Interpersonal Conflict

No one wants to get into a conflict but due to unforeseen circumstances, we are often put into tough situations. For instance, I stumbled upon one while working during the holidays.

The conflict happened during work when I was taking apart in a project and it happened between the client and myself. The main problem was that I was conveying the client’s idea of a cabinet into drawings and I was trying to picture his ideal cabinet in my mind so that I can draw it out. For the next meeting, I showed him the drawings and he spotted a few minor mistakes here and there, but those mistakes can be rectified. Since the drawings were confirmed, I sent it to the carpenter for production. After a long time, the cabinets were ready and when the client saw it, he thinks that the border of the cabinet was too thick. I felt the frustration and unhappiness in him when he saw the cabinet. However, when I refer back to my drawings, the cabinet looks exactly like the one I drew. There was some miscommunication between the client and myself which led to the conflict.

After reading my encounter, how would you guys recommend me to solve my conflict?

 Revised on: 26/2/2018

 Read: Jean, Huan Choon, Gordon

Comments

  1. Neo Shih ChiehFebruary 18, 2018 at 5:42 AM

    Hi Shu Min

    Language barrier is likely a communication barrier associated with your described conflict. To further elaborate, perhaps the terminology you used to describe the cabinet design may not be fully understood by your client, which led to the dissatisfaction with the final product.

    A possible solution to your situation would be to elaborate the advantages of having a thicker cabinet, such as improved stability and safety. If the client disagrees, go the extra mile and make it a priority to reconstruct the cabinet to the client's desired dimensions. You could also use nonverbal communication to your advantage by sending out subtle nonverbal signals to indicate that you are apologetic for the miscommunication during the design process.

    I hope you find my insights useful.

    Cheers
    Shih Chieh

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ShuminFebruary 25, 2018 at 10:19 PM

      Hi Shih Chieh,

      Thank you for taking your time to read my post and I appreciate your feedback. I will take your feedback into consideration.

      Best wishes,
      Shumin

      Delete
    2. Neo Shih ChiehApril 6, 2018 at 11:58 AM

      Hi Shumin, you're welcome.

      Delete
  2. Brad BlackstoneFebruary 21, 2018 at 12:15 AM

    Thanks, Shu Min, for sharing this interesting workplace conflict. It is certainly concise, and yet fairly complete. What is a bit ambiguous is the nature of the project. You mention that you were doing drawings for a client, but it isn't until halfway through the second paragraph that you mention cabinets.

    Another area that causes some ambiguity is the changing verb tense.

    I look forward to your rewrite and to the your peers' responses.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ShuminFebruary 25, 2018 at 8:40 PM

      Dear Brad,

      Thank you for taking your time to comment on my post. I will make the necessary changes according to your suggestions.

      Best wishes,
      Shumin

      Delete
  3. UnknownFebruary 25, 2018 at 8:38 PM

    Hi Shumin,

    Thank you for sharing this interesting conflict. It is well described and very clear to me as a reader. I understand your troubles because I know miscommunications often happen in a work environment where everyone can be so rush all the time. They often confused themselves and blame it on others, but it was them who is at fault from the start. Even with hard evidence it is sometimes still as difficult to explain yourself, especially when it is an older person with a strong perception on the hierarchy system. My advice to you is to be more patient so in the future you can prove yourself with the results you achieved and earn their respect. You will find yourself with less and less problems in the future.

    I hope things will get better for you.

    Cheers,
    Huan Choon

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ShuminFebruary 25, 2018 at 8:47 PM

      Hi Huan Choon,

      Thank you for taking your time to read my post and I appreciate your feedback. I will take it into consideration and reflect.

      Best wishes,
      Shumin

      Delete
  4. JeanMarch 4, 2018 at 1:52 AM

    Hi Shumin

    Thank you for sharing this encounter you had with a client of yours. Like you have mentioned, I believe that this was all due to a miscommunication which often happens in workplaces. Sometimes, I feel when we see items in a catalogue, comparing to the actual product itself, sometimes it tend to be a little different. Perhaps, when the client saw the actual product itself, it was just not like how they imagine it to be but in the drawings they were agreeable to it.
    If I were in your position, I would have tried to listen to the possible amendments they would like to have done on the cabinet. However, at the same time I believe for the future drawings that I may have to do, I would show them the actual dimensions of the product using a measuring tape as they may not understand the drawings on the screen itself. Being able to empathize with a client would probably be a way to handle such situation as we would not like to lose their trust.

    I hope my advice would be helpful:)

    Cheers
    Jean

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ShuminMarch 4, 2018 at 11:07 AM

      Hi Jean,

      Thank you for taking your time to read this blog post. I appreciate your feedback and I will take your advice into account.

      Best wishes,
      Shumin

      Delete
  5. ShuminMarch 16, 2018 at 10:29 AM

    Dear readers,

    Once again thank you for taking your time to read through my blog post. After tabulating all your comments and suggestions, below is to how I resolved my conflict and my analysis on the interpersonal conflict I encountered.

    According to Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions, the client’s emotions were towards aggressiveness and that would be under annoyance because of the frustration and unhappiness when the client saw the cabinets. At that point of time, I was feeling fearful of the client’s decision as if he is not happy with the current cabinet, the whole project will be delayed as the carpenter needs to make a brand new cabinet.

    Ultimately, I explained to the client patiently as to why the cabinets are in a thicker boarder as it makes the whole house and the cabinet more in sync, to have a more uniform look and a more pleasing appearance. After hearing my explanation, the client accepted the cabinet with thicker boarder.

    This incident taught me the importance of interpersonal communication with others. If I was to argue with the client, the project would be delayed and everything would be in a mess. Sometimes we need to take a step back and get our thoughts together before speaking. If not our comments might be hurtful to others and probably affect them emotionally.

    Best wishes,
    Shumin

    ReplyDelete
  6. Brad BlackstoneApril 13, 2018 at 12:20 AM

    This is an excellent resolution, Shu Min! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete

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