Conflict in the Workplace
Workforce within organizations, whatever the level, constitutes one of the most important resources within such environments. Harmony among the human resource and shared vision among employees is one mandatory factor in ensuring that goals are appropriately met. Conflict if however, one inevitable occurrence in the workplace and organizational leaders has to deal with it appropriately (Flagan & Craig 8). Conflict in organizations neither occurs nor happens in a vacuum. Usually, there are some underlying issues which instigate the conflicts either between workmates or teams. Fortunately, the capacity of conflict management can help in such situations and even turn the organization into a better place. This can be achieved either through preventing the conflicts or resolving them. Personally, I have been in a conflict situation within the office; a state which was handled appropriately by the management but would however been avoided had appropriate prevention structures been constituted.
Causes of Conflict
Conflicts in the workplace are exhibited in different form and occur between different kinds of people or groups. Just as natures of these conflicts differ so are the causes which give rise to them. Some of the common ways in which conflicts originate within organizations include;
Scarcity of resources; when there exists shortage of resources within different departments or the entire organization, competition becomes widespread and the occurrence of conflicts almost inevitable. This scarcity can come in the form of finances, office facilities and equipment just to mention but a few. When it becomes impossible for individual to share the few resources provided for them within a work environment, quarrels erupt and disagreements emerge.
Personality differences; this is probably the most common factor that causes disagreements, more so between individuals in an organization. The clash between personalities and language among workers in workplaces is widespread and sometimes leads to unpleasant occurrences like rumours and gossip. Differences in race, family background and ethnic identities are among the instigators of personality differences in organization and occur in varied degrees from one organization to the other.
Ambiguity in roles and responsibilities; proper accomplishment of tasks and...
When instructions, more so from the superiors, are not provided clearly, it becomes possible for workers to fail in their lines of duty. Inappropriateness in the accomplishment of tasks encompasses one of the most irritating instances for bosses. This could cause conflicts between workers and their superiors within the departments or in the entire organization.
Poor communication; lack of proper forms of communication can plunge individuals and teams into conflicts. Communication is the single most important aspect when it comes to things being done within any environment. The workplace is clearly not an exception in this case. When communication is poor within an organization, things either do not get done or are done in an appropriate means. Poor communication can lead to other causes of conflict in organizations. For instance, it can interfere with team work which is an essential element in the success of organizations.
Conflict Management
In spite of the fact that conflict within organizations is inevitable, management of such disagreements is mandatory. This is because, conflicts, when left to thrive within organization can cause serious consequences which may constitute, increase in complaints against the organization, high employee turnover, sabotage, inefficiency and low productivity among others (Alberta Employment and Immigration 5). Conflict management comes in two forms and include the prevention of conflict and the resolution of disagreements once they have occurred. Various strategies can be applied within organizations to check the occurrence of conflicts and to ensure that they do not cause irreversible and grave consequences for the organization.
As regarding prevention of conflicts organization ought to facilitate mental preparation for members prior to business engagement is important. The fact that personality issues and external pressure determines the conduct of an individual should not be ignored. In addition, organizations ought not to assume that all individuals, regardless of their age and professional achievement, would act maturely under different circumstances. Mental preparation in such instances would provide value not only in the short-term but also in the long-term as…
