MEANING AND TYPES:
conflict
The term
conflict means different things to different persons. It may be
regarded as disagreement or hostility between individuals or groups in the
organisation. It generally connotes the clash between the ideas, goals &
actions of the individuals.
Conflict
occurs at various levels. It may occur within an individual, between
individuals, within a group and between groups.
Conflict
between two or more persons is called interpersonal conflict. Interpersonal
conflicts are found between individuals. Individual differences create
interpersonal conflicts. Whenever two or more persons interact with each other
there are chances that interpersonal conflict may arise because each person is
different in terms of personality, perception, values & attitudes.
Conflict has
serious implications on effectiveness, behaviour and performance of the
individuals or groups. Therefore, it is very important to understand what
exactly are the reasons for conflict and how it can be handled or
resolved.
Type of
Interpersonal Conflicts:
Following are
some types of interpersonal conflicts which are usually found at the
workplaces:
1. Vertical
Conflict .
This is mostly
in the form of superior -subordinate relationships. Superior attempts to
control the behaviour of the subordinates and subordinates
resist such control resulting in vertical conflicts.
2. Horizontal
Conflict
This is among
the persons at the same hierarchical level in the same function or in different
functions.
3. Substantive
Conflict
It
happens when one person fundamentally disagrees with another person or group in
the course of doing business/job. This is a disagreement of
opinion and thought.
4. Emotional
Conflict
This is
commonly called as “Clash of personalities”. This type of conflict can
sometimes be more draining, and distracts from the more important work that
needs to be done. Usually this happens between co-workers who may not like one
another.
Reasons for
inter-personal conflict
The most
commonly cited reasons for interpersonal conflict are personality differences,
perceptions, clashes of values and interests, competitive environment, power
and status differences, scarce resources, stereotype behaviour, and
exploitative nature of human beings. These are briefly discussed below.
Personality :Each individual is different in terms of his personality which again
depends on many factors like upbringing, cultural and family traditions,
socialisation process, education and values.
2. Information Deficiency: If wrong information or incomplete
information is communicated it may create conflict among the related
individuals. But it may be corrected easily by communicating the right message.
Sometimes physical separation and language can create distortions in messages
and in turn lead to conflict.
3. Role Ambiguity : Sometimes an individual performs more than
one role in an organisation when expectations of the different roles clash with
each other, the individual tends to be in a role conflict. Role conflict also
arises due to the known specifications of role assigned to an individual in the
organisation structure.
4. Environmental Stress : In case of scares or shrinking
resources, downsizing or competitive pressures, individuals consider each other
as their competitors or rivals. This clash of interest leads to conflicts.
Aspects of
Conflicts
Conflict is
inevitable in organisations. It affects the organisation in both ways
positively and negatively. Viewed from these angles conflicts are characterised
as functional and dysfunctional conflicts.
Functional
Conflicts
Conflict is
not always harmful. Conflicts that support the goal of the group and improve
its performance are known as functional conflicts. A moderate degree of
conflicts is a necessary condition for creativity or improvement. These are
also called constructive conflicts. Following are some of the positive or
functional aspects of conflicts
● Conflict
leads to new ideas, creativity and innovation
● It creates
healthy competition among the individuals
● In case of
intergroup conflicts, it brings group cohesiveness
● It provides
more challenging work environment
● It promotes
change
● It leads to
high quality decisions
Dysfunctional
Conflicts
The
destructive forms of conflicts that hinder group performance are called
dysfunctional conflicts. Following consequences may arise due to dysfunctional
conflicts.
● High
tensions among employees
●
Discontentment in employees
● Mistrust
● Goal
Displacement
● Resignation
of Personnel
● Lockouts
& Strikes
● Resistance
to Change
● Disobedience
All these
factors play a negative role in the growth and environment of the organisation
INTERPERSONAL
CONFLICT RESOLUTION STRATEGIES
Recognizing
the sources of conflict in any organization is the main step in the development
of conflict resolution mechanisms . Conflict happens in every organisation and
each organisation handles it differently depending upon various factors. There
are mainly five ways or styles to manage conflicts
1) Avoiding
In certain
situations it may be appropriate to avoid a conflict. It is a deliberate
decision to side step a conflicting issue, postpone addressing it till later or
withdraw from a conflicting situation. However researches show that overuse of
this style results in negative evaluation from others in the workplace.
2)
Accommodating
In this style
one party is willing to self sacrifice in the interest of the other party. Over
reliance on accommodating has its dangers. If managers constantly defer to
others, others may lose respect for him. In addition such managers may become
frustrated as their own needs are never met.
3) Forcing
This style is
characterised by high assertion and low cooperation. In this style one tries to
meet one’s goals at another party’s
4)
Compromising
It is intermediate on both the assertive and
cooperative side. Each party tries to give up something to reach a solution to
the conflict. A typical “give and take” policy dominates the behaviour of the
conflicting parties. It becomes an effective style when efforts towards
collaboration have failed.
5) Collaborating
It involves
the attempts to satisfy the needs of both the parties. This is based on
“win-win” style. In this style a creative solution usually emerges because of
the joint efforts of both the parties who are keen on both gaining from the
situation without hurting the other.
SOME
GUIDELINES
1. *Analyse the situation /● Choose a management style that fits the
situation ● Identify the source of conflict ● Think strategically
about conflict rather than react blindly to it. ● Take control of
conflicts rather than be controlled by them ● Negotiate, solution to
conflicts, rather than fight ● Focus on the task and not on the
personalities. ● ● Address conflict without accusation, sarcasm or
hostility. in a timely way● Listen to both sides of arguments
empathically. ● Predict a problem situation long before it reaches the
crisis stage.
2. ● Change organisational culture to make healthy communication the
norm.
3. ● Modal the attitude and behaviour, you want your employees to
immolate.
Conflicts
can occur at any organisation where people of varied personalities and
backgrounds work together. With the emergence of diverse workplaces, increased
use of technology , change in methods and organizational structures and
cultures, the possibility of interpersonal conflicts is increasing manifold
.However as per many experts not all types of conflicts are harmful. Moderate
level of functional conflicts are good for the organizational effectiveness as
they bring in creativity and improvement in procedures and operations.
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