Conflict in the News
Article: STARBUCKS AND THE ISSUE OF WHITE SPACE
The New York Times reports that there was a conflict of racial discrimination in the Starbucks when a white employee reported two black men to the police for suspicion of trespassing and causing disruptions on 12 April 2018 (Cobb, 1). Black people in the place of work face discrimination and prejudice as white people assume that blacks are associated with danger and poverty. The two men who were arrested were potential customers, and they were waiting for a white business associate, Andrew Yaffe. When black people are in "white space," they face hostile examination and heightened scrutiny, or in other words, Starbucks conducts racial profiling based on customers' race, ethnicity, disability and more.
In resolving the conflict, Starbucks used two strategies. First, the two parties negotiated directly, and they arrived into a mutually acceptable agreement. During the negotiation, they agreed to offer a free college education to the men and to implement changes based on news policies on racial discrimination and fundamental rights. The second strategy of resolving the conflict was ‘racial-bias training’ (Cobb, 1). This conflict resolving method was a kind of collaboration where the goal of the training was to create an acceptable solution by making policies and learning the importance of race and identity and the need of eliminating ‘color blind' and holding ‘color brave’ (Cobb, 1). The training aimed at supporting equality and equality in the place of work regardless of race and ethnicity.
The two strategies, that is; negotiation and racial bias training led to positive results in that they combated racial bias by creating a long-term commitment to race issues. Also, the new policies that were implemented led to structural and systematic adjustment since people could use the stores for free (Cobb, 1). I agree with these results because the negotiation aims to produce positive outcomes and as the two parties discussed the matter, they settled the differences and achieved a positive outcome.
However, I would resolve the conflict differently by using the mediation method. I would use a mediator who would promote reconciliation without forcing an agreement. Mediation could also allow both parties to meet with the mediator separately and express the factual issues. Yet, the conflict could have been avoided if the company had already implemented the anti-discrimination policy, if the company could have encouraged diversity by having a diverse workforce, if the company had an open communication for employees to report racism, and if the company had an anonymous reporting system (Cobb, 1). It is possible for Starbucks to avoid conflicts by establishing desirable and attractive goals.
Work cited
Cobb Jelani. STARBUCKS AND THE ISSUE OF WHITE SPACE. 2018. The New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/06/04/starbucks-and-the-issue-of-white-space
