Research Paper Sample on Conflict Management

Introduction

The internship program in Organizations provides an opportunity for the management students to enhance their practical skills in the field. Moreover, the internship program allows the students to view and examine situations from different perspectives. In other instances, it helps the learners to acquire new problem-solving skills in the field of management. In brief, the internship program has helped to transform the Business Management sector by equipping learners with diverse skills while ensuring that they are highly marketable (Writers, 2019). This article will address some of the most faced conflicts by interns while working for organizations and in the end, provide the best possible ways to manage the same faced conflicts.

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This study will take the form of an analytical study. In other words, the study will consider previous empirical research conducted in institutions as well as organizations and administrative offices to establish the challenges that interns face while working in Organizations. In the end, the article will provide recommendations for the experienced problems with a view of enhancing the internship experience.

Background

A majority of learning institutions have opted to use internships as a program of enhancing their teaching. Commonly, the internship has helped to boost the learning process by integrating the normal theory of study with the practical aspect within organizations. According to (Neda Perishani, 2016), an internship is a bridge between theoretical study and the management field.

The internship program provides students with opportunities to apply their acquired knowledge to solve practical issues. In most cases, the students provide accurate information relating to previous research and in the end, contribute to solving problems in the organization. Furthermore, an internship provides an opportunity for learners to find more about their interests. Also, learners can evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, therefore, enhancing their skills.

However, it has been established that interns face a myriad of challenges at their respective organizations hence affecting their learning process. Some of these challenges have been blamed for denying the interns a chance to explore their full potential in the management field. Other important aspects of the internship program include building on networking, gaining experience to boost marketability, building on a personal resume, understanding the professional management field, and learning from diverse people among others (MAIO, 2018). Therefore, considering the enormous benefits of the internship program, this article seeks to address the challenges that interns face while working for organizations. In the end, this article seeks to provide recommendations for the best ways to manage the experienced problems by the interns.

Literature Review

Several scholars have discussed the importance of the internship program. The writers have addressed different fields such as management, tourism, and other scientific fields. According to the analysis, most of the writers concur that the internship program is an important course in the education program. However, this article has addressed a research gap that was previously unaddressed, namely, the best possible ways of addressing the most commonly faced conflicts as an intern.

According to (Abeysekera, 2006), an internship is a good academic process that equips interns with skills for future employment. It is during the internship that the interns are exposed to the working environment. According to the referenced research, interns normally develop similar tendencies to their respective colleagues. Likewise, organizations that promote good and friendly conflict resolution mechanisms encourage their interns to develop the same conflict resolution mechanisms. On the other hand, interns from organizations with poor conflict resolution strategies are likely to develop the same poor skill.

In another case, (Hauck, 2000) demonstrated that interns face several conflicts while working in organizations. Furthermore, (Schambach, 2002) studied how interns reacted to the internship program. Some of the main objects of the research included whether the interns considered the program useful. In the end, they were able to discover that most interns were satisfied with the internship program. The respondents also attested to have experienced diverse conflicts while working in an organization. Nevertheless, the interns confirmed that the program was effective and useful to build their career plans. Some reported having built connections with their employing organization. The research was carried out between both the male and female gender to guarantee its validity.

Also, in the case of (Lee, 2006) the researcher confirmed that the interns cope well with challenges in the organizations owing to good conflict resolution strategies such as mediation. The research also highlighted that learners acquire diverse social skills that help them to cope with challenges. Moreover, the researcher added that some of the acquired skills include problem-solving and compromising to accommodate others. A majority of the interns find their experience in organizations to be the first and therefore are not familiar with possible ways of managing their conflicts. The study also revealed that the internship program provided the interns with an opportunity to apply their acquired knowledge from school. Additionally, the study revealed that the interns developed important skills to help them cope with difficult conflicts. Besides, the skills helped them to deal with their day to day challenges.

According to a different study by (Hauck, 2000), he sought to establish the conflicts facing interns and later explaining how the programs can be conducted efficiently. Despite several challenges affecting interns while working in organizations, the study revealed that they eventually found ways to cope with their conflicts. In the end, people who had attended the internship were more open to redoing the experience. The research by (Busby, 2010) established that the interns developed important skills to deal with conflicts relating to their field of study. Students who participated in internship programs were able to adapt quickly upon getting formal employment. The interns also developed a good attitude towards their course after completion of the program.

In a different case (Hair, 1998), the researcher acknowledged that interns could adopt a good conflict resolution strategy to deal with conflicts while working in an organization. Some of the highlighted strategies include accommodating the needs and opinions of others. Interns can learn how to accommodate the needs of their colleagues while working with diverse individuals such as in an organization. Accommodating involves accepting the situation as it is and accommodating another contesting party to avoid further conflict. Another strategy entails collaborating. Collaborating is normally applied where the parties are assertive and are respectful. It involves the parties agreeing on how the contributions shall be considered. Collaborating helps to solve issues amicably without resulting in more conflict. Another effective way of finding a solution involves compromising. During compromising, each party learns to accommodate the other. In the end, everyone gets something little of what they wanted. In a compromise, the parties get what they want and it is perceived to be a fair way of solving issues. The research also identified avoidance as a way of solving conflicts. This may be an effective way of solving disputes where one party is unwilling to compromise. In such a case, the best possible way to solve the conflict is to avoid the same (Use, 2016). Additionally, the research identified that competing may also be used as an approach to solving conflicts. This method is applied where the parties are uncooperative and unable to reach a reasonable solution. However, competing may not be a good way of resolving conflicts since all parties are uncooperative. In the end, the intern can win the situation and defeat the conflict hence building on the work experience.

Research Method

This is an analytical study and will consider empirical research previously conducted in institutions as well as organizations and addressing the same topic of challenges facing the interns in organizations. Concisely, this study will consider at least two case studies to find a solution to the challenges facing management interns while working in organizations.

Conclusion

Thus, the work-related conflict was attributed to the managers. Some of the managers were blamed for lacking familiarity with the interns’ learning process, therefore, not effectively contributing to their realization. Some of the challenges raised include the long distance between the learning institution and the organization hence causing other conflicts such as lateness. Other challenges faced included a lack of effective supervision and cooperation with the teacher. Some of the teachers were reported to exercise minimum or no supervision at all hence hindering the effectiveness of the internship program. Furthermore, some of the teachers were identified to lack familiarity with the internship practical program. Besides, other teachers were identified to assign the wrong information to the interns.