Sources of conflict

Revision as of 11:04, 14 March 2022

Abstract

Note: this is only a draft! Some of the sections are therefore not completed yet.

Conflict is inevitable in projects, but if the conflict is not managed well, it can decrease team performance and negatively affect the project's outcome. Conflict management can be defined as the practice of identifying and dealing with conflict. The negative effects of conflict can be limited or prevented with effective conflict management and may enhance potential beneficial effects.

The intensity of conflicts for a project varies with the phases of the project's life cycle, which means various sources will vary along this life cycle. ^[1] As there are many different sources of conflict, there will be multiple solutions to solve the conflicts. However, under some circumstances, conflicts can be beneficial for a project. Therefore, the project manager must understand how and when conflicts should be encouraged, while others should be resolved as quickly as possible.

This article will focus on conflict in an organizational context within teams.

The big idea

Characteristics of conflict

There is a lot of literature on the topic conflict and it is perceived differently from the scholar in various academic fields such as sociology, economics, anthropology, etc. Hence, there is no universally accepted definition.

Although Rahim (2001) conclude that the various definitions overlap with the following elements;

Conflicting interests between individuals and/or groups,

The conflicting interests must be recognized of a conflict to exist,

Conflict is a process; it arises from existing relationships between individuals or groups, reflecting on their past interactions and the contexts in which these took place,

Actions from one or both sides result in the goals of others being obstructed. ^[2]

The above elements apply to conflict in general. As this article will focus on organizational conflict. Roloff's (1987) definition can help provide a better understanding of this type of conflict: organizational conflicts occurs when members engage in activities that are incompatible with those of colleagues within their network, members of other collectivises, or unaffiliated individuals who utilize the services or products of the organization. ^[3]

The literature disagrees on whether an organisational conflict is detrimental or beneficial for a project and/or organization. There is a primary view of conflict as a negative process in organizations ^[4]. However, a more modern perspective on conflict does not necessarily consider it dysfunctional for a project and/or for the organization. The impact of conflict on a team's performance and project outcome depends on the specific type of conflict experienced within the team. The different types of conflicts are examined further in the next section.

Type of conflicts

Organizational conflict can occur in individuals, between individuals, within teams and between teams. Conflict can be classified on the basis of its organizational level. The different types of intraorganizational conflicts (conflict within an organization) are categorised into the following:

Intrapersonal: This type of conflict is experienced by an individual organizational member when personal goals, values, and roles diverge from what is required of the organization to perform. Hence an internal conflict within yourself.

Interpersonal: This type of conflict arises due to fundamental differences between more organizational members of the same or different organizational level, who are required to interact.

Intragroup: This type of conflict is experienced within a team or between two or more sub-teams, where the members conflict relating to task, goals, procedures etc. This type of conflict may occur as a consequence of disagreements among the team members.

Intergroup: This type of conflict arises when there are disagreements between groups or units within an organization - production, marketing, headquarters are some examples of units/groups.

Conflict in a team is often caused by struggles over, control status and scarce resources.

Source of conflicts

Multiple authors of different studies/fields have researched the topic ‘conflict’, which has led to the identification of many sources of conflicts [missing source]. The most relevant sources of organizational conflict will be provided in this section. The sources of conflicts will be discussed regarding the type of conflicts (the four level of conflicts).

Intrapersonal conflict:

Rahim and Bonoma (1979) have identified two interesting sources of intrapersonal conflict, which is examined as followed: [missing source].

Misassignment and goal congruence: An intrapersonal conflict may occur if an employee is misassigned to do a task that the person is not competent to accomplish. The employee may feel undesirable frustration if the person does not possess the appropriate expertise and aptitude to do the job. Furthermore, the organization's goals must be consistent with the employee's goals and expectations to motivate and optimize the employee [missing source].

Inappropriate demand on capacity: An employee may experience an intrapersonal conflict if it is not possible for the person to properly fulfil all the demands of the employee's position even by working at the maximum capacity. In addition, if the employee's expectation of their role is not met, the person can find the job demotivated, initiating an intrapersonal conflict [missing source].

Interpersonal conflict:

Also named; relationship- and emotional conflict. There exist different sources of interpersonal conflict. The most significant are further elaborated in the following sections. Emotions are a general contributor to the escalation of these conflicts since they control and direct behaviours ^[5].

Personality clash means that two individuals disagree because of fundamental differences in goals, values, etc. People perceive things differently, making it difficult to understand one who is the opposite [missing source]. If people are experience inconsistencies with their integrity, it can be almost impossible to reach a compromise which often leads to a conflict.

Lack of trust among the employees can be destructive for the projects and the organisation. The employees work towards collective goals, which makes their tasks dependent on each other. Therefore, are the employees interdependent, making it necessary to build trust within the organisation to prevent conflicts.

Ineffective communication may initiate a conflict since people often fail to communicate about complex matters, especially in emotional situations. Conflict often escalates because people assume they have communicated accurately when this is not the case. If individuals could preserve a rational approach and establish effective communication, many conflicts never occur or quickly deescalate. Projects are managed through communication, which makes it a key factor for projects to succeed.

Different interests and incompatible goals can be sources of conflict, especially when it compromises with individuals' interests and goals. [Missing texts]

Intragroup conflict:

There are several sources of such conflict and the most significant are further elaborated in the following sections:

Task structure:

Group composition and size:

Cohesiveness and group thinking:

Outcomes:

Application

Understand the source of conflict to solve and prevent it from happening (escalating)

Utilizing conflict management in practice

Limitations

A lot of theories on reasons for conflicts to occur (only elaborated few aspects)

Different kinds of projects (in complexity, etc.) and organizational factors (organizational structure)

Annotated bibliography

Further reading

More aspects to explore

References

1. ↑ Robert E. Jones, Richard F. Deckro, The social psychology of project management conflict., (1993) European Journal of Operational Research, Volume 64, Issue 2, Pages 216-228, ISSN 0377-2217, https://doi.org/10.1016/0377-2217(93)90178-P.
2. ↑ Rahim, M.A. Managing Conflict in Organizations. (2001). Routledge.
3. ↑ Roloff, M.E. Interpersonal communication: the social exchange approach. (1981). Sage, Beverly Hills, Ca.
4. ↑ Jehn, K. A., & Bendersky, C. (2003). Intragroup Conflict in Organizations: a Contingency Perspective on the Conflict-Outcome Relationship. Research in Organizational Behavior, 25(03), 187–242. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-3085(03)25005-X
5. ↑ Mayer B. The dynamics of conflict resolution: a practitioner’s guide. (2000) San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass.