BUS603: Managing People

Proponents of feng shui believe that configurations of furniture affect people's moods and behavior. Employees at the National Observatory in Washington, DC, maintain an atomic clock which keeps precise universal time. You don't need to belong to either of these groups to believe that how a group uses space and time can affect the level and nature of conflict it will experience.

With respect to proxemics, for instance, research has demonstrated that conflict between people who disagree with each other is more likely to flare up if they sit directly across from each other than if they are seated side by side. Why not, then, purposefully plan where people are going to sit and the angles from which they'll see each other?

Decisions about when and for how long groups will gather can also affect their level of conflict. Research into human beings' circadian rhythm - the 24-hour cycle of energy highs and lows-shows that 3 a.m. and 3 p.m. are the two lowest-energy times. Depending on whether group members clash more or less when their energy level is low, it therefore may or may not be wise to meet at three o'clock in the afternoon.

Whenever people in a group get together, it's natural that the mood and outlook they bring with them will be influenced in part by what's happened to them earlier that day. For any individual, a touchy discussion, a disappointment, or an embarrassing episode might precede the group's interactions. Unfortunate events like these - as well as other powerful experiences, whether positive or not - may consciously or unconsciously color the demeanor of group members at the start of their interaction.

Another time-related conflict management strategy, thus, is to begin a discussion with a "time out" for people to rest and loosen up. We know of college instructors who initiate each of their class sessions with two minutes of silence for this same purpose.