STEPS ON HOW TO MANAGE CONFLICT IN A CHAMA
STEPS ON HOW TO MANAGE CONFLICT IN A CHAMA:
- The group leader should recognize the conflict and the members involved in the recognized conflict.
- The group leader should then plan an informal gathering with all the members involves. Leaders are here warned not to leave out any member as this may foster feelings of hostility among the member not invited as they may feel as if their feelings are not as important compared to the invited members. They may also feel as if they are being ganged up on by other members.
This is an important step as members are able to freely interact and share better in a neutral environment.
- Ground rules should be set before beginning the mediation process among or between the conflicting members.
- The leader is advised to focus on the issue of conflict and not the members involved in the conflict. This is to avoid bias decision making. They should encourage all the members to take turns in openly airing out their grievances and how the issue is affecting them personally. He or she should discourage the involved members from judging each other’s inputs.
- Here the members should come up with favorable solutions to the issue at hand and they can also vote on the most suitable solution that is applicable in this situation. Involving all the members in the choosing and implementation of a solution will increase the chances of the solution being adapted and put into action as the members will feel involved and part of the solution making process. In the case where there is more than one suitable solution, the group leader is then advised to pick the best suited one and explain to the involved members why this is a better pick compared to the others.
TIPS TO HANDLE DIFFICULT GROUP MEMBERS:
1. Identify the undesirable members in your group
These are the Silent members who never make any contributions during discussions that may take place and the Procrastinating members who always wait the last minute to make their contribution as well as giving their input when it might be too late or after a discussion period; not the right time.
2. Immediately take the lead
As the group leader, one need to be assertive so as to make sure that all the members of the group pull their weight to avoid overburdening other members of the group with responsibilities allocated to the difficult group members.
This will also ensure that there is order in the group and thus avoiding unnecessary interruptions that could be avoided in the first place.
3. Plan ahead
This is seen in the case of group projects where all the members’ contribution is required. As a group leader, one should plan out the activities that will be carried out by each individual based on their strengths and the time line in which the activities are to be completed as this will ensure transparency and one will be able to trace slacking members in advance and thus dealing with the issue early other than when it is too late.
4. Set ground rules
This should be done unanimously by all members to create transparency and to ensure that all members’ contributions are included. The set ground rules will be used as a basis for decision making as well as governing and efficient running of the group. Consequences and repercussions that a misbehaving member will face should also be set so as to serve as background that will be used in the future when such situation arises.
5. Have proper documentation
This will serve for transparency and in the case of a disagreement or dispute; any member of the group can always refer back to an issue when there is availability of the proper documentation.
6. Seek a mediator or adviser
In the case of a conflict that cannot be solved internally, one should seek a mediator who is impartial to help solve the disputes in the group. The member should not have any ties to the group so as to avoid making a biased decision.
This process should be documented for future reference and the group can always revisit this when a similar conflict arises at a later date.
7. In the case where difficult members refuse to make any change,
the other members of the group can unanimously vote to remove the member. The proper steps should be carried out such as forewarning the member three times of their removal if they refuse to cooperate and later implementing this when necessary. Proper documentation should be done to serve as reference material that can be used when necessary. This should be filed by a company secretary or lawyer to avoid future legal repercussions.
