CONFLICT MANAGEMENT IN AN ORGANIZATION

What is organizational conflict?

Organizational conflict is an internal misunderstanding or disagreement that
can occur between colleagues or leaders.

Types/Causes of Conflict at Workplace

Some of the situations that commonly cause organizational conflict include:

1. Lack of communication
When someone lacks the information necessary to do their job, they may come
to faulty conclusions. Likewise, if an employee misinterprets something their
colleague or manager says to them, this can also lead to internal conflict in the
workplace. This is why it's important to be mindful of how people might
interpret what you say or do at work.

2. Different personality types

While having a mix of personality types can help a company gain new
perspectives and ideas, it can also lead to organizational conflict. When people
with majorly different personalities have to work together, there may be
incompatible values, priorities and work styles. However, encouraging people
to understand each other and their work processes may help prevent
disagreements.

3. Ambiguous expectations
When managers make their expectations for employees unclear, this can lead
to conflict in the workplace. Employees may grow frustrated or confused
about what they are supposed to be doing to succeed. This is especially
apparent if they think they are doing something correctly and their manager
sends it back with unhelpful feedback.

4. Unclear responsibilities
In order for a workplace to thrive, it's important for departments to have a
level of accountability. Conflict can occur when an issue happens and no one
takes responsibility for it. Likewise, employees can get into disagreements
over who's responsible for which tasks. This is why it's important for everyone
to have clearly defined roles in the workplace.

5. Unfair distribution of resources

When there aren't enough resources at work for everyone, this can lead to
competition and conflict. For instance, if the sales department is getting a
significant portion of the budget, other departments might feel like their
employer favors the sales department. A sense of favoritism can lead to
lowered employee morale since people might feel like they aren't getting the
recognition and resources they deserve.

6. Leadership style
Every leadership has own style some are highly skilled and strictly follow the
rules while others are bold, welcomed and inviting. Some leaders take good
care of their employees while others totally thing about organisation.

7. Resistance to change
It’s always difficult to accept change. Employees resist change out of fear of
unknown and uncertainty. They fear loss of their jobs and feel uncomfortable
about adopting new ways of working.

Whenever an organization implement change, employees and other

stakeholders start resisting it. Sometimes this resistance is so powerful that it
can derail entire change initiative.

8. Working style
People have different working style. Some people work quickly without
guidance while others cannot complete task without proper instructions.
When they do not complete the task that create a conflict.

Someone may like creative work but others are methodical and follow process.
This difference is also a source of conflict.
If one employee feels like they are being overloaded with work, this can lead to
conflict with their manager or co-workers. This can also happen if one
employee feels like they are not being given enough work to do.

9. Limited resources
Some organizations have limited resources like equipment, machines, tools.
There is conflict at workplace when these resources are not equally available
for all team members.

10. Competition
Everyone wants to get higher position in office or job but it is not possible. If
there is a lot of competition among employees for promotions or raises, this
can lead to conflict. Some employees feel they are not fairly treated.

This can also happen if employees feel like they are not being given the same
opportunities as their colleagues. Sometime a person works on an idea of
other and got the higher position, this also create a conflict among team
members.

11. Politics at workplace

Politics or favoritism can create a conflict among people in the workplace.
Sometime boss or higher authority give special favor too few employees this
can create a fuss and conflict in the workplace.

12. Work related stress

Work related stress is very common cause of conflict at workplace. When
employees are under stress, they feel physical symptoms like increased heart
rate, sweating, and difficulty thinking clearly. It generates negative emotional
like anger, anxiety, and fear which leads to conflict among team members.

13. Bullying
If behaviour or action of a coworker is threatening to health or safety of other
coworker then it is also defined as workplace bullying. It might come in
verbal, physical, or emotional abuse, and it can happen to anyone in
workplace.

14. Workplace gossip

When people talk about someone’s else personal life or professional life in
his/her absence. This habit produces negativity, reduces productivity and
spark conflict.

What is conflict management?

 Conflict management is the set of techniques required to identify and
resolve conflict in the workplace. Since conflict is a normal part of any
work environment, conflict management's goal is to detect and minimize
the negative effects of conflict rather than eliminating it completely.

 Conflict management is used to handle conflicts with fairness and

efficiency. In doing so, you can avoid poor communication between
colleagues, decrease workplace tension to improve productivity, and also
keep the morale of employees high.

Valuable skills for conflict management

Possessing the right skills is key to effective conflict management. The
following are the most important skills you'll likely need to resolve conflict in
the workplace:

1. Communication: The ability to speak in a polite manner but still be

convincing in your argument

2. Discussion: The ability to be open to discussing matters instead of only

sharing your opinion with those who agree with you

3. Positivity: The ability to avoid using the blame game and realize that
everyone makes mistakes so as to avoid creating more conflict
4. Listening: The ability to actively listen to the other person without
jumping to conclusions or making assumptions

5. Impartiality: The ability to separate the conflict from the person to get to
a solution

6. Patience: The ability to be patient and not be provoked in unnecessary

conflict

7. Facilitation: The ability to bring opposing groups together to find a

solution

8. Mediation: The ability to mediate and facilitate the process of finding a

solution

9. Assertiveness: The ability to stick to your opinion, stand up for your

rights or those of others

10. Emotional intelligence: The ability to control your emotions to avoid

them from getting the best of you during an argument

11. Empathy: The ability to put yourself in the other person's place to
experience what the other person is feeling

12. Open communication: The ability to be honest during an argument for

an easier resolution

13. Avoiding criticism: The ability to present your argument without

criticizing the person opposing you

14. Responsibility: The ability to take responsibility for your actions when it
is due
15. Stress management: The ability to manage your stress properly so as
not to make the situation worse

16. Nonverbal communication: The ability to be respectful with your

non-verbal communication by not rolling your eyes or mimicking your
opposer

17. Humor: The ability to use humor appropriately to diffuse the situation
and make it easier to find a solution

18. Problem solving: The ability to solve problems efficiently

19. Perception: The ability to be perceptive in a conflict to find a solution

20. Decision making: The ability to make decisions about whether to

pursue the conflict or not.

Types/level of conflict
1. Interpersonal Conflict

Interpersonal conflict refers to a conflict between two individuals. This occurs

typically due to how people are different from one another. We have varied
personalities which usually results to incompatible choices and opinions.

2. Intrapersonal conflict

Intrapersonal conflict occurs within an individual. The experience takes place

in the person’s mind. Hence, it is a type of conflict that is psychological
involving the individual’s thoughts, values, principles and emotions.

Interpersonal conflict may come in different scales, from the simpler

mundane ones like deciding whether or not to go organic for lunch to ones
that can affect major decisions such as choosing a career path.
3. Intragroup Conflict

Intragroup Conflict is a type of conflict that happens among individuals within

a team. The incompatibilities and misunderstandings among these individuals
lead to an intragroup conflict.

It is 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).

4. Intergroup conflict

Intergroup Conflict takes place when a misunderstanding arises among

different teams within an organization. For instance, the sales department of
an organization can come in conflict with the customer support department.
This is due to the varied sets of goals and interests of these different groups.

In addition, competition also contributes for intergroup conflict to arise.

There are other factors which fuel this type of conflict. Some of these factors
may include a rivalry in resources or the boundaries set by a group to others
which establishes their own identity as a team.

Conflict Management Process

1. Preliminary Step:
The first stage in resolving the conflict is to know the full details of the
conflict. As soon as the conflict comes to the knowledge of the senior or
superior, he should handle the conflict skillfully.

2. Diagnosing the Issue:

In diagnosing the issues, the issues involved in the conflict should be analysed
and it should be understood what this conflict is about.
 How far it has already involved. Thus, the nature of conflict should be
found out.

 The next thing in diagnosing the issue is to know why these differences
between the two parties have arised.

 Once the problem is identified and what has caused the problem becomes
known, the stage at which it has already reached can be properly
understood. The next important step is to develop a strategy

3. Develop a strategy/models
There are a number of strategies which we may adopt to resolve the conflict
and the important of them are as follows:
To avoid appearance of conflict; Not permitting conflict to surface; Mediation;
Letting the parties in conflict to settle their scores; and To solve the problems
mutually.