Organizational Conflict : An Array Of Varied Cultures

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

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.

In the face of conflict one must look for objective criteria with which to resolve conflict is essential. Always keep in mind the aspiration for long term relationship building. We never know when we would meet our counterpart, another representative of his or her organization or a common acquaintance

Choosing a topic and problem for a signature assignment which is very close to a research topic could be a hurdle. It requires good literature review which is derived by tapping and evaluating previous researchers’ efforts and expertise. A potential research study on “Conflict Management Styles among Corporate Executives in Developing Countries – Nigeria a Case Study” is considered for a signature assignment. Conflict is inevitable and exists everywhere. In organizational system, conflict and methods of conflict management influences different groups (employees, management team and executives).

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 between people of different culture occurs due to people’s unwillingness to be open-minded in understanding others perceptions. People around the world have different cultural perceptions and this can hinder the ability to connect and communicate with each other. It is imperative to provide an open and receptive environment that allows others to better understand their perspective and their background. This will help to avoid misinterpretations or offences. Overall, creating unity and a sense of community by helping understand one another resulting in a better

When examining these issues, it’s possible to determine which conflict that is being dealt with by looking at the cues that are provided. These cues include end goals related to the conflict, flexibility, and the interests of the parties involved within the conflict. Realistic conflict involves issues that can solved when party are willing to work towards a common goal, and nonrealistic conflict occurs when they are trying to win. Nonrealistic conflicts will consist of less flexible parties, and are best handled with fore or coercion to reach an end goal. This will stop the conflict from escalation or being all together avoided by the members involved. Conflicts that are readily identified can be controlled, and the best solutions can be

The initial conflict was started due to an incompatibility of goals by the two parties. Michael wanted to fulfill his work obligation and prioritized that over study hours while the executive board was concerned for obtaining those study hours. Tensions got heated when they confronted him head on after returning home from work, which lead to finger pointing and bickering. The initial conflict interaction ended relatively shortly, but the conflict seemed to push forward over the span of a couple weeks. Evaluating the goals on both sides is crucial to apprehending the communicative process (Berger, 2005). Due to the goals being misconceived, it lead to a standstill. Another important proximal context aspect that directed this conflict was the rules that were at play. Since this conflict was an organizational conflict instead of a social conflict, it created little room for Michael to justify his actions through emotions or other strategies. The organizational goals were not aligned with Michaels prior to the conflict itself, which our textbook would explain that Michael was challenging the rules of the organization through the use of conflict in desire to change the rules and or create new ones (Cupach, Canary & Spitzberg, 2010). It goes without saying, that this conflict did not lead to a successful resolution; but understanding the proximal outcomes and how they shaped the individuals experience is worth noting for future

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

Another problem is dislike that existed among managers. There was an obvious conflict that existed between the head of assisted care and the head of activities. It was an outright conflict between the two which saw

When dealing with an intercultural conflict, it is important to keep in mind the cultural differences that keep either side from approaching the situation in the same manner. This paper will illustrate a conflict between a Vietnamese teacher and an American teacher. It will then explain the way that the Vietnamese culture views conflict. Followed by the way an American would view conflict. Finally, it will explain how both sides could proceed when dealing with another intercultural conflict. This example of conflict appears to be very simple but given that the Vietnamese culture is a collectivist culture; it can be very complicated.

Though the issue looked like personal conflicts on the face, it actually stems from the friction between two departments fundamentally different in their working methods and thought processes. The fact that the two managers, Ellen and Ronnie, with different working styles leading these two departments has only compounded the problem. Ellen’s complaint was that Ronnie’s team is not sending their timesheets in time, which is leading to late payments from the insurer and shortage in cash flow. Even Ronnie acknowledges this but the solution appears to be different in each other’s minds. Ronnie is adamant that they just need more time, while Ellen is saying that genuine effort is required, not just time extensions. As much as

Cross-cultural conflict is important in a multi-cultural workforce. In a globalized world conflict appears to occur frequently. Several things are thought to be correlated with I.C (Interpersonal Conflict) among diverse groups and cultures. Culture has a direct effect and mediated effect on conflict behavior. Face concerns among parent and sibling in Germany, Japan, Mexico, and U.S were examined by researchers. They collected answers from 449 participants among these four groups (Oatzel et al.2003). The sample was drawn from students 450 females and 300 males with mean age 21.54, SD 3.76. It studied face concern and conflict style relationship. Self-Face is associated positively with dominating conflict styles. Other-Face associated with avoiding conflict styles. Results showed that Dominating Styles were self-face and concerned with one 's own image. Other-Face is concerned with other 's image. Of the demographic groups that participated Other-Face Styles are higher in China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan. Cultural Individualism-Collectivism had direct effects on conflict styles. Avoiding conflict, integrating, obliging are higher among Chinese students face concerns, American western students have a dominating style of face concern and more individualist.

When properly managed, conflicts can deepen relationships and strengthen the community, local or global. The basic rules of dispute are deceptively simple.

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.