Maggie's Role in Transforming the P&S Department
Maggie is essential to the transformation of the poisonous P&S Department into a productive one inside the Air Tech business. She ought to start by figuring out what's causing the issue. She needs to get input from every departmental employee and make sure she maintains her objectivity throughout the entire process. Maggie should then train the department members to do the same by asking for their suggestions for resolving the difficulties after moving past the incident that started the disagreement. She should then decide which approach to use to tackle the issue with the aid of her staff. It must be in line with the organization's objectives.
Agreement to Ensure Employee Responsibility
Later they should come to an agreement where each employee’s role in ensuring the productivity of the department is explained in writing. The agreement will ensure that each employee is aware of their responsibility in the department. Continuous training and empowerment is important for the employees to understand the need for conflict avoidance. The key elements in the turnaround program will include mutual understanding and open communication.
Starting Point
The Packaging and Shipping department (P&S) at Air Tech has been notorious for conflict in the company for a long time now. In fact, the department has come to a point where other employees refer to it as 'push and shove.' As such, Maggie should begin by identifying the initial source of conflict in the department (Fritz & Omdahl, 2012). She should seek to identify why the department has come to be labeled as stressful, full of negativity and territorial. In the identification of the source of the negativism in the department, she will have to ask the individual members of the department. Therefore, this means that she will have to develop a relationship with each of them so that they feel free to share the information.
In seeking to understand the cause of the conflict in the P&S Department, Maggie will have to interview with all the members of the department. If she only chooses some individuals, she may appear bias, and that will only propagate the feeling of hatred in the department. Moreover, she can consider calling for a meeting with the department after she has spoken to each person so that the employees feel free to share their thoughts.
How Should She Proceed?
The next step that Maggie should take is to look beyond the incident that first caused the conflict (McConnon, 2010). Although the problems in the department have taken root to the point where it is referred to as a dead end, Maggie should inspire the employees to look beyond the nasty moments. When prompting them to look beyond the incident, she should also request their ideas on how to solve the issues in the P&S Department to make it productive, reduce turnover, and make it a comfortable place to work in. When gathering the ideas, Maggie should be impartial and should consider the ideas given by every employee equally. In fact, the employees should meet in a common place so that Maggie can explain the advantages and disadvantages of using each method that is suggested.
After the solutions have been identified, Maggie should consider the perspective of her employees when picking the most suitable one. Her goal in the dispute resolution process is to appear impartial so that she does not propagate more hatred within the department. For instance, when choosing the solution to use, Maggie could point out the benefit of each method to the organization and not only to the P&S Department.
Maggie should then bring the employees to the point of agreement after choosing the best solution (Gray, 2012). The agreement should spell out the new expectations for each of the employees in the department and set goals that are consistent with those of the organization. Once every employee is aware of the terms of the agreement, and all the expectations are communicated clearly, Maggie should draft a contract of understanding. In the contract, she should state the terms they have agreed on, the responsibility of every employee, and the methods to solve future problems that arise in the future.
From this point, Maggie should consistently supervise every employee in the department to ensure that they are observing the terms agreed upon (Gray, 2012). In the event she notices that a certain employee is causing problems in the department that may take them back to a dead-end, high-stress position, she should summon them. Maggie should also arrange for training programs where the employees are empowered on the need for unity and cohesion in the workplace. If any employee refuses to change by continually missing attending the workplace, contributing to a negative workplace environment, and even causing stress among other employees, Maggie should consider firing him or her.
Key Elements of the Turnaround Plan
Proper communication is one of the key elements that Maggie will have to implement in her turnaround plan (Fritz & Omdahl, 2012). As the head of the P&S Department, she will have to ensure that she actively listens to the issues of the employees in her department. She should also watch out for cues that warn of a possible disagreement such as employee turnover, bad attitudes towards some employees, and even grouping in the department. Moreover, she should ensure that the employees in the department are empowered on proper communication through continuous training.
Finally, mutual understanding is another critical element in the turnaround plan (McConnon, 2010). Maggie should ensure that the employees learn how to understand different people according to their personality traits. The employees should also find out how to avoid getting personal, especially in ways that make them disagree with each other. In the case of a disagreement, they should be empowered on how to attack the problem and not the person. In mutual understanding, the employees in the P&S Department will understand that conflicts not only affect their personal relationships but their efficiency in meeting the goals of the organization. They will also understand the contribution that their department has to ensuring that the organization is profitable and successful.
References
Fritz, J. M., & Omdahl, B. L. (2012). Problematic Relationships in the Workplace. New York: Peter Lang Publications.
Gray, J. (2012). Mars and Venus in the Workplace: A Practical Guide for Improving Communication and Getting Results at Work. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
McConnon, S. (2010). Resolving Conflict: Establish Trusting and Productive Relationships in the Workplace. Oxford: Communicators Publications.
