The basics of conflict management

Conflict occurs when two or more viewpoints are contradictory in nature. It usually concerns a person’s values or perspectives and it may occur as an interpersonal conflict, when the person does not abide by own values or as an external conflict when the person feels that own values are threatened from a third party. More generally, conflict may be the result of discomfort about the unknown or lack of fulfillment. In all above cases conflict is inevitable, but not necessarily bad.

In the context of an organization, people keep away from conflict because they feel that their underlying irritation may go out of control or that they cannot assert their views and feelings positively. In that case, organizational members endure an interpersonal conflict in the effort to avoid open conflict with other organizational members and jeopardize effective communication.

On the other hand, there are cases that conflict is required. Through healthy conflict, organizational members learn to address problems, to participate in their solution, to recognize the appropriate issues and to value the people who facilitate organizational alignment.

Therefore, one could conclude that conflict per se is not necessarily bad. Instead, poor conflict management is the problem. And this is true.

Why conflict occurs?

In the context of organizational alignment conflict is often the result of poor and ineffective communication. The failure to construct a two-way process through which employees’ achievements are recognized and appreciated, results in employees being uninformed of organizational developments, while feeling undervalued, distrusted and disrespected.

When employees do not know what they are doing and why, they lose their trust to the organization, doubt its practices and prefer organizational inertia. In this case, conflict is a major problem because it hinders productivity and lowers morale. In such an environment leadership plays also an important role. Inconsistency at any level in the organization makes employees feel ignored and misunderstood by management. Then, more conflicts may occur, causing even inappropriate behaviors.

What managers need to do?

To ensure effective conflict management, organizations need to incorporate key managerial actions within the context of organizational structure. Managers need primarily to review job descriptions in order to ensure that job roles do not conflict. The development of procedures for routine tasks with the input of employees would motivate employees as they would feel that their contribution to organizational performance is essential and publicly recognized.

The conduct of basic training of employees in regards to interpersonal communications, conflict management and delegation would result in new initiatives and in intentionally-built relationships between organizational members. Managers should meet with their subordinates regularly and ask about challenges, problems and issues. They should also ask for regular reports about accomplished issues and plans for the upcoming period.

Managers should also focus on facts. There is a positive relationship between reliance on facts and low interpersonal conflict. Focusing on facts allows managers to focus on the real issues involved in strategic decision making and not on the personalities of the employees.

Also, the use of alternative solutions diffuses conflict by shifting the process over a range of choices, avoiding black and white solutions. The use of humor creates a collaborative framework and it works as a releasing mechanism during the stressful strategic decision making process. Within this context, democratic leadership maintains a balanced power structure avoiding forced consensus.

Alternative inferences

Conflict may lead to organizational alignment and consensus under certain circumstances. We should not forget that workplace is driven by interactionism, which supports the existence of conflicts. Yet, the realization, the identification and the elaboration on own character traits that could put organizational effectiveness at stake is used to enhance employee training, management, and organizational performance.

Conflict in team structures can be productive if team members do not delay decision making for engaging in interpersonal conflicts. Although conflict is considered negative, lack of conflict implies apathy, which leads to inertia. In this case, integration of own character traits with the team consensus is the key to effective conflict management. In return, organizational flexibility reflected on the synergy of team members contributes to teamwork.