Manager's role in employee conflict

Marek: I care about being able to organize production in advance. Sudden changes disorganize the production line, cause downtime and frustration for people, require changes in employees' work schedules, sudden overtime. I want to receive information about orders for given products at least two weeks in advance - planning in such a time perspective provides us with the necessary minimum of efficiency.

Witek: I care about being able to sell freely and respond to market needs. If I manage to meet with a customer and then have to inform him that we won't be able to complete the project in the timeframe he set, it affects the company's image and my department's financial performance badly. I want the production department to complete orders in shorter timeframes - this is what customers care about.

Tomasz summarizes the employees' notes: As far as I can see, the situation is as follows. Marek wants to receive orders for products at least two weeks in advance, while Witek expects the production department to fulfill orders within shorter deadlines...

Marek: Well, and we are back to square one again...

Witold: Not necessarily! In fact... the two are not mutually exclusive! I don't know exactly how to do it yet, but it would be possible to develop some such system of information exchange, so that production gets a "tip" of what products may be needed already at the stage of our negotiations with customers...

Marek: ...Well, in principle it could pass the test. When we don't have specific orders we replenish our inventory anyway. It's better to replenish them with what is most likely to sell right away... but what about all those express orders for Eve Frost...

Marek: You know what Magda, the boss really surprised me. I didn't think it was so easy to find a solution to our constant disputes with Witek. We haven't worked it all out yet, but for the first time since Witek has been here we've actually started working together...

Magda: I am very happy about this. Such conflicts between production and sales are "daily bread" in many companies. It is good that you managed to come up with a joint solution. Sometimes it's like that, when two parties can't get along there must be a third party - that's the role of a manager.

Magda: At each of the stages of conflict escalation, the manager can play different roles as a "third party to the conflict", i.e. a representative of the company aiming to act for the good of the whole organization. The manager's role is to control the development of the conflict by preventing tensions, resolving conflicts and stopping fights within the team.