Introduction
Conflict results from negative interactions between two or more societal units, such as individuals or nations; it is a natural outcome considered inevitable in social contexts. It manifests as strained relationships that arise due to incompatible goals, attitudes, reasoning, or perceptions. Its expression may also involve verbal insults, physical fights, strained relationships, and intense arguments. This paper examines the importance of civility in an office, issues arising from workplace disagreements, and strategies used to manage and resolve such conflicts.
Traditional vs. Modern Views on Conflicts
Conflict is a process expressed verbally or nonverbally and must be resolved to avert a crisis. While it can be displayed in various forms, this type of disagreement progresses through five phases: its prelude, the triggering effect, initiation, differentiation, and conflict resolution (Jimmieson et al., 2017). Discussions on the same topic have concluded that there are both positive and negative impacts resulting from social conflicts. However, for a workplace to benefit from the positive effects, the negative impact should be managed and reduced.
In the earliest forms of organizational conflict, linear and simple resolution approaches were favored. Disputes were considered constraints to optimal performance, and managers were keen to avoid any forms of confrontation. Workers’ demotivation, reduced productivity, and dysfunctional working environments were stated as the main reasons behind conflict avoidance. In comparison, modern approaches to workplace conflicts identify disagreements as an important aspect. In this case, organizations that do not face any form of disputes are considered static and unadaptable to a continuously changing workplace environment (Jimmieson et al., 2017). At a controlled level, conflicts are considered important in increasing workers’ motivation, individual creativity, and self-evaluation.
Additionally, competition results in better performance of tasks and improves group dynamics during teamwork. However, the modern view of conflicts accepts that not all forms of disagreements are beneficial to an organization; it advocates avoiding destructive forms and maintaining constructive and functional differences (Whetten & Cameron, 2016). These approaches differ in their depiction of workplace conflict situations. While the traditional view considered conflicts destructive and managers avoided disagreements at all costs, modern organizations consider workplace differences inevitable and beneficial.
Workplace Incivility
Incivility refers to actions or behaviors that seek to violate a respectable and peaceful working environment. It is characterized by rudeness, insubordination, and making baseless accusations (Jimmieson et al., 2017). Usually low in intensity, these behaviors can result in long-term negative effects on a workforce’s cohesiveness if not managed properly. The perpetrator can easily deny his or her intent to cause harm because these types of conflicts are displayed vaguely (Whetten & Cameron, 2016). Due to this nature, most uncivil behaviors or actions go unpunished. Some examples of workplace incivility include using your phone during a project presentation, gossiping, excluding co-workers from important meetings, interrupting people without excusing oneself, using language considered offensive, and reprimanding a colleague publicly (Jimmieson et al., 2017). The frequency of such behavior over a prolonged period results in unfavorable effects on individuals, affecting all organizational structure levels.
Scholars have documented some of the causes leading up to workplace incivility. Stress or anger towards one’s working environment has been identified as the leading cause (Jimmieson et al., 2017). Usually, stress results from heavy workloads, tight deadlines, inadequate resources to perform tasks successfully, and job insecurity brought about by organizational restructuring. Globalization and enhancements in technology have made it difficult for employees to separate their personal and professional lives adding to the levels of stress they experience. Workplace bullying in areas related to individual performance, whereby colleagues who do not consider themselves respected, display the worst work quality. Conflicts also result in a higher rate of employee turnover (Whetten & Cameron, 2016). Exit interviews reveal that some of the main dispute drivers lead to resignation due to a bad experience at the workplace. Teamwork and collaboration also suffer when colleagues feel disrespected, and the potential to work together successfully is hindered due to exposure to rudeness. The intensity of incivility ultimately determines the magnitude of its impact on an organization.
Phases of Conflict
In a world where personal opinions are increasing, avoiding conflicts is proving to be a challenge. To resolve these differences, the various stages of a real-life conflict situation need to be analyzed. In the first phase, individuals are usually not fully aware of the nature of the conflict or if it exists at all (Whetten & Cameron, 2016). This latent stage is the prelude to a conflict between persons. The second phase is identifying a triggering effect; here, individuals become aware that they conflict. It manifests as criticism or reproach and can range in intensity from low to high (Wang & Wu, 2020). The initiation phase occurs after identifying the underlying cause of a conflict. In this phase, one party makes it known to others that a dispute exists between them.
The fourth stage is differentiation – conflicting parties agree that there is a disagreement and addresses the issues by pursuing explanations for the varying opinions. According to Wang and Wu (2020), the final phase is integration or conflict resolution, where conflicting parties acknowledge the need to resolve their differences. When a conflict occurs, its effects can be spread beyond the conflicting parties. For this reason, a quick and amicable solution is beneficial to all stakeholders involved and their associates. However, the resolution is usually not very easy to implement, especially when both parties consider themselves wronged and expect their demands to be met, leading to an escalation of the conflict. The workplace is the most prominent area of interaction that experiences all five phases of conflict.
Conflict Management Strategies
Although disagreements are viewed as necessary ingredients to creating a competitive advantage, managers must also realize that intractable conflict in the workplace is a significant issue that requires immediate action. In managing conflict, managers or mediators can apply any one of the five accepted approaches: forcing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, and accommodating (Whetten & Cameron, 2016). In the first approach, mediators may choose to exert their authority, which is usually ranked higher than that of the conflicting parties. Choosing to force one’s authority through threats or manipulation reflects poorly on their leadership skills, leading to resentment from colleagues. In this resolution strategy, neither conflicting parties’ demands are fulfilled. In an accommodating approach, one individual is required to give in to the other’s demands. In this strategy, the accommodative party displays characters of unassertiveness, which might be interpreted as weakness.
The third approach is avoidance, whereby the solution is postponed by overlooking the occurrence of the conflict. Management uses this method when they consider themselves underprepared to deal with the situation (Wang & Wu, 2020). In case the third tactic fails, management resorts to a compromise. It provides a middle ground between avoidance and accommodation. It attempts to give some form of satisfaction to both parties by asking them to compromise on some of their demands. The final approach is collaborating, whereby efforts to address all their grievances are implemented. For this approach to be successful, conflicting parties require open and honest communication on their complaints, resulting in inequality (Whetten & Cameron, 2016). Referred to as a problem-solving tactic, it intends to apply solutions considered satisfactory to all parties involved. However, it is always not considered the best approach to use. Therefore, managers are encouraged to evaluate the different scenarios presented by conflicts and decide which approach is the best.
Real-life Scenario
Workplace disagreements are inevitable and considered vital for creativity and cohesive relationships when handled properly. Most times, unintentionally, co-workers can start on the wrong foot. For instance, when one is asked to offer assistance but declines without offering any explanation due to their tight deadlines. This action might be interpreted as rudeness, which will, in turn, create unnecessary tension between the two colleagues. One of the best solutions is to acknowledge the misunderstanding by relaying the mistake and asking for forgiveness. It is important to maintain respect throughout the conversation by keeping an open mind and accepting that the offended colleague might not offer forgiveness. Demonstrating self-awareness regardless of the conflict results in respect from colleagues across all ranks.
Conclusion
The concept of workplace conflict is universal, given that at one time or another, nearly everyone in the workplace has encountered hostility. However, its importance is yet to be fully accepted due to the issues arising between positive and negative workplace conflicts. During conflict management, data from conflicting parties must be collected and properly analyzed before choosing the approach to be used in resolving the disagreement.
References
Jimmieson, N. L., Tucker, M. K., & Campbell, J. L. (2017). Task conflict leads to relationship conflict when employees are low in trait self-control: Implications for employee strain. Personality and Individual Differences, 113, 209-218. Web.
Wang, N., & Wu, G. (2020). A systematic approach for effective conflict management for program. SAGE Open, 1, 1-15.
Whetten, D., & Cameron, K. (2016). Developing management skills. Pearson Education Limited