to create new opportunities for themselves. (viltard, 2016)

Applying intra and interpersonal skills

As the incubation period of covid-19 is 4.9-7 days, range from 1-14 days. Infected person will develop the symptoms within 14 days. Early testing may not detect infection and negative results cannot be use on an individual. Hence, a 14-day quarantine period become mandatory in Australia. (Kim Moloney & Susan Moloney, 2020)

Protect yourself and others from covid-19 – Taking a Flu shot, avoiding visitors, using sanitizers, physical distancing, using masks, good hygiene, limiting outside food, and avoiding gatherings, public places etc. These are the most important principles which help to reduce the spread of covid-19, which later reduce the number of cases and help the economy to rise. (How to protect yourself and others from covid-19, 2020)

Managing and leading the organizations by technical skills

• Communication and motivation – The covid-19 pandemic has hit many industries hard and to keep business running, managers and leaders are making hard decisions. Many employees work performance get affected. Using social media in many companies and adjusting the human capital management strategies to keep their productivity and employees experience as high as possible. Understanding employees need and concerns to share their thoughts. Leaders need to be authentic and honest, building better relationship with employees. (Silke Bartsch, Ellen Weber, Marion Buttgen, Ariana Huber , 2020)
• Planning and strategic thinking – The government of Australia has implemented job keeper and superannuation for the workers. Job keeper payment helps the employees to earn an income during covid-19 ($1,500 per fortnight). Early release of superannuation up to $10,000 which financially support during covid-19. Work from home is a simple method introduced, which allows employees and companies to be well performed. (Mahoney, 1995)
• Problem solving and decision making – The Australian government has managed the economy and only few projects has faced delays. The businesses are recovering, and actions are taken around to prevent further loss. Example – study online, UberEATS, online shopping etc. are becoming strong during covid19. (stone, 2019)

Conceptual skills

Leadership plays a crucial role in this crisis and offers an opportunity to create more team cohesion and innovation. During the face of virus, many urgent decisions are requiring among many critically important values, how leaders and advisers make effective decisions about current “crisis” environment. This help team to take multiple decisions on covid-19 crisis and cope as well as possible with swiftly changing conditions. (Herman Leonard, Arnold Howitt, David Giles, 2020)

Management skills at workplace helps to grow successful businesses or organizations. Diversity management is a process which create and maintain a positive work environment. This study also examines the barriers of workplace diversity and how it can be severely related to managing employees with several other issues (Van Der Vegt, G. S., Bunderson, S. J., 2012). I analyze that, for better economy and productivity diversity can lead to more committed, better satisfied, better performance of employees for an organization. I also find that diverse work groups can reach more extended tenure and allowed more start-up phase than homogenous groups. Moreover, the economy which fall down during coronavirus outbreak is not because of lack of management skills but community factors are also responsible for it. Although, negative trends can be seen but leaders and employees are working remotely and making their organization successful during this hard time.

Effect of self-awareness on management behavior

Self-awareness helps to identify and promotes management skills, better understanding and making effective decisions and also motivating one another. Good management skills are important for all organizations to achieve its goals and objectives.

The management skills applied on the given news article are – (moss, 2018)

• Understanding the needs of stakeholders and communicating them.
• Approach and bring organizations together to solve the problems.
• Implementing new ideas.
• Forming firm relationship with customers.
• Supporting the team and building trust.
• Decision making.
• Identifying key principles of good communication.
• Strong emotional intelligence.

As per the article, the growth of Australia slowed 0.3 per cent in the March quarter and annual growth was 1.4 per cent – which is the weakest downturn. Economists assume that gross domestic product (GDP) will go negative in the quarter of June due to the coronavirus shutdown. (Khadem, 2020)

Studies indicate that, to achieve economic growth a country must rely on its international trade to boost the gross domestic product of country. The theories of trade instead of aid with poverty reduction work harmoniously towards the increased benefits of the country and public. (Babatunde, M. A., Oyeranti, O. A., Bankole, A. S. &Ogunkola, E. O.,, 2012)

The behavioral management theory helps me to understand the human aspect to workers and employees as important assets to achieve goals and special interest among workers make them feel special in a particular part of group. Theorists like Elton Mayo started looking on employee satisfaction and working conditions a way to increase productivity. (Smith, 1987). This initiate the human relations movement for management like spend time, express interest, reward each other and motivating to work harder. These kinds of behavioral management maintain the positive energy at workplace.

Managing conflict, teams, and organizational change

Management skills has always been well performed by the managers and other workers in an organization but certain aspects may hinder the work of other member or teams which may lead to failure of relationships or interpersonal conflict. The study also aimed to uncover the moderating roles of personalities to reduce conflict. (Mahmood Anwar, khurram shahzad & qazi ijaz-ul-rehman, 2012)

The five common conflict resolution behaviors are :- (habas, 2019)

1. Avoidance (avoiding the conflict)
2. Competition (competing to win conflict)
3. Accommodation (hire another person)
4. Compromise (setting a fair solution)
5. Collaboration (finding a solution)

However, this process is not straightforward when put in practice. Setting some ground rules for conflict management behavior. So, during the economy recession, strong personalities need to consider for the success of projects. A great example of conflict is providing financial support to citizens and residence of Australia and not considering the overseas students and other temporary resident.

The workers can be stay motivated by holding their confidence level and ensuring their safety and facilities at workplace. Some of the workplace have set some rules regulations to help the employees with related to physical and mental health.

The organizational change management continues to mentor businesses on certain basis of tools and transforming into what successful change management means. Explaining the change curve of businesses and how impactful it is on people emotionally. The change is affecting people daily which results in feeling depressed or confused at a certain point. In this digital age, changes are happening so quickly that many people do not have enough time to get their heads around it. Damian Martina, a senior Account executive of Simplus Company discuss that organizational change may resist, and leaders need to be prepared to support the workers emotionally. Remote working decision taken by organizations and implementing to support people, like setting some workers who are comfortable to work from home and selecting peoples (example- 50-60 age group members) who are at risk to get infectious. Using social media or creating applications for communication, like Zoom, skype, WhatsApp etc. communication is an informal way to build relationships. Lot of people are facing the possibility of losing jobs and leaders has to be stronger to help those employees by linking to other local companies. (cohen, 2020)

Five ways to manage the change during covid-19 to help Aeconomy:

• Creating a go forward plan which can evolve with time.
• Making short term achievements highly transparent and accessible.
• Different incentives management.
• Identifying passionate and influencing workers for the organization.
• Applying and redefining robust communication process.

Negative consequences of improper management skills

The career outcomes may also get effected by covid-19 crisis. High quality survey research suggests that economy loss in all countries is strongly because of tourism. In addition, 26% expect to miss out the promotions that they would have at workplace is lost. This fear of a negative impact on vulnerable groups, migrants, and others. It is observed that many panel members believe that labor market have different work – relations and different priorities at workplace. This also indicate that working conditions has changed the work – life balance in the covid-19 crisis. (Diane A Mollenkopf, lucie K ozanne, Hannah J stolze, 2020)

Conclusion

In summation of this report, management skills are recognized to be necessary for the improvement of economy recession. This report also helps to understand the theories of management especially behavioral management. Diversity at workplace plays a vital role in making organization successful and the challenges faced by the country. Encouraging trade and businesses and supporting them financially make it easier for the country to grow its gross domestic product (GDP). Positive aspects will overpower the negative and thus, country has to be prepared themselves adequately to suffer the crisis. On the other hand, recession can be overcome by applying good management skills at workplace and making more flexible ways for the employees to stay motivated and focused. I conclude that, management skills play a vital role in every sector of the world and can be helpful in managing the recession.

References

1. Babatunde, M. A., Oyeranti, O. A., Bankole, A. S. &Ogunkola, E. O.,. (2012). Exports trade, employment and poverty reduction. International journal of social economics, 857-899.
2. cohen, S. (2020, may 14). Five ways to better manage change during COVID-19. Retrieved september 2020, from Forbes: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/v/s/www.forbes.com/sites/committeeof200/2020/05/14/5-ways-to-better-manage-change-during-covid-19/amp/%3famp_js_v+0.1&usqp=mq331AQFKAGwASA%253D#ampf=
3. Diane A Mollenkopf, lucie K ozanne, Hannah J stolze. (2020). A transformative change in response to covid-19. Journal of service management .
4. habas, C. (2019, december 05). Five conflict management strategies. Retrieved september 2020, from small business – human resources: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/5-conflict-management-strategies-16131.html
5. Herman Leonard, Arnold Howitt, David Giles. (2020). Crisis management for leaders coping with covid-19. Journal of Management .
6. How to protect yourself and others from covid-19. (2020, August 19). Retrieved from Australian government- Department of health: https://www.health.gov.au/news/helth-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert/how-to-protect-yourself-and-others-from-coronavirus-covid-19
7. Khadem, N. (2020, june 05). ABC News. Retrieved september 01, 2020, from abc.net.au: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-05/australia-coronavirus-recession-compares-international-countries/12322260
8. Kim Moloney & Susan Moloney. (2020). Australian quarantine policy. Public administration review.
9. Mahmood Anwar, khurram shahzad & qazi ijaz-ul-rehman. (2012). Managing conflict through personality management. African journals of business management, 3725-3732.
10. Mahoney, J. T. (1995). The managemet of resources and the resources of management. Journal of business reseach, 91-101.
11. moss, B. d. (2018, october 24). Management skills. Retrieved from Better workplace-better world: https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/book-blog/pages/the-top-10-management-skills-you-need.aspx
12. Silke Bartsch, Ellen Weber, Marion Buttgen, Ariana Huber . (2020). Leadership matters in crisis-induced digital transformation:how to lead sevice employees effectively during the covid-19 pandemic. Journal of service management.
13. Smith, J. (1987). Elton Mayo and the hidden hawthorne. Work, employment, and society, 107-120.
14. stone, C. (2019). Online learning in Australian higher education:opportunities, challenges and transformations. Research gate, 1-11.
15. Van Der Vegt, G. S., Bunderson, S. J. (2012). Learning and performance in multidisciplinary teams: The importance of collective team identification source. Academy of management journal, 532-547.
16. viltard, L. A. (2016). Blurred limits in a borderless world. Independent journal of management and production, 380-412.

Does Religion Incite Conflict?

We live in a world where religion has flourished over the years. This impacts on the way people see things, what is considered good in one religion might not be considered the same in another religion. In some parts of the world, there are social and political issues around religion, whilst religion is supposed to be all about peace. Due to this, my group specifically chose to focus on religion and how it may or may not influence conflict. Razin, Keira, Bruce and I, each grew up believing in different religions. All of the religions that are taught reflects on who we are as a person and our commitment to our communities. Beforehand, we knew the general information about the effect of religion towards war and this intrigued us to research deeper. We decided to expand our opportunities and continue to research about this to value the importance of religious roles in society and have a better understanding of religions presence in the world in order to maintain peace.

Through the ups and downs that we went through as a group, I believe that we are successful in this project and have completed each other. Initially, our group only consists of Razin, Bruce and I, which was chosen at random. The main problem we encountered was when we were going to go out to do our survey. Bruce wasn’t allowed to go out and do the survey due to the sensitivity of the topic and the fact that his parents didn’t think we should go to the mall and do a survey because we might get kicked out. As the leader of the group, I knew the importance of the survey for the primary research, therefore I explained how I have previously gone to do the survey and it went well. As a last minute addition to our outcome, we decided to do a presentation in front of the whole school regarding our topic. Keira didn’t want to participate in giving a presentation to the whole school, as she is not confident speaking in front of large groups.

The location that we decided to survey people was Lotte Shopping Avenue . I mainly worked on the primary research. Just one day after I send the survey, I received 100 replies. Bruce and Razin worked on the secondary research. Razin read ‘​The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of the world Order’​, written by Henry Kissinger. Bruce did a great job in looking at websites that are important. Keira worked on the posters that were posted around the school. As the leader, I made sure that all the work we did got done well and neatly and were submitted on time. Everyone took apart in everything, even though we each have things that we mainly work on. By far, we have done really well and scored really high on all the assignments given. However, I believe there is always room for improvements. I think we can work on the going out part, to do the primary research, amongst other things.

For us, choosing this topic was not as hard for us, as we looked at it as a very important and touching subject that needed to be dug deeper. Religion to most people is indeed a sensitive topic due to the fact that it has caused many wars and conflicts in the past, and is still going on in the present day. If I got to do this again, I would have better time coordination, as it would have helped in making this a better project. Overall, in the beginning we miscommunicated, if we did this again, it wouldn’t happen. We struggled in the making of outcomes, as we want to make sure its realistic and doable. Having a hard time making the outcome pulled us back a few steps, resulting to a harder time to research for both primary and secondary research. Despite the bickering and disagreements that we had as group, we were quite efficient when it comes to getting something done on the right time. In some areas, we focused more than other, groups.

As the leader of the group, it was a big responsibility for me to make sure we had done our research well, and make sure it is reliable. Most of the speaking, whether it is in front of the class, or asking strangers mostly was done by me, since a few of my group members does not have the courage to do so. Our outcomes were to spread religious tolerance, so that people would understand and appreciate different aspects from different perspectives. Also, we were going to influencing religion extremists, and exchange thoughts and opinions regarding religion tolerance, Lastly, we are going to be educating people that religion teaches us all about good deeds and peace, not conflict. We did achieve our outcome since we spread awareness of religion tolerance in Sampoerna Academy. However we could’ve done a better job in spreading awareness of religion tolerance even more widely and outside of school.

This has been such an interesting project to do, and if I was asked asked to do it again, I would do it with the same group. We each have so many potential that wasn’t used to its best ability. I believe we did achieve our outcome because we educated others, but we could’ve done a better job if we had better time management, communication, and making sure that we have achieved our outcome; this would’ve been a better project. Overall, we spread religious tolerance, and educated the students from our school that religion teaches us all about good deeds and peace, not conflict. The world consists of several religions, thus leading to people with different beliefs, we all have to learn to appreciate and understand each others differences, in order to live harmoniously. If all differences are set aside and the society starts to understand each other, we can all look forward to live in a world, united as one.

Mediation In Workplace Conflicts An Role Of Mediator

Introduction:

Conflict is a rift or imbalance created between two individuals or between a group of individuals in the way of approach, thought or work. This imbalance may be due to social or personal behavioral change. If physical or psychological damage is caused to any person or group then the issue turns into conflict. Mediation is a problem-solving technique with the help of a neutral third party called mediator. He navigates into the conflict without any capacity to make a binding agreement. The mediator assists the parties to have effective communication in a structured manner, improve their working relationship, identify their needs and interests, thereby explore the issues and finally help the parties to come out with a voluntary agreement.

Mediation started its travel into the field of Employment and Organisations for the first time in the US and then it cropped into the UK. In my opinion workplace, Mediation is the best way to resolve disputes in an Organization with cost-effective and also no delay. Delay in litigating the matter before the Employment Tribunal may escalate the issue and will not be the best way to maintain an ongoing relationship and also the time spent fighting for the rights before the Tribunal will be a waste.

Workplace mediation can be best used to solve the conflict between employees and manager, the conflict between employee and another employee, sexual harassment, discrimination, workplace bullying and communication difficulties.

When Mediation is appropriate:

Mediation in workplaces seems appropriate to maintain an ongoing relationship between the conflicting parties in an Organisation. It can be used to solve many issues relating to workplace disputes. The confidentiality aspect of Mediation maintains the integrity and dignity of the disputing parties. It is more successful if the disputing employees or the employee and the employer together show interest to resolve the dispute between them. Mediation in cases of workplace conflicts is appropriate in the early stages of the grievance, this avoids the escalation of the dispute and also prevents the employees from being subjected to any sort of formal or disciplinary proceedings.

Mediation paves way for the parties who have a difference of opinions to sit and open up their feelings. This is a place where the discussion will be based on a practical solution for the differences between the parties rather than discussing the blames. Mediation will be the best route to solve a dispute as it is flexible in nature. Mediation doesn’t have any stringent rules or procedures to follow, is based on the interests and feelings of the parties. Whereas courts are strict and courts go by the Law, the procedure, the code, and the precedents. In most of the cases, court decisions may fail to maintain the ongoing relationship in the workplace. In practice, Mediation in the workplace is considered as an additional option for dispute management.

Some of the issues that can be best sorted out in workplace mediation are:

1. The dispute between an employee and another employee
2. Complaints relating to the behavior of a Manager to his subordinate
3. Discrimination
4. Issues relating to an employee’s performance or conduct
5. Disputes between an employee and a customer or an external organization.
6. Personality Clash.

When mediation not appropriate:

Mediation cannot be found appropriate in all cases, particularly in workplace issues. Circumstances, where mediation turns to be inappropriate, are as follows:

1. When one party blames or victimizes the other;
2. The party against whom there is a serious allegation about the use of drugs or alcohol;
3. In cases where the relationship between the conflicting parties cannot be healed.
4. When there is an allegation of serious misconduct and the same could be dealt by way of a formal process;
5. Both the parties subjected to mediation should be willing to mediate (the concept of Voluntariness);
6. Sexual harassment mediation is not successful. In sexual harassment cases, people normally have the involvement of power, coercion, undue influence, fear of bias.
7. Either of the party is vulnerable;
8. Allegations of criminal activity and
9. If the mediator feels that it is unsafe to proceed with mediation, the mediator can call off the mediation.

Is Mediation confined to two individuals:

In my opinion, workplace dispute is more than a dispute between two individuals. It is a dispute between two powerful persons. To illustrate, the dispute is between a Line Manager and an Employee, the Line Manager will be powerful due to his position and the Employee will be powerful being an experienced person. The conflict, between the two equal shoulders due to the difference of opinion or performance issues and so on, can be resolved using Mediation. Mediation tries to bring the strained relationship in one room, tries to explore the issue, navigates into it and then finds a path to maintain a dignified and a truthful ongoing relationship.

Workplace mediation, in general, is felt that mediation is successful when the mediation room consists of a Mediator and the conflicting parties alone. The common notion is that the parties between whom the dispute exists would be the better persons to explain their situation and the cause that stood as a reason for the dispute. The open talk and the health behavior of the parties can be easily controlled by the mediator to sort out the issue in hand.

Workplace mediation cannot be confined to two individuals, there may be exceptional situations where there may be situations where a representative’s need may be inevitable. The need for a representative may depend on the complexity and seriousness of the dispute.

The situations when either of the parties can be accompanied by a representative:

1. In case a deaf or a dumb employee needs a carer to accompany him/her into a Mediation room then they can be accompanied by a sign language interpreter.
2. There may be employees who might not have fluency in the language and some may be from other countries who might have command over their own language. In those situations, they might feel strange and incapable to explain their emotions, feelings, and thought. In those conditions, the said employee can be accompanied by an interpreter or a translator.
3. Either of the party may seek the help of the Union representation in cases where the dispute is between the employee and the higher officials. In those cases, the Union representative helps the higher officials to understand the difficulties and the problems faced by the employee without blaming them.
4. In cases of bullying and harassment issues, the employee might not feel confident and they will feel fragile, Trade Union representatives will give a helping hand and they would sit with them as a supporter.
5. In some cases, the Trade Union may sit as a representative on the side of the management along with the managers, the purpose of which is to make the employees to understand the reality of the management and also makes the situation flexible for the employees to understand the management’s point of view.
6. A Lawyer may also assist an employee in cases where the dispute may involve any legal issue and the employee does not have any legal knowledge to make any decision on his own.
7. Situations, where an employee feels incapable of deciding as to whether the outcome of the mediation would affect not only the future of the employee but also his family, the employee, can seek the assistance of his friend or family member or even his colleague.

The Union representative, a Lawyer, a friend or a family member whoever it may be, before enter the mediation room, they should always remember that they should be impartial and should remember the confidentiality aspect as the workplace conflict involves not only the credibility of the employee but also the credibility of the management or the organization itself. The representatives should understand that they are mere advisors and supporters.

The role of the representative is to be more constructive, the focus and consideration should be on his own member’s interest. The representative should not interfere or interrupt the job of a mediator. The representative should be keen enough to ask for a break of a session to have a discussion with their own member if he tends to take any hasty decision out of exhaustion.

In my opinion, I feel that the mediator should decide whether the need of the representative is actually essential because the representative who comes to assist either of the parties at times may enter with bad faith. These bad faith may escalate the issue rather than to subside the problem. In order to avoid further complications, it is better to have representatives to be inside the Mediation room for the initial talks and then towards the end, the parties can break the session and could discuss and then they can make a final decision before they sign an agreement.

The model adopted by Mediator:

The Mediators adopt many models of mediation while they mediate the dispute. The Mediators at times use one model to assist the parties to reach their outcome or they may even combine the models according to the situation and the positions of the parties considering their interest. The mediators might combine two or more models to help the parties specifically in workplace mediation.

There are few models and they are:

• Settlement – the mediator helps the parties and encourages them to reach a compromise and end up in a settlement.
• Facilitative – this is a model where the mediator facilitates the parties to explain their emotions and feelings, thereby consider their interests to reach a solution. This model is also called a problem-solving model.
• Evaluative – the mediator normally evaluates the position of the parties based on reality, explain them and guide them about their legal rights and other alternative rights that they have. The mediator also tells them about the outcome of the court in the event of Court litigation.
• Therapeutic – the Mediator concentrates on the basic cause for the dispute and by finding the basic reason the mediator tries to maintain the future relationship between the parties.

NHS Forth Valley thought they don’t have a mediation service still they use a facilitative model with the help of external mediators. They feel that the purpose of the facilitative model as an alternative resolution for formal process and also they feel that this model maintains the ongoing relationship.

It is felt that the Transformative mediation model stands to be the best-suited model in workplace mediation. The Transformative model helps the parties to communicate their feelings, thoughts, emotions and what they exactly want as an outcome, it may or may not happen still the model seems to be more convenient. This model reflects the fact that there exists a crisis in human communication. It also says the crisis is created due to a lack in the behavior or the manner in which the other party fails to behave than what is expected from him, this ultimately leads build a gap between two parties and the gap in turn results in a total breakdown of the relationship.

The Transformative model helps the disputing parties in a workplace whose conflict got escalated due to lack of communication sets a goal to empower them and convert their communication from destructive to constructive while traveling on the search of the issue for the conflict. Transformative mediation doesn’t aim about the settlement in case of workplace conflict between a senior manager and an employee rather it aims at transforming their conflicting talk into a productive one and thereby maintain the ongoing relationship in a healthy manner.

Role of Mediator:

The Mediator acts as an impartial third party and helps the disputing parties to find their own solution for the dispute. Mediators help the parties to find the cause for the issue, shows them the open way and frank talks and end up with a creative outcome. Trained and experienced mediators know how to investigate on the issue by asking more open questions, they empathize the party when they express their emotion, they know when to distract the parties when the mediators feel that the conflict is getting complicated by arranging a separate caucus and assist the parties to invent their outcome.

The agreement reached between the parties was the party’s voluntary outcome and it was not from the mediator. The Mediators role is not to judge the parties or their solution rather the mediator needs to assist the parties, the mediator listens to both the sides and would clarify the doubts and the points discussed by both the parties with the consent of both the parties.

The Mediator should be a neutral third party who should also maintain confidentiality on the matters shared with him by the parties inside the Mediation room. The Mediator in cases of workplace mediation can reveal certain points which were dealt with inside the mediation room to the Manager, Trade Union Representatives, only with the consent of the parties. The Mediator can reveal certain issues which were opened by the parties inside the mediation room though it is to be kept confidential. If an employee has done previous criminal offence, the issue is a serious unlawful act, the conflict involves serious risk. The Mediator can reveal the confidential aspects if he finds one party is vulnerable.

The Mediator has the power to call off Mediation if they feel that the way the parties behave in the mediation room might cause harm to either of the parties or the mediator himself/herself. The Mediator can also call off the mediation if the mediator finds that the expectation from the side of the Management is unrealistic. The Mediator as a person who can only assist the process of mediation can help the parties to sit for a separate caucus, explain them about the expectations of the other party and then go on with the joint session and then creates a possibility to close the mediation with an agreement. The Mediator knows to manage the power imbalance and they rebalance the same by assisting the process.

Conclusion:

I would like to conclude that Mediation would be the best and the first resort in cases of Workplace Conflicts. Mediation will never let information go out of the mediation room and hence the disputing parties will continue their ongoing relationship without infringing the dignity and integrity. The Mediators assist the parties by using the comfortable model of mediation without judgmental or pushing the parties towards settlement. They create flexibility in discussion to make the parties have a productive relationship.

Function Of Mediation And Its Role In The Conflict Resolution

Introduction

“Conflicts have been with man since creation. In fact it was as a result of conflict that God sent away Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, in the Bible.” (AMOH, 2007). According to this statement, conflict and life have been intertwined since time immemorial. The author meant that, as long as there is life, there is conflict. It doesn’t matter what kind of conflict it is, whether it is internal or external; social, economic or political (Bergmann et al., 2018). Conflict is conflict and we are all aware that, every action triggers a reaction. Amongst the most crucial reactions to conflict; is the desire by humans to resolve their disputes unilaterally, bilaterally or with the help of a third party (Bercovitch and Jackson, 2001). There are many approaches to conflict resolution, and the choice of an approach differs based on the type of conflict and the actors involved. There are institutionalised mechanism like adjudication and ad hoc methods such as negotiation and mediation (Bercovitch and Jackson, 2001).

This essay will aim at making an overview on mediation; what it is, how it compares with other approaches, its major characteristics that makes it stand out and finally my take on it as a tool for resolving disputes.

According to Bercovitch and Jackson (2001:60), mediation is defined as a process where conflicting parties seek the help of, or accept an offer of assistance from a neutral third party not directly involved in the feud, to resolve their dispute without employing the authority of the law. In line with the definition of this two authors, it is only through the consent of the parties involved in a conflict that a mediator comes in and also at the mercy of the parties is the implementation of whatever is agreed during the mediation, because it cannot be enforced by force or by law.

Mediation and Other Conflict Resolution Approaches

Mediation is a ductile approach to conflict resolution and just as it is bend to the will of the parties, it is also very flexible and applicable to a wide range of conflicts types such as divorce issues, labour management disputes, intra-state and interstate conflicts (Bergmann et al., 2018). Similar to mediation but separated by a thin line is negotiation which many believe to be the foundation of mediation. Nevertheless, negotiation is a process by which parties to a conflict communicate and trade proposals on ways to reach consensus on ending the conflict among themselves and produce a roadmap for their future interactions (Bercovitch and Jackson, 2001). Unlike arbitration, litigation and other methods of conflict resolution; mediation and negotiation are the primary mechanisms where parties have the full right to solve their disputes without coercion (Bercovitch and Jackson, 2001). As a common knowledge, arbitration and litigation are not as flexible as mediation and negotiation. Litigation for instance is done within the confines of the law and it is both public and formal; and extremely enforceable by law.

In light of the other methods of conflict mediation, it is worth noting that, mediation is different in structure and procedure with arbitration and litigation, because the two are more formal, and binding. While with negotiation, mediation is seen as an extension to the negotiation procedure (Bercovitch and Jackson, 2009:34). This is because, it is after the failure of negotiation or when co-operation between conflict parties towards amicable settlement of their dispute is in doubt, that the help of a third party is required (Bercovitch and Jackson, 2001),

Function and Role of Mediation in Conflict Resolution

Mediation like other approaches aims to resolve conflicts. However, as the old adage has it, “There are many ways of skinning a rat.” So mediation is similar to some but again differs with others in structure and procedure.

Mediation is a process that can be applied to various types of conflict; either social, economic or political conflicts. Individuals, states, intra and interstates conflicts alike (Bergmann et al., 2018). In its pursuit of conflict resolution, mediation gives freedom and ownership of the entire process to the parties, because by procedure it is voluntarily, ductile and non-binding. Therefore, the conflicting parties can decide on who they want as their mediator, whether the process should be formal or informal, in private or in a public forum; and above all, the parties can be represented by delegates or in the case of international conflict, even the heads of states can be on the negotiation table (Bercovitch and Jackson, 2001:61). Mediation brings in new things that break the impasse that might have been reached during negotiations. By introducing external knowledge, ideas and resources that were absent during negotiations (Bercovitch and Jackson, 2009)

Furthermore, mediation compared to methods like arbitration and litigation, is inexpensive and also an impromptu kind of conflict resolution, so it saves time (Bercovitch and Jackson, 2009). Finally, mediation is not adversarial but rather friendlier and offers confidentiality and neutrality (AMOH, 2007). When negotiations talks haven’t succeeded and conflict has been long and complex. Mediators come in to reopen communication between the parties and help the disputants bridge the gap, under nonaligned facilitation (Bercovitch and Jackson, 2001).

Conclusion

In conflict resolution, I think there is no one sure way to go. It’s upon the actors to examine the mechanisms and identify the one suitable for a specific case, while considering the characteristics of the parties involved and the nature and context of the conflict (Bercovitch and Jackson, 2009). As much as features of mediation are so appealing, it has not been so successful in some situations like South Sudan’s and the Sudan’s. This is evident in the book and the title of the book “Southern Sudan: Too Many Agreements Dishonoured”, Alier (1990). However, owing to the fact that mediation outcomes are always the wishes of the parties to the conflict, it becomes the most preferable choice in conflict resolution and this gives it final resolution more sense of ownership by the parties and hence, sustainability (Bercovitch and Jackson, 2001). Therefore, I humbly opine that, mediation should always be given a consideration when conflict arise.

Bibliography

1. AMOH, G. (2007) ‘MEDIATION – The Preferred Alternative for Conflict Resolution’.
2. Bercovitch, J. and Jackson, R. (2001) ‘Negotiation or mediation?: An exploration of factors affecting the choice of conflict management in international conflict’, Negotiation Journal, 17(1), pp. 59–77. doi: 10.1023/A:1010920107948.
3. Bergmann, J. et al. (2018) ‘Introduction: The EU as International Mediator-Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives’, International Negotiation, 23(2), pp. 157–176. doi: 10.1163/15718069-23021158.
4. Bercovitch, R. and R, Jackson (2009) Conflict Resolution in the 21st Century: Principles, Approaches and Methods. Ann Arbour. Michigan University Press. Chapter 3
5. Alier, A. 1990, Southern Sudan: Too Many Agreements Dishonored, Ithaca Press, Exeter

Internal And External Conflict In Things Fall Apart

The African novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Abbane is a story of how the beginnings of the colonization of Africa affect the Igbo people, specifically one man named Okonkwo. The novel is a tragedy because it shows how the community unravels and Okonkwo’s inability to deal with the new way of life in his community. Things Fall Apart is more specifically a Shakespearean Tragedy because it has the aspects of a tragic hero with flaws, struggle between good and evil with good not coming out on top, and having both the external and internal conflict. The novel is a mix between traditional tragedy and the unique African storytelling.

The main character, Okonkwo, in Things Fall Apart is an embodiment of Aristotle’s tragic hero, which it’s an aspect of a Shakespearean tragedy. Okonkwo main flaw is his fear of how others view him, tragic Heroes often have a big flaw that shapes their story. Okonkwo’s flaw affects every action he takes, he is afraid to show emotion and never stops working because of his fear. Like tragic heroes in Shakespeare’s writings, Okonkwo has a reversal in fortune, where his life takes an unpleasant turn due to his own actions and his flaws. His life takes this turned when the white man shows up in the village and he is unable to add adapt to what is happening around him like others in the village. He also resembles a tragic hero because he is also a character who is relatable because we all fear change and have trouble adapting to it. Another element of a tragic hero Is an unfortunate death and ending, which for Okonkwo is his suicide, that he committed because he knew he will never be able to accept what had happened to his people. Okonkwo is a flawed character that meets Misfortune making him fit the definition of what tragic hero.

The internal conflict in the book is the battle within Okonkwo himself, while the external conflict is the fight between the Christians and the villagers. Okonkwo’s dread of people thinking poorly of him leave some to make some questionable choices. This includes participating in the killing of his adopted son, that he is fond of. This a choice, like others he makes, that he somewhat regrets for a period of time afterward. Okonkwo also fights every day to avoid being like his father, so he does everything in his power to become successful. We do manage to the softer side to him, that he is often afraid to show, like when he follows his wife and daughter to the oracle cave to make sure they are saved. While Okonkwo deals with his internal struggles the relationship between the Christian and the villagers start out peaceful but then grew to be violent. The villagers then had conflicts with the colonizers and their government, which results in the villagers giving in. these conflicts reflect the ones in Shakespeare’s tragedies making this novel very similar to them.

In the book the external conflict is presented as a struggle between good and evil, this is a reflection of how conflict plays out in Shakespearean tragedies. The book presents both sides relatively fairly, but Okonkwo clearly sees one side as good and the other as evil and the readers are most familiar with him, so they will tend to see things his way. The colonizers represent evil for their cruel actions and entitled attitudes, while the villagers are seen as good because they are just people trying to protect their way of life. The colonizers interfere in village affair and have a cruel justice system, that Okonkwo experience first hand. The colonizers also make life very challenging for our protagonist Okonkwo and ultimately lead to his tragic demise. In the end, the villagers don’t win and given to the colonizers making it feel like there’s a lack of justice. In Shakespeare’s books, the struggle between good and evil often ends like this, where evil seems to triumph good.

This books’ original African style is complemented by the Shakespearean elements in the plot and characters making for a new but not completely foreign reading experience at the time it was published. Okonkwo as a tragic hero is a character that we can connect and sympathy size, internal and external conflict are two thing everyone struggles through on a daily basis, and the fight between good and evil is a universal idea we can all relate to. The Shakespearean elements in this book amplify the wonderful story giving it a meaning everyone can identify it.

Expectation Management and Conflict Resolution Techniques

There are a few ways of managing expectations and conflicts with stake holders, this depends the stake holders themselves and whether the conflict is between those outside of the organisation or inside the organisation or a mix of both inside and outside. In my opinion first and foremost is good communications. I find this is key to insuring all stake holders understand where a project is and what the next steps to achieve the final goal are.

Where there is conflict between stake holders, Its important to understand what each party wants, why they want it, what it’s priority is to them and any assumptions a stake holder may have made. Once these are understood, you can try to look at ways of providing mutual gain for any conflicting sides. I find bringing them together (meeting with them) and looking at ways of reaching an agreement in a face-to-face situation works the best.

A good example of this was when I made an excellent relationship with the Principality Stadium management as I recognised they were one of the important stake holders for us to proceed smoothly with the Dragon Heart Hospital and I got all the cooperation I needed from them, but others failed due to not keeping them informed because they hadn’t recognised they were an important stake holder and had not communicated with them keeping them in the dark. This ultimately led to bad relations which hindered the project.

Another way of resolving conflict with those in the same stake holder group is by providing the same information in different ways. I would find shareholders want to be able read a report in different formats, so it’s good if you can accommodate the information in two different styles, or perhaps allow those shareholders to be able to design their own reports in an information system. I experience this regularly when we start a new project that sometimes different departments have different ways of being able to receive reports, also different contractors use different technology. No one shareholder is wrong: they have the own interests and you need to understand this when they approach a project to increase buy-in.

In my opinion the most difficult stake holders are those that try to influence things behind the scenes, they agree to a direction but then change their mind at sign off; and I see this regularly so I try to identify them early on. They are usually the type of person who agrees in a face-to-face meeting but then later completely contradicts the previously agreed goals. This can stall progress and cause conflict and early engagement and resolution of issues. It is important to try and stop this before it grows into a bigger problem.

It is also important that you consider that certain stake holders can be more emotional in relation to a project that others; yet this doesn’t mean they have more influence. Good communication is key to prevent confusion and misunderstandings. Also just because a stakeholder has a grievance with the organisation or a project, this doesn’t necessarily mean that their grievance is justified; all parties have their own interests after. You have to be prepared to take responsibility when things don’t go to plan. Passing responsibility unfairly (or refusing to accept due criticism) a guaranteed to result in a lack of trust and damage relationships within the stake holder group.