Introduction
Not every person is going to get along on a daily basis, and in a confined space. There’s going to be conflicts in every environment especially in the workplace where most people spend the greater part of the day. Conflict is hard to define because every situation is different, it could be either tangible or intangible in the case of feelings. Conflict resolution is a task not easily handled, and it can be really disparaging if not properly taken care of when it is identified.
Workplace conflict can be caused by various factors, and can cause a great deal of stress for all those involved. We as human beings have different beliefs, and share different opinions on ideas. We also work and communicate differently, and in the different environments work, community and home that leaves room for disagreements. Conflict is often thought of as negativity, but it can enlighten the environment once resolved in the correct manner. Something as simple as difference in personalities can cause a major conflict in the workplace.
Culture is one of the most common conflict situations in the workplace and can be caused by different cultures and assumptions of each employee, that can amount to well over one-hundred different cultures in any one workplace in a metropolitan area of any big city in the United States. People from different cultures often have different mindsets from those that are of cultures different from theirs. Each culture may even have a sub-culture, this further dilutes the conflict. Some people value work more than others and some are more motivated than others and this causes conflict on the job.
Work Related Conflict
Gelfand, Keller, & de Dreu (2012) asked the question “why do some organizations de...
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To avoid this type of disruption I feel certain that this conflict will be resolved once the organizational leadership team as a whole implements a solid set of principles and values that are used to provide consistency in how decisions are made, and how people can actively contribute to the success of the division while partnering and collaborating with other areas of the business.
References
Abigail, R. A., & Cahn, D. D. (2011). Managing conflict through communication. 4th Ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Gelfand, M. J., Leslie, L. M., Keller, K., & de Dreu, C. (2012). Conflict cultures in organizations: How leaders shape conflict cultures and their organizational-level consequences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(6), 1131-1147. doi:10.1037/a0029993
Wilmot, W., & Hocker, J. (2011). Interpersonal conflict. 8th Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Consider a case study in which an off campus student struggles to study when dealing with a noisy upstairs neighbor. While any student should anticipate loud and late weekends, after all it is college life, the upstairs upperclassman’s loud and intimidating personality traits linger into weeknights. The undergraduate student needs to carefully consider how to approach the delicate situation. Luckily, the undergraduate student understands there are multiple communication styles and approaches to conflict management including passive, passive-aggressive, aggressive, and assertive styles, and considers each approach carefully before addressing the unruly
Look up the word conflict in the dictionary and you will see several negative responses. Descriptions such as: to come into collision or disagreement; be at variance or in opposition; clash; to contend; do battle; controversy; quarrel; antagonism or opposition between interests or principles Random House (1975). With the negative reputation associated with this word, no wonder people tend to shy away when they start to enter into the area of conflict. D. Jordan (1996) suggests that there are two types of conflict: good, which is defined as cognitive conflict (C-type conflict) and, detrimental, defined as affective conflict (A-type conflict). The C-type conflict allows for creativity, to pull together a group of people with different opinions or ideas, to combine and brain storm all thoughts to develop the best solution for the problem. The A-type conflict is the negative form when you have animosity, hostility, un-resolveable differences, and egos to deal with. The list citing negative conflicts could go on forever. We will be investigating these types of conflicts, what managers can do to recognize conflict early, and what strategies they can use to resolve conflicts once they have advanced.
It has been estimated in a study by the American Management Association that managers spend between 20% to as much as 50% of their times dealing with conflict among their employees (American Sentinel, 2012). When workplace conflicts are left unresolved they can lead to dissatisfaction, depression and other problems such as aggression and violence (Whitworth 2008). The negative, sometimes hostile, environment created by unresolved conflict has been recognized to be a hazard not only to staff, but also to patient care (The Joint Commission 2008).
O’Rourke, J. & Collins, S. (2008). Managing Conflict and Workplace Relationships. New York: Cengage Learning.
Although there is a plethora of possible sources of conflict in any workplace, the ones in this case are rather explicit. These include personal differences, Informal deficiencies’, role incompatibility, environment stress, perceptions, and expectations. Personal differences could be related to personal values, physiognomies, family bonds or ties, and material belongings.
Interpersonal conflict is very common with many relationships. It occurs when two people can not meet in the middle or agree on a discussion. Cooperation is key to maintaining a healthy debate. More frequently; when dealing with members of your own family, issues arise that include conflict and resolution. During this process our true conflict management style appears “out of thin air”. (Steve A. Beebe, 2008, p. 191).
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 the organization” (Iglesias & De Bengoa Vallejo, 2012, p. 73).
workplace include greater total resources, greater knowledge band and a greater source of ideas. However, these advantages can also bring on conflict within teams and the entire workplace. Varney (1989) reported that conflict remained the number one problem within a large company. This was after several attempts were made to train management in conflict resolutions and procedures. However, the conflict remained. The conflict possibly remains because the managers and leaders did not pay attention to the seriousness of the issue. In order to maintain an effective team, leaders and team members must know and be proactive in the conflict resolution techniques and procedures.
Conflict in the workplace is a fact of life. Creating a work environment that enables people to thrive is important. Because people have different goals and needs, conflict unfortunately is inevitable. Individuals interpret and respond differently to situations. The differences in people is not a bad thing however, it’s the attitudes that arise that may make a situation a negative one.
There are various types or levels of conflict existing in the work environment including relationship, task and process conflict. Definitions of the aforementioned types of conflict are: (1) Relationship conflict can be defined as an awareness of interpersonal incompatibilities, includes affective components such as feeling tension and friction. Relationship conflict involves personal issues such as dislike among group members and feelings such as annoyance, frustration, and irritation (Jehn,
In my opinion, conflicts can lead to one’s personal and social growth in society. In many cases, effective conflict resolution skills can make the difference between a positive or negative outcome. By resolving conflict successfully, one can solve many issues that come to the surface and gain the benefit of understanding each other better. The main point is to discuss the issues which would help to resolve the conflict by raising awareness among the people involved in the conflict of the situation and giving them the insight of the given situation to achieve their goals without undermining the goals of other people involved. When conflict is resolved effectively, everyone can develop stronger mutual respect and trust in each other’s abilities to work together in a given situation.
According to McShane and Von Glinow, conflict is “a process in which one party perceives that his or her interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another party” (328). The Conflict Process Model begins with the different sources of conflict; these sources lead one or more parties to perceive that a conflict exists. These perceptions interact with emotions and manifest themselves in the behavior towards other parties. The arrows in the figure illustrate the series of conflict episodes that cycle into conflict escalation (McShane and Von Glinow 331-332).
Within a work center everyone more or less understands how another person operates. This leads to teamwork and personnel moving in the same direction i.e. goal accomplishment. Just the same, right underneath the surface, the potential for conflict
that may result in a struggle for power or position. Conflict management, therefore, can be
Borisoff, D., & Victor, D.A. (1998). Conflict Management: A Communication Skills Approach (2nd Ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.