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Group conflict and its management - Coggle Diagram
Group conflict and its management
Members within the same group often have disagreements and may conflict
They may disagree about what should be done, how, when, where or who should do in pursuit of the group goals
In some cases, a members personal goals may conflict with the group goals and therefore with the goals of group memebrs
Group conflict can be separated into two sub categories of conflict
Inter group conflict - in which distinct groups are at odds with one another
Intra-group conflict - in which certain individuals who are members of the same group clash with one another
The traditional view of conflict in the workplace is that it is bad, the conniptions associated with conflict are violence and dysfunction. Conflict within the workplace is seen as a management failure, stress and frustration arising from poor managerial communications or style
Managers have viewed their role to be conflict reducers, building team consenus
There is a second view of conflict which suggests that conflict is inevitable and that it arises as a result of the structuring of organisations
Having different departments, groups all with their own legitimate agenda, priorities and leaders means the potential for conflict is inevitable
A little conflict can be seen as an agent for change and a benefit to group performance
Within contemporary organisations, the view that conflict can have positive as well as negative consequences has led to some managers deliberately creating conflict between different work teams
A small degree of conflict based on the nature of the task or the process used to achieve a task can increase creatvity
Research shows that interpersonal conflict is always negative, managed tension on task or process can lead to creativity, flexibility, change orientation and positive intergroup rivalry
The need for conflict management will be necessary, even the most enthusiastic support of conflict as a motivator recognises that it must be managed and that it has the power to be very divisive
Number of techniques to manage conflict
Organisational super goals
Setting goals that all parties are aware of and need to work towards can form the basis of a goal sharing resolution to problems involving the clarification of goals and objectives
Resource expansion
Conflicts arising from the scarcity of resources can be achieved by an expansion of the available resources
This may not always be possible but if it is will resolve the conflict
Talking it through
Face-to-face discussions take place between the conflicting parties with a purpose of identifying and resolving the problem
Management intervention
The authority of management intervenes and makes its wishes known
Compromise
Can resolve conflicts but both parties will need to give up something of value
Skills development
Negotiation and communication training
Training in behaviour and empathy can help the conflict resolution process
Sources of conflict
Limited or scarce resources
Resources are limited
Money, time and materials are generally allocated to a group
Groups cannot always have all the resources they want
When one group is seen to gain resources to the detriment of another group, this is likely to lead to conflict
Seeing things differently
Different disciplines, functions or departments have different norms, values and expectations
Different individuals have different values, beliefs and hopes
As individuals we see our verision of reality as the truth so when someone comes along with another version of reality, we view things very differently
As disciplines in the workplace differ, different tensions result from conflicting professional values often gained through training or education
Departmentalisation
Structures that separate to add efiiciency within the department can lead to conflict between departments
Departments tend to look inwards to their own goal achievement when co-operation is needed between different departments the differing goals lead to conflict
Treading on toes
Generally individuals and groups like to define the space in which they operate
They fulfil a particular task and have a particular role
We don't operate in isolation, we are dependent upon others. If those we are dependent upon fail to deliver what we need then we can also fail
Poorly defined job roles can lead to conflict when deciding who is responsible for what
Individuals are also quite territorial - we have our desk or our office or our favourite parking space. Any violation or disruption of this causes the feelings and emotions that lead to conflict