Delivering Bad News Tactfully and Effectively

“You are a department manager in a mid-sized company that provides technology support services.  You have ten employees who are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service.  One of your employees, who has been with the company for two years, is performing at a substandard level and you have received numerous complaints from customers and coworkers.  In addition, this employee has displayed confrontational behavior which has created a hostile environment.  You must now meet with this employee and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal.” Explain how you would approach this employee, anticipate the employee’s response, and discuss which conflict resolution techniques you would use.
            Providing bad news to somebody or communicating a problem can be a real challenge in itself. It’s important not to exacerbate the situation and make it worse, so therefore the right steps must be taken in each situation to ensure that the receiver of the bad news takes it correctly and doesn’t get hurt. I think that as it’s laid out the importance is to ensure that negative comments end positively. A direct approach is more forward and simply explains the problem bluntly, using this approach would be best with smaller problems that won’t necessarily hurt anybodies feelings. Again it’s still important to end on a positive note, by either offering news on what’s been done well, or offering an idea on how to correct the problem. Another approach that can be taken is the indirect approach, and this approach would be used with bigger problems that may have a tendency to illicit an emotional response if delivered poorly. Beginning the statement in a positive way softens the blow for when the negative information is slipped in.

In this instance, the best way to deal with the issue may be to use a mixture of both the indirect and direct approach in this situation. It would be important to handle this situation carefully. On one hand it’s important to ensure that the employee doesn’t get more upset because it is clear he has a track record of hostile actions. On the other hand this is a very imperative problem to get control of at once. Allowing the controversial behavior to continue by not directly handling it would not provide results that is why it is key to use assertive communication which is, “the ability to speak up for one's interests, concerns, or rights in a way that does not interfere with the interests or infringe on the rights of others” (Cahn, 2007).

Taking preventative measures to avoid conflict is crucial. One way to do this is to understand a phase of an argument known as the prelude to conflict stage, which focuses on four dynamics. The first dynamic is the participants and the factors associated with them such as age, gender, and number of people in the conflict. Second the relationship of the opposing parties, which includes factors such as hierarchy, depth of the affiliation, and dominating tendencies. The next dynamic involves third parties interested in the conflict, which can either propagate the argument, or inspire a more relaxed debate. The fourth and last dynamic explores the environment, both physical and social. Having an understanding of the dynamics involved in conflict gives a communicative advantage; being prepared for such factors allows those in the quarrel to predict the direction each participant will take within the argument.

Predicting the reaction of this employee would be critical to remaining in control of the situation. This employee has a reputation for poor communication and possible over reactions. The employee is likely to freak out and elicit and emotional response to the negative news. That is why it is important to close the statement with something positive (Roebuck, 2006). Starting positive and ending positive allows the employee to take the bad news in the middle better.

In this situation one way to defuse the situation from something emotionally fueled is to allow the employee a chance to communicate; to describe the situation and offer his or her side of the story. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to assist each employee with the tools needed to succeed. “If there is a problem with the message, express it openly and allow the opportunity for open dialogue” (Green, 2010).

Handling the poor performance of this employee quickly will ensure that his behavior does not continue and does not spread throughout the rest of the staff. Listening to the complaints of the customers and employees if a company’s first priority in maintaining a positive atmosphere for the business.

                                                                         Sources

Cahn, D.D., and Abigail, R.A. (2007). Managing conflict through communication (3^rd ed.).
            Boston: Pearson Education.

Green, V.. (2010, April). President's Column. The South Carolina Nurse, 17(2), 2. Retrieved
            December 20, 2010, from ProQuest Health and Medical Complete. (Document
            ID: 2065542101).

Roebuck, D. B. (2006). Improving business communication skills.  Upper Saddle
            River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall.