Benchmarking conflict management

Benchmarking is a process of determining what is best, may it be a company, organization, business or individual. This is done by setting standards and who attains the set standards. Benchmarking is done by comparing two or more companies in order to get which emerges the best among them. The companies or individuals that do the same kind of work or business are best benchmarked. In benchmarking, also known as geodetic control points there need to be a process to follow in order to get the winner, what process the winner followed to get there.

Benchmarking is a quality improvement initiative this encourages companies and organizations to improve their quality to avoid being the last. (Galdin, 2005) Conflict is the struggle between the incompatible or opposing needs, wishes or individuals. Benchmarking conflict management is trying to come up with the best method to solve the conflicts between the companies or individuals with the same goal or wish e. g. two companies wishing to buy the same piece of land for expansion. Benchmarking Conflict approach Gadency bus services are a company operating from Manchester city to London city.

It is a public transport company having a fleet of more than a hundred buses. It wanted top buy a piece of land to build a garage, it targeted a piece of land owned by Manchester city council. The conflict arises when the city council refuses to sell the land to the company. Conflict rose when the city authority declined to sell the piece of land to them. The company had to look for means to solve the conflict. In this situation the bus company is responsible for the city council actions. Conflict situations offered the company an opportunity to choose a style for responding to the conflict.

The most effective conflict prevention and management is to choose the conflict management style appropriate for the conflict. The company chooses a compromising style to solve the conflict which was very important to them to satisfy their interests, the company compromised to split the difference between them and the city council. The company chooses to ask for lease which was granted for the council was not ready to sell the land. Gadency bus acquired the land for choosing the best method to solve the conflict. (Cavenagh, 1999)

London breweries are a brewing company situated is western suburb of London city. It wanted top buy a piece of land to build a warehouse, it targeted a piece of land owned by London city authority. The conflict arises when the city authority refuses to sell the land to the company. Conflict rose when the city authority declined to sell the piece of land to them. The company had to look for means to solve the conflict. In this situation the bus company is responsible for the city authority actions. Conflict situations offered the company an opportunity to choose a style for responding to the conflict.

The most effective conflict prevention and management is to choose the conflict management style appropriate for the conflict. The company chooses an accommodating style put their interests last and let the city authority have what they want. The brewing company believes that keeping a good friendship is more important than anything else. The city authority declined completely to sell the land to the company and the company moved on by the decision of the city authority’s decision and did not acquire the land. This was as a result of the conflict solving style used by the company. (Simons, 2002) Conclusion

Benchmarking conflict management between the two companies would solve the conflict between them and also improve the quality of their services. By the setting of some standards by the city council has also encouraged the companies to choose appropriate style that is preferred in solving the dispute. Interaction of the Manchester city council and London city authority helped in improving the group behavior and avoiding completely spoiling of the inter-group relation and also helped in solidifying the groups. By each company applying different conflict solving style, this determines the result each company gets.