Conflict Management

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

We live in a social community where we have to interact with lot of peoples and many of them have unfamiliar personality to us. So we cannot eliminate the conflicts.

Conflict is a disagreement between people that may be the result of different: - Idea, Perspectives, Priorities, Preferences, Beliefs, Values, Goals, Organizational structures.

Organization conflicts

Organizational conflict is a state of discord caused by the actual or perceived opposition of needs, values and interests between people working together. For example if there is lack of resources so if everybody think of his own interest that I should be the person whose job should be done first so conflict arises.

The Effect of Conflict on Organization Performance

Conflict has both positive and negative effects on the performance.

Conflict is negative when it

 Takes attention away from other activities

 Damages the spirit of the team or an individual

 Divides people and groups, and makes cooperation difficult

 Makes people or group focus on their differences

 Leads to harmful behavior, like fighting or name-calling

Conflict is positive when it

 Clears up important problems or issues

 Brings about solutions to problems

 Gets everyone involved in solving issues

 Causes real communication

 Release emotion, anxiety, and stress in a positive way

 Helps people learn more about each other and cooperate

 Develops understanding and skills

Conflict can cause organizational distress

 * Low morale

 * Complaints

 * Minimum creativity

 * Lack of team spirit

 * Absenteeism and turnover

Sources of Conflict

There are many sources but some of them are incompatible goals, overlapping authority, task interdependence, scarce resources etc..

Types of Conflict

Following are the types of conflicts.

Interpersonal Conflict

Conflict between individuals due to differences in their goals or values.

Intra-group Conflict

Conflict within a group or team is known as Intra-group Conflict.

Intergroup Conflict

Conflict between two or more teams or groups is called Intergroup Conflict. Managers play a key role in resolution of these conflicts.

Inter-organizational Conflict

Conflict that arises across organizations is called Inter-organizational Conflict.

Conflict management

Conflict management involves implementing strategies to limit the negative aspects of conflict and to increase the positive aspects of conflict at a level equal to or higher than where the conflict is taking place

The motive is there how to manage your conflicts resolve your conflicts. Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of some social conflict. Often, committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information about their conflicting motives or ideologies to the rest of the group.

So we can use different methods to resolve our conflicts.

Avoiding

No winners, no losers

Avoidance is one of the most common strategies for coping with conflict. Avoiding a conflict doesn't mean you're a coward--unless, of course, you do it all the time. Avoiding is a legitimate strategy when you need time to cool off, when you stand to gain nothing from confronting a situation, when power is drastically unequal, when you want to put distance between yourself and the other person, or when you need time to prepare. Avoidance buys time. Use the time wisely once you have it. For example, if you postpone a meeting, immediately get to work, prepare yourself and reschedule.

When to use:

 When the conflict is small and relationships are at stake

 When you're counting to ten to cool off

 When more important issues are pressing and you feel you don't have time to deal with this particular one

 When you have no power and you see no chance of getting your concerns met

 When you are too emotionally involved and others around you can solve the conflict more successfully

 When more information is needed

Drawbacks:

 Important decisions may be made by default

 Postponing may make matters worse

Accommodation

I lose, you win

Accommodation involves giving in to the other's wishes or smoothing the choppy waves of a conflict. Accommodation sacrifices one's own goals for the sake of the other person. Accommodators often use phrases like: "Whatever you want is fine with me." When one party in a conflict genuinely does not care about the outcome of the conflict, accommodation may be the right choice for that situation. However, if accommodation is the only style a person utilizes, he or she is advised to learn more skills.

When to use:

 When you know you are right

 When time is short and a quick decision is needed

 When a strong personality is trying

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