Conflict is a fact of life - for individuals, organizations, and societies. The costs of conflict are well-documented - high turnover, grievances and lawsuits, absenteeism, divorce, dysfunctional families, prejudice, fear. What many people don't realize is that well-managed conflict can actually be a force for positive change.
Conflict is “an expressed struggle between at least two interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals, scarce resources, and interference from others in achieving their goals” (Hocker, 1991). There are two basic types of conflicts: substantive and emotional. According to Schermerhorn et.al., substantive conflict is a fundamental disagreement over ends or goals to be pursued and the means for their accomplishment. This type of conflict arises when people disagree over such things as group and organizational goals, policies and procedures, task assignments, or the distribution of rewards. In contrast, emotional conflict “involves interpersonal difficulties that arise over feelings of anger, mistrust, dislike, fear, resentment, and the like” (Schermerhorn et al). This type of conflict is the most common and can emerge from a variety of settings. Both types of conflict can be broken down into four basic levels of conflict within an organization. These four levels of conflict are: intrapersonal, interpersonal, intragroup, and intergroup.
An intrapersonal conflict is one that goes on within one’s self. This level of conflict can happen when an individual must choose among attractive alternatives, each of which is expected to have a positive outcome, also known as the Approach-approach conflict. An example is when someone has to choose between having a day off or getting paid for the overtime worked. Another way in which an intrapersonal conflict can happen is when an individual must choose among unattractive alternatives,