Conflict Management

Question: Write an essay on Conflict Management. Answer: Introduction Conflict, in simple words, can be defined as a state of argument or disagreement between individuals or a group of people ("Definition of CONFLICT", 2016). Conflicts between people or groups can have positive as well as negative impacts on an organisation. Conflict management is an approach that can help an organisation in increasing the positive impacts and reducing the negative ones. Objectives The objectives of the assignment is to gain an understanding about inter-group and intra-group conflicts, the ways in which they can be managed and the effects that they can have on an organisation. Discussion Inter-Group and Intra-Group Conflicts Intra-group conflicts are those conflicts that occur within the team members of a single group. Some conflicts are also considered to be positive for the organisation and are known as functional conflicts as they enhance the performance of the groups while the other groups are known as the dysfunctional conflicts which hinder the performance or the working of a group. Inter-group conflicts are those conflicts that occur between two or more groups of people. During inter-group conflicts, the team members come together by overlooking the individual differences that they have amongst them and try to unite their efforts against the other groups. This is considered to be a positive consequence as it unites the members of a group and increases their performance but the problem arises when the members unite and their focus shifts from the actual work to some other aims or objectives ("Intergroup Conflict in the Workplace", 2016). Effect Of Group Conflicts on Organisations As studied above, conflicts can be divided into two types. The first ones are those which have positive impact on the organisation while the second ones are those which can have a negative impact on the organisation. Let us now study the functional and dysfunctional impacts of inter-group and intra-group conflicts on the working of an organisation: Inter-group and intra-group conflicts can have the following consequences on an organisation: Positive Impacts: Increased awareness about the problems of the organisation Increased self-awareness Facilitates exchange of information and knowledge Helps in improving the decision making process Fosters an environment for innovation and creativity Helps in motivating and boosting the morale of the employees Helps in reducing tensions Helps in enhancing psychological maturity Negative Impacts: Increases the stress levels and burnouts in the employees It can have an adverse effect on the performance of the organisation It can have negative impact on the employee morale and create job dissatisfaction amongst them Reduced employees loyalty towards the organisation It results in wastage of resources and time Increases distrust in the organisation Increases negative stereotyping Hinders the communication process ("Conflict", 2016) Conflict Management The process of eliminating the negative aspects and increasing the positive effects of a conflict is known as conflict management. There are a number of ways in which a conflict can be managed. Some important conflict management strategies are accommodation, avoiding, collaborating, compromising, competing, etc. Collaborating is one of the best ways to manage inter-group and intra-group conflicts. The basic idea behind collaborating is to manage conflicts by integrating ideas given by multiple people or groups. Collaborating aims at finding out innovative and creative solutions that are generally accepted by the parties that are experiencing a conflict with each other. It creates a win-win situation for all the people or groups involved in a conflict as they can collectively come to a conclusion to their problems ("5 Conflict Management Strategies", n.d.). Collaboration approach of conflict management requires a serious commitment from the member groups or the concerned individuals so that they can look for a mutually acceptable solution. It also might require some additional efforts if the members feel that a win-win situation cannot be created in a particular case or scenario. Another thing that has to be kept in mind is that if the parties start to lose their trust in the opponent, the relationship starts to fall back to its original situation and the conflicts can rise up again. Let us now discuss some advantages and disadvantages of collaborating conflict management strategy: Advantages: Collaboration can help in solving the actual problem The best advantage of collaboration is that it contains a win-win situation for all the parties It helps in establishing mutual trust between the parties experiencing a conflict It helps in establishing a solid foundation for conflict management in the future It develops a shared responsibility for the outcomes The conflict resolution team can earn the reputation of a good negotiator while an organisation can also hire professional conflict managers The whole conflict management process is simple and stress free for the participants as they are sure about a win-win situation in any case Disadvantages: The biggest disadvantage of collaborative conflict management strategy is that it is very time consuming as compared to other strategies of conflict management. It can take a lot of time for the parties to come to a mutually acceptable condition. Thus, it cannot be used for trivial disputes. Another disadvantage of collaborative approach is that it can benefit a particular group or individual if they have personal links with the people involved in the negotiation. Conclusion Inter-group and intra-group conflicts can have both positive and negative impact on the working for a business organisation. Using conflict management strategies, such as collaborative approach, we can efficiently minimise the negative impacts and increase the positive impacts of inter-group and intra-group conflicts. References 5 Conflict Management Strategies. Smallbusiness.chron.com. Retrieved 7 July 2016, Conflict. (2016). Users.dickinson.edu. Retrieved 7 July 2016, Conflict Management Techniques. Personalityexplorer.com. Definition of CONFLICT. (2016). Merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 7 July 2016, Difference Between Inter- Intra-Group Conflict. Smallbusiness.chron.com. Retrieved 7 July 2016, Intergroup Conflict in the Workplace. (2016). Mediate.com. Retrieved 7 July 2016.