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Co-worker conflict and email flaming.

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This is an example of a "flame" exchanged through electronic mail in an organization. It resulted in a few more messages and seriously damaged the working relationship of the two employees. Their conflict affected their job performance and extended to other parts of the organization, taking up significant time and money. Both employees ended up in a supervisor's office.

Please see attachment for the case study. Please help with this questions:
1. Please comment on the two memos. What could be done to handle this flaming exchange in a more effective manner?
2. What is "flaming"? How email can flame exchanges between two people can involve the whole organization, consuming significant time and money?
3. What are characteristics of email messages versus other types of communication (e.g., telephone, face-to-face, etc.)? What are important things to remember when using different kinds of communications?

Thank you for your help!

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Solution Summary

This solution discusses a particular conflict between co-workers that transpired through email (case study is attached, see below). The issues of flaming in email and other forms of communication using technology are discussed in detail where each set of questions are answered in particular. The text contains 1,208 words. References are listed for further research on the topic.

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Q and A

1. Please comment on the two memos. What could be done to handle this flaming exchange in a more effective manner? (see attached Case summary file)

John Doe appears to be the editor of the company newsletters and it is his job to criticize and select the pieces that would fit into what is seen as acceptable and ideal for the company, befitting company rules, ethics or relating to the readers (its staff, employees, etc.) as well as reflecting events or ideas related to the company and its people. His email appears to be genuinely concerned with specific problems detailed, a constructive criticism of an article submission - that of Tom Jones. The tone is formal but at the same time seeks to guide and explain something one expects as general in a formal bureaucracy. Tom Jones, as the addressee of the first email shows that he is greatly offended and deeply feels that John has singled him out, and it shows in his 'flame' answer towards the sender - hostile, angry and insulting. It does not explain or answer the points raised by John, it however tries to 'one up' the sender by criticizing the spelling (which can easily be explained) and it does not have any bearing to the problem presented about the article submission at hand. The manner by the way it was written - all capitalized is equated to 'Shouting' on the net. Tom tries to insult John and his position of authority as editor and 'shifts' the blame to John by coming up with accusations based ...

Solution provided by:
Xenia Rochelle Jones, MA, PhD (IP)
Education
  • MPhil/PhD (IP), Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
  • MA, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
  • Certificate, Geva Ulpan (via Universita Tel Aviv)
  • BA, University of the Philippines
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