Conflict- Conflict is a process in which one party perceives that its interests are being opposed or negatively affected

by another party. This may be mild disagreement between two people regarding the best choice in a decision. Kenneth Cloke and Joan Golsmith-Conflict can be seen simply as a way of learning more about what is not working and discovering how to fix it. Conflict gives you an opportunity to deepen your capacity for empathy and intimacy with your opponent. Moreover, when you process your conflicts with integrity, they lead to growth, increase awareness and self-improvement. Uncontrolled anger, defensiveness and shame defeat these possibilities. Nature of Conflict- Conflict inherently involves some sense of struggle or incompatibility or perceived difference among values, goals, or desires. If the parties really don't care about the outcome, the discussion probably doesn't rise to the level where we call it a conflict. Sources of Conflict Scarce Resources- Resources may include money, supplies, people, or information. Often, organizational units are in competition for scarce or declining resources. This creates a situation where conflict is inevitable. Jurisdictional Ambiguities- Conflicts may also surface when job boundaries and task responsibilities are unclear. Individuals may disagree about who has the responsibility for tasks and resources. Personality Clashes- A personality conflict emerges when two people simply do not get along or do not view things similarly. Personality tensions are caused by differences in personality, attitudes, values, and beliefs. Goal Differences- Conflict may occur because people are pursuing different goals. Goal conflicts in individual work units are a natural part of any organization. Power and Status Differences- Power and status conflict may occur when one individual has questionable influence over another. People might engage in conflict to increase their power or status in an organization. Communication Breakdown- Communication-based barriers may be derived from differences in speaking styles, writing styles, and nonverbal communication styles. These stylistic differences frequently distort the communication process. Common Forms of Conflict Management Task Conflict- Group members may disagree about facts or opinions from authorities. Benefits of Task Conflict decreasing group think, encouraging creativity and increasing the understanding by identifying diverse perspectives. Negatives of Task Conflict Task conflict can become negative when the conflict creates discord within the team. Managing Task Conflict group to listen to each other, respect each other's opinions, and when possible try to collaborate the different ideas and opinions to come up with one idea with which everyone in the group can agree. Interpersonal Conflict a disagreement between or among connected individuals who perceive their goals as incompatible "personality clash.

expressed through more subtle nonverbal behaviours.

Five principles of interpersonal conflict 1. Conflict is inevitable 2. Conflict can have negative and positive 3. Conflict can focus on content and/or relationship issues 4. Conflict styles have consequences 5. Conflict is influenced by culture Procedural Conflict when group members disagree about the procedures to be followed in accomplishing the group goal Causes of Conflict Vertical conflict.-Occurs between hierarchical levels. Horizontal conflict-Occurs between persons or groups at the same hierarchical level. Line-staff conflict-Involves disagreements over who has authority and control over specific matters. Role conflicts.-Occur when the communication of task expectations proves inadequate or upsetting. Work-flow interdependencies.-Occur when people or units are required to cooperate to meet challenging goals Domain ambiguities.-Occur when individuals or groups are placed in ambiguous situations where it is difficult to determine who is responsible for what. Resource scarcity.-When resources are scarce, working relationships are likely to suffer. Power or value asymmetries.-Occur when interdependent people or groups differ substantially from one another in status and influence or in values. 2 types of Conflict Theory Traditional- Troublemakers -Avoided -Bad Contemporary- Inevitable between human beings -Beneficial - Results of changes can and should be managed Desired Conflict Outcomes Agreement-It is an equal and fair understanding between the two parties involved in the conflict. -Their ideas accord with each other. Stronger Relationship- Good agreement enables conflicting parties to build bridges of goodwill and trust for future use. -Conflicting parties who trust each other are more likely to keep their end of the bargain Learning- The conflict will promote an attitude that will help the concerned individual to solve problems.