Conflict Management

1. Introduction to Conflict

Dr. Javed Mahmud

September 2022
Conflict
Conflict is the perception (উপলব্ধি) of differences of interests (স্বার্থের পার্থক্য) among
people
- Thompson, 1998
 When two or more social entities (i.e., individuals, groups, organizations, and
nations) come in contact with one another in attaining their objectives, their
relationships may become incompatible or inconsistent
 This occurs when two or more of them
 desire a similar resource that is in short supply
 when they have partially exclusive behavioural preferences regarding their joint
action
 or when they have different attitudes, values, beliefs, and skills
Conflict
 It is inevitable among humans
 The aims of the parties in conflict may extend from
 simply attempting to gain acceptance of a preference
 securing a resource advantage
 to the extremes of injuring or eliminating opponents
Study of Conflict
Political Scientists Economists Sociologists Biologists

• Conflict between • Conflicts in the • Familial, racial, • Struggle for

nations, political marketplace religious and survival of
parties, social class species of
ideologies different genetic
endowments

Scholars in organization theory became interested in studying conflict

only in recent times
Contributions from Various Disciplines
PHILOSOPHY
 Plato and Aristotle
 Plato was of the opinion that tension (উদ্বেগ) within society is natural, and therefore
some conflict is inevitable
 However, he felt that if a proper balance of the parts could be obtained, social
conflict would be at a minimum
 He suggested that such a balance of the parts could be obtained only with
appropriate leadership
 He also suggested that the needs of the society could be satisfied if private
property was eliminated, especially for those who would provide political leadership
 Aristotle disagreed with Plato on the form of the government, he however shared
Plato’s sympathy for the need of order in the state
 Both stressed that an absence of conflict was absolutely necessary for the
attainment of a good life
Contributions from Various Disciplines
PHILOSOPHY
 Thomas Hobbes and John Locke
 Suggested that the purpose of the government is to establish order in social
relations
 Hobbes took the position that the Sovereign should control human beings
 According to Locke, government is to be organized by the people through their
common consent

 G.W.F. Hegel and Karl Marx

 According to Hegel opposing concepts must be reconciled by coming to a third
position
 Marx saw human history as full of conflict between classes
 He wanted the capitalists to relinquish their power, creating a new classless society
which would be free from conflict
Contributions from Various Disciplines
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE
 Charles Darwin
 Believed that all nature is at war, one organism with another, or with external nature
 If conflict were altogether absent the progress of human beings would be retarded

SOCIOLOGY
 Georg Simmel
 Gave the hypotheses that a certain amount of conflict is essential to the proper
functioning of groups
Contributions from Various Disciplines
SOCIOLOGY
 Elton Mayo
 According to him, conflict was an evil and should be minimized or, if possible,
eliminated from organizations altogether

 Talcott Parsons
 Thought that society is inherently stable, integrated, and functional, and, as a result,
conflict is viewed to be abnormal and dysfunctional.

 Lewis Coser
 Focused on the productive potential of conflict
 Opposing viewpoints on the Outcome of
Conflict
Functional Outcomes
• Conflict may stimulate innovation (উদ্ভাবন),
creativity (সৃজনশীলতা), and growth.
• Organizational decision making may be
improved.
• Alternative solutions to a problem may be found.
• Conflict may lead to synergistic (সমন্বয়কৃ ত)
solutions to common problems.
• Individual and group performance may be
enhanced.
• Individuals and groups may be forced to search
for new approaches.
• Individuals and groups may be required to
articulate (স্পষ্ট করা) and clarify their positions.
Dysfunctional Outcomes
• Conflict may cause job stress (চাপ), burnout,
and dissatisfaction.
• Communication between individuals and
groups may be reduced.
• A climate of distrust and suspicion can be
developed.
• Relationships may be damaged.
• Job performance may be reduced.
• Resistance to change can increase.
• Organizational commitment (আবেগ) and
loyalty (আনুগত্য) may be affected.
Organizational Conflict
 Conflict is certainly a major organizational phenomena
 There are 3 views of organizational conflict
 The classical view of organizational conflict
 The neo classical view of organizational conflict and
 The modern view of organizational conflict
Organizational Conflict
The Classical View of Organizational Conflict
 Supposed that harmony (সঙ্গতি), cooperation (সহযোগিতা), and the absence of conflict
were appropriate for achieving organizational effectiveness
 Assumed that conflict was harmful to organizational efficiency and therefore should be
minimized
 Prescribed organization structures—rules and procedures, hierarchy, channel of
command, and so on—so that organization members would be unlikely to engage in
conflict
Organizational Conflict
The Classical View of Organizational Conflict
 Frederick Taylor
 Believed that the functioning of an organization would improve if the principles of scientific
management were implemented. These principles involved the following:
1. The development of a true science of work that involves determining a fair day’s work.
2. Scientific selection and progressive development of workers.
3. Fitting of workers to their respective tasks.
4. Constant and intimate cooperation of managers and workers.
5. Provision of means to encourage each person to the utmost utilization of his or her
capacity.
6. Development of organization structures to control the various phases of production
 Led to significant advancement in industrial efficiency, but criticised by labour
 Also did not make any provision for the effective management of conflict between individuals
and groups in an organization.
Organizational Conflict
The Classical View of Organizational Conflict
 Max Weber
 Proposed a bureaucratic structure for organizations with the following fundamental principles:
1. A well-defined hierarchy of authority
2. Division of work based on functional specialization
3. A system of rules covering the rights and duties of employees
4. A system of procedures for dealing with work situations
5. Impersonality in interpersonal relationships
6. Selection of employees and their promotion based on technical competence

Mary Parker Follett

 Noted the value of constructive conflict in an organization
 Believed that suppression, avoidance, dominance, and compromise, were ineffective
 Advocated the need for problem-solving methods for managing organizational conflict

Organizational Conflict
The Neo-Classical View of Organizational Conflict
 Also known as the human relations view of organizational conflict
 Assumed that conflict was not desirable for an organization and should be minimized
 Shift in management style from production oriented approach to employee centred
approach
 Flatter organizational structure, involves team in decision making
 Recognizes that individuals have emotions, feelings, attitudes, hopes, aspirations
and expectations
 According to Elton Mayo, the father of Human Resource Management, conflict was
evitable but not economic. It was a result of the maladjustment of a few men on the
labour side of the picture
 To eliminate it the social system of the organization needs improvement
Organizational Conflict
The Modern View of Organizational Conflict
 The modern view of conflict, is that it is not necessarily dysfunctional for organizations
 The central theme of modern organizational conflict management is that
 too little conflict may encourage stagnancy, mediocracy, and groupthink
 too much conflict may lead to organizational disintegration
 therefore, that too little or too much conflict are both dysfunctional for an
organization’s effectiveness
 a moderate amount of conflict, handled in a constructive manner, is essential for
attaining and maintaining an optimum level of organizational effectiveness
Sample Questions
1. Evaluate the contributions of various disciplines to the theory of conflict
2.* What are the opposing viewpoints on the outcome of conflicts?
3.* Describe the 3 views of organizational conflict
Q &A