SITXCOM010 Student Guide

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SITXCOM010
manage conflict
SITXCOM010 - Manage conflict

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First published 2022
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Contents
1: Conflict in the workplace 5
2: Conflict resolution 7
3: Evaluate conflict resolution 15

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SITXCOM010 Manage conflict
Application
This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to resolve complex or
escalated complaints and disputes with internal and external customers and colleagues. It requires
the ability to use effective conflict resolution techniques and communication skills to manage
conflict and develop solutions. It does not cover formal negotiation, counselling or mediation.
The unit applies to all tourism, travel, hospitality and event sectors.
The unit applies mainly to senior operational personnel, supervisors and managers who operate
with some level of independence and use discretion and judgement to resolve conflicts.
The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory
legislation, Australian/New Zealand standards and industry codes of practice.
No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the
time of publication.
Prerequisite
Nil.
Learning goals
 Identify conflict situations.
 Resolve conflict.
 Evaluate conflict resolution.

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1: Conflict in the workplace

Our own experiences with conflict
We’ve all been in a situation of conflict at some point in our lives – you might recall some minor or
major situations that you or a family member or friend were involved in. You may have witnessed
public conflict or violent conflict and all of us have experienced conflict of a personal nature at some
time or other. Conflict can happen at work too – think of an upset and/or angry customer, a dispute
about payment terms with a supplier, or an argument with a colleague about the best way to do
something.
People manage conflict in various ways. Some people appear to handle conflict rather well (or it
appears that it doesn’t affect them) but they may just be “putting on a good face” and crumble once its
over; some people handle it poorly and react to the situation in inappropriate ways, “in the heat of the
moment”, which they often regret once the situation has cooled down; and others handle it calmly and
manage to turn the situation around for the good. All of us are unique and we have various
backgrounds, histories, trauma, and “triggers” that impact how we deal with conflict.
As an employee, and even more so as a manger or team leader, it’s important that we learn how to
deal with conflict appropriately and practise dealing with various situations so we can improve in our
response. The key here is that we should respond to conflict, not react to it. A reaction is often
something that happens automatically – whereas a response is something we have thought about and
actioned.
Image by Alex Green on Pexels

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LET IT SIMMER
Take some time now to think about what your emotional triggers are. When have you reacted
poorly to a situation and when have you been proud of the way you responded to one?
It’s important to recognise our own emotional triggers and things that may set us off in certain
situations so we can work on avoiding these or responding more appropriately when we are feeling
stressed.
Identify it early!
The first step to resolving conflict is to identify it. If conflict is identified early – the likelihood of it being
resolved before it escalates is far greater and the situation can be handled with minimum impact to
the business.
SHARE PLATE
In a group, discuss the following:
 Personal experiences or situations in the past where conflict has arisen.
 The types of conflict you are likely to experience if you worked in the following roles:
o Tour guide
o Travel agent
o Kitchen staff
o Wait staff
o Usher at a theatre.
 How you can be alert to potential signs of conflict.

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2: Conflict resolution
Conflict theory
While conflicts in the hospitality industry are more commonly the result of bad service, bad food or
miscommunication, it is worthwhile to understand the background of conflict theory as it may provide
insight into reasons why people may be more likely to enter into conflict as part of human nature.
The concept of ‘conflict theory’ was first developed by Karl Marx, a German philosopher and socialist.
Marx focussed his theory on conflicts between different social classes and described that conflict
exists between classes as their interests are different and sometimes opposing. Since many social
theorists have added to the concept of conflict theory to include factors such as culture, race, religion,
sexuality, etc.
Conflict theory can be broken down into five main parts, as follows:
Signs: there are usually warning signs that conflict may occur. Warning signs will be obvious
in body language and may occur before any verbal communication. Conflict can escalate
quickly if a person does not feel that their concern is heard or acted upon. For example, an
early warning sign may be a customer enquiry about the status of their order as they feel it is
taking longer to arrive than they expected. If this cue is not dealt with swiftly, it may escalate.
Once a customer sees fault with one part of your operations, they are more likely to view other
aspects of your service through a negative lens.
Stages: there are five stages of conflict, as follows:
 Latent stage: this is the first stage of conflict and occurs before the parties realise a
conflict situation is likely to occur. An example of this stage may be that an order placed
by a customer is incorrectly recorded by the waiter. Neither party are aware that this
mistake has happened.
 Perceived stage: this is the second stage of conflict and occurs when it is noticed. This
usually happens after a miscommunication or misunderstanding between parties. Each
party is aware that a problem exists.
 Felt stage: this is the third stage and occurs when one or more of the parties feel an
emotion over the conflict. This may include stress, anxiety, or anger.
 Manifest stage: this is the fourth stage which occurs when the conflict causes action
which can be seen.
 Aftermath stage: this is the final stage of conflict which occurs upon resolution or
dissolution. Depending on how the conflict was dealt with and ended, can have either a
positive or negative impact on each party. The aftermath stage provides an opportunity to

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evaluate the situation and make changes to deter the same problem from arising in
future.
Levels: There are four recognised levels of conflict, as follows:
 Intrapersonal conflict: this is conflict within self.
 Interpersonal conflict: this is conflict between two people.
 Intragroup conflict: conflict between multiple persons.
 Intergroup conflict: conflict between multiple groups.
Factors involved: factors involved in conflict are varied. Conflict may arise due to the factors
put forward by social theorists (as mentioned above) or due to a difference in expectations
between people (this is often the result of poor communication or bad planning).
Results: conflict should not always be viewed as bad, as it can be an opportunity to impress a
customer if you exceed their expectations. The way in which conflict is handled will determine
the result of the conflict and whether it ends in resolution or dissolution. It is important to follow
any workplace procedures in the event of conflict. Once the conflict is over, it is a good
opportunity to review the workplace procedures to see if there is anything that can be changed
or included to get the most positive results for all parties in future. The best result would be to
update any procedures where there is an opportunity to proactively put measures in place to
avoid conflict in the first place. Of course, you will not be able to avoid conflict in all scenarios,
no matter how good your procedures are.
LIFT THE LID
Often it is possible to identify when conflict may occur before the situation happens. For example, it
may be a customer arrives at your restaurant and tells you they are looking for an express lunch. If
you already know the kitchen is backed up with orders and service will be slow, you can identify
that this may be a cause for potential conflict if you don’t tell the customer of the expected delay.
This puts you in a powerful position to derail any potential conflict by communicating with the
customer honestly and perhaps offering specific items on the menu that would be a quicker option.
While you cannot anticipate every source of potential conflict, when you can your actions may have
a major impact on the way the situation escalates or resolves. Therefore, being proactive is the
best way to avoid potential conflict.
For this activity, consider times when you have been able to identify a potential conflict before it
arose and how you were able to ensure it did not enter the latent or perceived stage.

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Communication is key
Communication is the key to identifying, understanding, resolving, and evaluating conflict. There are
various communication techniques that can be used at each stage of conflict. These include:
 Active listening: when conflict arises, before it may be rectified it is important that you properly
establish the reason for the conflict and the details surrounding it. This will assist you to assess
the impact on all parties and take appropriate action. Active listening is where you are
demonstrating that you not only hear what the person is saying, but you understand it too. A
good way to demonstrate this is by summarising and paraphrasing. When summarising, you are
taking the key points from what the other person has said and reflecting them in a succinct
manner. With paraphrasing, you are taking what they have said and explaining it in your own
words, but not cutting down the message or its intent.
 Empathising with the person’s situation while upholding organisational policy: often people who
have a complaint want to be heard and felt as though they are understood. Summarising and
paraphrasing, as discussed above, is a good way to demonstrate to a customer you hear what
they are saying and understand their perspective. Even if you are unable to satisfy their request
(it may be against company policy, for example), empathising with them will often go a long way
to resolving the conflict.
 Non-verbal communication and recognition of non-

verbal signs: you need to be aware of your own body
language, but also that of others, as sometimes, a
person’s words may not reflect what is being shown by
their facial expression or posture. A good
communicator is able to use their own body language
to show interest and engagement and is able to
observe the body language of others to interpret the
meaning behind their words or how they are feeling at
that time.
 Language style: your language style should suit your

audience. For example, someone who uses jargon is
unlikely to portray a clear message to their audience if
they do not understand what the jargon means.
Remember, your communication is only effective if
your audience understands what you are saying.
Image by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels
 Questioning techniques: there are several questioning

techniques that can be used. The most common are open questions (where you want detailed
information to be provided), closed questions (where you are looking for a specific answer which
may consist of a one-word answer or an exact answer) and probing questions (where you want
to dig deeper into something that has been raised or mentioned in passing).

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 Those appropriate to different social and cultural groups: understanding your audience is
important with communication. Some communication styles may be okay in some groups and
unappreciated in others (for example, the use of humour). Always use common sense and
monitor body language when communicating. If in doubt, it is recommended to err on the side of
caution.
Conflict resolution techniques

While there is no one right way to resolve conflict, there are some key factors which will optimise
positive outcomes, including:
 Being conscious to communicate with all parties in a way that is sensitive, courteous, respectful,
and discreet (this will also minimise the conflict manifesting with other others).
 Using conflict-resolution techniques, as follows:
o Assertiveness: Although assertiveness is often considered aggressive, this is not the case.
Assertiveness is ‘The honest and straightforward expression of a person’s thoughts and
feelings in a socially appropriate way that does not violate or infringe on the rights of others’
(Connelly & Rotella, 1991; Lazarus, 1973). Being assertive in conflict will demonstrate that
you are confident in what you are talking about. Assertiveness is the opposite of passive
aggressive behaviour in conflict – which is a behaviour likely to worsen the conflict rather
than resolve it.
o Negotiation: Negotiation allows you to find a balance between the concerns of each person
in conflict. Sometimes, a person who is upset will demand that their needs are met in order
to resolve the conflict. This is not always practical for the other party. Negotiating allows
both parties to discuss their requirements and find a suitable solution that works for both –
even if this means compromise.
o Appropriate communication: We all know that communication, or lack of it, can be a
common reason for conflict. Communication can also be the best resolver of conflict. As
discussed above, communication in resolving conflict and more specifically, the way you
communicate, is key.
o Acknowledging the views of all parties involved and providing them with opportunities to
express them: By providing the opportunity for all parties to express themselves it allows all
involved to see the other’s points of view as well as to identify what is causing them distress.
It also identifies the severity of the conflict and can assist to clarify the issue. Once the issue
is clarified you can then take steps to resolve it. When you acknowledge other viewpoints, it
also makes all involved feel that they are being listened to and that their opinion is valued.
o Responding to all involved parties in a sensitive, courteous, respectful, and discreet manner:
Being sensitive, courteous, respectful and discreet provides those involved with a sense of
trust and respect. They will be more likely to express their concerns and feelings to a greater

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extent, knowing that what they are saying is going to be treated sensitively and privately.
This will also assist to build meaningful workplace relationships and customers will be more
likely to become regular or repeat customers when they feel respected.
o Minimising the impact of conflict on other colleagues and customers: By minimising the
impact of the conflict on others a business is able to continue to provide services to
customers and the reputation of the business will be of a higher standard. There are not
many that enjoy conflict and you may find that customers will leave the business if they are
faced with a conflict situation when they are present, which can negatively impact the
business’s reputation. This is why it’s important to move away from a busy area if possible
so different viewpoints can be discussed away from other customers wherever possible.
LIFT THE LID
Read the following information on handling customer complaints.

Website: https://www.smallbusiness.wa.gov.au/dispute-resolution/handling-customer-complaints
Take any notes and summarise what you have read for future reference.
WHAT’S COOKING?
For this activity you will be put into groups of three.

Your trainer will provide you with a complaint handling policy and/or procedure to use for this
activity. Make sure you have read through, and you are familiar with the policy and procedures
before you begin.
You will each take turns in playing the part of ‘customer’, ‘worker’ and ‘manager’. The customer has
come to visit your restaurant and has made a complaint to the worker. The worker must try to
resolve the complaint before it escalates into a conflict. The worker must also identify whether or
not the manager needs to be involved. Continue this task until all three people have had a turn at
each role.
Customer: try your best to escalate your complaint into a conflict. This will test the worker’s conflict
resolution skills. Choose a complaint from the following list:
 delays or poor timing of product or service supply
 incorrect pricing of product or service
 delays or errors in providing product or service

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 misunderstanding of customer request or communication barrier
 problem or fault with product or service
 refused entry or ejection from premises.
Worker: your customer will push for the complaint to escalate into a conflict. Use your best conflict
resolution skills to resolve the conflict at the earliest opportunity. Be sure to consider the constraints
of your role and know when it is appropriate or not to have the manager involved.
Manager: you may or may not be required to step in. Wait for the worker to address you. While you
wait, this is a good opportunity for you to observe the roles of the other participants so you can
provide constructive feedback to the class at the end of the exercise. Feedback from all three
rounds should be recorded for a group discussion with your trainer at the end of the exercise.
WHAT’S COOKING?
For this activity, stay in your group of three. You will each take turns in playing the part of
‘manager’, ‘team member’ and ‘observer’. The manager has a dispute to be raised with the team
member. Continue this task until all three people have had a turn of at least two of the roles.
Manager: choose a dispute from the following list:
 dispute or argument among work colleagues
 drug or alcohol-affected person
 job duties or rosters
 lack of competence.
Team member: imagine that this is a real-life scenario and that the job you are in is important to
you.
Observer: carefully observe the interaction between the manager and team member. Take notes so
that you can lead a discussion with constructive feedback at the end of the round.
WHAT’S COOKING?
For this activity you will need to use the Complaints Handling Policy and Procedure you used for
the role play activity you completed earlier in this topic.
Thinking back to the scenario you were involved in; suggest at least two changes you would make

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to the policy and procedures to improve them. Make these suggestions in a group discussion.
How will these changes help to avoid conflict in the future?
Handling serious conflict

Depending on the severity of conflict there may be times when escalating to a manager is not enough.
Workplaces have a duty of care to their staff and their customers and should not hesitate to refer a
conflict to a third party if it is deemed appropriate to do so.
Image by Yan Krukov on Pexels
SHARE PLATE
In your group of three, identify and discuss instances of conflict where you believe it is appropriate
for the following third parties to become involved, and what the intended resolution would be by
involving that third party:
 counsellors
 internal security staff

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 mediators
 other staff members
 police.
Next, consider and discuss the following situations where personal safety of customers or
colleagues may be threatened. What assistance would be required for each scenario?
 customer refusing to leave or be pacified
 drug or alcohol-affected person
 person who appears to be violent or threatening
 people involved in physical violence
 person with gun or arms
 situation where someone has been or may be hurt
 can you think of any others?
The importance of following policies and procedures

It is important to understand any conflict related policies or procedures in your workplace. You must
follow these documents in order to comply with the workplace’s stance on conflict resolution, and to
ensure that throughout the resolution you are modelling what the workplace considers is acceptable
behaviour. While there is opportunity to improve on these policies or procedures, this should only
happen in discussion with relevant people of authority. It is not appropriate to act outside of these
policies and procedures when a conflict is in flight, without approval to do so. Similarly, your ability to
manage the conflict will likely be constrained by the responsibilities of your role. There will be times
where it is appropriate to escalate a conflict to a manager or person with authority who is better
positioned to make decisions about the way in which the conflict will be resolved.
The consequences for not following policies and procedures can be costly and leave workplaces
open to litigation.
LIFT THE LID
Read the following article on The Importance of Policy & Procedure: A case study of an
investigation and the policy and procedure shortcomings it revealed.
Article: https://www.convercent.com/blog/the-importance-of-policy-procedure

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Take any notes and summarise what you have read for future reference.
WHAT’S COOKING?
First, read the following article on a serious conflict incident that happened in a Melbourne
restaurant. Consider how you would respond if you were a worker at the restaurant at the time of
the incident. What would you do?
Article: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-23/milos-novakovic-sentenced-for-party-brawl-
murder/11441076
Next, in your group of three, your trainer will provide you with some scenarios of serious conflict
situation to allow you to practice how you would respond. Imagine that you are either the
perpetrator, a worker at the restaurant or a witness. Take turns allocating roles to yourself to fit
each scenario. How would you respond to these scenarios?
At the end of the activity, as a group, fill in an incident report, considering the information within the
complaints handling policy and procedure you used in previous activities. Try to capture all the
information that needs to be recorded. Also consider whether there any changes that should be
made to the complaints handling policy and procedure to make the reporting process clearer for
any future incidents.

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3: Evaluate conflict resolution

Once a conflict has been resolved, it is good practice to do an evaluation on the effectiveness of the
solution, how often this type of conflict is occurring, and how effective your policies and procedures
are in dealing with this type of conflict. Within your conflict resolution policy there should be a
threshold test for when a conflict requires
documenting. It will not be necessary to document
all conflicts, such as when a customer complains
about an incorrect order (which can be resolved
quickly with limited impact); but it is good practice to
document anything that passes the threshold test.
Good record keeping will allow you to assess how
often particular types of conflicts occur, any trends,
and how they have best been resolved. This
information will be useful when making
improvements to your policies and procedures.
This is also a good time to determine whether any
improvements are required to be made to your
policies and procedures. Where appropriate,
discuss with parties who have been involved in the
Image by Alena Darmel on Pexels
process so they may express any pain points.
LIFT THE LID
For this activity, you will work individually to develop a threshold test that will help to understand
when conflicts need to be recorded (the threshold test). You should clearly list the considerations
that make up your threshold test and the reasons why, weighting, and any other relevant
comments.
When developing your threshold test, consider:
 the potential risk that each type of conflict poses to a person or workplace, or on the reputation
of the business
 any potential legal liability
 the types of details required to be recorded (this may include detailed notes of the incident,
persons involved, cost, resolution, etc.).

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SHARE PLATE
Now that you have an understanding of some types of conflicts that can happen in a hospitality
setting, as well as how to handle and record them, in your group of three, think back to the conflict
scenarios role-played above and de-brief on how well you think you responded. Consider all
elements covered in this unit and discuss whether there is anything else that you could have done
to resolve and record the conflict. Write notes for future reference.

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ABN: 57 169 281 501

Melbourne: Level 5, 440 Elizabeth Street,

SITXCOM010 - Manage conflict

Melbourne: Level 5, 440 Elizabeth Street,

First published 2022

© 2022 RTO Works

SITXCOM010 - Manage conflict

Melbourne: Level 5, 440 Elizabeth Street,

SITXCOM010 - Manage conflict

Melbourne: Level 5, 440 Elizabeth Street,

SITXCOM010 - Manage conflict

Melbourne: Level 5, 440 Elizabeth Street,

SITXCOM010 Manage conflict

 Evaluate conflict resolution.

SITXCOM010 - Manage conflict

Melbourne: Level 5, 440 Elizabeth Street,

1: Conflict in the workplace

Image by Alex Green on Pexels

SITXCOM010 - Manage conflict

Melbourne: Level 5, 440 Elizabeth Street,

In a group, discuss the following:

 Personal experiences or situations in the past where conflict has arisen.

 How you can be alert to potential signs of conflict.

SITXCOM010 - Manage conflict

Melbourne: Level 5, 440 Elizabeth Street,

Stages: there are five stages of conflict, as follows:

SITXCOM010 - Manage conflict

Melbourne: Level 5, 440 Elizabeth Street,

Levels: There are four recognised levels of conflict, as follows:

 Intrapersonal conflict: this is conflict within self.

 Interpersonal conflict: this is conflict between two people.

 Intragroup conflict: conflict between multiple persons.

 Intergroup conflict: conflict between multiple groups.

LIFT THE LID

SITXCOM010 - Manage conflict

Melbourne: Level 5, 440 Elizabeth Street,

 Non-verbal communication and recognition of non-

 Language style: your language style should suit your

 Questioning techniques: there are several questioning

SITXCOM010 - Manage conflict

Melbourne: Level 5, 440 Elizabeth Street,

Conflict resolution techniques

 Using conflict-resolution techniques, as follows:

SITXCOM010 - Manage conflict

Melbourne: Level 5, 440 Elizabeth Street,

LIFT THE LID

Read the following information on handling customer complaints.

For this activity you will be put into groups of three.

 delays or poor timing of product or service supply

 incorrect pricing of product or service

 delays or errors in providing product or service

SITXCOM010 - Manage conflict

Melbourne: Level 5, 440 Elizabeth Street,

 misunderstanding of customer request or communication barrier

 problem or fault with product or service

 refused entry or ejection from premises.

 dispute or argument among work colleagues

 drug or alcohol-affected person

 job duties or rosters

SITXCOM010 - Manage conflict

Melbourne: Level 5, 440 Elizabeth Street,

Handling serious conflict

Image by Yan Krukov on Pexels

 internal security staff