SITXCOM003A-Deal with conflict situations

1
SITXCOM003A-Deal with conflict situations

• Belma Arnautovic
• belma.arnautovic_at_hotmail.com

2
Session Plan week 1- day 1

• Welcome and Introduction
• Housekeeping Ground Rules
• Ice Breaking Games
• Course Outline and Units
• Australian Culture Customs
• Learning outcomes of the subject
• First topic-

3
Self Introduction

• Background
• Experience
• Education
• Interests

4
Course Ground Rules

• Please be on time
• Turn off mobiles during class
• Attendance 80 means you must attend 8 out of 10
  classes
• Marking is based on participation as well as
  exams and assignments
• Name Tags (every class)
• No talking in class

5
Three (3) Words

• Take a few minutes to think of three words that
  you would use to describe your self
• Introduce yourself and share the three words with
  the rest of the class
• Example
• Hi, my name is Sally. I would describe myself as
  shy, funny and moody

6
Australian Culture and Customs

• Go to other PowerPoint Presentation
• Sit back and relax
• Please ask questions if you need any
  clarification

7
SITXCOM003A-Learning outcomes

• Section 1 Identify conflict situations.
• Section 2 Resolve conflict situations.
• Section 3 Evaluate conflict situations.

8
Section 1 Identify Conflict Situation

• Outcome of the lesson
• Identify potential for conflict quickly and take
  swift and tactful action to prevent escalation.
• Identify quickly situations where personal safety
  of customers or colleagues may be threatened and
  organise appropriate assistance
• Identify and use resources to assist in managing
  conflict where appropriate and according to
  organisation policy and procedures.

9
Workplace Conflict

• Because each individual brings a different set of
  experiences, attitudes, opinions and beliefs to
  the workplace it is inevitable that eventually
  someone will disagree with someone else or that
  there will be a difference of opinion.

10
Workplace Conflict

• Workplace conflict can be
• Verbal or non-verbal expressed disagreement
  between two or more people.
• In the workplace group members needs and
  preferences can conflict, producing negative or
  disruptive effects.

11
Workplace Conflict

• These conflicts are usually about how resources
  should be distributed.
• Individuals or groups are competing against
  eachother or when there are differences in the
  needs, ambitious, goals and values of group
  members.
• These conflicts can be minimised via careful
  planning and consideration of the needs of the
  team, both as a group, and as individuals.

12
What happens if conflict is not managed?

• Conflict can lead to resentment
• Taking sides and the formation of sub-group
• Arguments
• Clashes of wills and personalities
• Self-righteousness
• Loss of productivity
• Power struggles and very negative workplace
  environment.

13
What happens if conflict is not managed?

• This in turn leads to lowered morale and personal
  performance, and if left un-managed it can even
  lead to resignations and walk-outs.
• Un-managed work conflict can result in untold
  damage within the workplace.

14
Example of Workplace Conflicts

• How to deal with difficult people
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vW_Oj6CwTGpcfeature
  related
• The Dos and the Don'ts's
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vf0ZFJEcdKKkfeature
  related

15
Activity

• List the most common types of problem that a
  supervisor might face in an office environment.

16
Workplace Interaction

• Sometimes interaction with your colleagues and
  customers can be difficult. In the tourism,
  hospitality, you interact with a range of people
  who all have different expectations of their role
  within or relationship to your organisation. They
  also have expectations about your role, your
  service provision and even your behaviour

17
You may find your self in conflict with

• In any organisation - your team members, your
  supervisor and manager
• In a Travel Agency - your customers for whom you
  are booking future travel plans
• In a restaurant - your diners
• In a hotel, motel or caravan park - your guests
• On a tour your - your passengers who are on their
  holiday
• In a Visitor Information Centre -visitors to your
  region who need your assistance
• Inbound Tour Operators - your suppliers with whom
  you hold bookings
• Tour Guides - local tourism operators who want to
  sell extra services to your customers
• Tour Operators - local government representatives
  and members of your local community

18
The process of communication

• It involves the transfer of information and
  understanding from one person to another
• successful only when it is understood by the
  receiver in the manner the sender intended
• only about 10 of a message is taken in through
  words, 30 by the tone of the voice and the final
  60 through body language
• Its more important how you say rather then what
  you say !

19
Art of Listening

• Listening is what you hear, not what you think
  you hear
• The harsh reality is that 75 of oral
  communication is either ignored, misunderstood or
  forgotten.

20
Listening Process 3 Steps

• Step 1 hearing the speaker,
• Step 2 attending to the speaker
• Step 3 making a sincere effort to understand
  what the speaker is saying.

21
Barriers to communication

• One major barrier to communication is our
  tendency to react to a statement by forming an
  evaluation of it from our own point of view.

22
There are many barriers to communication. Some of
the most common ones include

• Language/jargon
• Disabilities (particularly, difficulty in
  hearing)
• External noise
• Lack of empathy or interest
• Stereotyping
• Shortage of time (in which to deliver a clear
  message)

23
Phrases that are a put-off to effective
communication

• it wont work or we havent time
• were not ready for it yet
• good idea but our department is different
• thats all right in theory, but can you put it
  into practice?
• weve tried it before
• too hard to administer or its against our policy
• come on, lets be practical
• weve never done it like that before
• its not in the budget
• lets form a committee
• its too academic
• who do you think you are?

24
Phrases that are a put-off to effective
communication (cont.)

• you havent considered or it needs more thought
• dont be ridiculous or lets get back to reality
• lets not step on their toes
• thats too modern/old fashioned
• lets discuss it some other time
• you dont understand enough about it
• were too small/large for that
• no-one else has complained
• its not my problem
• I only work here

25
How to overcome these barriers

• Feedback
• If you say, Do you understand? The receiver is
  likely to just say yes to save the embarrassment
  of appearing stupid for not understanding. It is
  far better to ask what a person understands
• By using open questions which encourage a full
  response, you will hear for yourself whether your
  message has been understood in the way you
  intended.

26
Consider the words you use - the six Cs

• clear, complete, concise, concrete, correct,
  courteous?
• Use repetition
• Use empathy
• Consider timing
• Be positive
• Select the location
• Use active listening skills

27
Trigger words

• They often relate to a persons own beliefs, and
  they often overshadow what a person is trying to
  say.
• Everyone has different trigger words, which evoke
  a strong emotion in the receiver.

28
Non-Verbal communication

• defined as those messages expressed by other
  than linguistic means (Adler and Towne 1990
  p196). Research shows that non-verbal signals
  carry about five times as much impact as the
  verbal channel. (Pease 1987 p15).

29
Non-Verbal communication (cont.)

• Non-verbal messages reveal attitudes and feelings
  in contrast to verbal messages, which express
  ideas. There must be awareness that various
  cultures interpret these non-verbal messages
  differently.

30
Types of Non- verbal communications

• Body Language-Smiles, eyes, body movement .
  Service sector focuses mostly of body language.
• Gesture-Hand and arm movement to reinforce
  message.
• Posture- Good posture indicates confidence. It is
  a selection criteria in tourism industry.

31
Types of Non- verbal communications (cont.)

• Orientation of the body-eg if you are slightly
  turning away while having a conversation its an
  indication that you are not fully attentive.
• Touching- includes handshake and patting on the
  back or arm.
• Use of space- space communicates message.
  Distance between people that is acceptable varies
  in different cultures.

32
Other non-verbal communication

• Use of time- Punctuality is handled different in
  every culture.
• Dress and accessories- formality to wear darker
  clothes and to be tidy, clean and presentable.
• Personal Presentation-cleaniness , have shower,
  clean hair, clean clothes, shaved, cut nails etc.

33
Voice quality

• Its an important part of non- verbal
  communication
• Loudness- tempered voice level
• Emphasis- ensuring
• Pitch- tempered pitch, not too high and too low
• Speed- service provider should slow down if
  language barrier exists.

34
Activity

• Case study
• Read the Case study Togo Island Retreat
• Answer the questions and discuss in class.
• (1.5 hour)

35
Customer contact skills

• Customers ask to be treated with respect and in a
  courteous manner. They would like to feel that
  their request has not been undermined by someone
  who feels superior or by a non-caring employee
  who is not interested.
• The first impression that you give to a client
  will be the impression that they will retain. If
  you are helpful and acknowledge their request,
  they will feel comfortable and will respond
  accordingly.

36
When dealing with customers

• It is essential that you show
• Empathy
• An understanding of their position
• A recognition of their needs
• A feeling of comfort and a perception that they
  are special.

37
Note

• Sometimes you may follow all the customer service
  rules but still your client is unhappy about a
  particular situation. This is when a conflict can
  arise and you need to be able to identify
  resolve conflict situations, stopping any
  escalation.

38
Section 1 Identifying conflict situations

• What is conflict?
• Individuals have different needs, values, beliefs
  and tastes. Because of these differences,
  friction occurs when one individuals beliefs or
  needs are challenged.
• It is important to resolve the conflict, can be a
  matter or saying few words.

39
Levels of conflict

• Discomfort - a person's needs or expectations are
  not met. For example, a guest is in a hurry to
  check in to their accommodation and doesn't want
  to wait at the desk for a staff member to appear
  from the back office.
• Incident - a person expresses their
  dissatisfaction with a situation. This expression
  may take various forms - they may verbally
  complain, they may fail to be pleasant to another
  person, they may use body language that expresses
  their grievance.

40

• Tension - friction occurs between the two parties
  that are in conflict. Both parties are offended
  and express this offence. A war or words may
  ensue.
• Eg the receptionist is offended by the
  impatient guest's comments and sharply advises
  she has been busy dealing with another problem
  and that he must wait his turn and that there
  aren't any more staff available.

41

• Crisis - the conflict has escalated to such an
  extent that the parties may verbally or
  physically argue. Often a third party needs to
  solve this level of conflict. For example, the
  guest starts to abuse the receptionist because
  she has been unnecessarily rude.

42
If you learn to recognise the clues of discomfort
and incidents and deal with them promptly, you
can often save a situation from tension,
misunderstanding or crisis. Source Cornelius
Faire (1992) (p14)
43
Recognising Conflict

• If the conflict situation is recognised, diffused
  and solved quickly, it should not escalate. Look
  for
• agitated body language - crossed arms, tapping on
  the counter, hands on hips, restless movements
• signals of impatience - does not listen to or
  interrupts explanation, aggressively pulls
  brochures out of the display, pushes in on other
  customers
• tone of voice - raised or harsh voice, speaking
  fast, use of an angry tone
• eye contact - staring harshly or scowling
• physical contact - stands too close, leans over
  counter
• language - repeats themselves, uses sarcasm,
  sighs, swears, accuses or blames

44

• Questions??

45
Resolving conflict situations

• Various factors contribute to ongoing conflict.
  Some of these include
• an unwillingness to resolve
• a grudge against another person
• a sense of loss if a solution is found
• an unwillingness to have judgements challenged -
  always wanting to appear right
• fear of punishment or loss of face
• pay offs- someone has something to gain from
  keeping the conflict alive

46

• poor communication -failure to communicate
  effectively can prevent stakeholders from
  understanding each other, or make them defensive
  and unwilling to attempt to solve the problem
• the real cause is not being addressed -avoidance
• unsatisfactory solution -in some cases a solution
  is imposed on those involved and is not welcomed
  by all parties or the solution is only temporary
• feelings not being handled -negative emotions and
  feelings - such as frustration, fear and anger -
  these are likely to grow when not acknowledged
• lack of confidence - avoiding confrontation
  because of a lack of self-esteem

47
Skills to resolve the conflict

• When dealing with a conflict situation, remember
  the following points
• be attentive to your customer or colleague
• concentrate on the issue, not on the person
• target the key points of the conflict
• investigate by asking a full range of questions
• verify the outcome that the other person wants

48
When confronted with a conflict situation there
are five methods which can be used to manage the
situation.

• 1. Win/Lose
• Competition approach, where power and ego are
  evident. The strategy is win at all cost, without
  taking into consideration any alternatives. This
  method can be used in emergency situations where
  decisive action is needed.
• It is often used when the implementation of
  unpopular changes is required. Unfortunately, it
  always means that the other party will lose!

49
2. Lose/Win

• This method involves the accommodation approach,
  where one person is happy to accept another
  persons argument. Both choose not to resolve the
  problem.
• This method is used when the issue is not greatly
  significant or when the people are of more
  concern than the issue.
• This method is also used when learning about
  other peoples beliefs, values and actions.

50
3. Lose/Lose

• This method involves the avoidance approach, when
  both parties choose to ignore the conflict in
  order to maintain peace. They choose not to
  acknowledge or deal with the problem.
• This method is best applied when the conflict is
  in crisis and neither party will benefit from the
  argument.
• It allows each party to be calm and consider the
  case in a more rational manner.

51
4. Win/Lose - Win/Lose

• This method is the compromise approach, when both
  parties agree to differ and a concession is
  agreed upon. This method involves negotiation and
  being flexible with the outcome.
• This method is used when the argument is complex
  or when there is not just one possible solution.
• Sometimes outside pressures or time constraints
  will encourage a compromise.

52
5. Win/Win

• The Win/Win method involves the collaboration
  approach. Both arguments are heard and assessed
  with both issues and individuals being taken into
  consideration.
• Collaboration can often result in a more
  extensive and improved outcome. This method
  benefits all involved.
• For collaboration to be successful, both parties
  must respect and trust the others opinion

53
Techniques Adopted in Reaching a Win/Win Solution
to Conflict

• Choose the right strategy
• Take responsibility for dealing with the conflict
  and participating in the resolution
• Use positive and appropriate body language
• Be assertive in your communication, make your
  point clear and respond clearly but not
  aggressively to the other person's statements
• Use active listening techniques of questioning,
  summarising and paraphrasing

54

• Be empathetic i.e. show concern for the other
  party and try to understand their point of view
• Manage your emotions and keep your anger under
  control
• Be as impartial as possible and gain all the
  facts
• Choose the right time and location to attempt a
  resolution to the conflict
• P.22-25 print

55
Guidelines to resolving conflict

• P.51-52 Text book
• Identify the conflict situation- can lead to
  quick resolution
• Understand the causes of the conflict-listening
  is the most important way of fully understanding
  a conflict situation
• Take charge of the conflict situation moving
  into a quiet area
• Escalate the situation HR department may get
  involved.

56
Activity

• Case study on page 52 of Text Book .
• (1 hour).

57
Customer contact skills

• Note on points when dealing with customers
• Empathy
• An understanding of their position
• A recognition of their needs
• A feeling of comfort and a perception that they
  are special.

58
Differences between aggressive, assertive and non-assertive behaviour Differences between aggressive, assertive and non-assertive behaviour Differences between aggressive, assertive and non-assertive behaviour
Aggressive Assertive Non-assertive
YOU DO try to get what you want try any way that works often give rise to bad feelings in others threaten, cajole, manipulate, fight, use sarcasm   YOU DO NOT respect that other people have a right to have their needs met look for situations in which you both might be able to get what you want YOU DO ask for what you want ask directly and openly ask appropriately acknowledge that you have rights ask confidently and without undue anxiety   YOU DO NOT violate other peoples rights expect other people to magically know what you want freeze up with anxiety YOU DO hope that you will get what you want sit on feelings rely on others to figure out what you want       YOU DO NOT ask for what you want express your feelings usually get what you want get noticed
59
Body Language Aggressive Assertive Non-Assertive
Eye contact Tries to stare down the other person Relaxed and steady gaze, looking away sometimes Avoids looking directly at the other person, looks down or looks away
Body posture   Hands on hips, restless, fingers wagging Active, upright posture, passive stance Wooden posture, hands over mouth, hunched shoulders, slumped, leaning back or moving away, arms folded, clutching the other person
Distance/physical contact Coming too close Maintains appropriate body space - varies distance and contact depending on degree of intimacy with the other person Keeps his/her distance
Facial expression Lively intense (congruent with message) Congruent with message Raised eyebrows, laughing, smiling, winking (incongruent with message)
Voice characteristics (tone, inflection, volume, fluency) Harsh, too loud, too fast, angry (effect intimidating) Level is clear, fluent well modulated, slow (effect commands attention to message) Throat clearing, too soft, hesitant, seductive, sing song, pleasing, whining, monotone, pauses, stammering(effect not convincing)
Timing Interrupts, insensitive Sensitive to the right time to be assertive, often spontaneous Frequently defers speaking up
60
Responding to customer complaints

• It is essential to treat every complaint with
  respect, no matter how trivial. On average, a
  satisfied customer tells three people about good
  service. A dissatisfied customer complains to 11
  people. One study showed that 13 of the people
  who had a problem with an organisation complained
  about the company to more than 20 people.
• - word of mouth form of advertising is the most
  important for tourism/hospitality industry

61
What are the steps for handling complaints?

1. Listen- take notes (if you have to)
2. Show empathy I see, That must have been
   awful, I understand how you feel
3. Confirm details- . So you are saying that ...
4. Find a mutually acceptable solution
5. Follow up

62
DO NOT  
Ignore the client or the complaint If you can tell from someones body language that they are about to explode, approach them, excuse yourself, and try to settle them first.
Argue Even if they are wrong.
Interrupt Let them talk as much as they want first. In this way, you might diffuse the situation.
Take it personally or become defensive    
Pass the buck Check all the facts before you blame someone else. If the client does need to contact another party, make sure they have the right information.
Admit liability  
63
Negotiation skills

• Define needs vs solutions
• Deal first with emotion
• Be soft on the person, hard on the problem
• Work on the relationship independent of the
  problem
• Use and not but
• Try to identify who is behind the scenes

64
Negotiation skills (cont.)

• Stress common areas of agreement
• Ask Is it fair? Can you find an objective
  yardstick?
• Develop a smorgasbord of options
• Help each other save face
• Choose solutions that recognise the on-going
  relationship
• Make it easy for the other person to say yes

65

• Questions?

66
Revision of the course

• Exam 1 hour . closed book