Conflict in the Organization Jameson

Conflict in the Organization

Jameson (1999) in her review of conflict in the organization seems to believe that conflict is an integral and inevitable part of organizational discourse. At the outset of her investigation, Jameson defines conflict as "situations that occur when two or more people working within the same organization perceive differences in beliefs, values or goals which impact their ability to work together and/or affect the work environment" (p. 269). Jameson also argues that the very nature of the humanness of the organization creates an environment in which conflict can occur on a number of different levels. In short, conflict will result in almost any organization because individuals working in the organization will, at one time or another, perceive differences in opinions, attitudes, values and beliefs.

In addition to conceptualizing conflict as something that is inherent to the very function of the organization, Jameson also note that conflict in the organization can be categorized and classified. This process of classification has notable implications for the ability of the organization to effective manage the conflict. Conflict management, as reported by Jameson is not only an important aspect of organizational operations but also is integral to ensuring that conflicts do not prompt considerable damage to the organization and the relationships of employees. As such, Jameson believes that conflict can be both mitigated and managed to produce the best possible outcomes for the organization. When effectively managed, conflict can provide the organization with opportunities for improvement and innovation that are essential to the success of operations.

When summarizing Jameson's conceptualization of conflict overall, it seems reasonable to argue that this author believes that conflict is something that can be quantified and analyzed in the context of the organization. Further, Jameson believes that conflict can be effectively mitigated and managed by understanding the type of conflict present and developing a definitive infrastructure which effectively addresses the conflict issue and provides succinct mechanisms for conflict resolution. Although Jameson notes that there are a host of different methods that can be used to classify and identify the specific type of conflict that is occurring in the organization, the central impetus in this area appears to be for the organization to put in place some means of recognizing, assessing and resolving conflict. Thus conflict is a variable that can be effectively controlled by the organization and its management team.

Importance of Understanding Conflict

With a basic understanding of how Jameson conceptualizes the issue of conflict provided it is now possible to consider the importance of understanding conflict in the organization. This issue will also be addressed in the context of an autocratic management style to consider if conflict management is needed in an organization that already has a structure in place to provide conflict resolution. Analysis of these issues will provide a more integral understanding of conflict and its impact on the organization.

Considering first the importance of understanding conflict in the organization, it seems reasonable to argue that Jameson's observations about the humanness of the organization and the implications of humanness for the development of conflict are indeed quite apt. As reported by Jameson, conflict is an inevitable part of a system in which human beings are required to cooperate in order to achieve goals. Further, Jameson's analysis of conflict as having different typologies also appears to be relevant. Analysis of one's personal life provides indications that there are different types of conflicts and that there are different types of resolutions that must be employed in order to resolve conflict. Given that conflict can have such a negative impact on the organization, its operations, employee morale and productivity, organizations need to have some understanding of conflict and the specific steps that can be taken to resolve conflict.

While there appears to be strong evidence which suggests the need for the organization to understand conflict, it is important to consider this analysis in the context of the autocratic organization. Mittler (2007) in his review of autocratic management argues that this style of management is one in which the manager is responsible for decision making at all levels. Managers make decisions and employees follow through, without any discussion of the decisions that impact employees. In this context it would seem that conflict resolution is quite simple as the manager has the final say in a conflict. While this approach provides definitive resolution to explicit conflicts, the reality is that the autocratic approach to conflict resolution may create more problems that it actually resolves.