CONFLICTS

WHAT IS CONFLICT?

When people with different backgrounds, temperaments, points of views, values, needs and personalities and attitudes interact, it is likely that some type of conflict may arise. Disagreeableness, difference in opinions, interest etc

DEFINITION

a process in which one party perceives that its interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another party .

CONFLICTS
It is conscious awareness of occurrences, events or happenings, in one s surroundings which may be considered as threatening and derogatory such as loss of authority, role conflict, unequal or unfair treatment, status incongruities, goal differences.

LEVELS OF CONFLICTS IN OB
Macro
Organizational

Inter group

Inter personal Intra Individual

Micro
CONFLICT

Inter Personal Conflicts

Involves 2 individuals For example managers in conflict with subordinates , bosses, peers , or team members

Analysing Interpersonal Conflicts

The Johari Window Developed by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham Useful model in identifying several interpersonal styles, showing characteristics and results of these styles Suggests ways of interpreting the conflicts that may develop between the self and others.

Coping with Interpersonal Conflicts Clinical Psychology

Model the attitudes and behaviours you want your employees to emulate Identify the source of conflict, structural or interpersonal Focus on the tasks, not personalities Address the conflict in a timely way Learn from conflict

The Practical Side

Too often , when conflict occurs between supervisor subordinate pairs, employeecustomers, co-workers there tends to be either a fight ( personal attacks) or a flight ( embarrassed silence or leaving) response.

Preserving Positive Relationship

More appropriate for resolving conflict and preserving positive relationships would be to follow this process:

Allow time to cool off Analyse the situation State the problem to the other person Leave the person

INTER GROUP CONFLICTS

Inter group conflict

Inter group behaviour occurs whenever individuals belonging to one group interact, collectively or individually, with another group or its members in terms of their reference group identification.

Groups in Conflict
Groups in conflict behave differently from smoothly cooperating groups. There is evidence that groups in conflict change both internally and in relation to one another.

Antecedents of Group Conflicts

Competition for resources Most organisations have limited resources for e.g. funds, space, supplies etc. Task interdependence If two groups in the organisation depend on one another in a mutual way or even a one way direction , there tends to be more conflict than if groups are independent of one another.

Antecedents of Group Conflicts

Jurisdictional ambiguity This may involve overlapping responsibilities. Status struggle This occurs when one group attempts to improve its status and another group views this as a threat to its place in the status hierarchy.

CHARACTERITICS OF GROUPS IN CONFLICTS

There is a clear distinction and comparison between we (the in group) and they (the out group). A group that feels it is in conflict with another group becomes more cohesive and pulls together to present a solid front to defeat the other group. The positive feelings and cohesion within the in group do not transfer to members of the out group. The members of the out group are viewed as enemies rather than as neutrals.

CHARACTERISTICS OF GROUPS IN CONFLICTS

Threatened group members feel superior they overestimate their own strength and under estimate that of members of other groups. The amount of communication between conflicting groups decreases. If a group is losing in a conflict, the member s coercion decreases and they experience increased tension among themselves.

COPING WITH GROUP CONFLICTS

Avoidance : This attempts to keep the conflict from surfacing at all. Defusion : An attempt is made to deactivate the conflict and cool off the emotions and hostilities of the groups involved.

COPING WITH GROUP CONFLICTS

Containment : Some conflict is allowed to surface, but it is carefully contained by spelling out which issues are to be discussed and how they are to be resolved. This strategy is appropriate when open discussions have failed and the conflicting groups have equal power. Confrontation : Under this strategy, all issues are brought into the open and the conflicting groups directly confront the issues of each other in an attempt to reach a mutually satisfactory solution.

ORGANISATIONAL CONFLICTS
Although organisational conflict is being tackled with differently, it should be understood that intra individual, interpersonal and inter group conflict are all inherent in organisational conflict.

4 TYPES OF ORGANISATIONAL CONFLICTS

Hierarchical conflict the various levels of the organisation.

: there may be conflicts between

Functional conflict : there may be conflicts between various functional departments of the organisation. For example, conflict between the production and marketing departments. Line Staff conflict : This occurs mostly from situations where staff personnel do not formally possess authority over line personnel. Formal informal conflict : There may be conflict between the formal and informal organisations if the informal organisation s norms may be incompatible with the formal organisational norms

COPING WITH ORGANISATIONAL CONFLICTS

Communication
Two way Clear Continuous
Employee Handbook, All employees communication meeting, notice boards, suggestion boxes

Focus on tasks , not personality

Stick to the job that has to be accomplished Set clear goal criteria (Job Description, Job Analysis)

Organisational Designs & Structures

Nature of the business Management Philosophy

CONFLICTS AT THE WORKPLACE

To create a productive work environment you need to work at eliminating disruptive or unhelpful conflict. A good step forward is to recognise, and understand the personality types, behavioural preferences and comfort zones of those people with whom you work.

Different views on conflicts

IS CONFLICT ALWAYS DETRIMENTAL TO THE ORGANISATION?

The different views on conflicts

Traditional view of conflict (unitary view) The Marxist view Contemporary view of conflict (pluralist view)

Traditional view of conflict (Unitary View)

View conflict very negatively. Conflict is considered dysfunctional. Conflict causes losses in productivity (no
cooperation, no sharing of information)

Conflict affects the morale of employees: it causes stress, frustration and anxiety which are detrimental to employees well-being.

Traditional view of conflict (Unitary View)

Managers are negatively evaluated for allowing conflict to surface in their units. Managers who maintain peace and harmony in their units are praised and rewarded while those who couldn t do so are punished. Since absence of conflict has frequently been used at evaluation time as a sign of managerial effectiveness, historically most managers have been concerned with eliminating or suppressing all conflicts.

The Marxist View

This view sees organisations as arenas in which people battle for limited resources, status, rewards and values. Organisations are theatres in which a class war is fought between owners, managers and workers. Conflict is seen as necessary and legitimate means of furthering revolutionary change.

Contemporary view of conflict (Pluralist View)

Sees both the functional & dysfunctional aspects of conflict. While the potential negative consequences of conflict are certainly costly, there are some benefits to be derived from conflict as well, conflict can be a catalyst for change. It can force organisations to re-examine corporate goals or reset priorities. It can force managers to face important issues they have been ignoring and make higher quality decisions on those issues. Conflict can lead organisations towards more innovation.

Contemporary view of conflict (Pluralist View)

This view sees conflict as inevitable rather than avoidable. It is virtually impossible that there will be no conflict when so many groups are working together on so many projects. According to this view, the manager s job is not to suppress all conflict at all costs. It is to allow some optimal level of conflict to surface and to resolve conflicts in a way that enhances organisational effectiveness without creating further hostility or destructive behaviour. It is conflict diagnosis and management skills on the part of managers that should be recognised and rewarded.

CONFLICTS IN MODERN ORGANISATION

New assumptions about conflicts:
Conflict is inevitable Conflict is determined by structural factors such as physical shape of a building, the design of a new structure, or the nature of a class system. Conflict is integral to the nature of change. A minimum level of conflict is optimal.