Employees are paid to perform functions and produce results desired by their company. The bosses of employees are usually the people who communicate the duties and results desired and expected. Normally, the actions that bosses ask their employees to perform and the results they seek are within the expected parameters of the position the employees agreed to take. However, companies frequently change the position duties or bosses ask employees to do things that are outside the expected realm of the initial job position. As an example; the recent downsizing epidemic in corporations has forced companies to place additional duties and responsibilities on remaining employees to cover for those employees who were laid off.

What causes undue tension?

Undue tension and poor performance occurs when employees are asked and expected to perform duties that conflict with their own motivations, priorities and/or values.

A workplace example of creating undue tension.

Bosses sometimes ask employees to work late (after normal working hours). As long as the person being asked agrees with performing the requested actions and that doing so does not contradict his or her own set of motivations, priorities and values, things will probably work out fine. Yet, working late can create conflicts between the motivations or priorities of the employee to be elsewhere, and the desires of the boss to remain at work after hours to meet the boss’s agenda. These conflicts will most likely result in undue tension and poorer than expected performance by the employee. Then further conflicts occur, both in the minds of the employee and the boss. The employee might resent having to stay late and missing being somewhere else. The boss might resent the poorer that expected results produced by the employee. Yet, frequently these inner conflicts (within the employee and the boss) are not readily apparent to either the employee or the boss.

As you can see from the example, it is very important for the employee and the boss to know and understand the priorities of the employee and even the boss. When people impose their priorities on others, either intentionally or unintentionally, things begin to come unraveled. Sure, a boss has the right and obligation to set priorities for employees, but only within the context of the normal working environment. Likewise, an employee can be expected to follow the priorities set by a boss within the working environment, as long as the priorities only affect work related matters and as long as they do not violate the integrity and values of the employee.

How to prevent undue tension within you.

It is important that you know and understand your basic values, motivations, and priorities. Sometimes you will be asked to do and say things (whether knowingly or unintentionally) that will violate your desires, values and/or priorities. The clearer you are about these issues, the easier it will be to avert problems caused by the conflicts that arise from agreeing to take actions that conflict with your own priorities motivations, and values. If you find yourself working in an environment that constantly conflicts with who you are, you might want to consider finding a work environment that corresponds more to your priorities, motivations, and values. This might entail changing bosses or changing companies altogether.

How to prevent undue tension in your employees.

Likewise, you may also be a boss someday and might want someone to work late on a project. As a boss, you would be very wise to discover and understand the priorities, values and motivations of your employees. This way you will be able to better fit the right employee with the right position to increase job and personal harmony and reduce conflicts. Ideally, you will want to discover these things about your employees, before you hire them. However, you will frequently not have the opportunity to do so at hiring time, because others might have already hired them or you might have been promoted or moved in as their boss, after the fact. You will want to discover such things from each of your employees to reduce or eliminate undue conflicts, where possible.

Know your limitations as a boss.

However, as a boss, you are not in the best position to assist your employees to discover their priorities, values, and motivations, especially, if they are not sure themselves. Why? Because you have a vested interest in the outcome of this discovery process (you are biased) and because you have considerable power to react to what you discover. Consequently, your employees would most likely try to provide the responses that they believe you want to hear, within a reasonable range of parameters, rather than explore the truth about themselves. They know you are biased and that you have the power to affect them based upon whatever you discover. Consequently, rarely will you or your employees discover the truth about their priorities, values and motivations, if you, as the boss, try to uncover them from your employees.

How to help your employees discover their priorities.

People need other people to assist them to discover these important matters, consequently, it not a self-help process. You will be wise to encourage your employees to seek help from someone to make these discoveries. Then your employees will be able to honestly relate to you what their true priorities motivations, and values are, so the two of you can develop the best fit for the employee.

Why you are better off as the boss to know the truth early on.

But what if your employees seek help from someone and discover that their priorities, values and motivations conflict with the position they are in as your employee? Would this be detrimental to you as a boss? Of course not! In fact, the earlier you discover these things about your employees, the quicker you can make position adjustments to fit each employee, and the quicker you can prevent undue conflicts.

How baseball managers find the right fit.

Just look at what baseball managers do to find the right position for their players. They use scouts to perform the discovery process in other environments to determine which position or positions a player would be better suited for. The managers listen to the scouts, ask the players and even conduct tryouts to discover their priorities, motivations, talents and skills. The wise and successful (baseball) manager is one who has the right players in the right positions at the right time. Therefore, reducing conflicts within the team to increase teamwork and eventual success.

Conclusion.

You have more control over reducing or eliminating undue conflicts at work than you think, whether you are the employee or the boss. The more you learn about yourself, so you can change the conditions around you to better suit your internal motivations and limits, the more you will reduce or eliminate your personal conflicts. The more you learn about the true inner motivations and priorities of your employees the better you can place them in the positions that best suit them, the more you will reduce workplace conflicts. Smooth running conflict free work environments virtually always produce exceptional results and eventual profits for all. Take advantage of your power and enjoy your work and your life more.