Factors which may contribute to conflict

In this study we are going to study and agree on what can cause conflict. Even so, many additional aspects subsist that someone should consider when conflict is presented. We will give a real life example with a team that works in a charity. Conclusions of this analysis are observational. In many circumstances, conflict in the work space seems to be a reality of life. However, we should emphasize that our focus is upon conflict that emerges on top of all from the known interactions or job requirements of individuals working in their roles, in groups and departments within an organization.

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Defining conflict

Because it is seen as something negative and unpleasant, conflict is often viewed with dislike, as individuals have very established views on the issue. But there is another point of view which supports that conflict is a frequent situation of dealings and, in controlled amounts, can even be beneficial.

Conflict: There is no precise determination of conflict as it depends from which view somebody is looking from. Definitions have been given by different disciplines such as psychology and communication. On the other hand, the ordinary thing in these definitions are the aspects of mismatched needs, objectives, or interests and observable or real involvement from unto contracting parts to the other contracting part in order to complete their needs and objectives. Awareness plays a vital role in conflict(Gordon,1993,pp.471-475).

If conflict is not supported by each one main part, then it does not exist. As a result, when conflict is supported, it is presented “if the awareness is or no authentic”(Rollinson, 1998, pp.401-415).

For any big business to be well-organized in achieving its goals, each one needs to have a general picture of what they are determined to carry out, for instance reasonable objectives for every team . Organizational conflict is “the clash that occurs when the goal-directed behaviour of one group blocks or against the goals of another”(Jones, 2000, pp.420-423).

Conflict can be important because it can rise above managerial stillness and show the way to decision-making knowledge and alter. When conflict within an organization or conflict among it’s elements arises, the organization and its managers must reconsider their view of the -world-. Conflict between different managers or including dissimilar involvement teams can help to decision-making and administrative learning by enlightening fresh ways of looking at a difficulty or the wrong assumptions that damage resolution. The conflict that arises when dissimilar teams identify the organization’s problems in disparate ways and are eager to do something on their viewpoints is a fixed argument to the managerial immobility formed by an administration team whose members have the same idea of how things are going. All members of any association need to have ways of keeping conflict to a lowest amount and of solving problems caused by it, before conflict becomes a major obstacle to work life. This could happen to any organization, whether it is a company or government (Hellriegel, 1995, pp.605-620).

1.2 The Managerial Grid

In 1964 Robert Blake and Jane Mouton published “The Managerial Grid”, a theory that promoted two ways to leadership. One where the manager, is more focused on the outcome of the task in hand, and one where the manager, was more anxious for the well-being form of he’s workers.

If applying only the first lane, the manager’s most important and only apprehension would be sales facts, production reports or achievement time . The well-being of the personnel is of little or no-concern, and when implementing only the other part, having much higher concern for people rather than production, the production would approach second and consequently fall behind.

The thought behind the theory is that the two attributes would be precised on a scale from one, being the lowest, to nine, being the maximum value. The two scales where compared in a matrix, or grid, called “The Managerial Grid” or simply “The Grid”, which according to Blake and Mouton would demonstrate “how these two ideas act together” (Blake and Mouton, 1964, pp 60-70). Since 1964 the theory of the grid has not being altered much, including the similar two attributes and scales, although in later years it has moreover come to be recognized as ‘The Leadership Grid'(Appendix,fig.1&2).As seen in the image(Appendix),at the points of connection of the scales are theories of leadership styles,five of them are considered to be more typical than the others. According to Blake and Mouton “these are leadership styles that every manager has in mind when dealing with people”. (Blake and Mouton, 1964, pp 60-70).

Blake and Mouton shaped one square divided horizontal and vertical from 1 until 9. With the above subdivisions mentioned, we have 81 dissimilar places, with someone from which it can agree the way of leading behavior of managerial executive.

The five main points of leading behavior are summarized below:

Behavior 1.1: The administrative executive shows minimal interesting so much for the production, and staff satisfaction. This behavior is called by certain writers ‘undermined administration’.

Behavior 1.9: Behavior that is characterized by big interest for the persons and minimal interest for the production. The executive believes that when a person remain happy and there is harmony, the results will be better. However we should emphasize that for all of them is absent a coordinated effort of concretization of objectives of enterprise. This way of administration is called ‘club management’.

Behavior 9.9: The leader achieves high work performance through leading his or her people to become focused in the main goals.

Behavior 9.1: The executive is interested almost exclusively for the success of objective of the company and very little for the needs of the existing staff. This executive manages at way authoritarian, for this and the administration is called ‘authoritarian administration’ or ‘administration of duty’.

Behavior 5.5: The administrative executives of this category aim at mediocre interesting so much for the staff, and for the success of the company. They

balance between duty and satisfaction of existing needs. This administration is known as ‘administration of balances'(Doherty,2008,pp.130-152).

1.3 The 1, 9 Leadership style – Country Club Management

We refer to this leadership style as it is connected to the real life example that is mentioned below. People are the company’s major tool and if people are not glad they are not going to be innovative. This management style has strong main point on the personnel well being where nothing is more of importance, not even work. In truth, work is far less important. It is alleged and argued that when attempt is spent on companionship and good will towards all, workforce will feel more motivated and thus be converted into productive(Blake and Mouton,1964,pp.60-70).

But even though this difference of opinion might appear reasonable it has problems with efficiency as gladness and companionship are the actual goals.

A manager of this leadership style believes that the aims of the business and the interests of its workforce cannot be compared and if these interests are eternally put up next to each other, the well-being of individuals will at all times come first.This leadership is the alarm of rebuttal and motive in order to satisfy each other needs (Pentland, 1999, pp.711-24).

2. APPLY OF THEORY IN REAL LIFE EXAMPLE

This conflict problem is focused in a charity organization, that provides vocational and employment preparation to 20 year olds. There is a team with seven men and five women, from a variety of dissimilar cultural backgrounds. These people were experiencing numerous layers of difficulty and dysfunction that had been going on for a long time. The prior manager had resigned eight months earlier because of a disagreement within the group over moving offices. The team had place in a formal grievance criticism against the manager for not consulting them sufficiently about this move.

There was also one incidence at the time of oral aggression from one team member against the manager, who went off on stress sick-nests after this incidence and later resigned without returning to work. These things was still affecting both the team and the new manager. In the middle of dealing with this, two other grievances came into HR from two female members of this team who had had a ‘shouting match’ in the office.

Each submitted complaints against the other. Overall, the team was still feeling upset and mistrusting of administration, and the new manager felt nervousness about managing this team. It was clear that both the manager and the team were in trouble. There was a negativity and lethargy right through the team. Meetings were not working well at all and there was a common atmosphere of disobedience and resentment. Something had to be done, both for the group and their manager but crucially also for the young people they were training. According to Blake and Moutons model here we apply the “country club leadership” where production suffers due to lack of direction and control.(Doherty,2008,pp.130-152)

Business organizations usually rely on familiar, but personalized disagreement resolution techniques to make reachable a planned conclusion to distinguish and resolve workplace conflicts that have turn out to be disputes. Conflict between employees is usually the consequence of social-communication. Workplace interconnection and such effects as job excitability, behaviour of characters, and differences in background, cultural group, moral beliefs, gender, individual preferences, and social-standing can create conflicts. However ,we should try to find solutions about the problem mentioned and how these are connected with the theory of “conflict resolution”.(Gordon,1993,pp.471-475).

3. CONCLUSIONS

Successful conflict management in the workplace is based at first on the position, understanding and skills of leaders and their desire to react to conflict. The number of circumstances at which conflict may occur is rising astronomically ,and so are the risks of too much or too little conflict at those spots . Human beings are ‘hardwired’ for instinctual flight or struggle when endangered by conflict.Given the present pace of life ,everyone inhabits a working environment that is destructive to our physical condition and well-being. In current organizations some degree of conflict is most likely to be predictable, and it is unlikely that someone will run off becoming involved at some stage. For this reason it is vital to avoid engaging situations too personally. However, it should be accepted that groups and administrative sub-units follow different ways in terms of their goals(Jones,2000,pp.420-423).

4. RECCOMENDATIONS

Identification is a significantly important and often disdained phase of conflict management.Since conflict problems are often not recognized until after they have become acute, the need for instant relief may be intense. But interference in a poorly understood condition is not likely to turn out instant successes. On the -contrary-, it may take the situation worse.If the manager understands the importance of different needs,he can respond appropriately(Gordon,1993,pp.471-475).

In order to find a solution in the real life example of conflict that we mentioned before,the concept of ‘win-win negotiating’ is one of the most appropriate ways in order to achieve a good result,as it is used in episodes of dealing with differences and needs(Doherty,2008,pp.130-152).The manager in the particular situation should follows some basic guidelines so as to have positive feedback from the team:

Meetings are the best ways to make a good start: Listening and notice to people gives space and safety to make them say what they need to say.

Building understanding will help to create an impression of confidence and safety, helping people feel that their thoughts and feelings are significant and understood,giving them the opportunity to make their own decisions at their own liberty, representing an interest in helping to determine their differences.

Furthemore, helping them to be in touch and listen to each other ,allowing suitable ,non-damaging expression of views(Rollinson,1998,pp.401-415).

A good team manager should stay always calm even when feelings are running high.

This is the main action plan that the manager should bear in mind when conflict will arise perhaps in the future. However, and mediation is a really good way of resolving conflict(Salancik and Pfeffer,1977,.pp.2-21). Mediation involves , bringing a third party in order to determine the dispute. Feelings can become piercingly polarized in a compromise condition, among parties and every one becomes isolated from other. When this happens, a mediator can maintain contact and communication from the parties in argument(Huczynski et Buchanan,2007,pp.780-791).

In the problem that we analyzed before a team mediation can arrange individual meetings with each member of the team, as well as the manager. In this particular situation, the mediators can come to a decision to take in some positive group work around each member team sharing perhaps what they like about work, what had inspired them to do it, what they required from their team and what they appreciated about each other.

REFERENCE LIST

Blake,R.,Mouton,J.(1964).”The Managerial Grid”:The key to Leadership Excellence.Houston:Gulf Publishing Co,pp. ( 60-70)

Doherty,N.,.(2008)”The Essential Guide to Workplace”:Mediation&Conflict Resolution’.Kogan Page Limited,pp.(130-152)

Gordon,J.R.(1993).”A diagnostic approach to Organizational Behaviour”.3rd edn:Simon&Schuster,Inc,pp.(471-475)

Hellriegel,D.(1995)”Organisational Behaviour”.7th edn.West Publishing,pp.(605-620)

Huczynski,A.,Buchanan,D.(2007).”Organizational Behaviour”.Prentice Hall,pp.(780-791)

Jones,R.G.(2000)”Organisational theory”:Text and Cases.3rd edn.Prentice Hall,pp.(420-423)

Pentland,B.T(1999).”Building process theory with narrative:From description to explanation”.Academy of Management Review,24(4),pp.(711-24)

Peters,T.(1987).Thriving on chaos:Handbook for a management revolution.London:Macmillan

Rollinson,D.(1998).”Organisational Behaviour and Analysis”:An Intergrated Approach.Addison-Wensley:Longman,pp.(401-415)

Salancik,G.R.&Pfeffer,J.(1977).”Who gets power and how they hold on to it:A strategic contingency model of power”.Organizational Dynamics,5(3),pp.(2-21)

Watson,T.J(1977).The personell managers.London:Routledge Kegan Paul

Watson,T.J.(2002).Organizing and managing at work.Harlow,Essex:Financial Times Prentice Hall.

Yates,S.(1985).The politics of management.San Fransisco:Jossey Bass