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Unit 14: Conflict Management




               (e)  Goal Differences: The differentiation in work activities  leads  to differentiation  in  Notes
                    goals. When work groups have different goals, these goals may be incompatible.
                    For example,  production's goals may be to have long production  runs with few
                    changes in product style, because this allows the production facilities to operate at
                    peak efficiency. Marketing's goal, on the other hand, may be to give customers what
                    they want when they want it. This means rush orders, special orders, and other
                    demands that conflict directly with production's goals.
               (f)  Jurisdictions Ambiguities: Jurisdictional ambiguity is tantamount to unclear lines of
                    responsibility within an organisation. When a problem occurs for which there is no
                    definite fixation of responsibility, workers tend to "pass the buck" or avoid dealing
                    with the problem. Conflicts emerge over who has responsibility for the problem.
                    For example, if you are a customer of a company and have a problem with the
                    product you brought and you telephone the company to set it right, you would have
                    had your call transferred through several different people and departments.
               (g)  Status Inconsistencies: Some organisations have a strong status difference between
                    managers and workers. Managers enjoy many privileges like flexible schedules,
                    personal telephone calls at work and longer lunch hours. These privileges are not
                    available to other employees resulting in resentment and conflict.
          2.   Personal  Factors:  Personal factors  arise from  differences  among individuals.  These
               differences include skills and abilities,  personalities, perceptions, emotions, values and
               ethics and communication barriers.
               (a)  Differences in Perceptions: We all "see" the world slightly differently because we have
                    all had different experiences. Differences in perception can also lead to conflict. One
                    area in which perceptions can differ is the perception of what motivates employees.
                    If managers and workers do not have a shared perception of what motivates people,
                    the reward system can create conflicts. It is hard to make unequivocal statements
                    about how differences in  perception will  influence conflict.  It is also difficult to
                    deduce exactly how a person views the world unless the person is well-known to the
                    manager. Nevertheless, a realization that differences in perception (by groups or
                    individuals) is crucial to conflict means that it must be included in any discussion of
                    conflict.
               (b)  Communication Problems: Communication problems develop because not all groups
                    have the same information. Each group therefore takes a position based on its view
                    of the world and the information it has. The obvious solution to this problem is to
                    give all groups equal information. However, this is generally not feasible because
                    individuals with important information may want to use it for their own advantage
                    and not share it.
                    The various communication barriers that lead to conflict include:
                    (i)  Communication barriers such as physical separation and language can create
                         distortions in messages and these can lead to conflict.
                    (ii)  Another communication barrier is value judgement, in which a listener assigns
                         a worth to a message before it is received. For example, suppose X is a chronic
                         complainer. When X enters the manager's office, the manager  is likely  to
                         devalue the message before it is even delivered. Conflict can then emerge.
                    (iii)  Communication barriers  are  also  caused  by  technical jargon  that is  so
                         frequently used in organisations.
               (c)  Value and Ethics: Differences in values and ethics can be sources of disagreement.
                    When  conflicts over values or  ethics do  arise, heated  disagreement is common
                    because of the personal value systems giving rise to such differences.




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