Communication with difficult people Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Communication with difficult people - Essay Example and harmony in the working relationship, it is important that the interpersonal problems, that give rise to conflicting situation at the workplace, be resolved be done at the earliest. The conflicts in workplace must be resolved early because if left long to fester, the situation can become explosive and critical for the organization and adversely affect the performance outcome. I have had a major interpersonal problem with one of my colleagues. I was a teacher and he was looking after the laboratory. For the practical sessions, I needed his help in preparing chemical solutions with specified concentration so that the children could experiment successfully. I was quite perplexed when I found that the experiment was always successfully concluded when I made the chemical solution but failed when the solution was made by the said colleague! When I discussed the problem with the colleague, he not only refused to thrash out the matter but became aggressive and accused me of harassment. Later, it was found that other colleagues were also facing the same problem with him. Taking matters to the principal just resulted in worsening the relationship with the person. To keep peace, I stopped taking the help of the said lab technician but realized that the problem with the colleague needed to be resolved early for long term better relations. The workplace problems are basically external in nature and may arise due to differences in personal and work ideologies among the workers. For effective communication it was important to identify the situations and issues that are seemingly created by others and which threaten personal and professional goals and desires of a person. Noted authors Hitt et al have asserted that conflicts and workplace problems can usually be contributed to four major factors: lack of understanding; different assessment; self interest and envy; and low tolerance (Hitt el al, 2005). The various aspects of the interactive elements of the organization, work