Effective Conflict Management in Business Organizations

This report provides a comprehensive overview of conflict management in a business context. It begins by defining conflict management and its importance, followed by an in-depth exploration of various conflict management styles, including accommodating, avoiding, collaborating, competing, and compromising. The report then categorizes different types of conflicts, such as those based on involvement, scope, results, and strategy, and examines the factors that contribute to their emergence. Furthermore, it offers practical strategies for managing conflicts effectively in the workplace, emphasizing the importance of understanding emotional responses, self-awareness, considering different viewpoints, adopting communication guidelines, and establishing conflict resolution protocols. The report concludes by highlighting the significance of conflict management for organizational success and providing valuable insights for professionals seeking to improve their conflict resolution skills.

APPLIED CONCEPTS

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY......................................................................................................1
Concept of conflict management in business...............................................1
Conflict management styles.........................................................................1
Types of conflicts..........................................................................................4
Factors causing conflicts...............................................................................5
Conflict management...................................................................................6
Five A’s technique........................................................................................7
CONCLUSION....................................................................................................8
REFERENCES..................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Conflict management is the business practice which assists to identify
and handle conflicts in appropriate manner. With this regard, every business
needs to manage their work performances fairly, sensibly and efficiently. As
a result, they can easily develop appropriate work to perform several
functions (Martínez-Moreno, Zornoza and Thompson, 2015).
In this context, within the present report different aspect of conflict
management has been identified that can be applied in management
activities of the organisation. Therefore, it is important to understand
conflicts and strategy to solve it. For gaining insight information of the
present report, it covers different concepts, theories and strategies to solve
it. Furthermore, practices and effectiveness also increases that helps to
focus on the desired result outcomes at workplace. Moreover, different ways
to manage conflicts can be ascertained to develop significant advantages in
the business management.
MAIN BODY
Concept of conflict management in business
Conflict management is the practice that can be applied to identify
and handle different issues in effective manner. With this regard, in a
business there are different aspects can be included that assists to manage
creativity and focus on the natural part of the workplace. Since conflict in a
business is more useful and effective to understand strategy that helps to
maintain smooth working. It is very important consideration for every person
who exists in the enterprise and working to manage their work. On the basis
of valuable information, they can communicate overall work and improve
performances as well. Furthermore, if conflict is happen in the business it is
essential to respond and resolve that enable to get more success in the
organisation.
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Conflict management styles
Conflicts occur and happen naturally in the business so that employees
need to implement different styles and strategies to respond towards it and
resolve to get successful results. There are several kinds of conflict
management styles can be implemented that assists to maintain
effectiveness and attain overall goals at workplace. Following are different
strategies exists that can be applied to make better solution in business
(Zhang, Chen and Sun, 2015). They are as follows:
Accommodating conflict management style
In this kind of conflict management style, people cooperate in high
degree of work. As a result, it contain expenses and actual work towards
goals and objectives. Desired outcomes will be accomplished to attain more
creativity and effectiveness at workplace. This approach helps to make
effective person because they are expert and consider better solution to
perform their work in systematic manner. Furthermore, it can be stated that
they keep peace and perceives issue as minor to perform several activities
and targets. With the help of accommodation, effective primary conflict
management method implemented which they need to keep track and
develop resentment.
Avoiding conflict management style
It is one of the method in which manager avoid particular situation to
attempt conflicts. In this consideration, it can be stated that other staff
member not helps towards successful goals and objectives with desired
outcomes. In this approach, it is important to solve issue and cannot
assertively to pursue own goals. On the other hand, this works done very
well when issue is trivial and when managers have no chances to win it.
Furthermore, in this kind of strategy put off conflicts indefinitely so that it
can be delaying or ignoring the conflict. Problems can be solved to actively
take participation that assists to hold position with low power. In certain
situations, avoiding can helps in profitable manner to implement conflict
management strategy. The hiring of a desired outcome with particular
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position, it is important to solve conflict management (Martínez-Moreno,
Zornoza and Thompson, 2015).
Collaborating conflict management style
In this kind of strategy, partners are working in a particular pair so that
each person can implement their participation to accomplish goals.
Furthermore, managers are also break free consultant that assists to gain
win situation to seek effective work with complex scenario so that managers
need to consider appropriate solution with collaborating work. In this way,
ideas can be integrated with multiple people so that creative solution can be
identify that are acceptable by each person. Furthermore, collaboration also
consider useful and significant time commitment which is not appropriate at
all conflicts. For example, business owner need to do their work and perform
collaborative outcomes with managers and establish policies in decision
making strategy. Offices can supply method to solve issue of waste time in
better aspect.
Competing conflict management style
It is also known as win lose situation and approach so that manager
need to act in assertive way. Therefore, it helps to accomplish goals and
objectives with seeking more cooperative results and other employees. With
this regard, it can be stated that manager need to cooperate with other
people so that they will able to communicate time essence. Competing also
operates as zero sum game where one side win and other will loss. Highly
assertively people can easily compete with competition so that it assists to
work in appropriate manner. Hence, very less number of conflicts arises at
workplace which increase decision making performances in appropriate
manner. It can be helps to generate such as pay cuts and layoffs.
Compromising conflict management style
It is consider conflict management style in lose lose scenario so that
neither person nor manager really accomplish which they want to gain. As a
result, it is essential to focus on the moderate level assertiveness and
cooperation. It can be appropriate for scenario where temporary solution is
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needed temporary solution and both sides equally goals will be accomplish
(Roberson, Fish and Fincham, 2015). In both the side of conflict, it is
essential to implement permanent solution that would be consider to focus
on establish and acceptable way. This strategy assists to prevail in which
parties can hold equivalent power. Business owners are also need to
frequent employ compromise during contract negotiation with other
enterprise.
Ways to manage conflict in business
When conflicts arises in the workplace, it is essential to many smaller
organisation need to handle it in effective manner. Following strategies can
be applied to manage conflicts in business:
Understand and evaluate emotional response of people: When
employees have strong emotional reaction at workplace dispute, it is
important to consider internal defence mechanism. Furthermore, ability of
people also determines reaction and it is also reason that can be take second
place (Zhang, Chen and Sun, 2015). The best strategy is to communicate
with involved after communication that emotionally triggered usually leads
each place.
Be-self aware: When people are involved for conflict avoider or
aggressive leader it is essential to focus on that for which they can lead. Not
each person well respond in well style so that conflicts occurs naturally. In
order to focus and demonstrate better leadership, it is essential to maintain
situation in appropriate manner. As a result, respond can be taken in better
way.
Consider views of all parties involved: With respect to consider views of
different parties, the organisation will able to communicate their goals and
objectives. In this aspect, each person views and suggestions need to be
ascertained so that they feel secure and valuable. Team members contribute
their righteous to foster team work so that different point of view will be
placed to make effective results at workplace.
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Team should adopt communication guidelines: In all forms of
communication, all members need to develop their effective results to
ascertained desired results. Team recognise unacceptable and
counterproductive manners communication that assists to create guidelines
that assists to manage important roles and goals in desired manner. Open
dialogue and long run are major source that assists to solve conflict within
the organisation (Zhang, Chen and Sun, 2015).
Team create conflict resolution protocol: In all forms of communication,
team adopted and accept conflict resolution protocol which tend to and
helped to ascertained desired results in the business. This is because,
investing the time to create conflict resolution protocol also pay huge
dividend in long run (Roberson, Fish and Fincham, 2015).
Types of conflicts
Conflict in the business can be arising due to which multiple reasons
based on the different categories and types. There are different types of
conflict occur which need to be resolved and managed. They are as follows:
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Illustration 1: Conflict management
(Source: Channel Conflict Management, 2018)

On the basis of involvement
There are two types of conflicts arises such as personal and
organisational. Organisational conflicts can be intra organisational and inter-
organisational. Inter-organisational conflicts occur when two or more than
two organisations have occurred any conflict. Intra-organisational conflicts
can be also further considering in several others forms (Zhang, Chen and
Sun, 2015).
On the basis of scope
There are two types of scope consider in which conflicts occurred such
as substantive and affective. Procedure also undertaken in this aspect to
include disagreement about process of doing job. Affective kind of conflicts
consider work with interpersonal aspect and beside this substantive called
performance, tasks and issue conflicts.
On the basis results
There are two perspective of conflict results such as different
perspective that included constructive or destructive in which creative and
positive work will be successfully develop. Constructive conflict may occur
because they support to accomplish group goals and improve their
performances as well. On the basis of this conflict, it can be stated that
dysfunctional activities successfully develop in which people can accomplish
their goals to reach final results. Destructive conflict also takes attention
away from other important activities. They are also preventing to gain
important activities which involved negative behaviour and results. This kind
of conflicts also occurs because it helps to prevent people from accomplish
their targets and outcomes. In this kind of consideration, attention also taken
with important activities so that negative behaviour can be reduced to gain
more positive results. (Zhang, Chen and Sun, 2015).
On the basis of sharing by groups
There are different kinds of conflicts such as distribute and integrative.
Distributive conflicts are approached as a channel of distribution. In this
consideration, it can be stated that positive outcomes will be gain with fixed
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amount of resource. In an integrate conflicts so that groups see in the
conflicts to integrate and work within the group successfully to gain more
desired level of results. It is the also greater consideration that assists to
develop significant advantages at workplace (Jiang, Wang and Klein, 2014).
On the basis of strategy
Conflict is competitive and cooperative so that it accumulative to
consider that include issue which began so that conflict become irrelevant.
Costs not create matter in competitive conflicts. Cooperative conflict is kind
of interest based and integrative bargaining mode which can be leads the
parties that involved for win-win situation (Roberson, Fish and Fincham,
2015).
On the basis of rights and interest
When some people are granted to accomplish goals that are rights by
law, contract, agreement to establish and it is denied to leads with different
conflicts systems (Martínez-Moreno, Zornoza and Thompson, 2015). These
conflicts are settled with law and arbitration so that interest of people can be
develop successfully to focus on the person demand and privileges towards
law and right that are existing. Negotiation and collective bargaining solve
this type of conflicts to manage their work in effective manner.
Factors causing conflicts
Different types of conflicts over the control of resources must be
undertaken that can be lead to take participation with appropriate decisions.
With the help of clear goals and objectives, team members can easily lead
with whole performances and attain several advantages as well (Vollmer and
Wolf, 2015). Misleading communication may confuse and create more
conflicts at workplace of business. In the businesses, corruption also creates
more conflicts which reduce building effective relationship among several
members.
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Conflict management
Every organisation faces great deal to manage conflict situation in
great consideration. There are several experts exists those manage their
work to lead with actual problem and issue. International businesses
consider different perspective to solve issue and problems (McCorkle and
Reese, 2015). There are different consideration such as compromise,
accommodating, competition, etc. This strategy assists to focus on the
conflict management work and tends to manage appropriate functions. As a
result, it develops universal consideration (Jiang, Wang and Klein, 2014). It is
ultimately drives that organisation to manage effective functions work in
initial stage. Furthermore, accommodation strategy believes in handling
problems very quickly as it is possible. In this kind of strategy one party will
accept other people demands. As a result, it is can be consider causes with
effective attempt at conflict management. There are different contribution
system can attain effective results. It also shows dominant party with
continuous to make mutual resolution (Du, Cui and Su, 2018).
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Illustration 2: Causes of channel conflicts
(Source: Channel Conflict Management, 2018)

With the help of effective working system, it can be stated that
competition can be solved within the parties that assists to consider quick
response with own agenda. It can be quickly escalate into greed so that
parties will get opportunities that is beneficial to perform desired level of
outcomes. In addition to this, collaborative strategy also starts with
manager's preliminary work that can be initiated to develop more
advantages to ascertained issue (Hossu, Ioja and Hersperger, 2018). On the
basis of collaborating work, it can be stated that assertive and cooperation
will be successful work to get smooth functioning at different point. With this
regard, there are several considerations will be undertaken in which effective
and efficient form of conflict will be managed.
Five A’s technique
In this aspect, there are different kinds of steps has been undertaken
that assists to manage appropriate process which would be beneficial to do
work and perform several aspects of outcomes. They are explained under
here:
Assessment: In this step, parties are involved to manage work and
collect real information for particular issues and problem. There are several
parties are involved to undertake different functioning which indicate overall
work and performances at workplace (Riasi and Asadzadeh, 2015).
Acknowledgement: In this consideration, it is essential to focus on
the party requirements and develop their understanding to build empathy
that is needed for particular solution. As a result, other party will actively
communicate their work in systematic manner.
Attitude: In this step, parties trying to remove to solve issue to
consider different issues in appropriate way. Differences in communication
also accepted that can be accomplished to analysis problems from the styles
to communicate in different ways. Finally all parties need to become more
alert so that issues will be resolved to make productive work at workplace
(Jung and Yoon, 2018).
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Action: In this step, implementation of the chosen conflict handling
mode can be ascertained. Therefore, each individual evaluates opposite
party’s behaviour which could be make to get more effective work. Finally all
parties are become more alert to new issues and look for desired level of
work.
Analysis: In this kind of activity, it can be seen that participants are
decide to take appropriate action and find list on which they are agreed.
With the help of proper analysis, initiates work can be successfully developed
that will be impetus or approaching conflict management in ongoing process
(Okpara, Stringer and Dougil, 2018).
Conflicts are natural in particular business or daily life of a person.
Conflict is ever present and both charming and maddening. It is complex and
big subject so that there are many sources available that assists to individual
to obtain to seek their own interest. Sometimes the individual nor aware
towards the need and unconsciously starts to act and they want to actively
working to accomplish goals. It is better consideration to assess conflict at
early stage of life. However, concept of conflict is controversial so that it
contain different meanings that can be defined in particular process. In
addition to this, obstructive behaviour and goal incompatibility by others so
that conflicts can be expressed where perception leads to disruption of
desirable state of harmony and stability in interdependent world (Zhang,
Chen and Sun, 2015).
Characteristics of conflict
Conflict is a process: Conflicts occurs in particular layers because of
different values, viewpoints and interest. Hence, it is known as process
because it begins with one party perceiving other to oppose or negatively
affect interest and ends with competing, collaborating and compromising.
Conflict is inevitable: Conflict exists everywhere so that no two persons
are same. There are different values which can be lead to conflict. Therefore,
it can be stated that conflict can be minimised, diverted and resolved. It can
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