Page 298 - DMGT402_MANAGEMENT_PRACTICES_AND_ORGANIZATIONAL_BEHAVIOUR

Unit 14: Conflict Management

According to Gray and Starke, "Conflict is behaviour by a person or group that is purposely Notes
designed to inhibit the attainment of goals by another person or group. This 'purposeful
inhibition' may be active or passive."
R.W. Woodman defines conflict "As any situation in which incompatible goals, attitudes, emotions
or behaviours lead to disagreement or opposition between two or more parties."

K.W. Thomas defines conflict as "A process that begins when one party perceives that another
party has negatively affected or is about to negatively affect, something the first party cares
about."
According to B. Kabanoff, "Conflict refers to a disagreement, opposition, or struggle between
two or more individuals or groups. It results from incompatible influence attempts between
and within individuals, groups or organisations."
From the above definitions we can state that conflict most commonly arises from four
circumstances.
1. Conflict can occur when individuals or groups perceive they have mutually exclusive
goals or values.

2. Behaviour designed to defeat, reduce or suppress an opponent may cause conflict.
3. Groups that face each other with mutually opposing actions and counter-actions cause
conflict, and

4. If each group attempts to create a relatively favoured position vis-à-vis the other, conflict
may ensue.
Today's organisations may face greater potential for conflict than ever before. The market-
place, with its increasing competition and globalization, magnifies difference among people in
terms of personality, values, attitudes, perceptions, languages, cultures and national backgrounds.
With the increasing diversity of the workforce, furthermore, comes potential incompatibility
and conflict.

14.2 Sources of Organisational Conflict

1. Line and Staff Competition: The growth of highly specialized, creative, well-educated
staff poses unique problems for line managers. Faced with a growing dependence on staff,
line managers must adjust to a reduction in organisational power and prestige. Conflict in
most organisations persists between line and staff because it is virtually impossible to
define precisely the responsibility and authority relationships between the two.
2. Organisation-Individual Disagreements: From one perspective, the conflict between the
organisation and the individual centres around the individual's failure to fulfil the
organisation's expectations regarding productivity or compliance with rules. From another,
the conflict is often seen as resulting from excessive organisational demands. Such conflict
may be overt or hidden from view, depending on the perception each side has of the
power of the other.

3. Overlapping Responsibilities: Organisations constantly change in response to personnel
turnover, expansion or contraction, the adoption of new policies, changes in external
environment, and so forth. As a result, it is impossible to establish job responsibilities
once and for all. When a change occurs, one person reaches out to assume more
responsibility, another retrenches and still another tentatively assumes responsibility for
certain functions without knowing definitely who should be performing them. Thus, the
stage is set for conflict.

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