It sometimes seems that management will try to take the easiest road out of certain situations when it comes to employee conflict. Instead of completely resolving all of the problems, they will try to resolve the most obvious issue as quickly and simply as possible.

This approach to internal conflict resolution is The Most Visible Issue game. This game is a common method of resolution where management tries to refocus a group by resolving only the most visible issue. The reason is that the objective of management is to move forward with the true business at hand while maintaining order in the ranks and avoiding potential problems.

The Setup

Just as an example, assume that one or more employees begin to complain about a given set of issues. Once the issues become prominent and begin to affect the group, management will usually hold a small meeting to gather a list of complaints from the employees. This meeting is held to calm the nerves of the most vocal employees in the company.

During the meeting, management asks questions and takes notes about the issues. In the process, they minimize issues with boilerplate responses that place those posing the issues in a position of non-defense. This non-defense position is one where they can neither defend the issue nor can they take back their comment as it becomes of visible importance to management.

During the meeting, management defines a tie-in of all of the issues such that it becomes apparent that all of the issues initiated by the complainants are focused on one central problem about which management already knew. This is where management defines the most common or the most visible issue.

The Pitch

This is a control game initiated by management to allow them to place a cover of resolving an issue so that everyone can get back to the work at hand. For instance, assume that several employees come up with a list of problems that they've found within the company. They bring these issues up to management to try to have those problems resolved. Usually, these people will assemble a small clique within the company and create a small uprising within the ranks.

If the problems are on a wider scale than just a few people, management will usually try to hold a meeting and discuss the issues with everyone. As an act of good faith, management will then choose the most visible and most evident issue to resolve. Once that specific issue is resolved, they will usually do no more. However, if you complain that they aren't doing anything to resolve the issues, they will simply reply to explain that they are working on it, as is proven by their action on the single issue. You can't claim that they aren't doing anything.

Over time, you will notice that the issues will eventually disappear because everyone loses interest. This is the ultimate objective of the manager.

Home Run

Don't feel frustrated, insulted, or ignored by this situation. In many cases, some people complain just to complain. In the long run, ancillary issues are truly not as important to the success of the company as are the issues of the company. Understand that you are part of a machine that is in business to do business. There are always issues to deal with in a company as, indeed, change creates chaos and all companies change to adapt to the competitive environments in which they exist. If you're malfunctioning, management simply reroute responsibility to another part of the machinery to simply get the job done.

However, if your issue is deemed of importance to the success of the company and is not something that management has seen or encountered, they will contemplate the issue and a solution. In about six month's time, management will bring an altered version of that issue back up again and resolve it. In this way they can take the credit for finding and resolving the important issue and ensure control within the ranks.

The best way to handle this type of situation is simply to understand the politics of your corporate culture. Realize that in this type of game, the harder you push, the less you will move forward. Definitely, it is a situation that cannot be won.

If you have an issue, don't spread it among your peers and cause a ruckus as you will simply be seen as a trouble-maker. If you want to bring an issue to the surface, bring it up with your immediate manager. But, don't just complain about the issue, also be prepared to provide a reasonably detailed explanation with examples and a simple, yet understandable, resolution that benefits the company.

In most cases, your manager will bring it up with his manager and, if it is a worthwhile issue, he will usually get credit for the solution. If not, you might be blamed for wasting time dealing with issues that are none of your concern.

What's next?

Realize that no company is perfect and issues will surface from time-to-time. While it is your job to be part of the machinery that moves toward the company's vision, don't nose around in areas that are not your business. You could be labeled a trouble-maker and management usually keeps a close eye on such employees to ensure that they aren't wasting valuable company time nosing around into things in which they have no business.

A lot of times, issues become apparent as a side-effect of some political ploy initiated within the company for one or more reasons. Perhaps the company wishes to oust of their less than acceptable managers, but this person is too tightly bound to the company's infrastructure. In this case, some unusual measures must be taken that can send shockwaves through the company. You might see them as a situation that directly affects you and your position. In this type of situation, it is always best to stay out of the situation. This is why it is sometimes beneficial that, when you see an issue meander by, leave it alone as it might be something that the company wants to keep quiet and running in the background.

Your best bet is simply to let the problems exist as they are without your intervention. A good guide is to check if the problem was either started by you or somehow affects your job directly. If the answer is yes to either situation, then examine the situation and approach your immediate manager quietly to determine the affects of the problem and potential resolutions.

©2004 Edward B. Toupin

Edward B. Toupin, Ph.D., is an author, publisher, life-strategy coach, counselor, Reiki Master and technical writer living in Las Vegas, NV. Among other things, he authors books, articles, and screenplays on topics ranging from career success through life organization and fulfillment. Check out some of his recent print and electronic books as well as his articles covering various life-changing topics. E-mail Edward: etoupin@toupin.com  website: http://www.toupin.com or http://www.authorsden.com/edwardbtoupin

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