Conflict management notes according to Sags and IEB. These notes helped me achieve the 2nd highest business mark in matric finals in my grade. I achieved a distinction with only these notes. They were made according to the Sags document and checked by an IEB business studies teacher.
CHAPTER 3 – CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
FUNCTIONAL VS DYSFUNCTIONAL CONFLICT
Conflict can be defined as a state of disharmony or a clash between different people,
situations, ideas or elements
Conflict can be either functional or dysfunctional
Functional conflict – positive
This refers to a situation where different parties deal with the conflict in a manner that is
healthy and where they respect each other’s opinions.
The outcome is positive
Leads to innovation, creativity + higher productivity
Respect needs to be shown. Both parties need to listen to each other’s point of view and
then acknowledge that the opposing view point may have value and that reaching a
compromise to resolve the conflict will likely result in a win-win situation.
Possible outcomes (advantages)
Create awareness that there is a problem, which can be solved
Team members start to consider a wider range of ideas
o This results in increased participation people who were not interested before
o Higher productivity
o Creativity
Perceptions that may not be accurate and misconceptions are cleared
Clarification of individuals views occurs = results in cooperation
Devil’s Advocate: this is when the manager deliberately creates conflict, as it may lead to
the groups bonding. It criticizes a proposed plan to stimulate critical thinking
Dysfunctional conflict – negative
Dysfunctional conflict means that the outcome of the conflict is negative.
It leads to decline in productivity.
Primarily caused by:
o Misunderstandings
o Lack of communication
o People’s egos – they insist on doing things their way
o People’s unwillingness to compromise
The manager has to step in if the conflict has a negative impact on productivity to
ensure the conflict gets resolved
If a compromise can’t be reached between the conflicted parties, the manager may have
to force employees to set aside their differences and cooperate to achieve the goals of
the organization
Possible outcomes (disadvantages)
Hinder group performance
Undermine group cohesiveness
Blaming each other, back stabbing, gossip and violence
Higher levels of stress + anxiety = lower levels of job satisfaction
, Lower morale + increased staff turnover = higher costs
Waste of time + resources
Distrustful atmosphere = has a negative impact on teamwork + cooperation
REASONS FOR CONFLICT
Personalities clash
o Many different personalities that have to work together to achieve the overall
goal of the business, people also have realize their personal goals in terms of
ambition
o Egos get in the way when people do not want to compromise + insist on doing
things their way
Strategy: Ability to think and act strategically
- The manager should assess the situation
- If the conflicted parties are not able to resolve the situation… he should intervene to
get people to focus first on the business at hand, before trying to promote their own
agendas.
Different backgrounds, cultures and values (discrimination)
o Leads to conflict because of stereotyping + ignorance
o South Africa has different cultures hence it is important to accommodate
everyone in the workplace
o Conflict arises when people do not understand each other’s culture and beliefs.
E.g. Muslims go to church every Friday during working hours (12pm), so the
management might allow the Muslims to go for prayers and come back at 2pm.
This might not sit well with the other employees who will want a longer break on
Fridays.
Strategy: Sensitivity, skills + emotional intelligence
- Manager needs to address these issues as soon as it becomes a problem
- Employees should know that sensitivity is required when dealing with people from
different backgrounds
- Sensitivity training eg. workshops
- Developing skills such as time keeping, respecting interpersonal space + emotional
intelligence
Poor communication
o If employees are not informed about decisions or are unsure of what to do next,
they start to rely on the grapevine (rumours), which are not always reliable.
Conflict is a result of uncertainty.
o Leads to misunderstanding because facts are interpreted in different ways
o Uncertainty of job role. Leads to role overload, role conflict or role ambiguity
role overload : where one person has to do more than he can cope with
role conflict : where team members all want to perform a certain task
role ambiguity: team members are not sure of the roles they have to play
o Not informed of decisions + expectations
o People don’t meet deadlines
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