As people interact in the place of work, there are many issues that arise amongst, them some positive and others negative. One of the major issues that arise is the conflicts which occur amidst the different groups. The essay below looks at different aspects related to conflicts in an organization.
It is well known that conflicts are inevitable within the workplace. Conflicts are defined as an event which occurs when one party feels that its interests are being opposed or affected negatively by another party. According to NSW Government (2012), there are two types of conflicts that can arise within an organization. One of these is the functional conflict, which is defined as the conflict which is constructive, supports the company goals and generally improves the performance within the organization. This type of conflict occurs in cases where both the parties are genuinely interested in the welfare of the organization. This is a conflict that can be said to be productive. There are dysfunctional conflicts as well. These are conflicts which are comprised of disputes and disagreements which hinder the progress of the organization. These conflicts arise when there are people within the organization who are not willing to work together to come up with a solution for a given problem (NSW Government, 2012).
There are quite a number of antecedents to conflicts as defined by Farias (2012). One of them is the incompatible personalities or value systems. This means that people who are pooled together in a team cannot easily agree since they have different perspectives of viewing issues. As such, they get into a conflict very easily. Overlapping or unclear job boundaries are another major cause since some people might feel that their jobs are being tampered with by the others. In the long run, a conflict ensues even if no one anticipated it. It is well known that communication is a key factor in every setting. As such, if people do not communicate effectively in the workplace, there is a very high possibility that they would get into a conflict. Going along with this problem is the issue of unmet expectations. When people get hired within organizations, they have expectations as to what they want to achieve or realize. If this does not happen, they are likely to get into conflicts with others since they are already frustrated by their work. The last factor that will be discussed in this essay is the interdependency of tasks (Farias, 2012). It is well known that when a process takes several steps, different people are involved in the different steps. If one group fails in accomplishing the task in time, there is high likelihood that the others will be infuriated, thus resulting to a conflict.
Since conflicts are inevitable, the only solution is ensuring that they are well taken care of; that is, solved effectively. Farias (2012) observes that there are various desired outcomes of a conflict. Three of these will be addressed in this essay. The first one is agreement. This is where the warring parties can come to a consensus on how to go about the problem at hand. This shows that the conflict was handled in the right manner. Stronger relationships can also result from the conflict resolution process. This is where the people form a kind of interdependency or bonds that are not easily broken. Lastly, learning can result from a conflict. This is where the different groups get to appreciate that there are different values and cultures observed by the different people within the organization. Appreciating these differences is a sure way of handling the conflicts effectively.
Farias, E.B. (2012). Managing Conflict and Stress. Retrieved on 23rd July 2012 from http://www.angelfire.com/ak6/organizational_behav/lecture13.pdf
NSW Government. (2012). Decision- Making Managing Conflict. Retrieved on 23rd July 2012 from http://toolkit.smallbiz.nsw.gov.au/part/8/42/203
