Preview

The Significance of Organizational Conflict

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1274 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Significance of Organizational Conflict
u08a1 The Significance of Organizational Conflict

As it is with all people, organizations experience conflict as well. In fact, conflict is impossible to avoid. At some point every one and in every environment, company, agency, and organization will experience some form of conflict. Whenever individuals engage with one another, the potential for conflict is present. Conflict is an unavoidable aspect of organizational life and can cause a substantial impact on individuals within the organizations, and organizations themselves (Ryan, Castro, 2004). Conflict is said to be “the spice of life” (Lewicki & Spencer, 1986-1998). It is prevalent and unavoidable in organizations as workers compete for recognition, praise, and promotion. Departments compete for resources and services, and divisions disagree with corporate decisions (Lewicki & Spencer, 1986-1998).
As difficult as conflict can appear to be to deal with, it can be very affective, it can not only affect the individuals within the organizations, it can also affect their interactions with their co workers, their moral, productivity, creativity, performance, outlook, and attitudes. Conflict can affect the success of a department, and an entire organization. Because conflict is unavoidable, what is important is to determine how to use it in a positive and proactive way. Learning from conflict is one of the strongest strategies organizations can use to help them grow and learn. It is important for organizations to use conflict when it occurs to learn how to improve from its presence.
In order to improve from the affects of conflict, one must first understand its complexities. There are some characteristics within organizations that may even affect how individuals manage conflict. Some of the things that cause conflict within organizations is structural conditions .Environments within an organization can cause conflict. For example, within a highly competitive environment, conflict and stress are usually



Bibliography: Bovey, W.H, Hede, A. (2001). Resistance to organizational change: the model of cognitive and affective processes. Leadershorg Dev J. 22 (8): 372-382. Lewicki, R., Spencer, G., (1986-1988). Conflict and negotiation in organizations: Introduction and overview. Journal of Orgazational Behavior (1986-1998): May 1992; B, 3; ProQuest Psychology Journals, pg 205. McIlduff, E., Coghlan, D. (2000). Understanding and contending with passive aggressive behavior in terms of organizations. J. Manage Psychol 15 (7): 716-732. Rahim, M.A. (2002). Toward a theory of managing gorganizational conflict. Intrnational Journal of Conflict Mgt; 2002; 13, 3; ProQuest Psychology Journals pg 206. Raza, S., Standing, C. (2011). A systematic model for managing an devaluating conflicts in organizational change. Roloff, M.E., (1987). Communication and conflict. INC.R. Berger & S.H. Cahaffee (Eds). Handbook of communication science (pp 484-534). Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Ryan, S. and Castro, S. (2004). Conflict within organizations. Florida, Atlantic University.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Conflict is something that is inevitable, however it is important as a leader to show how you handle conflict that separates you from being a good or a bad leader. Conflict is a common workplace situation that arises. Because an organization is composed of many different individuals conflicts are seen as being unavoidable. Conflict involves and influences many factors. If there is conflict present in an organization than that can lead to employees attention being focused on the conflict and not focused on their job and their work productivity. Conflict also creates tensions. Conflict can sometimes arise when management is unable to communicate the direction of the company to employees. Conflict will begin as employees are allowed to interpret change within the company in their own way. Groups in conflict tend not to collaborate on new ideas. When conflict goes unresolved it can be difficult to create new ideas the company needs to solve problems it is facing. When conflict management is successful, there are limited negative effects and the company can move forward in a productive manner. When management does not offer conflict resolution, there can be many negative effects on the company. Understanding the negative effects of conflict an organization is…

    • 1048 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    self reflection BSB124

    • 2143 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Rahim, M., & Blum, A. (1994). Global Perspectives on Organizational Conflict, : Prager, Westport, Conn…

    • 2143 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Working together in organizations is increasingly the norm, yet the challenges of working effectively are considerable. One challenge is conflict—the process resulting from the tension between team members because of real or perceived differences.…

    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Organizational Theory Paper

    • 2780 Words
    • 12 Pages

    3) Sreenath B. "Organizational Conflict Management." Scribd. Sreenath Brsee, 24 Nov. 2009. Web. 22 Oct. 2010. <http://www.scribd.com/doc/22996021/Organizational-Conflict-Management>.…

    • 2780 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    SU MBA5001 W5 A2 Ayala I

    • 975 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In some instance, conflict usually doesn’t come only from one single source inside the organization. There are so many different sources of conflict in the workplace, which includes the following:…

    • 975 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    Thomas, KW (1976) Conflict and Conflict Management. In M Dunette (ed.), Handbook of industrial and organisational Psychology, Chicago, Il:Rand McNally…

    • 3338 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    Conflict is an omnipresent facet of human existence present at every level of society. Differences in culture, norms, beliefs, wants, needs, and personality causes conflict. Throughout history people involved in conflict solicit assistance from a third party with the primary goal to negotiate a resolution. Team A is assigned to review a case involving two managers of a manufacturing company involved in a conflict. The following paragraphs provide an overview of the case and different third party interventions strategies. Team A included below the analysis of the case, a third party intervention strategy to resolve the conflict, the reason the strategy resolves the conflict, and an alternate strategy if the first strategy does not work.…

    • 2101 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Conflict management

    • 1035 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Conflicts occur when people (or other parties) perceive that, as a consequence of a disagreement, there is a threat to their needs, interests or concerns. Although conflict is a normal part of organization life, providing numerous opportunities for growth through improved understanding and insight, there is a tendency to view conflict as a negative experience caused by abnormally difficult circumstances. Disputants tend to perceive limited options and finite resources available in seeking solutions, rather than multiple possibilities that may exist 'outside the box' in which we are problem-solving.…

    • 1035 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cited: Mayer, B. (2000). The Dynamics of Conflict Resolution: A Practitioner 's Guide. San Francisco, CA, USA: Jossey-Bass.…

    • 1526 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Vliert, E. V., & Dreu, C. K. (1997). Using Conflict in Organizations. Sage Publications. NYC:…

    • 930 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Lanier, P (n.d.). Conflict Management and Negotiation. Reference for Business. Encyclopedia of Business. 2nd Edition. Retrieved from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Comp-De/Conflict-Management-and-Negotiation.html…

    • 2934 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Tuckman's Team Development

    • 1740 Words
    • 7 Pages

    “Conflict is an integral part of the life of teams. It is inevitable because teams are made up of people and no two people are alike. When people come together, they bring with them different ways of seeing things. When these differences show up, people can feel threatened, and conflict emerges.” CITATION Fla08 \l 1033 (Flanagan, 2008). Conflict management is part of every day management practice in an organization and is required to survive in the competitive environment. Conflict may arise among employees, team members, between the employer and employee and occur if the sides do not agree. However, conflicts can be minimized or predicted if the early indicators are recognized.…

    • 1740 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Traditionally, conflict has been regarded as abhorrent in organizations. When seen as behavior intended to obstruct the achievement of another person 's goals, it is easy to understand the belief that a healthy organizational climate should reflect complete harmony (Mullins, 1993).…

    • 1437 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    This essay seeks to illustrate how organizational conflict cannot be avoided. It will demonstrate the various ways in which conflict may arise within organizations and classify them into a range of groups. There will be a thorough analysis to show if conflict is positive or negative towards the growth of an organization. Findings of the previous will then lead to different mechanisms that can be used when managing conflict to ensure positive outcomes in an organization.…

    • 3627 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    conflict is an inevitable part of organizational life and will influence organizational teams. A lesser known fact is that conflict can be healthy, even useful and productive. However, conflict can become dysfunctional and inhibit productivity if parties become entrenched, disputes become personal, or team members take sides (Chris Musselwhite).…

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays