Counseling Based on Local Wisdom for Conflict Settlement in the Workplace: A Case Study in Kendari

Abstract

Conflicts can manifest in nearly any environment, including the workplace, and they arise from people’s interactions with each other, which can be both constructive and destructive. There are many ways to settle these issues, but one way is to include local residents in counselling. This study, therefore, reflects on the degree to which a counselor’s actions and measures for settling conflicts using local wisdom can benefit both parties. This research focuses on how disputes arise in the workplace and how counseling based on local wisdom can help resolve them. The participants for this study were four employees who had worked for more than two years in the same division, namely administrative services, but came from different tribes. The results of this study revealed that a counseling approach based on local wisdom could significantly help to resolve disputes that often occurred among the employees in the office, demonstrating that approaches that use local expertise can successfully settle conflicts in the workplace. The implementation of cultural values by counselors—such as Kohanu (culture of shame), Moreu (politeness), Medulu (join), Mepokoaso (unite), and Samaturu (helping each other)—have positive consequences in terms of making colleagues more respectful and helpful toward each other when conducting work. This in turn had an indirect effect on personal and office efficiency.