ABSTRACT
When an event occurs that causes change to the environment that is deemed excessive, individuals within the organization will react and respond. Distress or uneasiness can be formulated by fear which can ignite conflict especially if that organization or society has previously experienced such behaviors. Diagnosis stemming from the organizational climate can suggest if adequate capacity for change is possible or if mindset and behavior of the individuals will resist change within that organization. This diagnosis also helps with the alignment to have safety precautions in place before the manifestation of conflict among people who have differing goals or views occurs. This study presents a theoretical and analytical framework for identifying particular demographics and traits pertaining to a society after a vote from which the majority of that society’s population differed.
Brexit and Conflict: An OD Opportunity
On June 23, 2016, citizens of the United Kingdom voted for a referendum commonly called “Brexit.” The referendum involved the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union (EU). The word Brexit was introduced as a shorthand way of saying the UK is leaving the European Union by merging the words ‘Britain and exit’. The final UK results indicated that 51.9% of voters were in favor of leaving the EU with a turnout of 71.8% voting (Hunt & Wheeler, 2017).
In Northern Ireland (NI), a province of the United Kingdom, the vote was drastically different than the popular vote. 56% or 1,260,988 voters within NI wanted the province to remain intact with the EU. Only 44% or 789,879 voters of NI wanted to leave the EU (Hunt & Wheeler, 2017). European law requires a two-year period for discussions and arrangements for exiting the European Union after a country decides it wants to leave. In Northern Ireland, economic progress, border control, and the withdrawal from current legal systems (European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights) are concerns surrounding the people after the Brexit vote. Yet, the biggest fear from Brexit is the return of conflict into Northern Ireland.
In this project, public attitudes to community relations have been recorded and monitored using existing data generated by the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey. The mission of this survey was to monitor the attitudes and behavior of the people in Northern Ireland annually and to provide a time-series and public record of how attitudes and behavior develop on a wide range of social policy issues (NILT, 2016).
By connecting the survey findings from Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey to Organization Development along with the development of a new tool inspired from Blake and Mouton’s Conflict Grid, I provide findings and suggestions for Organization Development opportunities with future positive change.
Diagnosis will help develop knowledge involving the understanding of group dynamics and conflict pertaining to the psychological factors that relate to whole system change.
References
Blake, R.R., Mouton, J.S. (1970). The Fifth Achievement. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science. Vol 6 (4), 413-426.
Cummings, T., Worley, C. (2015). Organization development and change (10th Ed.), Cengage Learning.
Hunt, A., & Wheeler, B. (2017). Brexit: All you need to know about the UK leaving the EU. BBC News, 25.
Lewin, K. (1997). Resolving Social Conflicts; and, Field Theory in Social Science. American Psychological Association.
Mayer, B. (2000). The dynamics of conflict resolution: A practitioner's guide. Jossey-Bass Publishing.
Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey 2016. Belfast: ARK. Available at www.ark.ac.uk/nilt. June 2017.
Stringer, R. (2002). Leadership and Organizational Climate. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
