CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

How do we manage conflict so the organization and personnel don’t suffer? Can we actually derive benefits from conflict? The purpose of this paper is to answer these questions and give you insight into the options available to managers for the successful management of conflict. Conflict is inevitable in every organization and often times necessary to ensure high performance. Ken Thomas defined conflict as the process that results when one person (or a group) perceives that another person or group is frustrating, or about to frustrate, an important concern. (Thomas: 891) Conflict involves incompatible differences between parties that result in interference or opposition. Such differences can serve as a motivator for positive change or cause decreases in productivity. Conflict, therefore, can be constrictive or destructive. Conflict is destructive when it produces barriers to cooperation, destroys morale and diverts energy from important tasks and issues. It is constructive when it leads to a solution of a problem or a higher level of understanding and communication between individuals or groups. So then we can say that conflict is both constructive and destructive it just depends on how you manage it. In the past, managers were trained to avoid conflict because of the negative repercussions that sometimes resulted. Today however, many management trainers are advocating that since there are some benefits derived from having conflict in an organization, then conflict should be looked at as a concept for inclusion in an organization. So the challenge for managers is not avoiding conflict but managing it in such a way that the outcomes benefit the organization in terms of reduced chaos and stimulated work activity. To successfully manage conflict it is helpful to understand some of the sources of conflict.