The Importance Of Conflict And Conflict Management

Conflict exists when one party’s interest are being opposed or negatively affected by another party." (McShane, Olekalns & Travaglione 2010, p. 414). "Disagreement or conflict, risk, and time can be either assets or liabilities depending on how they are managed by you and the members of your team." (Troester, R & Mester, C 2007, p.185). 'Personality of managers affects their managerial style and their conflict management method' (Salimi, S.H & Karaminia, R & Esmaeili, A.A 2011, p.11), therefore styles should be thoroughly assessed in which the appropriate method should be chosen. When managing conflict, it is important to work together as it is extremely common for conflicts to escalate regardless of what type of conflict. Generally, there

Conflict is part of the normality and is manifested with varying degrees of intensity, occurring when people feel they have created inconsistencies between their goals, aspirations and expectations (Cojocaru, C 2010, p.429). Conflict is unavoidable whether it is in the workplace, or in social life. Hatch and Cunliffe states that learning to deal effectively with conflict and making it functional is a critical investment for good intrapersonal and interpersonal relations in organizations well as setting the tone for a positive climate and culture for success (cited in Judonoo, E & Schroeder, K & Boysen-Rotelli, S 2012, p.52). It is beneficial for organisations to promote a culture of healthy conflicts by creating the right atmosphere. This is the best approach for organisations as conflict will occur regardless, in which time and money are spent in resolving them. However, in today's society, modern workplaces can sometimes see conflict as a positive. According to the 'Model of the Conflict Process' the positive conflict outcomes include better decisions, responsive organisation and team cohesion (McShane, Olekalns & Travaglione 2010, p. 415). Currently in few workplaces, conflict can be seen due to misunderstanding about differing needs. This leads to disagreements and arguments. Furthermore, this is not necessarily negative. When organisations recognize the conflict, they have to examine the situation and environment, in a more compassionate manner, understanding all options. This conflict can be an asset for organisations as it gives the opportunity to discuss and explore other options while opening pathways to different ways of problem solving and team building. Conflict can be beneficial at times as it enables individuals to