Analyzing Academic Perspectives on Organizational Conflict

The assignment focuses on a critical analysis and synthesis of two academic articles related to conflict management within business organizations. The first article by Tjosvold & Yi-Feng (2014) emphasizes the importance of constructive conflict resolution through the adoption of the dual concern model, advocating for open-minded discussions to integrate diverse viewpoints among conflicting parties. This approach is posited as a robust method to achieve amicable agreements and enhance organizational performance. On the other hand, Chaudhry & Asif (2015) stress understanding the context of conflicts to identify their root causes effectively, arguing that this understanding is crucial for tailoring conflict management strategies accordingly. Despite differing in methodologies—where one highlights perspective integration and the other emphasizes contextual comprehension—the articles collectively underscore the complexity of organizational conflicts and the necessity of nuanced management approaches. The assignment concludes with a reflection on unanswered questions regarding conflict stages and managerial roles within organizations, signaling areas for further research.

Conflict Management in Business Organizations 1
Conflict Management in Business Organizations
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University
Course:
Lecturer
Department
Date

Conflict Management in Business Organizations 2
Conflict Management in Business Organizations
Worksheet - Critical Review of an Academic Journal
Element Completed for selected article 1 Completed for selected article 2
1 The citation information
should be in the same
format as it would be in
the reference list. Use
Harvard Referencing
Style - leave a line
BELOW the citation
Tjosvold, D. & Yi-Feng, N. C., 2014, ‘Constructively
managing conflict in organizations’, Annu. Rev. Organ.
Psychol. Organ. Behav., Vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 545-568.
Chaudhry, A. M. & Asif, R., 2015. ‘Organizational
Conflict and Conflict Management: a synthesis of
literature’, Journal of Business and Management
Research, Vol. 9, no.1, pp. 238-244.
2 What is the journal
article’s author
According to the viewpoint of these two authors, the
constructive management of conflicts in organizations
entails allowing the protagonists to express their views
According to these authors, the ability to understand
the context and the different types of conflicts allows
managers to identify appropriate long-term solutions

Conflict Management in Business Organizations 3
viewpoint?
Write a short statement
of the author’s
viewpoint.
in a free manner (Tjosvold & Yi-Feng, 2014). Besides,
the antagonists should listen and understand the views
being expressed to integrate them to arrive at a
constructive solution.
to conflicts in the workplace (Chaudhry & Asif,
2015).
3 What is the article about?
Write a short summary
of the theory, research
findings and/or
argument.
This article addresses the issue of constructive
management of conflicts in organizational setting
(Coleman, Deutsch, & Marcus, 2014).
In summary, the theory that has been used by the two
authors to discuss the constructive management of
conflicts within organizational setting is the Dual
Concern Model that was developed by Blake and
Mouton in 1964. This theory advocates for the inclusion
of self-concern and the concern for others. In this
regard, the author stresses on the adoption of an open-
This article talks about the various organizational
conflicts and the effect ways of managing them.
The authors argue that conflicts have different
components, and hence, different approaches should
be used to manage them (Wallensteen, 2015). The
authors have used interpersonal and intergroup
models to explain the various dimensions of conflicts
in organizations, for example, negative emotional
and acceptability components. In conclusion, the
authors state that conflicts can be healthy or

Conflict Management in Business Organizations 4
minded discussion between the protagonists in a conflict
situation.
The authors found that the use of open-mindedness
contributes towards a constructive management of
conflicts because it helps the protagonists to understand
each other’s point of view and hence, a constructive
solution.
unhealthy to an organization depending on how it is
managed.
4 What are the strengths
and limitations of this
journal article?
Write a comment on the
usefulness and/or
limitations of the text for
your topic
Strengths
The article uses scientific research studies by experts in
the same field to back it claims
Weaknesses
Some of the sources used in this article can be
considered outdated because they were published more
Strengths
The article engages in in-depth analysis of the cause
and management of conflicts in organizational
setting.
Weaknesses
The article has not utilized recent research studies to

Conflict Management in Business Organizations 5
than five years ago.
Comment
The use of recent sources ensure internal reliability of
the article, hence, it useful in conflict resolution modern
organizations
support its arguments
Comment
Outdated information to support arguments may not
make the article useful in the modern organization
setting.
5 What is the value or
contribution of this
journal article on the
topic being researched?
Write an evaluative
comment on the work,
taking into account how
this work will fit into
your research on your
This article is highly valuable in the topic of conflict
management. The article provides effective ways of
how to constructively manage conflicts within
organizations. It encourages managers to adopt the dual
model dual model system and promote open
mindedness in conflict management to facilitate the
achievement of long term solutions (Mitchell, Parker, &
Giles, 2012).
This article is valuable to the topic of organizational
conflict management. It provides in-depth
information regarding interpersonal and intergroup
conflicts within the organization. Therefore, it adds
knowledge to the management of conflicts that
involve inter-personal differences and groups within
an organizational setting (Young & Travis, 2011).

Conflict Management in Business Organizations 6
topic.

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Comparing and contrasting two journal articles in an annotated bibliography
Questions to consider Complete for your selected articles
1 What are the similarities between the
arguments presented by each author
about the topic?
One of the similarities between these articles is that understanding the point of views of the
opposing parties is vital for the successful management of conflicts (Tjosvold & Yi-Feng,
2014). The authors agree that this helps in the integration of both viewpoints which facilitates
that arrival at amicable agreement.
2 What are the differences between the
arguments presented by each author
about the topic?
The two articles differ the process of conflict management. The first article stresses the
importance of open-mindedness in the conflict resolution process by stating that it ensures
that the protagonists understand each other point of views. On the other hand, the second
article stresses on the importance of understanding the context of the conflicts because it
helps in the identification of the cause of the problems.
3 How do the conclusions drawn by each
author differ?
The conclusion that is arrived at by the authors of the two articles are different in terms of the
major component of effective conflict management. For example, the authors of the first
article concludes that managers should adopt open minded discussion to facilitate the

Conflict Management in Business Organizations 8
constructive management of conflicts (Tjosvold & Yi-Feng, 2014). On the other hand, the
authors of the second article conclude that managers should prioritize the context of a
conflict between the involved parties for the effective management of organization conflicts
(Chaudhry & Asif, 2015).
4 Which author provides the stronger or
more robust argument and why?
Based on my analysis of the two articles, the authors of the first article provide a stronger and
a more robust argument. This is because they stress on the dual concern model and open
minded discussion in the process of conflicts resolution. This is a better approach that simply
understanding the context of the conflict because the protagonists will understand each
other’s perspective, and the integration of these perspectives facilitates the constructive
management of conflicts.
5 Having compared and contrasted the two
journal articles, what questions do you
now have about the topic? What else do
you want to know about the topic?
After comparing and contrasting these article, I still want to know how the process and stages
of conflict in organizations and the role of management in the process.