Conflict Management: Analysis of Workplace Disputes and Resolution

This report provides a critical evaluation of conflict and its management within the workplace, examining the nature of conflict, its underlying causes, and various types of disputes that can arise. It delves into interpersonal, intrapersonal, intergroup, and intragroup conflicts, highlighting the significant factors that contribute to organizational disputes, such as specialization, shared resources, interdependence, and authority relationships. The study further assesses the role of managers in conflict resolution and overall conflict management, emphasizing the importance of open communication and early recognition of conflict as essential elements for effective management. The report concludes by underscoring the significance of human resources in organizational development and change, advocating for adequate evaluation and consideration of employees' perspectives in conflict management strategies. Desklib offers a variety of resources including similar reports and solved assignments to assist students in their studies.

Running head: CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
Conflict management
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Executive Summary
This study has critically evaluated the conflict and its management in the workplace. The
report has discussed the conflict and its causes along with the different types of disputes. The
role of managers in conflict resolution and management of conflict is evaluated in the study.
The conclusion of the study shows that openness in discussing the conflict and early
recognition of conflict are two essential factors for conflict management.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Conflict and its Causes...............................................................................................................3
Interpersonal conflict.................................................................................................................5
Intrapersonal conflict.................................................................................................................6
Intergroup conflict......................................................................................................................7
Intragroup conflict......................................................................................................................7
Role of managers in conflict management.................................................................................8
Conclusion................................................................................................................................10
References................................................................................................................................12

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Introduction
As stated by Afful-Broni and Tah, conflict management is an evitable part of all the
organisations in the modern industry. The workplace culture in the contemporary society has
changed significantly due to the increase in diversity and have increased the level of the
conflict in both developed and developing economies. On the hand, Saundry and Latreille
state that there has been a change like the conflict in the organisations and there has been a
reduction in the industrial action of the concentrated form, mostly, in the developed countries.
The emphasis has been shifted to individual conflict manifestation where employment
litigation and employee grievances are two factors out of many such factors for personal
conflict. A significant amount of importance has been provided to individual conflict of
employees as the organisation is burdened by the direct cost that is associated with
management of conflict within the organisation (1).Therefore, developing ways of managing
conflict within the organisation has been an issue for the policy makers, trade unions and
employers.
Conflict and its Causes
According to the Baillien et al. (23(4):511-24), conflicts can be defined as the clash of
interest between individuals or groups, and there is a distinction between conflicts and
disputes. Conflicts are the dissatisfaction arising due to the difference in interest between the
individuals whereas disputes are the manifestation of these conflicts within the organisation.
There is a wide range of reasons which may give rise to conflict within an organisation. The
tradition view on conflict management suggests that conflict arises due to lack of
communication and trust among a group or between to individual (3). On the contrary, the
contemporary view states that conflict is a part of the organisation and it can be used for the
benefit of the group and the organisation. Disputes occur almost on a daily basis within the,

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and there is no point in trying to avoid or prevent conflict. Management of massive disputes
which may lead to the deterioration of the organisational culture and productivity have to be
focused on. The interactionist view states that conflict is necessary for effective work of
individuals as it cannot be considered as positive at all times.
The several types of conflict which affect the individuals within the organisation are
task conflict which is related to goals and content of work, process conflict that is related to
overall work process and relationship conflict that is focused on the interpersonal
relationship. Therefore, in this view conflicts has been considered as either dysfunctional or
functional. As opined by Einarsen et al. (1-22), relationship conflict exists due to the
incompatibility between individuals or among group members. These conflicts spread
negative vibes to the team due to the development of negative emotions such as tension,
annoyance, animosity, mistrust, resentment and anxiety. Task conflict is another form of
conflict which arises due to disagreement in performing their work. This may arise due to a
difference in point of views, opinions and ideas and unlike relationship conflict, task conflict
can be used effectively for the benefit of the group and the organization (2). The third conflict
within the organisation is process conflict which arises due to the divergence between
individuals about the way in which task has to be accomplished, delegation and
responsibilities.
According to Currie et al. ((4):492-509) conflict can also be classified as interpersonal
conflict, intragroup conflict, interpersonal conflict and inter-organisational conflict. However,
the significant factors resulting in conflict with the organisation are specialisation, shared
resources, interdependence, roles and expectations, authority relationships, jurisdictional
ambiguity and goal differences. While working in the organisation, there are sets of
employees that become specialists in doing specific jobs, and when the number of specialists
within the organisation are high, they are unaware about each other’ job roles and

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responsibilities (6). By taking an example of a receptionist and a technician, the receptionist
may promise a client unreasonable deadline as she does not have the technical ability to
understand the requirement. These would create a conflict between the receptionist and the
technician. There are occasions where different teams have to share their resources. When
resources are scarce, the chances of conflicts within an organisation increase significantly.
The conflict arises because each of the individuals requires this resource to fulfil their goals
and scarcity makes it difficult for them to achieve. The incompatibility between the different
departments within the organisation results in the development of conflicts. The level of
interdependence between the individuals will result in the event of a dispute within the
organization (7). When the task of one person is dependent on the functions of another person
will increase conflict. Authority relationship leads to conflict when the managers in the
organisations available added facilities such as flexible shift timings, longer breaks and long
distance calls. When a manager is strict with its employees, it may also lead to conflict
between individuals.
Interpersonal conflict
Interpersonal conflict refers to the conflict among the individuals due to different
reasons. In the workplace, interpersonal conflict is one of the most common occurrences due
to the idea that in the current business scenario, employees belong from different social and
cultural backgrounds and they have different approaches in their workplace. One of the
primary reasons for the emergence of the interpersonal conflict is the difference in values.
This is due to the reason that employees in the organisations are having a different set of
values. According to Yarnell and Neff (p. 146-159), employees from different social and
cultural backgrounds have traditions and beliefs. Thus it is difficult for them to adhere to the
diverse opinions and values of others that are contradictory to their own. According to the

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authors, this leads to the emergence of conflict among the employees in the workplace and
further originates the probability of interpersonal conflict.
However, some other authors have given different views about the causes and
reasons of origination of interpersonal conflict. One of the significant reasons is a conflict of
interests. According to Zhang and Huo (p. 479-498), if the employees are having a conflict of
interests among themselves in their workplace, the probability of the emergence of
interpersonal conflict is more. According to the authors, the conflict of affairs in the
organisation emerges when the decision or approach to be taken by one employee will cause
a loss for another. In this case, employees tend to indulge in conflict when they are
confronted by their peers in the decision making process. This is also leading to the
interpersonal conflict among the employees in the workplace.
Intrapersonal conflict
Intrapersonal conflict refers to the conflict among the individuals with themselves.
This means that intrapersonal conflict is the dilemma faced by the individuals in their
workplace where they are facing the issue of inner conflict. In this case, also, there is a
number of reasons being identified that cause intrapersonal conflict. One of the primary
reasons being identified is the conflict between the desired goals and the actual goals given to
the employees by their management. According to Hsiaw (p. 601-626), goal setting is one of
the significant areas where intrapersonal conflict can get aroused. In different cases, when the
employees can match the organisational goals stated to them with their personal goals, then
they tend to be in a dilemma about how to manage and balance between the two. According
to the authors, if the employees follow the organisational goals, the will be unsatisfied with
their personal goals and vice versa.

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On the other hand, Evans, Carney and Wilkinson (p. 436-441), stated that stress,
dissatisfaction and frustration of the employees with their job roles is another primary cause
for the emergence of intrapersonal conflict. This is due to the reason that if the employees are
not happy and satisfied with their job role or for any other factors in their workplace, then
they will face the issue of intrapersonal conflict in balancing between the importance of
earning money and accepting the unfavourable job situation. This is another prime reason for
the occurrence of intrapersonal conflict.
Intergroup conflict
Intergroup conflict refers to the origination of conflict between different teams in the
workplace. This mainly occurs due to some common differences between the groups in the
organisation. One of the major differentiating factors being identified is the religion due to
the reason that religion is one of the major factors that divide the people around the world and
groups in the organisation is of no exception. According to Neuberg, Warner, Mistler, Berlin,
Hill, Johnson, Filip-Crawford, Millsap, Thomas, Winkelman and Broome (p. 198-206), if the
groups in the organizations are being divided based on the religion or if a particular religion
is superior in different groups, then it is highly probable that intergroup conflict will get
emerged. According to the authors, if one group with having the superiority of one religion
gets in to the conflict with another religion having the superiority of another religion, then
intergroup conflict will get raised.
On the other hand, another major reason for the emergence of intergroup conflict is
gender differences. As stated by Nishii (p. 1754-1774), in the majority of cases, males and
females have different approaches or views for a particular situation. In addition, this
difference is natural and cannot be changed or overcome. Thus, according to the author, if the
groups are differentiated by gender, then it is having the high probability that the groups of
females and the group of males will confront each other.

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Intragroup conflict
Intragroup conflict refers to the emergence of conflict among the group members of
the same team. In this case, also, there is a number of reasons being identified that contribute
to the origination of intragroup conflict. One of the major reasons being identified is the
different level of emotion among the group members. According to Meng, Fulk and Yuan (p.
675-700), members of a group belong to the various social structure, and thus they possess a
different level of emotion towards particular incidents. Therefore, if the feelings of the group
members are different and diverse in nature, then the probability will be high about the
emergence of conflict among the team members. The authors have also stated that this issue
of intrapersonal conflict will be more relevant during decision making process in the team
and during building consensus among the team members. This is one of the prime reasons for
the emergence of intragroup conflict among the team members.
According to Hanif, Mohsin, Adeel and Shah (p. 72-78), another primary reason for
the occurrence of intragroup conflict is cultural differences. This is due to the idea that if the
members of a group belong to different cultural backgrounds, then they will be more likely to
have different sets of approaches and views. This will lead to the conflict among the team
members at the time of the decision making process. According to the authors, this can also
be considered as one of the major reasons of intragroup conflict.
Role of managers in conflict management
As stated by Rahim, the most important source within an organisation is the human
resource. Therefore, adequate evaluation of the human resources within an organisation while
making change and development is one of the major concerns for the employees. The
managers should be proactive enough to cease conflicts between individuals and resolve the
conflict between them. However, this does not mean that every dispute can be resolved
within the organisation and attempt to conflict resolution will result in a worsening of the

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situation (20). Therefore, effective management of conflict where the conflict will not cause a
problem for the operations of the organisation is essential. It is the role of the manager to
monitor the workforce so that there is no increase in the different situation which may
hamper the work environment and cause harm to the organisation. A competent manager
should be aware of the opposing parties, the reason of conflict, the conflict phase, the positive
and negative impact of this conflict and whether the conflict can be managed or not (6). This
will help in identifying the appropriate solution for the organisation. The managers that have
knowledge regarding this factor will be able to effectively solve the conflict as they have the
valid information regarding the issues which will facilitate in decision making.
According to Saeed et al., the managers should be aware of the different phase of the
conflict within an organisation as the conflict is not developed without a valid reason.
Conflict within an organisation grows through different stages. In the first phase, a manager
is supposed to the foresight and wait. The different foresight will be analysed by the manager
during this phase. In the second phase, the symptoms of conflict will be readily visible, and
various indications will show the signs of conflict. The third phase is the interview phase
where face to face interview will unfold the difference in opinion between the groups or
individuals. In the fourth phase, the subject matter of the conflict will be discussed, and in the
final stage, the positive or negative decision is being concluded by the individuals (5).
Therefore, a manager can prevent the conflict or annihilate the conflict based on the phases
and depend upon the impact of this conflict on the workforce and the organisation. The
involvement of managers varies in different aspects where active participation will be highest
in the first phase and will be the lowest in the final stage.
The method that a manager can use to manage conflict effectively is freezing which is
a method of moderation. In this method, the decrease in the difference between the different
groups will be achieved by providing them with common benefits (19). The managers will

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have to identify the elements of conflict, behaviour, contradictions and emotions. After this
phase, the manager will have to change the orientation of conflict which is known as
transformation. This will lead to the development of the solution due to the transformation.
As opined by Lipsky, Avgar and Lamare, the managers will have to develop conflict
resolution values which will guide the employees with the organisation. These values are
such as respect for all which means that both the parties should have the appropriate level of
respect for each other. The solution achieved at the expense of one party is not expected to
last very long. Participation and empowerment is another value where the conflicting parties
can obtain more if they can cooperate with each other and work together. The next benefit is
respect for differences in perspectives and views. It is essential for the parties involved in the
conflict to be able to respect each other's opinions and perspectives.
However, resolution of the conflict is not always the appropriate solution as it may
result in enhancement of the problems and may not be beneficial for the organisation. It is
essential for the manager to be aware of the origin of the conflict so that active talking
between the groups will be facilitated for improving the level of conflict with the
organizations (18). The openness of the discussion allows the employees to talk about the
issues effectively and develop an outcome that is positive. Early recognition of the conflict is
one of the skills that the managers will have to develop as this will enable the manager to
judge whether the conflict will have a negative impact or a positive impact for the
organisation. The early recognition is especially effective in the case of dysfunctional and
functional disputes which makes the management of conflict much easier.
Conclusion
The critical analysis of different peer-reviewed journals shows that conflict arises
within the organisation due to leadership style, resource scarcity and competition for gaining

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power. The satisfaction of the employees is profoundly affected by these factors which result
in the development of different types of conflicts. Early recognition is one of the best
solutions for resolving and managing conflict as the managers would have more amount of
time to analyse the situation. Moreover, having proper knowledge about the conflict is
important for the manager to manage conflict effectively.
The organisations should keep enough space for improving the decision making
process. The managers will have to take staff welfare into account for receiving the optimum
productivity within the organisation. However, the managers should be a better judge of the
situation and should try to draw the positive outcome out of every possible conflict.