Conflicts, Disputes, And Solutions

Whether we like it or not, conflict is a part of everyday lives. It can happen to anyone, from your friends to your family.

In this paper I will discuss the conflict that is occurring at General Hospital, the conflict management styles that are evident in the case, and how General Hospital could have used teams to address the cost reductions needed to stay competitive. I will also describe how the CEO of General Hospital, Mike Hammer can us negotiation skills to get buy-in for the cost reductions and finally I will recommend a strategy for Hammer to resolve the problem.

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).

Unlike symbolic interactionism, conflict theory is a macro-level approach. Conflict theory, founded by German Philosopher Karl Marx, can be defined as “a theoretical framework in which society is viewed as composed of groups that are competing for scarce resources” (Henslin, 2014, p. 33). This perspective differs from symbolic interactionism in that it views society as a competition for limited resources. Marx argues that society is composed of individuals within different social classes that face economic inequalities. The focus of conflict theory is that economic inequalities increase social differences and also leads to differences in power. German sociologist Max Weber added that in addition to economic inequalities that these inequalities lead to conflict. Conflict arises because resources are limited.

Conflicts and revolutions have occurred throughout history from the beginning of time. These conflicts and revolutions can all be explained by one theory, Karl Marx’s Conflict Theory. This theory describes a two-class system and how the two classes opposing views ultimately lead to revolts and change of the traditional system. These opposing views stem from a suppressed and exploited working/lower class.

Conflict theory is a term that was first advocated by the German philosopher and sociologist Karl Marx (1818-1883). First and foremost, it is important for us to understand how conflict within society can arise. Marx’s methodology or another phrase; ‘Marxism’, applies mainly to the rise of capitalism (i.e. advanced industrialised societies in which certain people came to own the means of production and exploited workers in order to enrich themselves). Marx saw this as resulting in class struggle and the eventual overthrow of the capitalist class. This is an emphasis on power and the control of people and land leading to oppression; in the context of this essay; oppression being the exercise of an authoritative figure of some kind acting in a cruel or unjust manner, note; this is more likely to apply to an already advanced society.

Conflict theory is observed as the “alienation of workers, class consciousness, and the role of ideology in maintaining inequality” by sociologists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (Lewis 33). This theory sees life as a social contest between humanity. It is essentially a competition for valued resources such as freedom, status, and wealth (The Conflict). It views conflicts, as well as everyday changes in society to be ordinary (Lewis 33). A founder of this theory, C. Wright Mills, suggests that the creation of social classes is due to people owning and expressing different opinions and interests (The Conflict). This is an ongoing problem between the “haves and the have-nots” (Lewis 35).

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.

Brown etal., 1993 as described in Calebdumisa, 2007 defined disputes as a conflict which manifest itself in distinct and justifiable issues that can be resolve by means of adjudication, mediation and arbitration. In a simplest word, conflict is doubt or questioning, opposition, incompatible behavior, controversy or antagonistic interaction and disputes is one of the range of events considered

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 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’

The conflict theory highlights that various groups within the society have different interests that can lead to conflict. There are many branches of conflict theory of which Marxism holds a unique position. Marxism highlights the significance of the economic factor. According to Karl Marx, conflicts in society arise due to inequalities among different social classes. Marx argues that typically starts with the idea that dominant classes, or elites, impose their will on lower classes to maintain order. That the elites have access positions. And, that middle and poor classes follow the rules imposed by the elite because they have no choice, and that is because middle and poor class have little power and few resources, leaving few alternatives other than working within the current system. Marx highlights that other than the economy, factors such as power and status are also important. As you can see both functionalism and conflict theory presents a point of view in approaching the society. However, there is a difference between the two perspectives. This can be summarized as follows. (Southgate, Basic Concepts 2012).

It is important to understand the basic nature of dispute resolution processes and how they relate to one another. Whilst dispute resolution as a whole is complicated to define, the Spectrum of Dispute Resolution visually displays the six main processes from their ability to resolve conflict to their ability to resolve a dispute. Walking away, negotiation and mediation fall on the conflict solving side. Whist litigation and arbitration fall to the dispute solving side. Conciliation and case appraisal sit somewhere in the middle of these processes. For the purpose of discussing the advantages and disadvantages of dispute

Karl Marx believed that struggle or conflict among classes was an inevitable feature of capitalism based on the argument that various groups in a society or social classes perpetually fight and compete for resources and power, hence the groups remains polarized against each other. The Karl Marx’s conflict theory views behavior from the perspective of conflict or tension among two or more groups. The conflict does not necessarily translate to violence but rather takes the form of struggle within political negotiations, business, philosophical ideologies or personal attitudes. A critical analysis of Karl Marx conflict theory’s point of view reveals that the conflict of social classes is the major aspect of societal conflict, and is mostly propagated by the differences in economic statuses and inequalities in distribution.

As human beings, we are caught up daily in a complex web of social and commercial interactions. For as long as these interactions continue, interests are bound to clash. When interests clash or are in completion with the interest of others then we can say a dispute has arisen. For as long as humans exist there will be disputes.