Conflict in the Workplace

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

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.

There are many different types of conflict that occur in the workplace. The five most common are as follows:

There are many types of conflict; some are beneficial while others are detrimental. All types of conflict fall into three major categories (Engleberg, Wynn, and Schuttler, 2003; Stewart, Manz, and Sims, 1999). Relationship-oriented conflict, also known as affective conflict, is brought about when team members experience interpersonal incompatibilities. Relationship conflict is usually detrimental as team members have different perceptions of communication and social skills. Whereas Task-oriented conflict, also referred to as cognitive conflict or procedural conflict, occurs when team members disagree about

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

In team settings, individual team members generally handle conflict in five key ways as identified in an adaptation of the Thomas-Kilman Conflict Inventory (1976): Avoidance, Accommodation, Competition, Compromise, and Collaboration. All five conflict styles can be both beneficial and/or costly to individual and team success. It can also be argued that all five conflict styles may be useful to resolve conflicts under certain circumstances. Please review the five conflict styles listed below:

According to Kristin Behfar, the more efficient and productive teams work through conflict and can consider themselves successful based upon three attributes: meeting performance goals, members being satisfied with the learning and benefiting, in addition to setting the team up for future success (Behfar, 2015). For teams not set up for conflict, it can decrease member satisfaction and productivity in addition to leading to non-effective problem solving. It is imperative to consider the manner in which conflict is managed as it greatly affects the team. Less effective teams will view a trade off between the satisfaction of team members and performance then behave in a reactive manner escalating the issue, leading the team into constant firefighting mode. Effective teams are proactive when it comes to the management of conflict, anticipate it and develop a manner in which to deal with it leading to a resolution or prevention from the offset.

This paper provides the reader with information on conflict, the levels and the components. The paper will provide information on how conflict can manifest in an organization or team. It will discuss conflict resolution which it the final component of conflict and provide information on identification of the issue. Baack advises that not all conflict is the same and outlines four levels of conflict, which are intrapersonal, interpersonal, intragroup and intergroup. (Baack, 2012) Conflict that is intrapersonal is the conflict that resides on an individual level. The conflict or battle that has an individual torn between choices that a right or wrong. The conflict between two or more individuals has a classification as interpersonal. Blau

On an individual level, workplace conflict is stressful and unpleasant. Penny and Allison are experiencing this in their workplace. The main problem they are facing are differing values, opinions and beliefs. The members aren’t able to effectively work together as there is difference in roles. Therefore, there is evidence of supressed innovation and productivity to improve their business. This will significantly affect business performance as having to deal with countless stress leads to tension and anxiety. Personal conflict at work is uneatable, however there are many solutions to solve the issue. One study (Mutjaba, B & McFarlane, 2005, pg53) claimed applying changes through roles will lead to improving employee and corporate performance. Many business leaders try to diminish workplace conflicts to promote an optimistic corporate culture with high team confidence. According to a recent Wall street journal article, some businesses are experiencing low levels of workplace conflict now that more advisers are working in teams. Avoiding disagreements manly just causes more friction overtime. Craig should hold Allison and Penny accountable for their engagement with each other and coach them to take an active role in building their personal relationship, while tracking their progress. This will ensure continuous focus on emotional bonding with another, gaining a

Conflict happens when people do not agree in a public situation which developed resentments creating a negative atmosphere among people or group (Schermerhorn, 2011). A person might develop emotional conflict caused by anger, trusting issues and resentment which caused a negative energy that affects other and becomes distracting (Schermerhorn, 2011). For instance, when an employee that is having relationship problems outside work, affects their performance. Also, seeking comfort with other employees can become a stressing situation. In contrast, substantive conflict is related to achieving goals in the workplace (Schermerhorn, 2011). Dealing with coworkers can be challenging because of their cultures. For instance, employees might disagree on task assignments, policies, and rules because of their beliefs (Schermerhorn, 2011).

Figure 1. Conflict handling skills: five modes (Adapted from Thomas, K.W. and Kilmann, R.H., 1974, Working in Organisations, Kakabadse, Bank & Vinnicombe, 2005)

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

Organisational conflicts are characterised by a variety of factors and in particular behavioural. These may take different forms depending on the nature in which they are portrayed. They could either be written, oral or physical. The oral behaviour that manifests conflict in the organisation involves a case where the employees engage in exchange of unpleasant words that display the existence of the conflict. Secondly, the conflict may be in the form of written documents that bear evidence of conflict (Popejoy 2002). Such documents may be in form of e-mails that are exchanged between the parties in conflict in the organisation. Finally, the conflict in the organisation may be portrayed in terms of physical confrontation among the employees and this is the highest limit that the conflict in the organisation can be portrayed through (Popejoy 2002).

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