Conflicts in organizations are The concept, types, causes, methods of solving and consequences of conflicts in an organization

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Misunderstandings accompany us everywhere, we often encounter them at work and at home, in communication with friends and acquaintances. Conflicts in organizations deserve special attention - this is the scourge of many companies, which include a large number of employees. In some cases, these conflicts of interest can be seen as an additional part of the work process aimed at improving the climate in the team.

What is conflict

Conflicts in an organization are a big headache for its leaders and managers, because they are the ones who most often have to deal with them. We are talking about the actions of employees with different interests and opinions. Most of the time, there are two sides involved. Each of them pursues its own goals, which are often not consistent with the needsopponents.

If we consider the conflict from the point of view of psychology, then it is understood as a whole range of actions that are taken by the conflicting parties to perform certain tasks. At the same time, all participants experience strong emotional experiences that may affect the work process. According to statistics, more than 65% of conflicts are due to a lack of motivation among employees or their dissatisfaction in material terms, although from the outside it may look like a typical mismatch of views on a particular problem.

Types of conflicts

Psychologists believe that various types of conflicts in an organization help to achieve team cohesion, identify unnecessary “links” in it, and also reveal the abilities of each employee of a single unit. In their opinion, all confrontations that occur within an organization can be divided into two types: dysfunctional and functional.

The first ones are especially dangerous, because they lead to the destruction of a comfortable environment within the team, a decrease in the number of relationships between employees, and also to inefficient company management. The latter can lead to better organization performance.

Collision typology

Each conflict performs a specific function for the team. Therefore, it can be classified according to one of the features. The most frequent is the role or intrapersonal conflict. It occurs when the work of an employee is required,which cannot be reconciled with each other. For example, when an employee needs to attend two different meetings at the same time, scheduled for the same time, while his immediate supervisor requires the mandatory completion of both tasks. In some cases, production requirements may not coincide with the personal values of a team member. This can also lead to conflict. Constant stress, overload from a large number of work tasks, dissatisfaction with the results of work - all this leads to chronic fatigue, due to which this contradiction can arise.

Among the social conflicts in the organization, a special place should be given to interpersonal ones, since they account for up to 70% of the total number of contradictions that arise in the work. They can manifest themselves in a variety of ways. For example, several leaders may fight to promote their own projects and allocate additional funding from the general budget. In some organizations, there are also clashes that arise when trying to climb higher on the career ladder, when some employees "hook" others. This should also include misunderstandings due to opposing opinions on various working points. For example, the need for additional staff growth, which employees constantly talk about, may be negatively perceived by management, since it will require additional financial investments. In some cases, conflicts between two employees who are not related to work are transferred to the solutionlabor issues that can adversely affect the work of the entire organization.

Clashes can also occur between a group of employees and a single individual. Most often this happens in situations where a person does not accept the organizational norms that were previously established by the group. As an example, here we can consider the tense relationship between the head of the company and a subordinate who does not agree with his requirements and believes that management can be carried out in another way, more beneficial for the company.

Among social conflicts in organizations, intergroup conflicts stand apart. They are the longest in time, they are the hardest to solve, because here it is necessary to come to a compromise, which not everyone is ready for. Such a clash can arise between managers and employees who perform up to 90% of the entire work of the company. Often, such conflicts can arise between experienced specialists who are accustomed to working according to the same schemes for many years, and a new generation of employees who are ready to introduce modern technical innovations into production. This category can also include misunderstandings between departments of the organization, for example, when one of them wants to significantly increase its own performance by reducing the implementation of the needs of another.

Why conflicts happen

Even if a manager understands the types of conflicts in the organization he has to work with, it is very important to know everything about the causes of themappearance. Only then can we talk about the effective management of the organization. As common causes of misunderstanding, psychologists identify the need to allocate a limited number of resources (money, materials, production goods, etc.), poor performance of tasks (especially if this affects the work of other departments of the company), inconsistency of the individual's work activity with the overall goals of the enterprise.

Also, the causes of major conflicts in the organization may be differences in the perception of a particular production situation in terms of human values. This includes diametrically opposed behavior, the difference in age, experience, education, and perception of the world. In some cases, conflicts can arise due to untimely information and poor-quality communications that provoke misunderstandings between the two parties. Rarely enough, the causes of a collision can be incorrect wording of the tasks set, a difference in the assessment of the employee's work, as well as an incorrect distribution of existing responsibilities, when two specialists undertake to perform the same functionality, interfering with each other.

How to understand that the company has problems

The emergence of conflicts in an organization is a rather lengthy process. It almost never happens that employees begin to quarrel with each other in a few seconds. Psychologists identify four stages in the emergence of confrontation between people, regardless of whether they work together or not.

1. hidden stage. Exactlythen conditions are formed that can later lead to a collision:

• Misunderstanding among team members.
• Disrespecting each other.
• Authoritarian management of an organization.
• Lack of clear workflow algorithms.

2. stage of tension. At the same time, events develop in such a way that the presence of confrontation becomes obvious to everyone around. Its main sign is significant changes in the relationship between members of the team, who begin to experience psychological discomfort. A manager can notice this in tense communication between his subordinates. In some cases, they even try to be less in the same room, such as in the dining room during a break.

3. stage of antagonism. Labor conflicts in the organization necessarily pass through it when the parties want to solve the situation that has arisen, using a certain strategy for this. At first, all participants choose confrontation - the desire to satisfy their own interests without taking into account the needs of the other side. However, the most optimal strategy is cooperation, when all parties are trying to find a solution that would suit absolutely everyone.

In some cases, conflict professionals prefer to ignore the very fact of having a confrontation with someone, which leads to avoidance of people with whom disagreements may arise. One of the parties must not be allowed to use an opportunistic strategy, puttingthe interests of the opponent are higher than their own, since in the future this may result in a more global conflict.

All sides of the confrontation must come to a compromise, which implies a partial sacrifice of their own interests in order to achieve the common good.

4. stage of incompatibility. It is she who is the direct conflict. Its presence is expressed in specific forms of behavior of the participants in the clash, which can demonstrate frank disdain and disrespect for their opponent, ignore his existence. In some cases, the parties behave extremely incorrectly: they arrange fights, open scandals and draw uninterested persons into a quarrel. It is advisable not to bring the conflict to this stage, since it is quite difficult to find the optimal solution at this stage.

What is fraught with the appearance of conflicts in the team

The consequences of conflict in an organization can seriously affect its direct work. If all participants in the collision have found a compromise that suits everyone, we are talking about a functional result. In this case, solving the problem helps to establish mutually beneficial cooperation between team members, develop a common position on a certain number of issues, and significantly improve the quality of decision-making in a short time.

If employees see that the leader is determined to jointly solve emerging difficulties, they themselves are more willing to negotiate, because they feel that their opinion will be heard and taken seriously. Competent leader in this casemust understand when it is necessary to negotiate with his subordinates, and in what cases the decision must be made solely, without involving the employees of the enterprise in this process.

If staff turnover is constantly observed in the team, employees are dissatisfied with their own work, there are open manifestations of aggression and hostility, this means that the manager is dealing with the dysfunctional consequences of conflicts in the organization. Typical signs of such responses to the occurred collisions can be:

• Degraded performance.
• Refused cooperation.
• Significant increase in negative statements about the enterprise.

In some cases, employees compete with each other, which is not always aimed at the benefit of the company.

The situation is especially difficult when employees unite in order to harass objectionable colleagues or the head of the company himself. The head of the enterprise should monitor the appearance of these signs in a timely manner. If the moment has been missed, it is important to hold a round table together with the dissatisfied employees of the company, where to discuss all urgent problems and come to a solution. After such events, orders are often signed to dismiss those specialists who do not agree to compromise solutions and want to receive certain benefits to the detriment of the organization.

How to deal with collisions that occur

Resolution of conflicts in an organization often falls on the shoulders of itsleader, because it is he who can look at the situation from the outside and find the most optimal solution that would meet the current needs of the company. The leader has to use appropriate measures aimed at resolving interpersonal conflicts. The parties involved in the conflict can also use them, especially often this happens in case of non-cooperation, when one of them deliberately takes communication in a completely different direction, and when trying to discuss the conflict that has arisen, he refers to the fact that it is no longer relevant.

Another option is to smooth the problem. In this case, the conflicting party tries to justify itself or agree with the claim. However, neither one nor the other way of behavior is able to help resolve the conflict, it can even worsen the situation. The third style involves the appearance of a compromise at the time of discussing the opinions of all participants in the confrontation. Both sides offer arguments that suit absolutely everyone, and do not seek to resolve the issue unilaterally. If they manage to find a truly optimal solution, this helps to get rid of tension in the team and set it up for work.

If conflict resolution in an organization is up to the leader, a coercive style can be used. The boss makes a decision without taking into account the positions of both parties, but taking into account the possible benefits that the organization can receive. This style is unproductive becausecan provoke in the future the emergence of even more confrontations between employees of the enterprise. Sometimes this option works, for example, when one side has a huge number of claims that the opponent is unable to challenge.

Conflict resolution in an organization is possible only if all its participants adequately perceive the events taking place, are open to dialogue, and are ready to build a trusting atmosphere for mutually beneficial cooperation. According to psychologists, it is possible to get rid of the accumulated misunderstanding if its cause is clearly defined. To do this, both parties must discuss the situation, understand their own and others' attitude towards it. Based on this discussion, it will be possible to talk about the joint development of a solution and a behavioral strategy.

What to do if the problem persists

Because conflict in organizations is a common thing, in some cases it is necessary to resolve them using structural methods. These include an elementary explanation of the tasks assigned to employees, during which they have a clear understanding of what results management expects. This also includes various mechanisms of integration and coordination type: holding planning meetings between departments, establishing cross-functional interaction, forming a certain management hierarchy that all employees of the company must adhere to.

The solution is not always carried out using a particular method. Organizational conflicts are deeplypsychological background, so it is best to use several ways to eliminate them at once. For example, you can set common organizational goals for employees that require common efforts so that both they and the company receive certain benefits. A major task sometimes unites even the most inveterate enemies. In some cases, you can use the reward system as a conflict management tool, but this should be done with the utmost care, as some employees may perceive this as an infringement of their own rights.

Is it possible to prevent the appearance of quarrels and omissions

In order not to search for solutions to conflicts in the organization, it is easier to prevent their occurrence in a timely manner. Experienced entrepreneurs argue that the correct selection of specialists helps to avoid the appearance of confrontation. To select employees today, a psychologist is very often involved, who can immediately identify a conflicting person and prevent him from joining the staff. Its tasks include the selection of such specialists, whose behavior should be subject to minimal correction in the process of working at the enterprise.

The leader should always maintain his own authority - this is another way to reduce the number of quarrels in the company. If the boss constantly demonstrates high professional, moral, strong-willed and personal qualities, he will be perceived as a guarantee of maintaining stability in the team. No one wants to argue with him, because he will understand that the leader thinks about all his subordinates and strives to createcomfortable working conditions.

It is also important to form a developed corporate culture in the team, consisting of a system of traditions and values. If it is close to the employee, then even emerging conflicts of interest in the organization will be resolved without harm to colleagues and the company. Another way to avoid the emergence of discontent and quarrels is the formation of an adequate motivation system that will be understandable to absolutely all employees. It is important that the organization has a certain level of prestige in the labor market, as well as directly in its field of activity. Sometimes this helps employees to level out some of the shortcomings of their own work.

A favorable psychological environment can help prevent the emergence of conflicts and stress in the organization. Effective labor activity depends not only on the right work algorithms, availability of equipment and conditions, but also on the emotional atmosphere that exists in the company. Large enterprises specifically for this purpose attract psychologists who conduct a large number of individual consultations, social trainings, and also act as independent observers when modeling conflicts in artificially created conditions.

How disputes are resolved abroad

Conflicts in international organizations are usually resolved with the involvement of a psychologist, and in some cases even several specialists in this field. Often we are talking about fairly large companies that pay special attention to the psychologicalclimate, do everything possible to make it comfortable for employees to work. In Russia, this technique is not new. The largest holdings also use it, but they attract specialists from outsourcing services to help, since not all companies can afford the maintenance of additional units in the staffing table. Sometimes consultations are even provided by phone, which is very convenient for small businesses.

Conflicts are most easily resolved in educational institutions, since qualified psychologists always work there, able to help in solving almost any issue. Over the past twenty years, the role of these specialists in the upbringing of children has grown significantly. Almost all modern methods of education were compiled taking into account their comments and advice. Teachers can also have conflicts that are resolved by conducting a large number of team building games with psychological games.

Does the artificial creation of disagreements in the work

Experienced recruiters note the important role of conflict in organizations. In their opinion, only with the help of such collisions can one reveal the true nature of an employee, understand his true feelings, understand whether the leader needs such a subordinate or not. Very often, during interviews, HR specialists ask candidates whether there are conflict situations in their lives. If a potential employee refuses, most often he is not considered for the currentvacancy, as such a response is regarded as a fraud.

Even if a non-conflict employee started working in a company, sooner or later he will have to go through a conflict of interest with his colleagues. Leaders can provoke conflict in organizations. This is a common practice in large institutions. With its help, it is possible to more effectively motivate ordinary specialists for the high-quality performance of duties and develop in them the correct reaction to irritating factors. But a manager who resorts to such a technique must be a good psychologist. Otherwise, he risks completely ruining his team.