Abstract
Conflict management is the overall approach an organisation uses to respond to disputes and difficult issues in the workplace. Some of the theoretical ideas that underlie contemporary conflict management, however, are different from the prevailing cultural norms present in many policing organisations. For a police supervisor to develop the most effective approach to in-house conflict mediation then, some considered awareness might be necessary. The purpose of this article is first to distinguish the character of the traditional problem-solving approach to in-house police conflict management. It is suggested that the frame one applies to conflict may affect what one sees and does. Afterwards, the article draws on a case study of a workplace conflict that took place recently in the Irish National Police Service, relating to the introduction of a new-style criminal investigation. The purpose of this case study is to demonstrate that from a social interactionary perspective, the problem-solving conflict approach was not capable of unmasking the relational, meaning-making and value intricacies in the circumstances described. Drawing on this appraisal, an assessment is offered for police supervisors wishing to engage in their own mediation efforts, which encompasses a critical assessment of the deficiency of the problem-solving approach to personnel disagreements. Ultimately, a conclusion is reached that successful conflict intervention demands a careful look at the interpretive relationships between opposition parties; a police supervisor needs to help conflicting opponents to query much of what they suppose they know about the other, in order to learn what really motivates them and why.
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