Date Posted: 2/22/2012 5:32:42 AM
Posted By: Voriko Membership Level: Bronze Total Points: 45
Employee RelationsIntroduction This paper presents a discussion that agrees with the statement that the unitarist frame of reference uniquely provides manager with useful, practical guidance on the management of conflict at work. Among the various issues that have been raised include conflict, the positive and negative effects of conflicts; causes of conflict and the effective methods that can be used to manage it. Conflict According to Brenneen (2009) conflict refers to a disagreement, a collision or a discord of interest or of ideas. It is caused by actual or perceived opposition of needs or values between people working together. People working in an organization have disputes over how work should be done, how work should be divided, how resources should be divided and even for how long people should work. At work there are forms of conflicts that involve jealousy, role definitions, rivalries, struggles for power and favor and even personality clashes (Lamm and Rasmussen, 2011). These conflicts need to be resolved as fast as possible so as to avoid further negative effects on the organizations operations. They should be controlled as they disrupt the achievement of goals. Conflicts cannot be completely eliminated in an organization and can either be positive or negative (Brenneen, 2009). Positive conflicts lead the organization towards the achievement of its goals and they can be used as a tool for change or innovation. Negative conflicts bring harmful effects into the organizations.According to Lamm and Rasmussen (2011) some conflicts are functional while others are dysfunctional. A functional conflict refers to a disagreement that arises between groups and that leads to a benefit in the performance of the organization. Dysfunctional conflicts are any confrontation between groups that harm the organization or hinder the achievement of organizational goals. These conflicts should be avoided and eliminated but functional conflicts should be encouraged so as to enhance performance.Causes of inter-group conflicts Lamm and Rasmussen (2011) reveal that each group encounters at least some conflict with another group. The problems are caused by a number of factors that will be discussed as follows. Groups come into a conflict when limited resources are to be allocated. Resources can be in the form of time, space or even money. Limited resources cause mutual dependence increments between groups and discord between groups become more apparent. Conflict may result from emergence of goal differences. As there are various departments in an organization that perform distinct functions, they often have different goals (Blyton and Turnbull, 2003). The conflicts arise when these distinct groups meet and they may either be negative or positive. Poor communication and ineffective organization system also leads to conflicts in organization. They consist of unethical acts in the organization such as withholding important information and inconsistent controls. In order to avoid conflicts there should be clear and open communication channels (Lamm and Rasmussen, 2011). Unequal and unpredictable policy application and poor follow-up may lead to conflicts in the workplace. Confusion and disunity in the workplace may arise when policies are not clearly communicated to the workers. Conflicts may also arise from personality differences (Blyton and Turnbull, 2003). Negative effects of conflicts in the workplace Morrel (2011) asserts that conflicts may cause harm in an organization. This section provides a clear description of the type of harm that can be caused at any particular time. There is usually diversion of resources from the main issues. Resources include time, space and even money. Conflicts result to diversion of resources as much time is wasted trying to solve conflicts other than using it in working towards achieving the organizational goals. There arises delay in decision making and creation of deadlocks in the arising of conflicts .In times of conflicts the decision making process is slow and organizations’ activities lag behind. Quick decisions ensure that the organization’s progress towards its success is encouraged.Conflicts within an organization interfere with an organization’s normal operations and it makes them slow or even worse it may come to a standstill. The disruption of activities may be as a result of anger. This is particularly harmful to the organization. Some members in an organization are unable to deal with conflicts. These make them to resign from their positions as much as their input may have been useful to the organization (Blyton and Turnbull, 2003). Therefore conflict may lead to lost input which may have been useful. Blyton and Turnbull (2003) believe that an organization that is characterized by conflicts among its workers may damage its reputation and its corporate culture. This may be harmful to the organization development.Positive effects of conflicts These refer to the benefits that an organization enjoys as a result of conflicts arising (Morrel, 2011). Conflicts in an organization bring about creativity and innovation. This is because new ideas are brought up that can be turned into successful business opportunities. There is also higher effectiveness of teams as the workers realize the need for teamwork as it brings about increased productivity and efficiency. Quality decisions are made in case of conflicts because in order for them to be made the workers must be involved and must come into a consensus. This ensures that they all contribute and only arrive at the best decision. Conflicts also create higher social cohesion and promote mutual understanding and respect among workers. This is because when conflicts are resolved amicably and effectively, team members develop the feeling of unity and togetherness and believe in achievement of goals if they cooperate. There is also improvement of personal awareness. This is because a person is in conflict; he evaluates himself and gets to determine his goals and objectives. This creates self awareness and enhances their effectiveness.Managing a conflict Conflict resolution refers to the process of bringing two or more parties in a disagreement into consensus (Mind Tools, 2011). In order to choose an appropriate conflict resolution technique, one should consider a number of factors; the relationship between the principal and the conflicting parties, causes of the conflict and the relationship between the two conflicting parties. The technique used should help in identifying the causes of the conflict, search for possible solutions and finally help choose a solution that satisfies the conflict. A number of techniques used are as follows. Mind Tools (2011) reveals that problem Solving is related to the process of seeking to reduce tension through face to face meeting on the conflicting groups. This technique entails the identification of the cause of conflict and then effecting relevant ways to resolve it. Development of common set goals is another common technique in an organization. To resolve the conflict, common set of goals and objectives should be set. However, the set goals should be attainable in addition to maximum cooperation by groups involved.
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