Conflicts Management in Industries

A
conflict is a struggle between incompatible or opposing needs, wishes,
ideas, interests or people. Conflicts could be either substantive or emotional
in nature. Substantive conflict involves fundamental differences over goals
and their achievements whereas emotional conflicts arise from feelings of
resentment, fear, anger, anxiety etc. about one’s own position.

Types of conflicts

Sekaran had identified following types of

conflicts:--

1. Intra- personal conflicts:

These arise when tension is
experienced within the individual
when a choice is made from two
or more unpleasant alternatives.

2. Inter- personal conflicts: These occur because of incompatible goals or

hurt feelings.

3. Inter - group conflicts: These occur between different teams or groups or

departments when teams have limited resources for sharing amongst them.

4. Inter- organizational conflicts: These involve competition among different

departments in the same industry operating in the same market.
Various sources of conflicts in industries

1. Vertical conflicts: These occur between

individuals at different hierarchical levels- at
different levels.

2. Horizontal conflicts: These are the

tensions between employees or groups
at the same hierarchical levels.

3. Line- staff conflicts: These occur

between members who assist in an advisory capacity (staff) and those who have
direct responsibility for products, processes and services offered by organization
(line).

4. Role conflicts: These arise due to different people

expectations to perform different tasks, and pressure
builds up when expectations of the members clash
in various ways.

Approaches to conflict management in

industries

Thomas and Kilmann had identified different

approaches to conflict management. The major ones are: -

1. Competing: It is power-oriented mode of resolving tensions to achieve the end

result. The power includes skills, knowledge, abilities, rank, status, connections, etc.

2. Collaborating: It is an attempt to work with the other people to achieve some

possible results so that both the parties are satisfied. It is a very useful mode when
sets of concerns are too important to be compromised.

3. Compromising: It denotes an intermediate position on both the assertive and

cooperative dimensions. Here both parties arrive at common acceptable decision.
4. Avoiding: It is a mode used when individual is both unassertive and unacceptable
i.e. a person has very low concern for his own and his opponent’s needs. In this
situation, the opponent sidesteps the issues, postpones or totally withdraws
physically and psychologically from a threatening situation.

5. Accommodating: There is an element of self-sacrifice in this mode, in which

individual realizes that he is wrong. This also helps to create social status.

Conclusions

Managers have to
reduce conflicts in
industries in two ways – by
structural changes and by
organizational development
strategies. The structural
changes includes reducing
dependency, keeping to
adequate inventory levels,
sound financial status, etc., whereas organizational development strategies include
process consultation, team building and third party peacemaking. The managers can
induce cognitive tensions in some situations where there is lack of stimulation,
innovation, risk taking, etc.

# Dr. A. G. Matani
Faculty- Mech.Engg;
Government College of Engineering,
Amravati-444604 (M.S.) -India
Email: ashokgm3@yahoo.com

Note: The author has used various references in the preparation of this article. For
further details please contact him.