I aim to analyse key theories which examine the effects of conflict within the workplace. Conflict is a part of everyday life, as long as we have existed conflict has also. Rahim (2010) defines conflict as an interactive process manifested in incompatibility, disagreement or dissonance within or between social entities. However, he expands upon the definition stating debating as to whether the conflict is caused by the situation or the individuals type of behaviour. This contests the issue of whether conflict is caused by a particular situation that the employee has experienced or if whether the behaviourism of the employee is to blame. If organisational conflict is not resolved, several negative consequences can occur including increased stress among employees, reduced creative collaboration and team problem solving, disruption to work flow, decreased customer satisfaction, distrust, split camps, and create gossip amongst the workplace. (Moriarty, 2007).
However, in contrast some academics dispute this, even going as far as suggesting that minor conflicts can be helpful, and by having the capabilities to deal with conflict
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This will allow critical reflection and analysis as to what could be done differently. There are several key fundamental concepts involved with the unitarist perspective. The first of which is that it is the duty of the manager to encourage allegiance and commitment amongst the employees of the firm. (Farnham, 1993). Consequently, as everyone is working towards the same goal a conflict of interests is unlikely to occur, resulting in harmony amongst the entire workforce. (Leah, 2001). Conflicts in the organisations are observed as negative and dysfunctional which subsequently lead to disloyalty, thereby damaging the well-being and harmony of the organisation. (Giles,
Conflict is part of our human disposition; consequently, it is customary within organizations. “Left unanalyzed and unchecked, it can be a destructive force that consumes time, money and human resources. Learning the various ways that people resolve conflict and expanding their conflict resolution styles can lead to better results” (Sadri, 2012). Within organizations employees have personal beliefs, styles and attitudes, and backgrounds that at times can cause disagreements, inconsistencies and ultimately, conflict. It is the intent of this paper to examine the archetype of conflict as an
Conflicts are realities of life and can be defined as a “situation of competition in which the parties involved are quite aware of the incompatibility of future condition whereby each party wishes to occupy a position that is incompatible with the wishes of the other” (Olu & Adesubomi, 2013, p. 2). They have no boundaries. They occur whether we like it or not, especially when there is disagreement and misunderstanding which stands as major key characteristics of human relationships. The relationship could be domestic, national, or international (Spiroska, 2014). Furthermore, conflicts happen when people are incompatible. In the organizational setting, conflict could arise due to failure of the employer, not honoring certain agreed bargaining. Henry (2009) indicated that if the workers’ right and prerogative is not appropriated rightly, it could cause conflict; such workers’
Whether you work for a manufacturing facility or the health care system, conflict is unavoidable. As a manager, you must learn to deal with conflict in the workplace. In this paper I will describe the different styles of conflict management. I will also discuss my preferred conflict management style with examples of its use. Lastly, I will describe a situation at work and how a conflict management strategy could have improved that situation.
Conflict is inescapable, having the ability to recognize, understand, and resolve conflicts are important in both personal and professional lives. Myatt (2012) states that conflict in the workplace is unavoidable; if left unresolved, workplace conflict may result in loss of productivity and the creation of barriers that can inhibit creativity, cooperation, and collaboration. It is vital to embrace conflict and address problems through effective conflict-resolution tactics because if not handled appropriately, conflict will escalate. “If not handled properly, conflict may significantly affect employee morale, increase turnover, and even result in litigation, ultimately affecting the overall well-being of
In the second scenario, the parties in conflict are in a student-teacher relationship. Notably, the professor has the higher power in the relationship, and is better with usage of conflict styles than the student is. Furthermore, the results of the questionnaire determine that I exhibit very strong habits of collaboration in impersonal interpersonal conflict. “Integrating shows a high level of concern for one’s own goals, the goals of others, the successful solution of the problem, and the enhancement of the relationship” (Wilmot and Hocker 165), which I seem to possess even in an impersonal relationship. Particularly, the results of this situation, shows that I have strengths in avoidance, compromise, and accommodation-conflict styles. I understand my stance in this circumstance, and acknowledge the fact that I could use some improvements in these habits when dealing with conflict. Notably, the following discusses the benefits of knowing my conflict
Although many of us go great lengths to avoid it, sometimes it is just inevitable. People in the workplace setting will always have different ideas, values, and attitudes than others around them. A conflict can arouse in any given setting, and the affect it can have on those involved can either be negative or positive. Depending on the approach and strategies utilized during and after a conflict will determine the result of the conflict. Conflict helps people recognize legitimate differences within an organization or profession and serves as a powerful motivator to improve performance and effectiveness, as well as satisfaction (CCN, 2017). This paper will identify and explore a particular recurring conflict in the
Unitarist Perspective often refers workforce as a team and frequently associated with management. This implies the idea of organization as a harmonious team or family. It often used the term we in their mission statement, suggesting that all employees has the same mind and where the organization and all the members of the staff are sharing a common purpose, emphasizing mutual cooperation(Naukrihub, 2007). Thus they set a common values, interest and objectives. It practices paternalistic approach where it requires on all employees loyalty , being primarily managerial in its emphasis and application.
1) Based on your readings, in class lectures, notes and discussions, in one to two
This paper will discuss how to diagnose a conflict using various conflict models using a case study that involves a workplace conflict between two individuals. Included will be detailed characteristics and attributes of the parties involved and how they may affect the conflict. Confidentiality is important in the workplace and will be discussed in regards to the case study. Resolution solutions that a practitioner may use will be suggested to assist in resolving the conflict. Conflict resolution can be a difficult task but if a practitioner implements tools like conflict models than conflict can be undoubtedly resolved.
As the expression of employees' dissatisfaction and differences with employers, conflict is regarded as bad and irrational for the organization and should be kept down through some forcible ways. Conflict can arise from employees' misunderstanding of the direction of the organisation or the poor communication between the staff and the management, enabling employees to substitute alternative agendas instead of the organisation's agenda (Bray, Deery, Walsh and Waring, 2005). Moreover, conflicts can arise from the poor management that caused by the management's failure to identify and meet employees' basic needs.
Conflict is a "state of disharmony brought about by differences of impulses, desires, or tendencies" (Rayeski & Bryant, 1994). Although many people and organizations view conflict as an activity that is usually negative and should be avoided, conflict is a natural result of people working
Conflict theory is the theory that human behavior in social contexts is the result of conflicts between competing groups, as different social groups, be they class-, gender- or race-defined, have unequal power and access to power, yet all groups compete for limited resources. This inevitably gives rise to tension and conflict, albeit often of the subtle variety, as oftentimes the conflicts between groups have been institutionalized in society to such a degree that the conflicts and tensions are such an expected part of society that the conflict, and inequality, itself disappears from public sight, and consciousness. For example, an adherent of a world systems theory of conflict would point to the global competition for resources, particularly the inequality between rich and poor nations struggling to provide the basic necessities of life to their inhabitants, as evidence of global conflict. Conflict theories seek to explain the interactions of groups within society, and assert that social order is preserved involuntarily through the exercise of power one social class holds over another (Lindsey, 2010, 7). The conflict between groups is not always obvious or apparent, so it must be unraveled and examined in order to identify and establish the impact of such conflict on society as a whole, as well as individual members and social groupings.
Conflict or disagreement over the range of issues has become inherent aspect of modern organisational life. People from different cultural and education background work in an organisation. People working in an organisation may possess different goal and interest. People working in organisation may tend to different over a range of issues including organisational politics, organisational procedure, personal preference or political preference. It is also argued that conflict is essential characteristics of organisational life. Role of manager is paramount with regard to negotiating the conflict that arises in organisational life (http://www.sagepub.com/). Often lack of
The conflict theory approach emphasizes issues of inequality and change in relation to social class, money, race ethnicity and gender. The conflict theory pinpoints the belief that these social classifications are parasitic: only benefiting one group while negatively affecting another. In particular, the social conflict approach focuses on the struggles that lower-class people face in a world where the rich and powerful benefits at their expense. Persons of the lower-class are often disadvantaged, since they are not given a chance to move ahead and are always stuck at the bottom of the social ladder. Upper-class individuals are able to fully educate their children, and hence, their generation will always be rich and powerful. However, a weakness
Conflict is an occurrence in virtually any organization, regardless of how large or small it may be. It is exceedingly difficult to get people to agree with one another about everything all the time, especially when they are competing for the same resources (Tsang, 2012, p. 84). This difficult is naturally exacerbated when there are stratifications between people, which frequently occurs in organizations. Organizations may have different categories of employers such as those in sale, marketing, finance, human resources, etc. The three main views of conflict which also play a significant part in the resolving of conflict are the traditional, the human relations, and interactionist views. There are points of similarities and differences between all of these views.