Role Conflict in the Realm of Management Theory
As a manager, the task of personnel performance and organizational cohesion is of the upmost importance. In order to more effectively stimulate an environment that is conducive to optimizing personnel performance, theories have been developed to help managers more effectively mitigate any conflicts that have the potential to sideline production and employees. As a manager, one of the most important theories that needs to be considered is role theory, in particular, that of role conflicts.
Role Theory and Role Conflict
Role theories suggest that people in organizations take on roles that come with their positions and levels (Colorado State University-Global Campus, 2010). This theory centers on the idea that people are socialized to play roles that help maintain a stable society and social order (Miles, 2012). Managers must understand that all roles are not amicable towards the other and the introduction of multiple different personalities can lead to conflict. Role conflict may arise when two roles intersect and collide leading to tension between personnel causing issues (Colorado State University-Global Campus, 2010). Role conflict comes from the behavioral dynamics of organization and management and is an extremely common occurrence (Levinson, 1965). Derived from sociology and psychology, the roles and conflicts played in an organization is one of the most volatile dynamics in an organization requiring constant vigilance on the part of the manager.
Organizations are in need of constant monitoring for role conflicts and personality clashes that may lead to the decreased productivity and unfavorable work environments. In order to do this managers must be connected in...
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...t that people are humans and humans play roles in society. With an awareness of this fact, managers will successfully be able to promote a positive workplace culture both for employees and productivity.
Works Cited
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Colorado State University-Global Campus. (2010). Module 3 – Management and management theory [Blackboard ecourse]. In ORG 502 – Effective organizations: Theory and practice (p. 4). Greenwood Village, CO: Author.
Levinson, H. (1965). Organizational stress: Studies in role conflict and ambiguity. Administrative Science Quaterly, 10(1), 125-129.
Miles, J. A. (2012). Management and organization theory. (1 ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (2013). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
In the case study of Juanita and Sandra, Juanita, a sales manager of Trumbell and Son, is struggling with Sandra who is a new employee on the sales team. Juanita is an effective manager who spends time to learn about what personalities, strength, and incidental details her employees have. Juanita can pull out employees best skill sets and internal incentives. On the other hand, Sandra’s inconsistent behavior made Juanita confuse about her personality. As a manager, Juanita feels uncomfortable about managing Sandra’s inconsistent personalities. This may be caused by the difference in behaviors and personalities between these two individual.
Firstly, I have had to distinguish and appreciate the different social roles that are there. This includes the bio-social roles, the cultural roles, gender roles and situational roles (Merton, 1957). By being able to fulfill each type of role differently and effectively, I am able to reduce role stress significantly. Secondly, I have had to prioritize roles, knowing the difference between urgent and important so that role stress is well managed. In light of the fact that different types of roles have a competitive nature, prioritizing on roles has been helpful in managing role stress as it is possible to navigate on the difficult path of fulfilling
The process of role development goes beyond networking and taking on a new role as an APN. According to Brykczynski’s study of clinical nurse specialists, role development involves a complete makeover of one’s professional identity and the ability to integrate the seven core advanced practice competencies.1 New graduate APNs go through phases during their transitioning period, from a registered nurse to an APN; these phases include orientation, frustration, implementation, integration, frozen, reorganization and complant.2
(Tost, Gino & Larrick 2013) argues that “when a formal leader experiences a heightened subjective sense of power, he or she tends to dominate group discussions and interactions, which leads other team members to perceive that their views and perspectives are not valued”. This perceived imbalance definitely hampers any attempt at managing workplace conflict. When employees feel that they have no authority or empowerment they tend to be disengaged, and disengaged employees effect productivity. Low productivity can be considered a form of dissatisfaction and thus labelled a conflict that must be addressed by both employee and manager.
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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.
Many people enjoy working or participating in a group or team, but when a group of people work together chances are that conflicts will occur. Hazleton describes conflict as the discrepancy between what is the perceived reality and what is seen as ideal (2007). “We enter into conflicts reluctantly, cautiously, angrily, nervously, confidently- and emerge from them battered, exhausted, sad, satisfied, triumphant. And still many of us underestimate or overlook the merits of conflict- the opportunity conflict offers every time it occurs” (Schilling, nd.). Conflict does not have to lead to a hostile environment or to broken relationships. Conflict if resolved effectively can lead to a positive experience for everyone involved. First, there must be an understanding of the reasons why conflicts occur. The conflict must be approached with an open mind. Using specific strategies can lead to a successful resolution for all parties involved. The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument states “there are five general approaches to dealing with conflict. The five approaches are avoidance, accommodation, competition, compromise, and collaboration. Conflict resolution is situational and no one approach provides the best or right approach for all circumstances” (Thomas, 2000).
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(Asawo, 2011). Conflict can occur in any setting and as leaders in organizations guide and
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