Group or team conflict is an interpersonal problem that occurs between two or

more members of a team, and affects results of teamwork. So the team does not
perform at optimum levels. Team conflicts are caused by the situation when the
balance between perceptions, goals, and/or values of the team is upset.
Therefore, people can no more work together and no shared goals can be
achieved in the environment.
1. Group conflict, or hostilities between different groups, is a feature common
to all forms of social organization. Wikipedia
2. M. A Rahman: The conflict or hostilities which are created between
different sections of employees of an organization is referred to as group
conflict.
Types of Group Conflict
Inter group conflict may be classified into two groups. This classification may
usually be seen in different books. Both the types of group conflict are discussed
in the following paragraphs:
1. Intra group conflict: Intra group conflict is a type of conflict that happens
among individuals within a team. The incompatibilities and
misunderstandings among these individuals lead to an intra group conflict.
It arises from interpersonal disagreements (e.g. team members have
different personalities which may lead to tension) or differences in views
and ideas (e.g. in a presentation, members of the team might find the
notions presented by the one presiding to be erroneous due to their
differences in opinion). This conflict is created between the same groups.
When people from the same group do not comply with the same opinion
on a particular issue, intragroup conflict may be created. Under the
circumstance common goal of the group or the organization become
insignificant to the group employees. They forget about the goal of the
group to be achieved and importance of achieving the ultimate goal of the
employees. In these case group interest becomes more prominent to the
employees. It proves that employees of the group do not have their
ambitious career goals. In some circumstances, due to ideological,
personal, political, etc. differences intra group conflict may arise.
2. M.A Rahman: Intra group conflict may be referred to as dissatisfaction,
disagreement and differences in opinions on same or various issues within
different members of a same group of employees working in the
organization.
3. Intergroup Conflict: This type of conflict occurs between two or more
groups. In an organization there may be more than one group. This group
may be within the same division or within different divisions of the same
organization. If one group involves itself conflict with another group, inter
group conflict may arise Inter group conflict affects both group relations as
well as inter personal relations. It can hamper relationship with
management also. Inter group conflict may have some positives sides if
members of one group involves themselves for increasing productivity or
serviceability more than the members of the other groups. This type of
conflict has some negative side. If the members of one group hamper the
activities of other group both productivity and service ability may be
affected. Inter group conflict arises between two groups usually with in the
same organization these type of conflict arises. It is the outcome of
 collective incompatibility or disagreement or difference in opinions on
particular or different issues between two or more groups. Not only that
these incompatibility or disagreement may take place between people of
two or more divisions, department may take place between people of two
or more divisions, departments or subsystems of an organization. A few
definitions are given below:
Lawrence and Lorsch (1967): Intergroup conflict is inevitable in complex
organizations. In complex organizations having differentiated subsystems with
different goals, norms, and orientation, it appeared that intergroup conflict would
be an inevitable part of organizational life.

M.A Rahman: Intergroup conflict may be defined as misunderstanding and

disagreement on some employment or organization related issues between
different groups of employees in one department or in different department.
Classification of employee conflicts is the foundation of effective team conflict
management, because by having identified a type of conflict, team leaders are
able to choose right conflict resolving tools and apply appropriate conflict
management strategies. In this context, lets try to classify disagreements
between team members.
1. By functional attribute: First of all, conflicts between team members can
be functional and dysfunctional.

a) Functional conflicts are disagreements that do not significantly affect

team performance, so the team remains functional and is able to
produce desired results.
b) Dysfunctional conflicts are those disagreements between employees
that disrupt teamwork and prevent team members from the following
shared goals, so the entire team becomes dysfunctional and no desired
results can be produced.
The listed types of team conflict are defined considering the functional attribute
of teams.
2. By origin of conflict: Another way to classify employee conflicts refers to
focusing on the origin of conflicts, or investigating how a conflict has
evolved.
Following this idea, the next sources of group conflicts are to be considered:
Values of team members. Each team member has its values yet he/she should
follow values of the team. When a disagreement between the values appears, a
conflict may arise. This type of conflict arises due to following reasons:
a) Goals versus Expectations: Often improperly set goals do not relate to
actual expectations, then a group conflict may take place.
b) Roles and responsibilities: If right people are not assigned to right
responsibilities and roles, an employee conflict is likely to arise.
c) Lack of resources: Every team has to work using limited resources this
situation increases the risk of group conflict occurrence.
These team conflict types let team leaders use their conflict resolution skills (like
intervention and feedback) to look at the original reasons of a group conflict.
3. By Behavior: Besides this way of investigating team conflicts, there is
another way to classify conflicts into the following types:
a) Constructive team Conflicts: Such conflicts arise when team members
grow personally and increase their qualification. Constructive team
conflicts result in a solution to a problem and create cohesiveness
between team members.
b) Destructive team Conflicts: They arise when the team problem solving
process fails so no solution is generated and the problem still exists.
Destructive conflict between team members defocus group effort and
divert energy away from prioritized activities. Such conflicts demoralize
the team and make it polarized.
By understanding all the listed conflict types as well as the given definition, team
leaders can achieve better conflict management because they will be able to
investigate the nature of team conflicts and generate right resolution.

Causes of Intra-Group Conflict

Disagreements and misconceptions might occur between team members, which
creates conflict however, some conflict is helpful for a business. For example,
honest disagreement between team members normally provides the mechanism
that helps decision makers select the best solution to a problem. But
misconceptions might generate negative feelings between team members that
degrades productivity. For example, a team member mistakenly believes that
another team member surfs the internet for personal reasons.

Causes of Intergroup Conflict

One of the most prominent reasons for intergroup conflict is simply the nature of
the group. Other reasons may be work interdependence, goal variances,
differences in perceptions, and the increased demand for specialists. Also,
individual members of a group often play a role in the initiation of group conflict.
Any given group embodies various qualities, values, or unique traits that are
created, followed, and even defended. These clans can then distinguish us
from them. Members who violate important aspects of the group, and
especially outsiders, who offend these ideals in some way, normally receive
some type of corrective or defensive responsive.

Relationships between groups often reflect the opinions they hold of each others
characteristics. When groups share some interests and their directions seem
parallel, each group may view the other positively; however, if the activities and
goals of groups differ, they may view each other in a negative manner. When
trying to prevent or correct intergroup conflict, it is important to consider the
history of relations between the groups in conflict. History will repeat itself if left
to its own devices.
Limited resources and rewards structure can foster intergroup conflict by making
the differences in group goals more apparent. Differences in perceptions among
groups regarding time and status, when coupled with different group goals, can
also create conflict. Reorganization of the workplace and integration of services
and facilities can be stressful to some and create negative conflict. Some
individuals within the group have inherent traits or social histories that impact
intergroup conflict, but problems within intergroup relations are not usually
caused by the deviate behavior of a few individuals.

Intergroup conflict occurs at the social level between different racial groups or
religious groups, at the business level between departments or at the
organizational level between businesses. Conflict arises when the values, goals
and opinions of those groups are at odds. Groups can work through their
differences and progress or the differences can bring an end to their
associations. There are basically twelve sources of group conflicts. These are
stated below:

1. Negative stereo types: The devastating effect that negative stereotyping

can have on peoples sense of themselves and their abilities has been
known for decades now. The negative effect of stereotyping need not take
place at a conscious level. Indeed researchers have shown how this can
operate almost unconsciously. So, for example, if girls are asked to register
their gender before a math exam this can trigger at a deep level the
stereotype that girls are not as good at math than boys and this can then
effect their performance.
2. Not acknowledge the conflict: Conflict arises when members of a group do
not acknowledge the conflict. Without acknowledging conflict members
misinterprets each other and thus create sub groups.
3. Avoiding conflict. Avoiding conflicts lead to isolation from group. For
example: your group members are in conflict with your group leader. If you
do not take a stance, you will be in conflict with your other group
members.
4. Law & Order. Laws and order creates conflict within group. If the guy you
hate most become the group leader and by law you have to follow him,
you will definitely involve yourself in a conflict whenever you find his
commanding voice over you.
5. Frustration: Personal or inter group frustration causes conflict. If your
works are not being appreciated by others you will be frustrated. Thus
subconsciously you will try to create conflict among other members of the
group.
6. Distorted perceptions & behavioral predisposition: Conflict comes into play
when you have very rigid gut feelings for someone or something and you
behave accordingly wrong. People have a gut feeling that English medium
students are just good at English and they have no talent at all. Based on
this gut feelings they underestimates English medium students and judge
roughly while evaluating their work.
 7. Size of group: Size does matter in creating conflict. The bigger the group
size the more the conflict arise. In large group there is a sub group
conflict. For example In our workplace private university vs public
university conflict as well as divisional conflict exists.
8. Technological mediation: Mediators use various techniques to open or
improve dialogue and empathy between disputants, aiming to help the
parties reach an agreement. Much depends on the mediators skill and
training. As the practice gained popularity, training programs,
certifications and licensing followed, producing, trained, professional
mediators committed to the discipline.
9. Ineffective Communication: Groups that are interdependent on one
another to achieve goals must communicate to meet those goals.
Information sharing and task co-ordination is essential. Miscommunication
can create conflict even when there are no differences in goals or values.
For example, if the marketing and advertising departments launch a
discount price campaign, they must communicate this to the sales
department. If not, when customers call to ask about the sale, tension will
occur between the seller and the consumer.
10.Resources: When resources are limited and groups must share them,
conflicts often arise. In the study, International Peace and Conflict
Resolution, Ron Fisher Ph.D. writes Competition for scarce resources is a
common source of intergroup conflict. An example of this is the tension
that often arises between two African tribes sharing the same water
source.
11. Process Conflict: When groups that are working together dont agree on
the method of achieving a goal, it is called process conflict. In such cases,
each side often believes its way is better. The project cant get off the
group until they agree on the method to meet the goal. A hypothetical
example would be Jamaican, Haitian and Cuban restaurant owners who all
sell rice and peas with their dinners.
12.Goal Incompatibility: When the goals of one group dont agree with those
of another, conflicts will often arise. In the book Organization Theory and
Design Richard L. Daft writes the goals of each department reflect the
specific objectives members are trying to achieve. The achievement of
one departments goals often interferes with another departments goals,
leading to conflict. For example, a marketing departments job is to
convince consumers to buy products.
Reasons of Group Conflict
Conflict between team members comes from several sources. Some conflicts
have their basis in how people behave, while others come from disagreements
about the nature of the teams work and how it is being accomplished.

1. Competing interests: Conflict can arise when people have mutually

incompatible desires or needs. For example, two team members with
similar skills may both want a certain assignment, leaving the one who
doesnt receive it resentful.
2. Different behavioral styles or preferences: Individuals may clash over their
respective work habits, attention to detail, communications practices, or
 tone of expression. While these can affect co-ordination of interdependent
tasks, they can especially inhibit direct collaboration.
3. Competition over resources: Members may fight over the limited
resources available to accomplish the teams tasks. For example, if two
people both rely on the action of a third person to meet identical
deadlines, disagreements might arise over whose work should receive that
persons attention first.
4. Failure to follow team norms: A team member creates conflict when she
displays attitudes or behaviors that go against the teams agreement
about how it will function. If a group norm calls for prompt arrival at
meetings and prohibits the use of mobile devices during discussions,
ignoring these practices can engender conflict.
5. Performance deficiencies: When some team members are either not
contributing their share of effort or not performing at the expected level of
quality, the impositions that result can create friction, which may be
heightened when critical or highly visible tasks are involved.
6. Poor Communication. When team members do not share relavant
information with each other, people may make decisions or take actions
that others consider inappropriate or even harmful. Blame and questions
about motives can result, creating discord among the team.
7. Ambiguity about means and ends: Lack of clarity about tasks, strategies,
and/or, goals can lead people to make assumptions that others do not
share or agree with, which can result in conflict.
Ways to reduce the intergroup conflict in a workplace.
For a company to be successful, departments must learn to work together. The
sales group cannot ship products without the help of the manufacturing and
logistics groups. Managers have several methods at their disposal to improve the
intergroup co-operation in a workplace and thereby help improve efficiency and
productivity. By encouraging an environment of intergroup cooperation, you are
creating a better workplace.
1. Improve communication: Groups function more efficiently when there is
good communication. To improve group communication, there must be
clear messages sent through reliable channels. When two members of
different groups meet on a topic, it is good idea to create an email
between the two that outlines what was discussed and send copies to
anyone in the two groups that would need the information.
2. Clarify Roles: When group don not have a clear understanding of the roles
each department is to take in a given project, confusion and frustration
can develop and hinder co-operation. Group managers should meet to set
guidelines for what is expected of each group, get those guidelines in
writing and then make sure the staff members understand those
guidelines as well. When two groups understand their responsibilities in a
given situation, it is easier to delegate authority and get intergroup co-
operation.
3. Meetings: Aside from the meetings required to establish guidelines and
smooth methods of communication, groups that work closely together
should meet once a week to discuss issues and come to understandings
on solutions. Individual group members can raise concerns to be
addressed or point out ways in which the intergroup cooperation was
 strong so that the groups can work to replicate positive interaction as
much as possible. The constant sharing of ideas between the members of
work groups will be a strong catalyst for cooperation.
4. Address issues quickly: Problems and concerns will come up between work
groups from time to time. To improve intergroup cooperation, these issues
need to be brought to the attention of each group manager and addressed
quickly. Do not allow outstanding issues between work groups to linger
and become worse. Identify the problem, discuss it with staff members
involved from each group and come up with a solution that both groups
agree to.
5. Intergroup conflicts are one of the most important types of conflict in an
organization, as an organization is structured in the form of several
interdependent task groups. These groups could be formal or informal, and
the members of these groups interact with each other for different
purposes. These groups differ in goals, work activities, power, and
prestige. The seeds if intergroup conflict are sown in these differences.
The various reasons for intergroup conflict in an organization include goal
segmentation/diversity of goals/incompatible goals; task interdependence;
resource allocation; differential reward systems; ambiguities and task
uncertainty; differences in values and perceptions; overload on some
groups; and introduction of change.
Identification of Primary Conflicts and developing Mediated Solutions
1. Intergroup problems in the workplace can typically originate from a sense
of real or imagined deprivation or separation from a promotion, career
achievement, sense of ethnic or racial superiority and intolerance or
gender indifference among others. These group conflicts are sometimes
masked by covert behaviors that are not always easily identified. For
instance, a co-worker, by omission, may refuse to assist another co-worker
with an assignment or give incorrect information in order to sabotage her
work assignment.
2. In a work setting, it is crucial to identify the type of complaints and
complainers who are initiating disruptive practices. Look for certain
patterns of behavior or characteristics that appear connected to a
particular membership, i.e, race, department, gender and so forth. Be
careful in your tracking and collection of potential group conflict issues
that you request that each employee substantiate the complaints in
writing and attach proof.
3. After you have identified the issues that creating conflict, send a memo to
respected members of each group and request input from each on
recommended policy solutions to the problems and probable resolutions
can be discussed.
4. In advance of meeting, set boundaries of discussion so that any personal
attacks, name-calling, marginalization or minimizing of opinions or issues
ae kept off the discussion table. If necessary, call in a neutral third party
from inside the organization or form a respected and effective dispute
resolution organization in your area.
5. Select a neutral meeting place that will eliminate the feeling that one
group or the other has an unfair advantage in the setting. If possible,
select a restaurant or coffee shop in your area, or even a community
center meeting room to help ease the tension and promote a more relaxed
 discussion. Decide on a time limit for each part of the discussion in
advance in order to eliminate unnecessary grandstanding or stalling
tactics.
6. Begin the meeting with two or three goals that all parties can agree upon
and share ownership in, such as respect the final outcome when agreed
upon. This approach will allow all sides to recognize a sense of teamwork
and camaraderie. The tactic will make it much easier to work through and
manage a resolution for issues each has identified as creating conflict.
7. Structure the meeting resolution so that each side feels that his or her side
of the conflict was heard, discussed and some measure of resolution was
achieved. Set 30-, 45-, and 60-day timelines for conflict resolution goals in
order for both sides to be able to measure success, as well as to report on
continuing conflict issues if present. After the meeting, immediately send
out a formal agreement to which all participants can attach their signature
in order to ratify the agreement.
8. At each benchmark date of 30, 45 or 60 days from the agreement, send
out a progress memo to all of the parties, as well as a congratulatory note
promoting their achievements and any notable progress made in the work
conditions as well. You, and they, will be able to recognize the value of
conflict resolution and purported tie-in to their own overall and individual
workplace goals.
Consequences of intergroup Conflict
Intergroup conflict causes changes to occur, both within the groups in conflict
and between them. Within the groups, members will usually overlook individual
differences in an effort to unite against the other side, and with this concerted
effort the focus is on the task. The group can become more efficient and
effective at what they do, and members can become more loyal, closely
following group norms. Problems can occur, however, when the group loses focus
of the organizations goals and becomes closed off from other groups.
Haughtiness and isolation quickly lead to decreased communication.
Communication is the key between groups in reciprocal interdependence, and
these have the highest negative consequences for lack of effective
communication. Miscommunication can be the death knell of any organization.

Solutions to Intergroup Conflict:

There are numerous choices available to circumvent conflict, to keep it from
becoming damaging, and to resolve conflict that is more serious. These include
simple avoidance where possible, problem solving, changing certain variables in
the workplace, and in-house alternative dispute resolution (ADR) programs. Any
resolution method should depend on why the conflict occurred, the seriousness
of the conflict, and the type. A face-to-face meeting, as in problem solving, can
be very effective in conflicts of misunderstanding or language barriers. The
groups can discuss issues and relevant information, with or without a facilitator,
to reach resolution.
Where groups have differing goals, it may be prudent to establish some type of
goal that can only be reached when the conflicting groups work together. A super
ordinate goal not only helps alleviate conflict, it focuses more on performance,
which is what the organization needs to survive. A downside to this option is the
identification of a common enemy of the conflicting groups, who must come
together to prevail. Eventually, the solidarity crumbles and groups begin to again
turn against each other.

Another stop gap solution to conflict is simply avoiding it. Although this does not
resolve the problem, it can help get a group through a period of time, in which
those involved may become more objective, or a greater, more immediate goal
would have been met. Along those lines, another solution is smoothing the
groups by focusing on common interests and de-emphasizing the differences
between them. This approach is especially effective on relatively simple conflicts
and is viewed as a short-term remedy.
Yet another quick fix is the authoritative command, where groups, who cannot
satisfactorily resolve their conflict, are commanded by management. This
response does not usually deal with the underlying cause of the conflict, which is
likely to surface again in some way. This would probably be a choice of las resort
in this era of individual independence and self-determination.
Although it is not always possible to change a persons behavior, by focusing on
the cause of the conflict and the attitudes of those involved, it will lead to a more
permanent resolution. It is also possible to change the structural variables
involving the conflicting groups, such as changing jobs or rearranging reporting
responsibilities. This approach is much more effective when the groups
themselves participate in structural change decisions. Without meaningful input
this resolution method resembles avoidance or forcing and is not likely to
succeed, further frustrating all involved.