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case study about organizational conflict
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Conflicts in an organization impact the employees and the organization itself in a variety of ways. It is a constant hindrance in organizational life due to conflicting goals between managers and workers. In definition, conflict is “the interaction of interdependent people who perceive incompatible goals and interference from one another in achieving those goals” (George 287). While most individuals perceive conflict as being a negative aspect in a working relationship, others believe it “allows the opportunity to release built-up tension, stimulate critical thinking, and strengthen relationships” (George 287). I extensively observed the conflicts at Noah’s Ark Preschool and found these conflicts to have both positive and negative effects on the organization and its employees. During my evaluation I focused on how conflicts emerged, how they were managed, and in what ways the organization could improve its conflict management skills.
The first step in resolving organizational conflict is to consider the typical sources of conflict (Donais). The sources of conflict are infinite, but some are recurrent and persistent. Poor communication skills can stimulate conflict and lead to misunderstandings between employees or between employee and manager. While conducting my interview, I learned the director of Noah’s Ark, Regina, is frequently vague and inconsistent with instructions. One employee described a situation in which Regina allowed the employees to wear shorts one afternoon—which is against dress code— but disciplined them for wearing shorts the next day. In this situation, lack of communication and information from employer to employee caused a misinterpretation of rules the organization routinely abides by.
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Look up the word conflict in the dictionary and you will see several negative responses. Descriptions such as: to come into collision or disagreement; be at variance or in opposition; clash; to contend; do battle; controversy; quarrel; antagonism or opposition between interests or principles Random House (1975). With the negative reputation associated with this word, no wonder people tend to shy away when they start to enter into the area of conflict. D. Jordan (1996) suggests that there are two types of conflict: good, which is defined as cognitive conflict (C-type conflict) and, detrimental, defined as affective conflict (A-type conflict). The C-type conflict allows for creativity, to pull together a group of people with different opinions or ideas, to combine and brain storm all thoughts to develop the best solution for the problem. The A-type conflict is the negative form when you have animosity, hostility, un-resolveable differences, and egos to deal with. The list citing negative conflicts could go on forever. We will be investigating these types of conflicts, what managers can do to recognize conflict early, and what strategies they can use to resolve conflicts once they have advanced.
Conflict can be perceived in different ways of positively communicating about a topic or negatively, but one thing that can’t argued is that conflict occurs in everyday life and there’s no way of escaping it. One form of conflict that occurs frequently due to constant interaction is in the workplace. Many people see workplace conflicts as just disputes between coworkers, when there are many forms of personal conflicts between those coworkers and bosses such as
Conflict is an inevitable part of interpersonal relations within an organization, where the actions of one individual are perceived to have a negative impact upon the state of another individual. A leader must be prepared to institute steps in the conflict management process in order to progress through a given incident for the betterment of the organization. “Conflict management is the principle that all conflicts cannot be resolved, but learning how to manage conflicts can decrease the odds of nonproductive escalation” (Popovich & Hocenski, 2009, p.15). Although conflict, in general, may seem detrimental to a team, functional conflict is necessary for a properly functioning team. Without functional conflict,
As human beings, we experience conflict in our everyday lives. It is a natural phenomenon of our personal and professional existence, that it becomes an inevitable component of human activity. In today’s ever-changing business environment organizations, conflict resolution styles are seen as culturally defined event. The success and efficiency of channelling conflicts, whether in a positive or negative manner, can affect the nature of it as being beneficial or destructive to us. However, if it is properly managed, it can in fact ‘increase individuals innovativeness and productivity’ (Uline, Tschannen-moran & Perez, 2003) while offering ‘interpersonal relationship satisfaction, creative problem solving, the growth of a global workforce and domestic
It has been estimated in a study by the American Management Association that managers spend between 20% to as much as 50% of their times dealing with conflict among their employees (American Sentinel, 2012). When workplace conflicts are left unresolved they can lead to dissatisfaction, depression and other problems such as aggression and violence (Whitworth 2008). The negative, sometimes hostile, environment created by unresolved conflict has been recognized to be a hazard not only to staff, but also to patient care (The Joint Commission 2008).
Conflict is a natural inevitable condition in organizations. Conflict occurs every day in a variety of situations ranging from emotional disputes between colleagues, to disputes between departments about lines of authority, to legal disputes involving several organizations. According to Sullivan and Decker (2009), conflict is defined as the consequence of real or perceived differences in mutually exclusive goals, values, ideas, attitudes, beliefs, feelings, or actions within one individual, between two or more individuals, within one group, or between two or more groups. Conflict arises for many reasons and can be characterized in numerous ways. Jehn (1995) discusses the types of conflict regardless of level, as task content conflict, emotional conflict, and administrative conflict. Furthermore, conflict can be a situation that is beneficial or detrimental to the organization and or those who are involved. Considering the statistics, DelBel (2003) states that worldwide, nurses are three times more likely than any other service occupational group to experience workplace violence, and United States (US) health care workers face a 16-times greater risk of conflict than other service workers. In addition, more than half of US workplace aggression claims emanate from the health care sector (DelBel, 2003). Therefore, it is incumbent for nurses to understand that conflict can be successfully managed through the understanding and application of various conflict-management techniques and negotiation skills. While not all workplace conflict is avoidable, research indicates that a significant portion of conflicts are preventable. The purpose of this paper is to provide a description of an incident that occurred during clinical hours, des...
Workplace conflict can be caused by various factors, and can cause a great deal of stress for all those involved. We as human beings have different beliefs, and share different opinions on ideas. We also work and communicate differently, and in the different environments work, community and home that leaves room for disagreements. Conflict is often thought of as negativity, but it can enlighten the environment once resolved in the correct manner. Something as simple as difference in personalities can cause a major conflict in the workplace.
What do really know about conflict management within an organization? We know that there are issues that almost every manager, leader, or employee will have to deal with at least one time or another within the workplace. Conflict can be defined by Rahim (1986), as an interactive process due to a disagreement between two people (Shabbir, Atta, & Adil., 2014).
To understand the importance of addressing conflict, it is important to understand the definition of conflict and what impacts, both positive and negative, it can have on the organization. Conflict begins when one party believes the actions or lack of actions is having or will have a negative impact on the actions or outcomes of another party or the organization (Robbins & Judge, 2015). Conflict can have a positive impact, as it may offer the opportunity for the two parties to discuss their concerns and work out a viable solution that can be mutually beneficial. This is considered functional conflict. Dysfunctional conflict is when the disagreements or conflicts hurt production or performance (Robbins & Judge, 2015).
Before understanding how to deal with conflict, one must understand what conflict is. Conflict can be defined as, “any situation in which incompatible goals, cognitions, or emotions within or between individuals or groups lead to opposition or antagonistic interaction” (Learning Team Toolkit, 2004, pp 242-243). Does the idea of conflict always have to carry a negative connotation? The growth and development of society would be a great deal slower if people never challenged each other’s ideas. The Learning Team Toolkit discusses three different views of conflict: traditiona...
O’Rourke, J. & Collins, S. (2008). Managing Conflict and Workplace Relationships. New York: Cengage Learning.
Conflict is area of concern that occurs in every organization in one form or fashion. Zhang, Cao, and Tjosvold (2011) stated in theory,
To begin, it’s in our nature and being, to face conflicts in our lives. We have all faced challenges at least once in our lifetime; this is what makes us human. There are many varieties of conflicts such as an inner-conflict, conflict between oneself and nature, God and oneself, man versus man, and social conflict. The book [“Constructive Conflicts”] by Louis Kriesberg and Bruce Dayton, defines: “Social conflicts occur when two or more persons or groups manifest the belief that they have incompatible objectives” [pg. 1-25]. In this paper, I will analyze strategies for solving a social conflict (Man vs. Workforce). This conflict takes place at Nordstrom Rack; at which, I started working three months ago. Myself and many other employees are conflicted about the way the store manager treats the employees. The conflict discussed is the presumption of my managers lack affiliation and appreciation towards the employees, in our role of purpose
Abigail, R. A., & Cahn, D. D. (2011). Managing conflict through communication. 4th Ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Differences within the team are the major reason for conflict. This stems from differences in opinion, attitude, beliefs, as well as cultural back grounds and social factors. The Conflict can be positive which is functional and supports or benefits the organization or a person’s main objectives (Reaching Out, 1997). Conflict is viewed as positive when the conflict results in increased involvement form the group, increased cohesion, and positive innovation and creativity. Conflict tends to be positive as well when it leads to better decisions, and solutions to long-term problems.