Effective Conflict Management Techniques

Introduction

It is common nature to believe conflict is a negative term. When we hear the word conflict we automatically think of issues that have happened in our workplace, marriages or social circles. But conflicts do not necessarily mean an issue will arise, there are many positive attributes to having disputes. A diversity of opinion is needed within our society, communities, and organizations to bring forward societal change and the lack of conflict can often be seen as a sign of over conformity.

Whether the disagreement is viewed as desirable or not, the fact is that conflict has and always will exist as part of our lives and cannot be avoided. As we interact with others our different values, beliefs, even our perceptions and prejudices can create tension in any environment. Our life experiences and culture all play an important role in how we manage the conflicts in our lives and the behaviors we use to try to alleviate them.

In today’s ever-changing environment, organizations encounter different levels of personnel and group conflict. Even though conflict is said to be functional for organizations, most recommendations still fall under the spectrum of conflict reductions, resolution or minimization (Rahim, 2002). As we incorporate a more open and diverse mindset, efficient communication and conflict resolution methods are essential to our survival in all aspects of our lives.

Conflict defined

Conflict is defined as an “interactive process manifested in incompatibility, disagreement, or dissonance within or between social entities” (Rahim, 1992, p.16). In layman’s terms, conflict is a difference of ideas or opinions between individuals or groups. There are several potential causes of conflict in the workplace and they can come from a variety of sources. In her book, Human relations, Laura Portolese Dias (2013) describes the top leading causes for conflict in the workplace beginning with, Limited Resources; Limited resources can be a major cause of conflict and stress on a work environment. In any organization when imposed with time restraints, financial difficulties or lack of equipment these strains can have an effect on the employees that need to attain their goals and objectives and cause frictions. Task Interdependence; Relying on others to complete their tasks in order to accomplish your goals can be very frustrating and stressful, especially if your co-workers have different working styles than you. Incompatible goals; Opposing goals are a fact of life. Many times, however, people are absolutely convinced they have incompatible goals and cannot agree on anything. This can create many problems in the workplace including tension amongst employees and reduced efficiency. Personality Difference; Yes, personality differences among coworkers are common and so is the belief that personality differences are