Conflict is described as people not agreeing on a subject or obstructing another individual. I experienced a great deal of conflict when I first arrived to university, as I went through clearing I was unable to obtain a place in the halls of residence and was put into a house with five other boys who I had never met before. At first everyone got by but soon problems started to arise, such as we have to pay for gas and electric on a meter and not everyone was as generous as others. Some people believed that they did not use as much as other people and were very stubborn about paying their way. In order to solve this issue we all decided that it was impossible to tell how much everyone was spending so we decided to all put £10 a week on so it’s fair all round. Also because we all did not know each other people were less likely to appreciate what everyone was saying and how they did things. We all clashed about where to store food and how much food people had as others were then unable to keep anything in the house. Also with five other guys the house got very messy, very quickly and no-one was keen to clean it all up. The only way to sort this was to agree that everyone would clean their own mess in order to keep the house in a liveable condition. It took a few months but eventually we all found a way to get on but there was lots of conflict to begin with but a lot of compromising had to be made in order to get.
There are five sources of power according to French and Raven (1959). First off there is coercive power, this means that people are afraid of their managers. There is reward power which is where they have power over offering rewards. Then there is expert power, where a job requires certain expertise to carry it out. Also there is legitimate power, where someone has worked their way from the bottom of the company through the ranks to earn their position of power. Finally there is referent power, where someone idolises someone else and wants to be like them.
Organisations can use different strategies to overcome conflict at work; there are some main ones to discuss. Firstly there is human resource management, they can offer things such as equal pay and opportunities, and also they can give recognition where appropriate. They can ensure there is good communication, consultation and involvement in decision making. Make sure clear goals and objectives are set and ensure everyone is clear as to what is expected of them in their job. Ensure all employees have the chance to air grievances and have a grievance policy and procedure. Also make sure there is a disciplinary procedure that everyone is aware of. Sometimes staff are less inclined to monetary rewards and would prefer better job satisfaction, such as more exciting and fulfilling work to make it more interesting.
To conclude conflict can occur in the workplace for many reasons such as limited resources, unfair conditions, issues with pay and differences in perception. This can cause problems within the workplace and it is essential that strategies are used in order to stop conflict as quickly as possible. Conflict will always be an issue in the workplace but it is how it is dealt with that will result in the effectiveness of a business as efficiency will suffer due to this.
References
Mullins, L. (2010) Management and organisational behaviour.9th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.
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