Conflict in Organizations, Good or Bad

Have you ever been a part of a conflict? Perhaps the conflict existed in your home because you want your children to do chores, but your spouse disagrees, or perhaps you have had a conflict in the workplace where a co-worker, no matter what you said was always in disagreement with you. Whether at home or work, it is best to resolve conflict as both instances, the conflict could create an uneasy situation at home or in the workplace and could result in people being hurt, work not be accomplished or even a physical altercation. Therefore, it is recommended that instead of allowing conflict to remain, that instead the conflict is resolved For that reason I will describe a conflict within an organization or team which I am familiar with, identify and describe the source(s) and level of the conflict and supporting evidence, describe the steps taken to resolve the conflict, describe a minimum of three conflict outcomes that could reasonably occur as a result of the resolution and the support for my reasoning for each possible outcome. First I will begin with a basic description of conflict.

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).

Often, when the conflict happens, it is more volatile and more debilitating to the organization than it was initially. An open conflict or interpersonal disagreement festers just below the surface in the work environment. It comes up to the surface whenever enabled, and always at the worst possible instant.

There are two different types of conflicts that could happen in a work place which would be functional and dysfunctional. A functional conflicts is a healthy, constructive disagreement between a groups or individual. A dysfunctional conflict is an unhealthy disagreement that occurs among an individual or groups of employees. A functional conflict will leave employees on a positive note it would only bring awareness to both sides of the issue, improvement of working conditions due to accomplishing solution together, solving issues together to improve overall morale, and making innovation and improvements with an organization. A functional conflict is something everyone is known as a win-win conflict. A dysfunctional conflict stem from emotions and behavioral origins, will have a negative impact for both parties that are having the conflict and the company. Dysfunctional conflicts are commonly known as win-lose conflict (Lombardo, 2003). It is not good for you to try and avoid a work conflict, it only making problems bigger. Work conflicts often happens from communications errors such as poor information, no information and misinformation. Another reason why a work conflict could happen because of emotions. Work place conflicts could emerge in any number of forms but there are some general variety types of conflicts that are repeated on the basis such as conflicts with the boss, conflicts with peers, and

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 generally considered a typical part of human interactions and is not in itself essentially damaging. Rather, it is how conflict is managed that determines whether or not the outcomes are going to be constructive or damaging (Deutsch, 2006). Thus, conflict management, the method of managing a dispute and associated conflicts, is very important in producing satisfactory or disappointing outcomes. It is therefore vitally important to know your conflict management style, along with its inherent strengths and weaknesses, as a leader of a healthy organization, in order to deal with conflict in a positive manner.

The business world is highly competitive from every perspective; competition for office space, virtual space, markets, customers, clients and with colleagues. It is the responsibility of people working together in their day to day business transactions to have finely tuned interpersonal skills, knowledge and experience to ensure that they achieve the best possible outcomes for themselves and their employers. In environments such as these, conflicts, arguments and disagreements occur as part of people’s working lives. Conflicts in the workplace may lead to unhappiness for those in the conflict and of course, this will impact on their own professional performance. These conflicts create so many other problems, not just for the people who are in conflict, but also for their colleagues. Effective conflict resolution and management are therefore paramount for people to be able to solve their workplace differences so that they may enjoy their work personally and professionally. Apart from that, understanding and recognizing positive and negative disputes in the workplace is a significant part of being a well-organized manager. It also improves positive efficiency, receptiveness, and effectiveness in attaining goals. This essay will discuss the causes of conflict in the workplace, importance of resolving workplace conflict, how to deal with workplace conflict include poor communication and competition. It also argue interpersonal skills

Conflict is a fact of life - for individuals, organizations, and societies. The costs of conflict are well-documented - high turnover, grievances and lawsuits, absenteeism, divorce, dysfunctional families, prejudice, fear. What many people don't realize is that well-managed conflict can actually be a force for positive change.

Conflict is defined as a disagreement that occurs between two or more parties that are involved in an activity which leads to perceived threats to their needs, concerns or interests. Conflict is a normal phenomenon in life and it provides numerous opportunities for growth and understanding of the experiences that shape life. Interpersonal conflict occurs between two or more people within one setting such as in an organization or work team ADDIN EN.CITE Barki2001294(Barki & Jon, 2001)29429417Barki, HenriJon, HartwickInterpersonal Conflict and Its Management in Information System DevelopmentMIS QuarterlyMIS Quarterly195-2282522001Management Information Systems Research Center, University of Minnesota02767783http://www.jstor.org/stable/3250929( HYPERLINK l "_ENREF_1" o "Barki, 2001 #294" Barki & Jon, 2001). Conflict management is defined as the use of certain skills and strategies in limiting the negative consequences of conflict in order to introduce the positive aspects of conflict at a level which is equal to or higher than where the conflict is actually taking place. Conflict management is aimed at enhancing learning or outcomes for a person or organization ADDIN EN.CITE Voydanoff2004298(Voydanoff, 2004)29829817Voydanoff, PatriciaThe Effects of Work Demands and Resources on Work-to-Family Conflict and FacilitationJournal of Marriage and FamilyJournal of Marriage and Family398-4126622004National Council on Family

The difference between functional and dysfunctional conflict is that functional serves a purpose in the organization such as the interest and dysfunctional serves no purpose but to threaten the organization ((Kinicki A. Kreitner R.2008 p. 277).

Conflict can be defined as a struggle between people with opposing needs, ideas, beliefs, values, or goals (Understanding Conflict and Conflict Management). When conflict occurs in the workplace, it can reduce moral, lower productivity, increase absenteeism, and can ultimately lead to serious or violent crimes (Gatlin, Wysocki, & Kepner, 2002). Studies show that managers spend at least 25% of their time resolving workplace conflict (Gatlin, Wysocki, & Kepner, 2002). Productivity of managers and employees are affected by the amount of conflict they experience on a day to day basis. How much people are affected by different conflicts can be dependent on their personal conflict style. Each individual personality will handle a given situation in a different way.

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

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

The traditional view of conflict is that conflict is intrinsically negative, produces negative consequences, and has a detrimental effect on organizations. Like the other two viewpoints, the tradition al view realizes that conflict is essentially inevitable. However, this viewpoint strives to minimize if not outright avoid conflict because it deems it to produce noxious consequences. This outright avoidance of conflict is not necessarily adhered to in the human relations view of conflict. This viewpoint posits the notion that conflict is and of itself natural, or organic in nature. Whereas the traditional viewpoint of conflict is that it is always bad, the human relations viewpoint sees conflict as a natural

To begin with, the synopsis of this article is based around the knowledge of organizational behaviors related to conflict in the workplace. The research provided in the article was conducted among