IMPQI216 – Manage and reduce conflict in improving food operations

Overview 

This standard is about the skills and knowledge needed for you to manage and reduce conflict in teams and individuals to support your organisation's drive to improve food operations. This is important to increasing productivity and success of manufacture, processing and supply within the food supply chain. Reducing and managing conflict is often important where the implementation of change, improvement, new practice, targets and a performance driven culture creates challenges to individuals and the dynamic of a team.

You will need to show and understand how you can both respond to conflict situations and take pre-emptive action to avoid conflict in and around your role. You will need to comply with your company policy for conflict control and management, take responsibility for your actions, and refer any issues outside of the limit of your authority to others.

This standard is for you if you are working in team leadership, first line or middle management in food or drink operations including, manufacturing, processing, packing or supply chain activities.

Performance criteria

You must be able to:

Take pre-emptive action to avoid conflict

  1. communicate the standards of work and behaviour expected of team members and individuals in accordance with policy
  2. assist team members and individuals understand how different members interface and support each other
  3. identify and address any issues with organisational systems or procedures that are likely to give rise to conflict in accordance with procedures
  4. identify potential conflict between team members or with individuals and take permitted pre-emptive action to avoid these
  5. encourage team members to resolve their own problems and conflicts themselves in accordance with procedures

Deal with conflict

  1. take prompt action to deal with conflicts where team members or individuals are unable to resolve the conflicts themselves in accordance with procedures
  2. show respect for members' and individuals' emotions in conflict and seek to manage negative emotions
  3. investigate the causes of conflict, providing opportunities to present facts and perceptions about conflict in accordance with procedures
  4. identify and agree how to resolve conflicts without apportioning blame
  5. reinforce the goals, attitudes and behaviours expected of team members and individuals in accordance with procedures

Obtain support and complete conflict records

  1. seek help from colleagues or specialists where appropriate in accordance with procedures
  2. comply with regulatory and organisational requirements when resolving conflicts
  3. maintain complete and confidential records of conflicts and their outcomes in accordance with procedures

Knowledge and understanding

You need to know and understand

  1. the principles of effective communication
  2. how to apply effective communication
  3. how to assist team members and individuals understand roles, interface and support for one another
  4. how to identify and address any issues with systems and procedures that are likely to give rise to conflict
  5. the importance of identifying potential conflict situations and taking pre-emptive action to avoid these
  6. how to encourage team members and individuals to talk with you about work issues and potential conflict
  7. the importance of giving team members and individuals opportunities to discuss problems affecting work
  8. the importance of taking prompt action to deal with conflicts as they arise
  9. ways of dealing with conflicts when they arise and the action to be taken
  10. the importance of acknowledging and showing respect for team members and individuals emotions regarding conflict
  11. how to manage negative emotions of team members and individuals involved in conflict
  12. how to identify the causes of conflict
  13. the importance of identifying and agreeing with team members and individuals how to resolve conflict without apportioning blame, and how to action this
  14. when it is appropriate to seek help from colleagues or specialists
  15. what your company's policy and procedures are for conflict resolution
  16. how to complete records of conflicts
  17. the importance of maintaining confidential records of conflicts
  18. the formal and informal communication channels used

Keywords: Food operations; Manufacturing; Excellence; Improvement; Conflict