Difficult conversations are part of life in any workplace or organization. It may involve managers delivering difficult feedback, communicating change or employees’ conflicts with their superiors. Its prevalence in organizations makes it an essential aspect of organizational behavior since both the seniors and the subordinates must be wary of the issue as it may have adverse effects on the organizational success. It is worth noting that difficult conversations are emotionally charged, and there is an element of fear as stakeholders in an organization express their feelings. Difficult conversations take courage to participate in from both the employees and the manager’s perspective. Difficult conversations must occur, though, before true communication and collaboration can be reached. They occur at all levels of an organization and between every profession (Schermerhorn).  It is imperative for the managers and employees in an organization to be proactive in handling difficult conversations to ensure that they maintain employee engagement as well as productivity in tough times.

The organizational behavior is concerned with the relationship between employees and the management of the organization. The productivity within any organization set up mainly depends on the interpersonal relationship between the management or organization’s leadership with the subordinates. To maintain harmony in any workplace, it is imperative that the organization takes the time to ensure that both the employees and the managers in the organization have skills to deal with difficult conversations (Schermerhorn). Such skills are essential in dealing with incivility, performance feedback, bullying and disciplinary actions that are inevitable in any organization.

It is essential to note that people in an organization do not go to work with an intention of being uncivil or a bully. They always go to work with the good intention of fulfilling the organizational goals as well as their personal ambitions. However this is not always the case and at times, something goes awry thus causing pain to colleagues or juniors in the workplace. For instance, the managers may find it difficult getting feedback from the employees. On the other hand, some managers may seem to bully their juniors in the course of duty. Both the managers and the employees have a role to fulfill in the realization of the organizational goal (Schermerhorn). It is, therefore, prudent that the two parties must have skills to deal with the issue of difficult conversation.

It is imperative to point out that inability to deal with difficult conversations can have a detrimental effect on the productivity of the firm. For instance, if employees perceive that they are being bullied, their morale will be quite low and consequently low productivity. On the other hand, the managers should be able to deal with this issue head on to ensure that the objectives of the organization are adequately fulfilled. It is essential that players in the organizational behavior develop a culture of civility and respect towards each other. Players in any organization must strive to see that the values of the organization are lived. It is prudent that they develop a transparent culture where all the players feel free to express themselves. Planning for difficult conversations is paramount in any organization to ensure that the affected parties are well prepared (Schermerhorn). In extreme cases, organizations should consider having ‘’no tolerance’’ policies on incivility and bullying to deal with difficult conversations. Nevertheless, open communication and culture of transparency within an organization is the only way that the issue of difficult conversation can be easily addressed.

Work Cited

Schermerhorn, John R. Organizational Behavior.. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2012. Print.

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