ASST PROF JONLEN DESA ASST PROF JONLEN DESA

A Conflict is a disagreement between 2 or more individuals over an issue of mutual interest. Conflicts arise when one party feels that the action of the other party will affect his interest or obstruct the achievement of its goals.It arises due to competition and rivalry.When two or more persons cannot work together conflict develops.Conflicts may arise from the feeling of distrust, anger, fear, resentment and dislikes as well as from personality clashes.

“Conflict is a process in which an effort is purposefully made by one person or unit to block another that results in frustrating the attainment of other’s goals or the furthering of his/ her interest”- Stephen Robbins

“Conflict is any situation in which two or more parties feel themselves in opposition. It is an interpersonal process that arises from disagreements over the goals or the methods to accomplish those goals.” – John Newstrom and Keith Davis.

Incompatible values and goals Intentional behavior Interlocking of eventsComprehensive concept Results of conflicts(+ve & -ve)Conflicts is not competitionConflicts is opposite of cooperation Management of conflictSources of conflict Unavoidable

Technological change Organizational change Difference in personality Lack of trust and confidence Clash of viewpointIssues in goal setting Change in values Position conscious Desire for rewards

Functional Conflict is known as Constructive Conflict. It makes people creative, cooperative and work towards good performance. Functional conflict is healthy. It enhances team work which is essential for achievement of goals.

Dysfunctional Conflict is called Destructive Conflict. It develops where there is very high or very low intensities. When this kind of conflict exist, the work environment gets spoilt. There is a lot of negativity and it is unhealthy for the firm. It should be immediately corrected. *

A. Goal conflict:i. Approach- Approach Conflictii. Approach- Avoidance Conflict iii. Avoidance- Avoidance Conflict

B. Role Conflict:Types of Role conflict:i. Person-role conflict ii. Inter-role conflict iii. Intra-sender role conflict iv. Inter-sender role conflict

a) Personality differences

i. Agreeableness: good natured, cooperative and trusting.

ii. Extroversion: outgoing, social and assertive. iii. Openness: open to new ideas, imaginative

curious. iv. Conscientiousness: careful, responsible and

dependable. v. Emotional stability: unworried, relaxed and

secure.

b) Perception

c) Values and interests

b) Perception c) Values and interestsd) Power and status e) Lack of resources

Incompatible goals Task relationships Competition for rewardsResource sharing Joint decision making Organizational ambiguities Introducing change

STIMULATING CONFLICTSPREVENTING CONFLICTSRESOLVING CONFLICTS

The practice of recognizing and dealing with disputes in a rational, balanced and effective way. Conflict management implemented within a business environment usually involves proper communication, problem resolving abilities and good negotiating skills to restore the focus to the company's overall goals.Conflict management is the process of limiting the negative aspects of conflict while increasing the positive aspects of conflict. It aims at solving the disputes or conflicts amicably through negotiation or conflict resolution.It aims for a WIN-WIN  result.

Preventive MeasuresWhile implementing preventive measures, management creates such circumstances where dysfunctional conflicts do not occur. It is not possible to pinpoint one single cause that triggers of conflict. 

Curative MeasuresCurative measures relate to setting common goals jointly, establishing conflict resolution reorganizing structure etc. Both preventive and curative measures are equally needed in order to maintain pleasant organizational climate. Conflict management should aim at win-win situation. In this the conflict is resolved to everyone’s benefit. Win-win conditions are created by eliminating the underlying causes of the conflict. 

1. Potential Antagonism Antagonism is active opposition and hostility. Potentiality of conflict exist when 2 or more parties raise issues concerning them. Before conflict develops there must be scope for disagreement to take place. In a work group the presence of antagonistic feelings is quite common but they do not always get translated into conflict.

2. Cognition and Personalization If the situation is of marginal significance it way be ignored. But if the situation is found threatening or is of bigger dimensions it may lead to conflict. Mostly conflict develops on popular issues that cover number of employees. Cognition is perceiving things. Some issues may lie dormant for sometime but takes form of a conflict when it gets mass support.

3. Conflict and Conflict Management BehaviorIn this stage one group makes deliberate attempt to block the goal attainment of the other group. This manifest behavior of the group because the conflict appears in the open. There is no one universally recognized method of handling conflict. It may range from compromise to confrontation. Depending on the situation management may adopt appeasement to prevent crisis . 

4. Consequences of ConflictIn the aftermath of conflict there is an interplay between different forms of overt behavior strategies to handle conflict. The consequence of conflict is multidimensional. It affects every aspect of work such as business, policies, organization structure, level of employee satisfaction etc. conflicts are settled in such a way that the organization remains free from clash for a reasonably long period. At other time, consequences of conflict lead to fresh tussle. 

Conflict resolution involves the reduction, elimination, or termination of all forms and types of conflict. Five styles for conflict management are

Competing, Compromising, Collaborating, Avoiding & Accommodating2 Dimensions:

Cooperativeness- Desire to satisfy other person’s concerns.

Assertiveness- Desire to satisfy one’s own concern

Competition- In this style, the person is uncooperative but assertive. He puts his need before the other person’s. He goes against the wishes of the other party. It results in a Win-Lose Situation.Collaboration- The person is cooperative and assertive. The main aim is to solve the problem so that everyone gains thus resulting in a Win-Win Situation.Compromise- Each person is ready to sacrifice something for the other. They are partly assertive & co-operative. Each party partially wins & partially looses.Accommodation- The person is cooperative & unassertive. He wishes to maintain harmony and sacrifices his own needs & goals & accommodates that of his opponent. Smoothing is followed in this style.Avoidance- The person is uncooperative & unassertive. He tries to avoid the conflict. He either withdraws or remains neutral. The result is a Lose-Lose Situation. Conflict remains unsolved, nobody achieves anything. Conflict may crop up in future.

Conflicts are caused due to difference in opinion. They are not bad for the firm but in fact it helps improve performance through constructive efforts. Conflicts should be controlled, if not it could have disastrous consequences. Negotiation plays a very important role in conflict management whose main aim is to solve the conflict. A firm should always strive for a win-win situation which will benefit everyone.