The UPLB Human Resources Development Office (HRDO) conducted the webinar, “Building Bridges: Conflict Resolution Skills for a Harmonious Workplace” on July 19, 2024.

The webinar attracted 438 participants from various units across the university who joined via virtual conferencing and through the official HRDO Facebook page. 

The webinar, which is part of the learning and development program of the Position Classification and Staff Development (PCSD) section of HRDO, focused on equipping employees with essential conflict resolution skills and strategies to foster a harmonious workplace environment. 

The webinar began with the opening remarks of HRDO Director Roderick C. Javar, who set a strategic tone for the event by explaining the importance of effectively addressing conflicts to promote a productive and positive workplace.

“Kailangan po natin ng isang maayos na conflict resolution system at maayos yung individual skills sa pag-iwas sa mga sigalot sa opisina para sa [pagkakaroon ng] positive work environment at positive team dynamics. Yung atin pong overall organizational success ay nakakabit din po sa maayos na relasyon sa loob ng ating mga opisina,” he said.

(We need an effective conflict resolution system and to train individuals in preventing office conflicts to promote a positive work environment and positive team dynamics. This is because our organizational success is anchored on good relations in the office.)

Anne Gladwyne B. Vanguardia-Batanes, a faculty member at the Department of Social Sciences of the College of Arts and Sciences, began the discussions by defining conflict and its nature. 

She highlighted common workplace conflicts including personality clashes, differences in work preferences, workload imbalances, communication issues, and leadership conflicts.

She also introduced the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Resolution Model (1974) and explained its five styles. The first style is competing, characterized by high assertiveness and low cooperativeness. The second is accommodating, which involves high cooperativeness but low assertiveness. 

The third is the avoiding style, which is marked by low levels of both cooperativeness and assertiveness. The fourth style, collaborating, emphasizes high assertiveness and cooperativeness and aims to find a solution that satisfies all parties without compromise. 

Lastly, the compromising style involves both assertiveness and cooperativeness but requires each party to make concessions to reach a mutually acceptable solution. 

Both the collaborating and compromising styles involve high levels of assertiveness and cooperativeness. The key difference is that the collaborating style seeks a middle ground without sacrificing any concerns, while the compromising style involves acceptance that conflicting views may or may not be applicable to the resolution, thus enabling a compromise for the greater good.

Vanguardia-Batanes then discussed the concept of assertiveness, which lies between aggressiveness and submissiveness. She said, “When we talk about being assertive, there is an equality that you are voicing what you are trying to say, and at the same time you are trying to hear the other side of the party.”

She encouraged participants to be assertive in addressing conflicts in their workplaces. Being assertive means acknowledging personal responsibility, being aware of others’ rights, practicing honesty and respect, and having the ability to negotiate.

To wrap up her discussion, she outlined different ways to build a positive workplace culture, namely, staying calm, facilitating brown bag sessions, having internal peer mediation, being respectful, and practicing active listening.

In his closing remarks, Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Administration Eugene Raymond Crudo highlighted the importance of using the assertive 1976 DESS framework by Sharon and Gordon Bower as a feedback mechanism. 

In this framework, D describes the behavior that needs to be corrected, E expresses how you feel about it, S specifies the behavioral changes that you want to make, and the final S sells the benefits or consequences to persuade the other party.

“Magsilbi din po tayo [bilang isang] mediator, maging respectful at [maging] active listener sa ating mga kasama, para mabuo natin ang isang positive workplace environment at tunay na organizational success ng UPLB,” he added.

(Let us serve as mediators; be respectful and active listeners to our colleagues so that we can create a positive workplace environment and genuine organizational success in UPLB.)
The webinar is now available on the HRDO YouTube channel and the HRDO website. (Yra E. Bautista)