Page 32 - DMGT519_Conflict Management and Negotiation Skills

Conflict Management and Negotiation Skills

Notes 5. Challenge: Conflict tests the abilities and capacities of the individuals and groups. It creates
challenges for them for which they have to be dynamic and creative. If they are able to
overcome the challenge, it will lead to search for alternatives to existing patterns which
leads to organizational change and development.
6. Stimulation For Change: Sometimes conflict stimulates change among the people. When
they are faced with a conflict, they might change their attitudes and be ready to change
themselves to meet the requirements of the situation.

7. Identification of Weaknesses: When a conflict arises, it may help in identifying the
weaknesses in the system. Once the management comes to know about the weaknesses, it
can always take the steps to remove them.
8. Awareness: Conflict creates awareness of what problems exist, who is involved and how
to solve the problem. Taking cue from this, management can take the necessary action.

9. High Quality Decisions: When conflicting, persons express their opposing views and
perspectives, thus high quality decisions result. The people share their information and
check each others reasoning to develop new decisions.
10. Enjoyment: Conflict adds to the fun of working with others when not taken seriously.
Many people find conflict enjoyable to competitive sports, game, movies, play and books.

2.4.2 Dysfunctional Conflicts

The dysfunctional aspects of the conflicts can be visualized in the following ways:
1. High Employee Turnover: In case of intra-individual and inter-individual conflicts
particularly, some dynamic personnel may leave the organization, if they fail to resolve
the conflict in their favour. In this case, organization will be the sufferer in the long run
due to the loss of key people.
2. Tension: Sometimes conflict can cause high level of tensions among the individuals and
groups and a stage may come when it becomes difficult for the management to resolve the
conflict. This will result in anxiety, frustration, uncertainty and hostility among the
members.
3. Dissatisfaction: Conflict will result in discontentment to the losing party, who will wait
for an opportunity to settle the score with the winning party. All this tussle will result in
less concentration on the job and as a result, the productivity will suffer.
4. Climate of Distrust: Conflict often creates a climate of distrust and suspicion among the
members of the group as well as the organization. The degree of cohesiveness will be less
as the discords will be more. The concerned people will have negative feelings towards
each other and try to avoid interaction with each other.
5. Personal vs. Organizational Goals: Conflicts may distract the attention of the members
of the organization from organizational goals. They may waste their time and energy in
finding ways and tactics to come out as winners in the conflict. Personal victory becomes
more important than the organizational goals.
6. Conflict as a Cost: Conflict is not necessarily a cost for the individuals. But the conflicts
may weaken the organization as a whole, if the management is not able to handle them
properly. If the management tries to suppress conflicts, they may acquire gigantic
proportions in the later stages. And if the management does not interfere in the earlier
stages, unnecessary troubles may be invited at the later stages. It is a cost to the organization,
because resignations of personnel weaken the organization and feeling of distrust among
members have negative impact on productivity.

26 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY