Conflict

A process that begins when an individual or groups  perceives differences and opposition between itself and another individual or groups about interests and resources, beliefs, values or practices that matter to them.

Conflict Management

Conflict management refers to the long-term management of intractable conflicts. It is the label for the variety of ways by which people handle grievances—standing up for what they consider to be right and against what they consider to be wrong. Those ways include such diverse phenomena as gossip, ridicule, lynching, terrorism, warfare, feuding, genocide, law, mediation, and avoidance. Which forms of conflict management will be used in any given situation can be somewhat predicted and explained by the social structure—or social geometry—of the case.

Conflict management is often considered to be distinct from conflict resolution. In order for actual conflict to occur, there should be an expression of exclusive patterns, and tell why the conflict was expressed the way it was. Conflict is not just about simple inaptness, but is often connected to a previous issue. The latter refers to resolving the dispute to the approval of one or both parties, whereas the former concerns an ongoing process that may never have a resolution. Neither is it considered the same as conflict transformation, which seeks to reframe the positions of the conflict parties.

Reasons of Conflict

Conflict may arise in both interpersonal and intergroup relationship.

Interpersonal conflict:

Conflict has been defined as "an expressed struggle between at least two interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals, scarce resources, and interference from the other party in achieving their goals". Important concepts in this definition include "expressed struggle," which means the two sides must communicate about the problem for there to be conflict. Another important idea is that conflict often involves perceptions. The two sides may only perceive that their goals, resources, and interference is incompatible with each other's.

Types of interpersonal conflict:

Interpersonal conflict can be defined by the focus and source of the conflict:

People-Focused vs. Issue-Focused

People-focused conflicts are based on emotions and feelings, and are more of a personal attack. Issue-focused conflicts are centered on issues and events, and are more representative of a calm negotiation.

Personal Differences

A common source of interpersonal conflict is personal differences, because every person brings a unique (and often incompatible) set of values, perceptions and expectations to the table.

Informational Deficiencies

Another source of interpersonal conflict is informational deficiencies. Communications are not always received, may be misinterpreted or different conclusions may be drawn based on past experiences.

Role Incompatibility

Role incompatibility may be a cause of interpersonal conflict because of differences between the goals and responsibilities assigned to an individual and what the individual would rather be doing.

Intergroup conflict

Intergroup relations between two or more groups and their respective members are often necessary to complete the work required to operate a business. Many times, groups inter-relate to accomplish the organization's goals and objectives, and conflict can occur. Some conflict, called functional conflict, is considered positive, because it enhances performance and identifies weaknesses. Dysfunctional conflict, however, is confrontation or interaction between groups that harms the organization or hinders attainment of goals or objectives.

Causes of Intergroup Conflict

One of the most prominent reasons for intergroup conflict is simply the nature of the group. Other reasons may be work interdependence, goal variances, differences in perceptions, and the increased demand for specialists. Also, individual members of a group often play a role in the initiation of group conflict. Any given group embodies various qualities, values, or unique traits that are created, followed, and even defended. These clans can then distinguish "us" from "them." Members who violate important aspects of the group, and especially outsiders, who offend these ideals in some way, normally receive some type of corrective or defensive response. Relationships between groups often reflect the opinions they hold of each other's characteristics. When groups share some interests and their directions seem parallel, each group may view the other positively; however, if the activities and goals of groups differ, they may view each other in a negative manner. When trying to prevent or correct intergroup conflict, it is important to consider the history of relations between the groups in conflict. History will repeat itself if left to its own devices.

Conflict Management in Organization

· Identifying the conflict: Ask yourself probing questions before contacting the parties to the conflict. What is the conflict about? What is the root cause of the conflict?

· Listen to each party involved in the conflict: Do not take sides! Listening and understanding does not mean that you agree but it is important that you give your full undivided attention. Ask clarifying questions to avoid making assumptions

· Clarify and evaluate the conflict: Do not make hasty decisions! Remember, you want a win-win solution. Clarify and restate each person's perspective of the conflict. Review the options available; consider compromising. Sometimes a combination of several alternatives works best.

· Focus on the present: Do not bring up unrelated conflicts from the past.

· Remain calm cool and collective: When conflict develops, one or more parties to the conflict may feel that they are being attacked personally. When this feeling is present as a manager you should concentrate on keeping all participants calm.

· Stay neutral: Do not take sides, even if you think one party was correct and the other incorrect. The parties are in conflict and once they both agree that the conflict is resolvable each party will likely recognize their contribution to the issue at hand. You are not only the manager but also a leader. Do not take sides!

· Be a problem solver: As a manager, learning to recognize conflict can help you to try and resolve it timely and skillfully. Invite the parties to the conflict to help you to arrive at a resolution. Develop an agreeable action plan, a follow update and time for each party to the conflict and yourself to reconvene and evaluate the success of your efforts.

· Thank the participants: Thank each party to the conflict for being willing to participate in a discussion and for agreeing to work towards a resolution.

· Be patient: Resolving conflict takes time so don't expect that all will be well in a matter of hours. Depending on the root cause of the conflict it can take even weeks to resolve itself. Until the conflict has been resolved your managerial role is to follow up, evaluate and modify any prior agreements if necessary. Note: Follow up, don't nag.

· If the conflict proves too challenging for you to handle alone, consult with your manager and or your human resources department.

Information System on an Organization

Information systems design's traditional concentration on short-term, readily quantifiable functional factors has resulted in the development of systems that are usually quite capable of manipulating data in the desired manner to produce the required output, but often fail to promote the general behavioral climate objectives of the organization. Failure to consider such behavioral objectives in the design process can result in information systems that have an impact that is intrusive in nature on the organization. To design information systems that not only meet functional objectives, but also promote objectives related to the organization's behavior, their impact on organizational behavior must be understood and quantified. Toward that end, a methodology that can measure the impact of an information system has on the behavioral climate of the organization has been developed and tested. Utilizing pre- and post-implementation assessments of an organization's behavioral climate, this methodology enables information systems developers to identify specific potential design criteria which, when implemented, will increase the degree to which the organization's behavioral goals and objectives are met. Consideration of such organizational behavior goals and objectives when designing information systems can result in significant progress toward ensuring the acceptance and long-term survival of those information systems.

Information systems, like any other production-oriented system, have as their goal the transformation of raw materials (data) into finished goods (information) in an effective, efficient manner. In the context of information systems, this means meeting informational requirements with a minimum expenditure of available resources. To develop such information systems, design and development strategies ranging from the traditional top-down or bottom-up techniques to Joint Application Design (JAD) to object-oriented have been advanced.