It goes without saying that conflict situations within organizations are currently inevitable. Conflict may occur at different levels – within people, between individuals within one group, and between various groups and organizations. Incompatible vision and objectives are frequently regarded as a powerful source of multiple conflicts between colleagues. In addition, conflict may be characterized by deep-rooted value and moral differences or the absence of proper management.
While some people try to avoid a conflict situation and regard them as highly negative, other individuals view conflict as an essential part of management and the opportunity for professional and personal growth. The purpose of this essay is the examination of the sources and levels of conflict and the evaluation of potential outcomes of the conflict solution.
Sources of Organizational Conflict
There are multiple sources of conflict within organizations that may be determined both by the inner and interpersonal problems of team members. According to Amesi and Amaewhule (2015), traditional sources of conflict include the interdependency of working activities, erratic behavior of individuals, organizational ambiguities, limited resources, and differences in goals, values, and perception.
In business organizations, the evidence of work activity interdependency may be observed when the company’s certain units or departments cannot operate without other units or departments. Such departments as the registry, bursary, personnel, examination, admissions, and record departments are indispensable as they have a wide range of responsibilities “in terms of their organizational functions” (Amesi & Amaewhule, 2015, p.8). The interdependency of corporate units may be a common source of conflicts regardless of policies that define operational behavior.
The erratic and inappropriate behavior of some individuals within organizations may provoke conflict as well. Some managers did not have proper training concerning the management of interpersonal relationships, and their manners may be regarded as erratic (Amesi & Amaewhule, 2015). At the same time, the contentious temper or inner problems of employees that are not connected with the working process substantially affect the corporate atmosphere in a negative way as well.
Moreover, certain ambiguities related to the definition of working activities and organizational communication may create conflict as employees cannot understand their respective positions (Isa, 2015). In addition, ambiguities or a lack of communication frequently create the misunderstanding that inevitably leads to organizational conflict. Limited resources that are shared between all departments of the organization may cause dissatisfaction and irritation of employees as well.
The differences in goals, values, and perceptions of team members are regarded as the traditional sources of organizational conflicts. Corporate culture implicates common objectives that should be pursued by every person within any organization. The refusal of several workers to obey corporate rules, schedules, or guidelines in favor of their private goals or the variety of standards for different departments or units may cause the irritation of other employees (Amesi & Amaewhule, 2015). Moreover, the multiplicity of the employees’ values and perceptions provokes various conflict situations within organizations.
Levels of Organizational Conflict
There are four levels of organizational conflict – individual, interpersonal, group, and organization. Individual-level conflict occurs when individual motives are blocked, or a person is suppressed by corporate competition. The factors of individual-level conflict include unacceptability, incomparability, and uncertainty that may cause frustration, anxiety, aggression, goal and role conflict, or ignorance. Interpersonal conflicts are frequently regarded as the most recognized and common in comparison with other levels of organizational conflict.
It represents the conflict between two individuals or a group of people as every person may have his or her own individual values, goals, and vision. Moreover, an organization may unintentionally place individuals in conflict situations when they have to compete for limited resources. The factors of interpersonal-level conflict include personal differences, a lack of essential information or understanding, role incompatibility, and environmental stress.
Group-level conflict occurs between or within the groups of individuals that are characterized by the well-structured systems of norms and values. Intra-group conflicts happen between the members within one group, while inter-group conflicts affect different groups within one organization. Both intra-group and inter-group conflicts may be caused by the difference in goals and perception and the absence of cooperation and joint decision making. Finally, organization-level conflict implicates the confrontation between different, though interdependent, organizations, for instance, between government agencies that are responsible for the regulation of certain organizations and the organizations affected by agencies.
Analysis of Conflict and Possible Solution
The common familiar situation that represents organizational conflict is the tension and inappropriate behavior of the members of one large group within a company. Its supervisor does not control the working process and gives the group members freedom concerning decision-making. The confrontation between people within this group relates to the intra-group level of conflicts as all workers are united with the same objectives and work on one project.
However, the potential sources of conflict may be organizational ambiguities and differences of values and perceptions. Without a strong leader and well-defined guidelines, certain individuals may start to think that their vision and ideas should be dominant. Such behavior may be the source of irritation for other colleagues. The most suitable potential solution in this case will be the division of all workers within this group into smaller groups with a clear definition of their duties and responsibilities. In other words, every small group will be responsible for its own part of the project, and its members will cooperate on the basis of the same subject. The work in smaller groups will contribute to the strengthening of interpersonal relationships and help to reduce the level of tension and avoid conflict.
There are three potential outcomes of this division within one group of employees. First of all, the rise of leaders may be regarded as a positive consequence of the solution (Amesi & Amaewhule, 2015). Every small group may choose their leaders that will help their followers to achieve goals and make decisions. Moreover, competent and fearless leaders will contribute to the avoidance of conflicts both within and between groups (Şahin Yarbağ, 2015).
They will have a substantial impact on the development of good interpersonal relationships between employees. That is why the second positive outcome of the division is the increased cohesion between members within small groups. However, the separate work of colleagues within one large group may lead to the development of a “blind spot” concerning the areas of mutual interests and benefits (Amesi & Amaewhule, 2015, p. 8). Separated groups that stop to pursue common goals may start to conflict again.
Conclusion
The most recognized sources of conflict that are inevitable in modern organizations include the interdependency of working activities, erratic behavior of individuals, organizational ambiguities, limited resources, and differences in goals, values, and perceptions. In addition, there are four levels of organizational conflict – individual, interpersonal, group, and organization. The potential solution of the conflicts that occur within one group that pursues common goals though experiences a lack of management may be the division of its members into smaller groups that will have well-defined responsibilities. The potential outcomes of this division are the rise of leaders, increased cohesion, and the development of “blind spot” concerning the areas of mutual interests and benefits.
References
Amesi, J., & Amaewhule, W. A. (2015). Crisis management and conflict resolution strategies in business organizations in Rivers State. Developing Country Studies, 5(21), 6-13.
Isa, A. A. (2015). Conflicts in organizations: Causes and consequences. Journal of Educational Policy and Entrepreneurial Research, 2(11), 54-59.
Şahin Yarbağ, P. (2015). Role of managers in solving conflicts in the organizations. Doğuş Üniversitesi Dergisi, 1(16), 109-120. Web.