Page 202 - DMGT106_MANAGING_HUMAN_ELEMENTS_AT_WORK

Managing Human Element at Work

Notes 2. .................. communications flow in four directions.

(a) Informal (b) Formal
(c) Downward (d) External
3. Time, Place, Space, Climate and Noise are the .................... barriers.
(a) attitudinal (b) cultural
(c) physical (d) none of these.
4. ..................... communications refer to communications among the subordinates who are
working on the same level of the organization.
(a) Upward (b) Horizontal
(c) Downward (d) External
5. ............... is a disagreement between two or more parties, such as individuals, groups,
departments, organizations or countries.
(a) Communication (b) Horizontal
(c) Downward (d) Conflict

8.10 Types of Conflict

Conflict in organizations manifests itself in different forms. Broadly, there are three types of
conflict: personal, group, and organizational. All these types can be further classified in terms
of being “intra,” meaning within, and “inter,” meaning across. These conflicts are interrelated
and affect each other in organizations. The various types can be further described as follows:
8.10.1 Intrapersonal Conflict

Intrapersonal conflict is the result of tensions and frustrations within the individual. It
happens because the person is not clear about his role; he sets two mutually exclusive goals
for himself. An individual is expected to play a variety of roles in his life. A role is a set
of expectations placed on any individual by others. The person who occupies the role
becomes the role incumbent, and there are others surrounding the person and having certain
expectations from him. Since it is practically impossible to live up to everyone’s expectations,
the role incumbent starts experiencing frustration and anxiety from within.
These ultimately lead to intrapersonal conflict. Different types of role-related intrapersonal
conflicts are discussed now.

8.10.2 Role-related Intrapersonal Conflicts
Intrarole Conflict: When an incumbent receives conflicting messages from different role
senders, he experiences intrarole conflict. It happens very often in organizations which have
a dual authority system where the project head has a different expectation when compared
to a functional head, and the role incumbent is not able to find the solution that meets the
different expectations. Sometimes, intrarole conflict occurs when the same person sends a
role holder conflicting or inconsistent expectations. For example, a customer service
representative may be told to handle as many customers as possible as well as provide
complete, detailed, accurate, and timely information about the activities of the department.
Interrole Conflict: When a person experiences conflict because of the multiple roles he has
to play in life, he experiences interrole conflict. One very common form of interrole conflict
is the conflict experienced by many employees when their working roles clash with their
roles as a spouse or parent. A person who has to attend an important meeting at work, as
well as a parent–teacher meeting at her child’s school scheduled at the same time, experiences

196 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY