Managing age differences and conflict in a systems integrator workplace

¶ … small but successful systems integrator had recently employed, Sam X, a young man of 25 to run the day-by-day business for the owner / managing director. The problem is that he people who have to report to him are significantly older, the average age in their 40s, most of t hem having been long employed b y the business, and skilled in their jobs. Conflict is felt and this conflict is being evidenced in various ways. It upset employees' lethargy, routine, and habits making them adopt new strategies, making them anxious of job security, and leading to changes in the organization. Other feelings that were evidenced were personal frustrations, low job satisfaction, and reduced motivation and performance

After eight months of this, sales and revenues have fallen behind what they were, approximately 3%, and the other employees have shown low motivation. Most of all, at least two employees have left with one other person threatening to do so. Very few, if any have open communication with Sam, and the atmosphere is constrained.

The general manager is frustrated with the fact that the person whom he hired is fully skilled and able to do the job, yet questioning his ability now to hold it. What Sam needs -- the manager thinks - is someone to teach him executive skills about how to win over his colleagues despite their age difference as well as to give the confidence that he will succeed. The situation, in short, calls for some conflict-dealing skills.

There are several other considerations that have to be taken into account. Sam is newly married to a second wife and trying to provide her and his extended family (2 stepsons in addition to two children from his first marriage) with the necessary attention. Sam's conflicts with his colleagues and his anxiety over retention of his job is beginning to affect his home life. Always a confident person, Sam is but a few years away from his university years, and is beginning to feel that despite previous experiences and a Masters in Business, his training may be insufficient. Over and again, therefore, it seems to me that Sam's problem revolves around conflict with the employees (namely, the way that others in the team perceive him). The following essay will present a plan to deal with this.

Part II

Plan

To defuse the conflict, a counteraction or suppression of reaction may be needed and this will need to be actuated with both Sam and employees. My plan, accordingly, is dual: to meet with Sam and talk to Sam and likely to meet with the primary people from Sam's work who threaten him and to speak to them too. I may likely also involve the super-manager in my meetings with Sam.

Objectives with Sam

Sam can create joint conditions for success, emphasizing a collaborative environment (Thomas, 1992) . When such is in place, the employees will feel more of the 'we' rather than the threat of their autonomy being threatened by an 'I'. The joint and collaborative atmosphere can go a great way in not only de-escalating tension but in helping employees actually welcome Sam and all working together towards improvement of the workforce.

Objective with employees to divert attention from age factor to skill and capability factor thus diffusing threat.

A secondary objective will be to help employees craft conflict as positive and challenging change.

Method of Coaching

Eclectic: Rogerian -- active listening and unconditional regard -with behavior, cognitive, Gestalt and applicable other strategists. Implement ion of technology will be involved too.

Plan with Sam

I will focus on various aspects when dealing with Sam.

First I will explore his personality. More than one social scientist has discovered that individuals with Type -- A personality seem to be more embroiled in conflict than Type-B. It may be that Sam is a Type -- A personality and exploring this will provide him with value in both his variational goals and in his endeavors with his family. In fact, investigation into Sam's personalty will help with all five areas of coaching.

I will also explore Sam's mode of communication. Whilst cursory instructions and speech may result in misunderstanding and opposition, attempted informal and loquacious communication may have the same result due to potential misunderstanding on the part of employees occurring (Putnam & Poole, 1987 ). There is also the generation gap, and the older colleagues may erroneously feel patronized by Sam. In the meantime, facial expressions, body language, and speech can all result in misinterpretation. Sam's lack of confidence may unwittingly be prompting some of these mannerisms on his part that exacerbated the conflict. Sam may be a skilled communicator, but, nonetheless, a very narrow and strategic stance needs to be taken here with manager being careful to make communication lucid and clear and, even then, not to convey an iota of criticism in his voice or mannerisms ((Baron, 1990) .

Secondary to this situation may be Sam's ethnic and cultural characteristics that may have, unwittingly, aroused unconscious opposition and feeling of threat from some of the employees. Some of the employees may be unconsciously associating Sam with someone else from their past whom they felt threatened by and feared. These feelings may be unconscious and, therefore, not admitted by employees. Nonetheless, their effects may be real and felt. It would be helpful for Sam to be aware of this and via my using cognitive psychology such as RET, I will show Sam how to deal with this possibility and its manifestations.

I will also point out to Sam, that the anxiety produced by his age could be somewhat reduced if he set about introducing his goals in an incremental fashion, and, far more helpful, if he involved the team in discussion about how to make the changes / goals more accepting. He may be recommended to, a t least initially, be less rigid about introducing changes, introduce changes in an incremental, slow and relaxed fashion, and reward and praise employees in their acceptance of changes.

Much of the employee's anxiety is a result of -- I will point out to Sam -- their dignity feeling threatened by their having to consult and obey someone far younger than they. Generation gap and different generational styles of communication can also complicate the situation. I will explore Sam's leadership style and show Sam that he can try to defuse the situation by his rejecting an authoritarian style of leadership and adopting a more democratic or laissez faire style where either he involves his employees together as a team to work with him and make joint decision-making (this can be most effectively accomplished if the organization were small). The laissez farie style can be composed of Sam allowing employees a certain modicum of liberty to make their own decisions and demonstrate their own style. If this were uncomfortable to Sam, he can still adopt an authoritarian style within reasons, preferably merging it with a democratic one where employees can be involved in decision-making and feel more comfortable about results of decisions that manager makes.

The counseling protocol

I will introduce Sam to these ideas by using a mixture of Rogerain non-directive counseling with behavioral and cognitive techniques, as well as Gestalt by placing Sam in the other's shoes.

It seems to me that although Sam's confidence needs working on, the best route to rectify his self-esteem is by focusing on the problem and having Sam address it in a practical incremental way.

Discussion with team

My plan of action will be open-ended listening where I will encourage them to share their reactions about Sam. I will involve Sam in these meetings so Sam can discuss his concerns with his colleagues resulting in each gaining a perspective and understanding of the other's situation and feelings. I will encourage all participants to be as concrete and as open as possible so that all concerns get brought to the table. I may also innovate the manager in some of the sessions.

What I will point out is that as Callister & Wall (1997) observe, conflict is not totally negative. Some even welcome it as a change of direction and spurring of energy to learn new things, and the team can learn likewise. Youth can bring certain skills to the table that those who are older cannot and, likewise, Sam can learn something from his older colleagues that he is not already aware of. It is in essence the employee's perceptions of the new manager and the way that they interpret his actions that fosters and escalates the conflict. (Wall & Nolan, 1987) . this is particularly so when the behavior seems to threaten justice or autonomy of another individual and the employees may feel that their way of doing things and their dignity and respect is threatened by their having to conform to the demands of someone far younger than they. Perceptions, therefore, need to be transformed and the shift changed.

By focusing on Sam's unique contribution, a s well as by focusing on the particular contributions of the other employees, my aim is to point out that skills and capabilities should be focused on ability rather than age.

This, likely will be the drift of my sessions; to replace attention on age with attention on capability.

De-escalation techniques that may be used are the following: Pointing out how conflict can be positive and adopting a Pollyanna attitude to the conflict. In other words, one can seek out ways that the change -- for that is what conflict ultimately is -- can be used to profit both organization and employees in both an individual and organizational manner.

My goal, in short, is to incorporate all five coaching roles mentioned in Chapter 8: to educate; sponsor; coach; counsel; and confront. I will also add 'team coaching' to the list in order to facilitate communication amongst the team

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