Essay on Conflict Management

Conflict, according to Wilmot & Hocker (2011), is defined as an expressed struggle between at least two interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals, scarce resources, and interference from others in achieving their goals.

Conflict arises from various sources in the team setting (Capozzoli, 1995). The most common causes of conflict are values, attitudes, needs, expectations, perceptions, resources, and personalities. As we are all raised with different values, morals come into play when the team issue deals directly or indirectly with ones values, morals, or ethics. Conflicting attitudes can bring about problems as two or more team members prove to have differing goals in mind. Individual needs can cause rifts within a team when they are not satisfied. The expectations of team members are not the same on how the goal will be met. We all have different perceptions of life situation and interpret them differently. The lack of resources needed to complete a task can cause conflict. Differing personalities play a major role in team conflict.

In a dispute, it's often easier to describe how others respond then to how we respond. Each of us has a predominant conflict style that we use to meet our own needs. By examining conflict styles and the consequences of those behaviors, we can gain a better understanding of the impact that our personal conflict style has on other people. With a better understanding, you then can make a conscious choice on how to respond to others in a conflict situation to help reduce work conflict and stress.

What is conflict? Even something as basic as a universal definition for the word conflict seems to vary from source to source. A literature review focusing on conflict defined it as “the interaction of interdependent people who perceive incompatibility and the possibility of interference from others as a result of this incompatibility” (Brinkert 2010). Often times the disagreement results not from a concrete difference, but rather a difference in perception (Ellis & Abbott 2012). One of the most important factors effecting conflict management is the resolution style used. The most often used tool for classifying how conflict is managed is the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (Iglesias & Vallejo 2012).

Conflict is simply a disagreement or argument that can occur between two individual, groups of people in an organisation or between an employer and an employee.

Conflict is a process that every one of us has experienced throughout our lives. There are various definitions of conflict as described by different authors. Generally, conflict is a process whereby, one individual’s interest is opposed or negatively affected by the other party (Yoder-Wise,2015).

Conflict usually occurs when individuals within a group or organization has differences in opinions. When individuals are in a disagreement about something like policies and procedures or even the overall direction of which an organization or company is heading it can become very frustrating. As we all know conflict the process of conflict usually begins when an individual or party has perceived the other part and it has showed a negative impact or will affect something that another party cares about.

A conflict is a situation that occurs when the interests, needs, or values involved parties interfere with each other. It is virtually inevitable in relationships as people fight or struggle over perceived things. Conflict when understood opens

Ultimately, when conflict becomes an undesirable disagreement, it can cause severe problems. Destructive conflict can bring about a mental struggle from the opposing internecine group which can sense a threat to personal interest, needs, or concerns which can provoke anger. I believe specific conflicts of no control should be avoided. Tubbs (2012) stated, "conflict is often hard to keep under control once they have begun" (p. 327).

Conflict is “an expressed struggle between at least two interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals, scarce resources, and interference from others in achieving their goals” (Hocker, 1991). There are two basic types of conflicts: substantive and emotional. According to Schermerhorn et.al., substantive conflict is a fundamental disagreement over ends or goals to be pursued and the means for their

The text book describes conflict as “a process that begins when one party perceives another party has or is about to negatively affect something the first party cares about.” There are different views on dealing with conflict. There is the traditional view that seeks to eliminate any conflict and the interaction group that seek to use conflict as a stepping stone to greater things. Conflict can arise in any situation and, following the managed conflict view, it is not necessarily something to be push under the table but something to

Conflict is defined as the behaviour due to which people differ in their feelings, thought and/or actions. Collins (1995) states that the conflict is a ‘serious disagreement and argument about something important’ and also as ‘a serious difference between two or more beliefs, ideas or interests’ (cf. Kumaraswamy, 1997, p. 96). In general it is believed that conflicts are the underlying cause of disputes. In other words, dispute is a manifestation of the deep rooted conflict. A dispute is defined as ‘a class or kind of conflict, which manifests itself in distinct, justifiable issues. It involves disagreement over issues capable of resolution by negotiation, mediation or third party adjudication’

Conflict is in inevitable part of our everyday lives. Since no two people view things in the exact same manner, disagreement will most certainly arise at some point in time. Conflict is simply a difference of opinion and is considered to be a normal part of our everyday lives. There are several different forms of conflict and not all of them are considered to be bad. This paper will discuss the causes of conflict, the different types of conflict, and barriers to conflict. According to Communication Research Associates, conflict is a condition of imbalance within an individual (Communication Research Associates, 2005, p. 178). Keep in mind that just as there are disadvantages to conflict, there are also several advantages.

Jones (2013) states that organizational conflict is the clash that occurs when the goal-directed behavior of one group blocks or thwarts the goals of another (p. 391). In the case study Politics at Walt Disney the CEO Eisner began losing favor with the company when the firm’s performance began to fall. Despite having handpicked a majority of the board members Eisner could not deny the company’s loss of performance. Pondy (as cited by Jones, 2013) developed a model of organizational conflict which lists five sources of conflict in stages. In stage one latent conflict is described as not having any direct obvious conflicts; however disparities and divisional differences are apparent. Stage two perceived conflict occurs when another division believes their goals are being restrained by another section. Stage three felt conflict each section begin harboring direct resentment against each other. Stage four manifest conflict happen when each section exhibits some form of retaliation against the other department. Finally, stage five conflict aftermath happens when the conflict has been resolved, but more often than not the conflict arises again.

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