Conflict Management in Technology
- 2. Article_Description • The article it is telling about how today computers are beginning to replace people and because of that data annalists are begging to worry. • Data scientists are beginning to become more popular than actuarial scientists. • Wein as quoted in the article says, “Actuarial science is based on a constraint around the availability of data: You can’t know everything about all the possible data points you can gather to understand and price risk, so you need statistical methods to predict it, But data science sees data as very available, and even though it’s large volumes of data it can be processed and interpreted” (Goila 2016). • The thing is, data scientists look at data differently. They see it all as something that can change, and with the aid of computers they are able to sort through all of that data.
- 3. Cont. • In information technology, equipment is replaced on a regular basis. • People are not like equipment like some of the earlier theories of organizational communication have shown. • People are unique and are the reason a company strives or just exists. • People are in this world for a reason and every business is made up of people. • What the article later states is that even though the actuarial scientists are not going away or being replaced by data scientists, what needs to happen is a collaboration. • Collaboration is the ultimate goal of most organizations, otherwise why call it an organization? • The conflict is that computers are becoming more powerful and because of that there will be conflict from people being threatened to lose their current job.
- 4. What_is_conflict? • To really understand conflict management we need to get to the root cause of the issue, conflict • Conflict may be described as, “the opposition of persons or forces that gives rise to the dramatic action in a drama or fiction” my Merriam-Webster Dictionary (Merriam-Webster 2016). • Conflict can have many different shapes and sizes, but according to Organizational Communication by Kathrine Miller it has three levels.
- 5. Levels_of_conflict • There are three levels of conflict • Level 1 Interpersonal Conflict • This typically occurs in the day to day operations. • Always between individual members. • Can be a small issue. • Level 2 Intergroup Conflict • This is most likely to be seen in a team or department • Sometimes can be multidepartmental • Can be a small to large issue. • Level 3 Interorganizational Conflict • This is mostly seen when two organizations go head to head. • This can be competition or just a rivalry • Usually a rather large issue.
- 6. What_is_conflict_management? • Conflict can be defined as, “the practice of recognizing and dealing with disputes in a rational, balanced and effective way. Conflict management implemented within a business environment usually involves effective communication, problem resolving abilities and good negotiating skills to restore the focus to the company's overall goals" by the Business Dictionary (Business Dictionary 2016). • In a nut shell it is the idea or practice of controlling conflict, most notably in business.
- 7. Is_conflict_really_that_bad? • Conflict in itself is not a bad thing. • It is more how people react to conflict that is the determining factor for giving conflict its generally negative connotation. • Information Technology is generally seen as a very adaptive field, but having worked in it there are times when it cannot be.
- 8. Known_ways_companies_didn’t_handle_co nflict_well • Sony and their data breach • Sony knew about the hack yet failed to warn customers about the possibility of theft. • Hackers had broken into some of Sony’s Servers for the Play Station Network. • This hack left millions of credit cards and peoples personal information either stolen or copied somewhere. • Target and the credit card theft • Target was subject to a very large breach of their clients information from an outside party. • Target used an outside company that did some contracting work for them but that company some how allowed another hacker group to get into the credit card machines at Target and steal millions of credit cards daily till Target found out.
- 9. How_companies_could_handle_it_differe ntly • For Sony • Sony should have been upfront with their customers and told them what was going on. • Even though some customers would have panicked they would not have been angry as they were. • The thing is, nothing is unhackable in the IT world, so being upfront with it and making sure that the company has a plan in place to handle this is the best possible option.
- 10. What_Target_should_have_done_differen tly • For Target • They should have had better security to begin with • Once the breach happened, they should have had a plan to take care of the breach if it ever were to happen. • Target seemed to me like a company that wanted to put on a facade and make it seem like an expensive store, with little to no care for their customers security or data.
- 11. Known_ways_companies_did_handle_confl ict_well • Apple and threats from the US Government • For a shooting that happened earlier in the year, the FBI was looking to Apple to unlock one of the shooters iPhones that had been encrypted with a passcode and would be erased if the code was entered too many times incorrectly. • Apple choose not to help the FBI because once a tool like that was developed it could get into the wrong hands and every iPhone would be vulnerable. • Zappos and their recent change to Holocracy • Zappos recently changed to a completely different style of management and made it so that all of their employees were forced to choose that style or leave. • Tony Heish was seeing that the company was not adapting to it fast enough and wanted to push everyone who works for Zappos to move over to the new idea.
- 12. Examples • So everyone has conflict, whether it be interpersonal or interorganizational. • We all deal with it differently. • There are whole companies built with the idea of removing conflict or conflict resolution or management. • All of the following examples are generic examples as they apply to more than just technology. • However, technology can be used to aid in the resolution of each.
- 13. Theoretical_example_1 • Say you and a coworker have not been seeing eye to eye lately ever since they made a comment about your clothing you wore to work a few weeks ago. • Every time you see each other you get angry and mutter mean comments to each other. • The whole office is beginning to notice because both of you are starting to infect others with both of your negative attitudes. • What should you do?
- 14. • What can be thought of the best answer could not be the best answer for the situation. • What really should happen is that you bring in an intermediary • Someone who does not now the situation or who doesn’t have a side to take with the argument. • This will be able to solve the conflict with a compromise or an apology rather than it escalating into something much larger.
- 15. Theoretical_example_2 • Example two is more of a level 2 conflict where as those in a group are conflicting against each other. • Say for example you are in a group and the deadline for a project at work is coming up soon. All of your teammates are feeling the pressure to do well because your boss is looking down your necks and trying to make it so that you do well. The boss obviously wants you to do well because if you do well the company does well. • However, some of your team members do not seem to be pulling their own weight and they are beginning to pull the team behind schedule. • What would you do?
- 16. • The best course of action for this would be to try and make it so that the leader of the group addresses the problem or that you take the leadership position to make sure your group finishes on time. • The job of completing the task it not that of the boss it is on all of the team mates to make sure the job is done on time. If the job is not done on time or someone needed to do more because of one person who was slacking, then that can be addressed later after the project is done.
- 17. Theoretical_example_3 • Example three might be the one we are most familiar with seeing on the news. • Say that you have been warning your boss about a possible security breach for the last few days, but because you are an intern the boss doesn’t take note of your lack of authority and ignores your comments. • However, the breach is costing the company millions of dollars and eventually someone else finds the breach too. They have more authority than you and will be able to make sure everyone in the company knows about it. • What would you do?
- 18. • So you really have two options at this point . • Option 1: tell someone other than your supervisor that you knew about the breach and that you told your boss but he did nothing. • This option doesn’t really help anyone but yourself. Sure the boss may be reprimanded but what good is that causing when the whole company is trying to fix the problem? What really should happen is that when an investigation is done to find out where the cause happened, is to make sure you are covered in saying you told your boss. • Or • Option 2: just let it go and try to help the company fix the problem and deal with your boss later. • This would be the ideal solution as it would allow the company time to react to the situation and be able to look at why it wasn’t caught sooner, after the problem is fixed.
- 19. Questions_for_Small_Business_owners • Small businesses may not deal with some conflicts like larger business. • They will all deal with conflicts big or small. • Some questions a small business owner may want to ask themselves before making any decision on a conflict might be: • Would this conflict ever happen again? And if so would it be wise to record how the conflict was managed to have for a quick resolution next time? • Is this conflict because of my leadership or more because of one of my employees? • Who is responsible if there is conflict outside of the organization?
- 20. Questions_for_Large_Corporate_busines ses • Now small business and large corporate entities are much different beasts. • Meaning that the questions asked of each will be different. • Some questions a larger company might want to ask others could be: • Does this organization have a conflict management plan or team? • What will happen if the majority of the workers start to have a conflict that is not easily resolved? • When should an employee be let go if there is a conflict that is unresolvable? • What happens if the conflict becomes a legal one?
- 21. Work_Cited • Conflict. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2016, from http://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/conflict • Golia, N. (2016, March 30). Analysts Vs. Actuaries: Managing the Conflict. Retrieved March 30, 2016, from http://www.insurancenetworking.com/news/data-analytics/analysts-vs- actuaries-managing-the-conflict-37005-1.html • What is conflict management? definition and meaning. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2016, from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/conflict- management.html