DEALING WITH CONFLICTS IN THE WORKPLACE : EFFECTIVE EMPLOYEE REALATIONS STRATEGIES

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The significance of workplace conflict cannot be overstated in organizational life, as it has far-reaching implications for both organizations, such as performance (Meier, et al., 2013), and individuals, including their well-being (Sonnentag, et al., 2013).

Conflicts can be defined in different ways depending on the perspective and context perspective of the person defining it.

According to (Pruitt & Kim, 2003) conflict is a perceived disagreement in interests, where the parties believe that their present goals are incompatible. (Litterer, 1966) defines conflict as a type of behavior that involves the manifestation of this perceived disagreement in interests. In terms of (Tedeschi, et al., 2017), conflict is a situation in which the actions or objectives of one person are in conflict with those of one or more other people. Similarly,  (Smith, 1966) describes conflict as a situation where the conditions, practices, or goals of the different individuals involved are intrinsically incompatible. (Wall & Callister, 1995) suggest that conflict is a process that occurs when one party believes that their interests are being challenged or adversely affected by another party. Meanwhile, (Putnam & Poole, 1987) identify several factors that can contribute to conflict in organizational settings, including competition for resources, system coordination, work allocation, and participation in decision-making. (Wilmot & Hocker, 2010) 

Nature of conflict

A conflict can be within an individual, between two individuals, or between two groups in an organization. Conflict can be cognitive or affective. Differences in perceptions and ideas about an issue is cognitive conflict.  A conflict that is emotional and directed at other people is Affective. In fact, Affective conflict is likely to be destructive in the workplace as it can lead to negative behavior commonly associated with conflict negative emptions such as fear, anger, distrust, rejection, defensiveness, hopelessness, resentment, and stress (Wilmot & Hocker, 2010) 

Types and levels of conflicts

There are four levels of conflict in organizations: 

1. Individual level
2. Interpersonal level
3. Intrapersonal level
4. Organizational level

At the individual level, (Wilmot & Hocker, 2010) conflicts may arise between two people due to differences in personality or style, as well as personal issues such as substance abuse, family problems, and childcare responsibilities. Workplace factors, such as management, leadership, budgeting, disagreements on core values, poor communication, differing interests, scarce resources, personality clashes, and poor performance can also contribute to conflicts. Social conflict (C.Karthikeyan, 2017) refers to disagreements between individuals, within groups, or between different groups. Interpersonal conflicts can arise between peers, as well as between a supervisor and subordinate. The inherent incompatibility between the formal structure and authority of organizations and human personality cannot be separated from the culture surrounding it. Intragroup conflict occurs when there is a scarcity of freedom, resources, and position, which tends to resist the need for interdependence and conformity within a group. Hence, individuals who aspire for power ,engage in power struggles with one another to attain a higher position or status within the group. Members often perceive rewards and recognition as inadequate and unfairly distributed, which creates a tendency for them to compete with each other for these incentives. (C.Karthikeyan, 2017)

Intergroup  conflict: There are four general forms in which intergroup conflict can occur. In an organizational context, horizontal strain occurs when there is competition between various functions or departments, such as sales versus production, engineering versus research and development, legal versus purchasing, and staff versus line. Meanwhile, vertical strain refers to competition that arises between different levels of hierarchy, such as management versus union, middle management versus foremen, and foremen versus shop workers. (C.Karthikeyan, 2017)

(Jehn, 1995) suggests that individuals can experience conflicts that are either relationship-oriented or task-oriented in nature. 

Relationship conflict pertains to interpersonal incompatibilities among group members, often characterized by tension, animosity, and annoyance within a group (Jehn, 1995) .This may involve which may involve disagreements on personal preferences, political views, values, or interpersonal styles. (De Dreu et al., 2004). On the other hand, task conflict involves disagreements among group members regarding the substance of the tasks being performed, which can include differences in viewpoints, ideas, and opinions (Jehn, 1995, pp. 258). Some examples are disagreements on resource allocation, procedures, or interpretations of facts (Weingart & Dreu, 2003)

In general, task conflicts primarily involve work-related and task-oriented aspects, while relationship conflicts pertain to non-task, personal issues (Jehn, 1995)

Causes of conflicts

Based on the case study of “ Conflict Management and Organizational Performance: A Case Study of Askari Bank Ltd” (Awan & Saeed, 2015) following are some common causes of conflicts.

• Poor communication / miscommunication
• Poor organizational structure
• Poor performance
• Repetitive negative behavior
• Strong negative misperceptions
• Perceived breach of faith & trust between individuals
• Personality clashes/ego problem
• Differences in values
• Goal differences
• Unresolved disagreement that escalated to an emotional level
• Issues of wages and salaries, 
• Unfavorable government policies
• Lack of cordial relationship between labor and management

 (Robbins, 1978)  believes  that  conflict  can  be  condensed  into  three general  categories: communication issues, structure problems, and personal behavior factors. 

For HR managers to better deal with conflicts they should be able to identify the source and cause of the conflict . 

It is also vital they understand their role in the conflict resolution process and have conflict resolution strategies in place. 

Conflict resolution strategies 

Although there are infinite conflict management strategies, conflict research and theory tends to converge on the Dual Concern Theory (Pruitt & Kim, 1986). This theory is also related to Deutsch’s Theory of Cooperation and Competition (Deutsch, 1973). This strategy highlights that conflict management is a function of high/low concern for self combined with high/low concern for others. 

(Sorenson, et al., 1995) described these by further categorizing into five styles of handling conflicts. 

a. The problem-solving style values the needs of both oneself and others, and emphasizes open communication and sharing of information to reach a resolution.
b. The obliging style focuses primarily on the concerns of others, seeking to find common ground and minimize differences in order to achieve satisfaction for all parties involved.
c. When using the compromising style, employees serve as intermediaries between their own concerns and those of others, working to find a mutually agreeable solution.
d. The dominating style prioritizes one's own interests over those of others, often relying on forceful tactics to assert dominance and control.
e. The avoiding style involves stepping back from a situation or delegating responsibility to others, often at the expense of both one's own needs and those of others involved.

Figure 1: A theoretical representation of the five conflict management strategies as a function of concern for self and concern for other  (Image source : Awan & Saeed, 2015)

According to (Awan & Saeed, 2015) following techniques are used by managers to resolve conflicts. 

Author's own work - Techniques used by managers (Awan &Saeed ,2015)

Effects of conflict on organizational performance

 (Awan & Saeed, 2015) The study further highlighted that if conflicts are not managed properly it can lead to breakdown in communication, low morale, low quality and productivity from employees, lack of direction, new idees, insubordination, fragmentation and damage the healthy relationship among employees and the workplace.

Responses from the research -  (Awan & Saeed, 2015) 

(Torrington, et al., 2011) identified three types of roles of HR in dealing with conflicts in the workplace.

• Facilitating role - by organizing agendas for conflicts resolution
• Advisory role - by being present in industrial disputes
• Executive role - by chairing consultative meetings

Thus, it is evident that conflict management plays crucial role in employee relations management by HR.

Recommendations to HR to enhance employee relations and manage conflicts better at the workplace.

• The HR must empower the leaders and managers with conflict management strategies to maintain a healthy working environment , which will in return enhance the performance of the workplace.
• The HR should take steps to promote  interpersonal  relationships among  co-workers to improve on their awareness of background and cultural diversities.
• It is essential to maintain ongoing communication between management and employees to promote clarity, understanding, and collaboration in the workplace
• It would be beneficial for management to periodically arrange seminars or workshops for employees to address conflict management within the organization.(Awan & Saeed, 2015) 
• By providing employees with the opportunity to learn about conflict resolution and effective management, both individuals and organizations can benefit from improved effectiveness.

In addition to this, (Karthikeyan, 2017), in his research on "Evaluative Study on workplace conflict resolution strategies ; A leadership perspective " suggests that establishing  team norms in the workplace is one of the best strategies to enhance employee relations and manage conflicts better at the workplace. Some examples are, 

1.  "Team members  as coworkers" : All  team members  are  equal;  every team  member's  opinion  will be  thoughtfully considered. 
2.  "Respectful communication " : Team members will speak respectfully to each other; will not talk down to each other; will positively recognize and thank each other for team contributions.
3. "Team member interaction in meetings" : Team members will listen without interrupting; hold no side or competing conversations; follow the rules for effective meetings etc.(C.Karthikeyan, 2017)

In summary,  the article discusses the significance of workplace conflicts in organizational life and their implications for both organizations and individuals. Conflicts can be defined as perceived disagreements in interests, manifested through behavior or situations where the objectives of one person conflict with those of others. Conflicts can be cognitive or affective and can occur at individual, interpersonal, intrapersonal, or organizational levels. Causes of conflicts include poor communication, poor organizational structure, poor performance, personality clashes, differences in values or goals, and issues of wages and salaries. For HR managers to better deal with conflicts they should be able to identify the source and cause of the conflict . It is also vital they understand their role in the conflict resolution process and have conflict resolution strategies in place.  Effective employee relations strategies are necessary to manage conflicts and improve organizational performance.

References: 

Awan, A. G. & Saeed, S., 2015. Conflict Management and Organizational Performance: A Case Study of Askari Bank Ltd.. Research Journal of Finance and Accounting , 6(11), p. 90.

C.Karthikeyan, 2017. Evaluative Study on workplace conflict resolution strategies ; A leadership perspective. International Journal of Management, IT & Engineering, 7(7), p. 199.

Deutsch, M., 1973. The Resolution of Conflict: Constructive and Destructive Processes. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Jehn, K. A., 1995. A Multimethod Examination of the Benefits and Detriments of Intragroup Conflict. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40(2), pp. 256-282.

Litterer, J. A., 1966. Conflict in organization: A reexamination. Academy of Management Journal, Volume 9, p. 178.

Meier, L. L., Gross, S., Spector, P. E. & Semmer, N. K., 2013. Relationship and task conflict at work: Interactive short-term effects on angry mood and somatic complaints. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 18(2), pp. 144-156.

Pruitt, D. G. & Kim, S. H., 1986. Social Conflict: Escalation, Stalemate, and Settlement. New York: Random House.

Pruitt, D. & Kim, S. H., 2003. Social Conflict: Escalation, Stalemate, and Settlement. 3 ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

Putnam, L. L. & Poole, M. S., 1987. Conflict and negotiation, s.l.: Sage Publications, 

Robbins, S. P., 1978. Conflict Management” and “Conflict Resolution” are Not Synonymous Terms. California Management Review, 21(2), pp. 67-75.

Smith, C. G., 1966. A Comparative Analysis of Some Conditions and Consequences of Intra- Organizational Conflict. Administrative Science Quarterly, 10(4), pp. 504-520.

Sonnentag, S., Unger, D. & Nägel, I. J., 2013. Workplace conflict and employee well‐being: The moderating role of detachment from work during off‐job time. International Journal of Conflict Management, 24(2), pp. 166-180.

Sorenson, P. S., Hawkins, K. & Sorenson, R. L., 1995. Gender, Psychological Type and Conflict Style Preference. Management Communication Quarterly, 9(1), pp. 115-126.

Tedeschi, J. T., Schlenker, B. R. & Bonoma, T. V., 2017. Conflict, Power, and Games : The Experimental Study of Interpersonal Relations, Chicago: Sage Publications.

Torrington, D., Hall, L., Taylor, S. & Atkinson, C., 2011. Human Resource Management. 2 ed. Prentice Hall : Financial Times.

Wall, J. A. & Calister, R. R., 1995. Conflict and its management. Journal of Management , 21(3), pp. 515-518.

Weingart, L. R. & Dreu, C. K. W. D., 2003. Task versus relationship conflict, team performance, and team member satisfaction: A meta-analysis.. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(4), pp. 741-748.

Wilmot, W. W. & Hocker, J. L., 2010. Interpersonal Conflict. 8 ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.