Sources of conflict

Revision as of 18:48, 20 March 2022

Abstract

Conflict is inevitable in organizations. If organizational conflicts are not managed well, it may lead to decreasing team performance and have a negative effect on the outcome [kilde!]. Conflict management can be defined as the practice of identifying and handling conflicts. One of the best practices for effective conflict management is to address conflict early to prevent it from escalating, hence it is essential to be able to recognize and understand the different sources of conflict. A project manager must understand how and when a conflict should be encouraged, while others should be resolved quickly [kilde!].

This article aims to explain several aspects of organizational conflict in the early stage to provide a better understanding of how to avoid and handle conflict. Different literature is applied to give a broad perspective on the source of conflict. This article focuses on the primary sources of organizational conflict and hereby how an organizational conflict may evolve.

Characteristics of conflict

There is a lot of literature on conflict, and it is perceived differently from the scholar in various fields such as sociology, economics, anthropology, etc. hence, there is no universally accepted definition [kilde!]. 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 .^[1]

Conflict is an interactive process that originates from incompatibility and disagreement dissonance within or between social entities, e.g., individual, group, organization, etc. [kilde 6] This is supported by Roloff's (1987) definition, which explains the occurrence of an organizational conflict by: “members engage in activities that are incompatible with those of colleagues within their network, members of other collectivizes, or unaffiliated individuals who utilize the services or products of the organization” [kilde 6]

[2]

The literature disagrees on whether an organizational conflict is detrimental or beneficial for an organization. There is a primary view of conflict as a negative process in organizations ^[3]. However, more literature has begun to perceive conflict functional for the organization. A moderate amount of conflict managed constructively can contribute to attaining and maintaining the desired level of organizational effectiveness [(Rahim & Bonoma, 1979].

The impact of conflict on a team's performance depends on the specific type of conflict experienced within the team and organization [intragroup]. The table below lists some examples of dysfunctional and functional outcomes from conflict an organization may encounter.

Type of conflicts

This article divides conflict based on its organizational level since all types of conflict does not function similarly. It is to distinguish between the types of conflict to understand the different sources of conflict.

Organizational conflict can occur in and between individuals and within and between groups. The different types of intraorganizational conflicts are divided into the organizational levels; intrapersonal, interpersonal, intragroup and intergroup.

Figure 1: Figure text: Inspiration taken from Rahim and Bonoma (1979).^[4]

Intrapersonal: This type of conflict is experienced within an individual when the performance of a task is inconsistent with the person’s expertise, interest, goals, and values [the book]. The conflict arises when incompatible demands are required of an organizational member to their job or position - this is also called role conflict.

Interpersonal: This type of conflict arises due to fundamental differences between two or more organizational members who are required to interact to perform a task.

Intragroup: This type of conflict is experienced among the members of a group or its subgroup, where the members conflict regarding the task, goals, interest, procedures etc. [kilde!]

There are two main types of intragroup conflicts: Relationship conflict is experienced when the group members struggle with interpersonal relationships regardless of the task. Task conflict refers to a disagreement among the group members about the best practices for performing the task.

Intergroup: Intergroup conflict is common in an organization [kilde 1]. This type of conflict arises when there are disagreements or differences between two or more groups or departments within an organization - production, marketing, headquarters are some examples of departments.

Source of conflicts

An organization should not be considered as a closed system. External factors and conditions may contribute to the conflicts experienced within the organization. However, this article will only focus on the sources that originate in an organizational setting. Multiple authors of different studies/fields have researched conflict, which has led to identifying many sources of conflicts. The most relevant sources of organizational conflict will be provided in this section. The sources of conflicts that are examined in this article are based on the type of conflicts:

Intrapersonal conflict

General, in order for a conflict to arise, the level of intensity must exceed to ensure the individual experience or become aware of a potential conflict. There are differences in the level of intensity among individuals, which means some individuals may experience a conflict sooner than others under similar situations [missing source]. The sources of intrapersonal conflict are mainly situationally imposed. In this section, two of the primary sources of intrapersonal conflict will be intrapersonal conflict:

Misassignment and goal congruence: Misassignment and goal difference: An intrapersonal conflict may occur if an organizational member is misassigned to do a task that the person is not competent to accomplish. The member 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 organizational member's goals and expectations to motivate and optimize the member [kilde 1].

Inappropriate demand on capacity: An organizational member may experience an intrapersonal conflict if it is impossible for the person to properly fulfil all the demands of the member’s position even by working at the maximum capacity. In addition, if the member’s expectation of their role is not met, the person can find the job demotivated, initiating an intrapersonal conflict [kilde 1].

Interpersonal conflict

There exist many sources of interpersonal conflict. The most significant are further elaborated in the following sections:

Personality characteristics: Personality clashes may occur due to disagreements 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: Mistrust among the organizational members often contributes to a dysfunctional organisational environment. The organizational members work toward a collective organizational goal, which makes their tasks dependent on each other. The interdependence among the members makes it necessary to build trust within the organisation to prevent conflicts.

Ineffective communication: Unintentional communication problems and misunderstandings may initiate a conflict. People often fail to communicate about complex matters, especially in emotional situations. Projects are managed through communication, which makes it a key factor for projects to succeed. Conflict often escalates because people assume they have communicated accurately when this is not the case.

Different interests and incompatible goals: It is almost inevitable that a grouping of the organisation creates divisions that have different goals and time horizons [Contemporary]. If the goals are incompatible it can contribute to conflict, especially when it compromises with individuals’ interests and goals.

Intragroup conflict

Conflicts within a group can arise from a variety of sources. The most significant are further elaborated in the following sections:

Task characteristics: The extent of a task, whether it is a simple (routine) or complex (non-routine) can contribute to a conflict. In general, complex tasks are more likely to generate interpersonal conflict between the group members. If the task is not well understood, the execution of the task requires more debate among group members leading to a greater potential for conflict to arise [kilde 5].

Group composition, diversity, and size: These aspects can have a significant effect on many group processes and contribute to conflicts arising. Groups can be composed in various ways regarding the size and the diversity of organizational members. Larger groups have greater diversity and are more likely to be composed of individuals with too diverse backgrounds, experiences, and opinions, which increases the potential for conflicts [kilde 5]. Organizational members from different backgrounds have different skills and perceive organizational issues differently. Furthermore, groups with more people have more difficulties with communication and developing cohesion [kilde 5]. In these situations, the organizational member will experience undesirable conflict and have difficulty working and solving the group problem [kilde 1]. Generally, in a larger group formation of the subgroups will be formed. These subgroups may engage in conflict with the others (see next section: intergroup conflict).

Social context: Social settings influences the interactions between individuals and form the interpretation of people interacting [kilde 3].

Cohesiveness and group thinking: Group pressures can change or affect individuals’ opinions [kilde 1]. Individuals can feel forced to conform to the thinking of the majority of the group and thereby unwillingly omit their opinions in order to avoid conflict.

Conflict aftermath:Previous conflicts and the legacy of these conflicts, e.g., whether a group had success or not, are another factor for intragroup conflict. A group that did not achieve the desired outcome may experience more tension, which can contribute to deteriorated relationships among organization members. If a conflict has been suppressed and never been resolved, the conflict may escalate into a more serious conflict. Opposite, if the conflict is resolved with satisfaction for all group members, is there better conditions for a more cooperative relationship [kilde 2].

Intergroup conflict

Groups consist of individuals; hence groups respond like individuals. Usually, a group does not respond constructively to disagreement and differences when the identity of the group is felt threatened. As for the other types of conflict, there are different sources of intergroup conflict. Some of the previous sources are also vail for this type of conflict, such as; miscommunication and group composition. The three most significant sources for intergroup conflict will be explained further in the following section:

Dependence on scarce resources: An organization consisting of different subunits (departments) that often depend on common resources both material and nonmaterial to achieve their respective goals. Whenever different subunits compete for scarce resources, conflict is almost inevitable.

Task interdependency: Subunits must often engage in mutual tasks, which require an exchange of resources and information. A high task interdependence increases the need for information sharing, coordination, and cooperation [kilde 3]. When the task interdependence is low, the subunits’ performance is less dependent on the effort of the other subunits. Under these conditions, the organizational members can better operate as individuals and pursue their respective goals. High interdependency creates a greater potential for conflict, especially when the goals of each subunit are incompatible

Uncertain responsibility:

Application

As stated in this article, conflict is inevitable in an organization, as it occurs due to people interacting. A manager must understand and recognize the proper diagnosis of the sources of different types of conflict because its underlying sources may not be as it appears [kilde 6]. If a manager attempts to solve the conflict without a proper diagnosis, there is a probability that the manager may solve the wrong problem.

Conflict is a dynamic process that operates as a cycle [kilde 2]. The effect of a conflict changes original sources or generate new ones. The cycle perpetuates the conflict, which can potentially develop into an escalation if not handled constructively [kilde 8]. Conflict can both be detrimental and beneficial for an organization depending on multiple factors. Therefore, managers must understand when conflicts should be discouraged or resolved as quickly as possible, while other conflicts should be allowed to arise [intragroup]. In situations where there is too little conflict, it can be a difficult task for the manager to increase conflict. By understanding some of the sources of conflict, a change of the group composition could encourage a functional conflict.

Limitations

This article is not a guide for conflict management but merely a theoretical understanding of the underlying mechanisms for a conflict to occur. However, it is essential to notice that reality does not always conform as described by the literature. Organizational behaviour varies, and individual factors within the organization are not necessarily considered by the literature. The literature provides a general understanding of the sources of conflicts.

Conflicts are complex, which is also applies to its source, as there are many different sources of conflict. This article has only focused on significant sources but notices that there exist more. Furthermore, there is much more to conflict than its source. Conflict also implies other essential aspects, such as handling conflict, which is not covered in this article. As there are many different sources of conflicts, there will be multiple techniques for handling conflicts. Further investigation is necessary in order to truly cover the understanding of conflict.

Conflict occurs in various settings, e.g., political conflicts between countries, but this article has only considered conflict in an organizational setting. The sources and its tendency to escalate will probably differ in other settings, while some sources may recure, because the same factors are also present settings.

This article has used a common classification to understand the sources of organizational conflict, focusing on types of conflict: interpersonal, intergroup and intragroup. It has been discovered that the literature classifies conflict differently. However, it appears that the same sources of conflict recur in the various literature.

Annotated bibliography

Rahim, M. A., (2001) Managing conflict in organizations (3rd Ed.) Several of Dr. Rahim’s book and scientific articles are used as sources in this article. Dr. Rahim is the founder of the International Association for Conflict Management and his work is cited a lot in various literature. The book covers several aspects of managing conflict in an organization, although mainly chapters 1 and 2 are used as sources. Chapter 1 introduces organizational conflict, including different definitions of conflict from various disciplines, and chapter 2 covers a more theoretical understanding of the nature of conflict, emphasizing organizational conflict.

Rahim, M. A., & Bonoma, T. V., (1979). Managing organizational conflict: A model for diagnosis and intervention. This scientific paper is one of the primary sources of the article. The paper classifies the source of conflicts into three major categories: intrapersonal, intragroup, and intergroup. The paper identified several factors that can contribute to or escalate conflicts

Jehn, A. K., & Bendersky, C., (2003). Intragroup conflict in organizations: A contingency perspective on the conflict-outcome relationship. The scientific paper reviews recent empirical work on interpersonal conflict in organizations, thereby providing a multiple disciplinary view on the intragroup conflict. Among many aspects, the paper considers the different types of conflict and the circumstances under which conflict occurs.

Further literature is necessary in order to truly cover the understanding of conflict management before conflicts can be handled constructively [mere her].

References

1. ↑ Rahim, M.A. Managing Conflict in Organizations. (2001). Routledge.
2. ↑ Roloff, M.E. Interpersonal communication: the social exchange approach. (1981). Sage, Beverly Hills, Ca.
3. ↑ 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
4. ↑ xxx