Conflicts happen, and the workplace can be a cacophony for competing interests. Consider that organizational culture is an ensemble of shared values, beliefs, assumptions, perceptions, and norms. Organizations are not solos. They are an accompaniment of individuals, departments, and divisions, and each is competing for scarce resources. Measure in a little power imbalance and organizational political posturing. Then, scale in the fact that today's managers are faced with diversity and cultural issues ranging from race and gender to individual ethnicity, principles, and philosophies, about which employees are more vocal. All this discord can strike a sharp note of dissonance. However, effective resolutions can change this discord to harmony. Consider that music is not a single note. Rather, it is the silence between the notes that makes beautiful music, and conflict is that silence. Unfortunately, conflict has a bad reputation, and it is often labeled as disagreement, fighting, or arguing that leads to stress, retaliation, and resentment. Some managers spend a disproportionate amount of their workdays dealing with conflicts. They have not learned what causes conflicts or how to productively manage them. As a result, they often avoid or force outcomes causing discord, fractured relationships, loss of productivity, and even lawsuits. Learning to fine tune inevitable conflicts will help managers orchestrate a more harmonious workplace. From Discord to Harmony: Making the Workplace Hum is largely evidence-based, and many of the chapters contain cutting-edge research by experts in their respective fields.

The De Gruyter Handbook of Organizational Conflict Management offers insightful contributions covering a myriad of conflict management topics ranging from fundamental issues, such as emotional intelligence and cultural differences, to cutting-edge themes such as political conflicts and mindfulness training. Renowned conflict management scholars and leading practitioners have contributed chapters to this handbook based on their research and their practical experience in the field of confl ict management. Many of the authors have influenced the topic of conflict management as it has become both a fi eld of academic study in universities and a necessary leadership skill. The handbook is organized in four sections. The first section covers interpersonal conflict management and focuses on perceptions, conflict styles, emotional intelligence, psychological safety, and change. The second section includes ethnic and cultural issues in organizational conflict management, such as microaggressions, ethnicity and religion, and political conflicts. The third section offers methods for managing organizational conflicts, including mediation, negotiation, ombudspersons, and conflict coaching. This section also offers guidance on developing an organizational conflict management system and discusses HR's role in managing conflicts. The fourth section introduces chapters on special topics in conflict management, such as workplace bullying, gender issues, birth order personality, human connections, and forgiveness. This handbook is an essential reference for scholars and practitioners. It offers organizational leaders insights into the causes and solutions to organizational conflict management. In addition, it is an excellent textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses in organizational conflict management.

Conflicts happen, and the workplace can be a cacophony for competing interests. Consider that organizational culture is an ensemble of shared values, beliefs, assumptions, perceptions, and norms. Organizations are not solos. They are an accompaniment of individuals, departments, and divisions, and each is competing for scarce resources. Measure in a little power imbalance and organizational political posturing. Then, scale in the fact that today's managers are faced with diversity and cultural issues ranging from race and gender to individual ethnicity, principles, and philosophies, about which employees are more vocal. All this discord can strike a sharp note of dissonance. However, effective resolutions can change this discord to harmony. Consider that music is not a single note. Rather, it is the silence between the notes that makes beautiful music, and conflict is that silence. Unfortunately, conflict has a bad reputation, and it is often labeled as disagreement, fighting, or arguing that leads to stress, retaliation, and resentment. Some managers spend a disproportionate amount of their workdays dealing with conflicts. They have not learned what causes conflicts or how to productively manage them. As a result, they often avoid or force outcomes causing discord, fractured relationships, loss of productivity, and even lawsuits. Learning to fine tune inevitable conflicts will help managers orchestrate a more harmonious workplace. From Discord to Harmony: Making the Workplace Hum is largely evidence-based, and many of the chapters contain cutting-edge research by experts in their respective fields.