Conflict in An Organization-Ruth D. Rodrigo

CONFLICT IN AN
ORGANIZATION
RUTH D. RODRIGO
DISCUSSANT
CONFLICT IN ORGANIZATION
• Conflict- is an interpersonal process that arises

from disagreements over the goals to attain or the
methods to be used to accomplish goals.
NATURE OF CONFLICT
• Conflict arises out of mutually exclusive goals
• Conflict is different from Competition

TYPES OF CONFLICT
Organizational conflict can be classified into two distinct

categories:
• Internal
• External
INTERNAL CONFLICT
• Internal conflict is personal to the person involved. This

type of conflict takes place within the person.
• It can surface when a person's values or morals are
tested or otherwise compromised.
• Internal conflict can greatly impact the person’s
performance level.
EXTERNAL CONFLICT
• External conflict is observed in outside forces that cause

struggle for the person, such as an unhappy customer or an
unruly supplier.
• External conflict can also be caused when the management

style of the business owner does not set well with the
employees of the organization.
OUTCOMES - POSITIVE
• In a different view, organizational conflict represents an

opportunity for productive change. The use of effective
communication lies at the heart of this view.
• The simple act of acknowledging and seeking solutions to

organizational conflicts can defuse them and draw employees
into a stronger relationship with the business.
OUTCOMES - NEGATIVE
• Conflicts cause stress, which reduces worker satisfaction.
• This diminished satisfaction can lead to increases in

absenteeism and turnover.
• Conflict can also diminish trust in supervisors and fellow

employees, which can slow or stop progress on projects.
CAUSES FOR CONFLICTS
Managerial Expectations
• It is the job of an employee to meet the expectations of his manager, but

if those expectations are misunderstood, conflict can arise.
• Managers need to spend time clearly communicating their goals to

employees and then confirming those goals in writing.
• A manager should also encourage his/her employees to ask questions

about their goals, and hold regular meetings to discuss the goals and how
best to reach them.
Breakdown in Communication
• If a department requires information from another department in order to do its

job, and the second department does not respond to the request for information,
a conflict can arise.
• Some interdepartmental disagreements might trigger a nonresponsive attitude

that can quickly become an internal conflict.
• When people or departments are late in responding to information requests, or

they are withholding information on purpose, it is best to address the situation
immediately with a personal meeting with both sides to resolve the situation.
Misunderstanding the Information
• One person may misunderstand information, and that can trigger a series
of conflicts.
• In order to deal with this kind of situation, it is best to have the person
admit her misunderstanding and work with the affected parties to remedy
the situation.
• For example, if the production manager misunderstands the product
manufacturing goals, then the sales manager may not have enough product
to sell.
Lack of Accountability
• Organizational conflict might arise from frustration. One source of

frustration is a lack of accountability.
• If something has gone wrong, and no one is willing to take responsibility

for the problem, this lack of accountability can start to permeate
throughout the entire company until the issue is resolved.
WAYS TO HANDLE CONFLICTS
• Conflict is inevitable in small businesses. Conflict can arise from

a variety of sources, and between supervisors and subordinates,
between co-workers, and between employees and customers.
• Managers and organizations can choose to see conflict as

inherently negative, acting to suppress it at every opportunity,
or as inherently positive.
Positive Perspective
• Accept conflict as a natural growth process and influence your company
culture to view constructive conflict positively.
• Conflict can be an asset to your small business if it is handled properly. It
can help your organization to learn from its mistakes and identify areas of
needed improvement.
• Innovation can be inspired from creative solutions to internal or external
conflicts, and new ways of thinking can emerge.
Grievance Procedure
• Create a formal grievance procedure for all employees.
• Let employees at all levels of your organization know that their voices will
always be heard, and respond promptly and reasonably to employees
issues.
• This can prevent bad feelings from festering and growing into resentment
and bitterness. Conflict is best handled quickly and openly.
Get to the Cause

• Focus on deep-rooted causes rather than superficial effects when assessing conflicts.
• Parties to a conflict often claim to have issues with the behavior of co-workers or the outcome of
company policies and work procedures, but these issues are likely being caused by something
deeper.
• Attempting to resolve the conflict by addressing surface issues will rarely create meaningful
change or lasting solutions.
• Look deeper to address the reasons that incidents occur.
• As an example, if a supervisor finds himself constantly in conflict with

a loyal employee due to falling productivity levels, the supervisor may
naturally want to address the employees behavior head-on.
• Upon closer analysis, however, the supervisor may realize that the
employee has been increasingly dissatisfied with his job ever since last
year’s disappointing performance.
Equal Voices
• Give all parties of a conflict an equal voice, regardless of their position, length of
service or political influence.
• Conflict participants can become defensive if they feel they are being marginalized
or are going through a process leading to a predetermined outcome.
• It can be tempting to take the word of managers over front-line employees, or to
take the word of a loyal employee over a new employee, but remember that your
most trusted associates are not necessarily infallible.
Resolution Participation
• Involve all parties, if possible, when drafting conflict resolutions.
• The theory of Management By Objectives (MBO) states that
employees are generally more committed to goals that they have
helped to create.
• The same holds true for conflict resolutions. There is more than one
side to every conflict, and all sides should benefit from conflict
resolution.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
The ideal method for resolving problems and making difficult decisions
involves two steps, a magic formula that is guaranteed to work. In fact, it’s
never failed when applied correctly. Here it is:
• Define the problem
• Decide how to solve it.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Step 1: Defining the problem: Exchange “I messages”

• Verbalize other person's position if he cannot do so himself
• Actively listen as feelings come
• Take time
• It may be necessary to send more accurate “I messages" if motivation lags.
• Be sure the other person understands your commitment to finding a solution acceptable to
both.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Step 2: Generating possible solutions (brainstorming)

• Think divergently
• Ask the other person to suggest solutions first
• Avoid all evaluation for now
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Step 3: Evaluating the various solutions

• Honestly and reality are now important
• Actively listen and genuinely consider the other person’s preferences
• One solution to make sure you both understand
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Step 4: Deciding on a mutually acceptable solution
• Be careful not to push your solution

• When close to agreement, state the tentative
• Solution to make sure you both understands
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Step 5: Implementing the solution
• Decide who will do what and when

• Trust the other person to do his part rather than talk about failure
contingencies
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Step 6: Evaluating the solution
• All decisions are open to modification or repeal, but not

unilaterally
THANK YOU!

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CONFLICT IN AN

• Conflict- is an interpersonal process that arises

• Conflict arises out of mutually exclusive goals

• Conflict is different from Competition

Organizational conflict can be classified into two distinct

• Internal conflict is personal to the person involved. This

• External conflict is observed in outside forces that cause

• External conflict can also be caused when the management

• In a different view, organizational conflict represents an

• The simple act of acknowledging and seeking solutions to

• Conflicts cause stress, which reduces worker satisfaction.

• This diminished satisfaction can lead to increases in

• Conflict can also diminish trust in supervisors and fellow

• It is the job of an employee to meet the expectations of his manager, but

• Managers need to spend time clearly communicating their goals to

• A manager should also encourage his/her employees to ask questions

• If a department requires information from another department in order to do its

• Some interdepartmental disagreements might trigger a nonresponsive attitude

• When people or departments are late in responding to information requests, or

• Organizational conflict might arise from frustration. One source of

• If something has gone wrong, and no one is willing to take responsibility

• Conflict is inevitable in small businesses. Conflict can arise from

• Managers and organizations can choose to see conflict as

Get to the Cause

• As an example, if a supervisor finds himself constantly in conflict with

• Define the problem

• Decide how to solve it.

Step 1: Defining the problem: Exchange “I messages”

Step 2: Generating possible solutions (brainstorming)

Step 3: Evaluating the various solutions

Step 4: Deciding on a mutually acceptable solution

• Be careful not to push your solution

Step 5: Implementing the solution

• Decide who will do what and when

Step 6: Evaluating the solution

• All decisions are open to modification or repeal, but not

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