CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background of the Study
Within any organization, there are usually different
positions and jobs. People occupying these positions have different
perceptions, goals, thought and concerns. It is difficult to conceptualize a
society or an organization without inherent differences and contradictions and
these leads to conflict. Conflict can be a serious problem in an organization.
It can create organizational climate that makes it nearly impossible for
employees to work together. Conflict is a natural and inevitable part of people
working together and should be kept at a manageable level where it will not
disorganize the activities of the organization towards the attainment of it’s
objectives.
Conflict can also said to be beneficial to the
organization where it brings about radical change in the organization existing
power structure, current interaction pattern and entrenched attitude and also
can lead to increase in productivity. While some conflicts are functional
others are not. It can also affect the organization negatively when it is
associated with decreased employee satisfaction, insubordination, decreased
productivity, leads to economic loss, fragmentation to mention but a few. It is
the management major responsibility to device strategies in bringing down
conflict as low as possible, which will enable the organization to still
function to succeed (Robbins & Sanghi, 2005:418) against this background
the study was being carried out on the negative effect of conflict.
1.2
Theoretical Framework
The Theoretical Framework is based on the effect of
conflict on Organisational performance. Conflict is a disagreement in which
parties involved disagree about facts or opinion expressed by those in
authority.
There are different views based on those effects in
this respect we shall discuss the functional and dysfunctional Conflict
(Ivanceveich, Konopaske and Matteson (2005: 365).
Functional Conflict is a Confrontation between
groups that enhances the organizational performance. e.g various department in
an organization may be Conflict over most efficient and adaptive method of
achieving a goal. They may agree on a goal but not on the means to achieving
it. Without this type of conflict their will be little commitment to change.
The second is the dysfunctional Conflict and it is
Confrontation between groups that harm or hinder the organizational goal.
Management must
seek to eliminate
dysfunctional Conflict.
Similarly, (www.ehow.com) view
the effects of conflict as
1. Insubordination-
Insubordination develops because employees do not think management can maintain
control over the company.
2.
Drop in productivity.- Allowing a
conflict to continue means that employee attention becomes more focused on the
conflict and not on productivity.
3.
Lack of Direction- Conflict can
sometimes arise when management is unable to communicate the direction of the
company to employees. Conflict will erupt as employees are allowed to interpret
change within the company in their own way.
4.
Fragmentation- Conflict creates rival
functions. Sometimes those functions are individuals, sometimes they are
groups. Unresolved conflict can create tension between groups that may normally
need to work together.
5.
Lack of New Ideas- Groups in conflicts
tends not to collaborate on new ideas. When conflicts goes unresolved it can be
difficult to create new ideas the company needs to solve problems it is facing.
Effects of Conflict also have both functional and
dysfunctional outcome(Robbins and Sanghi, (2006:410). Functional Outcomes - It is hard to visualize a situation in which open
or violent aggression may be functional. But there are a number of instances in
which it’s on possible to envision how low or moderate levels of conflict could
improve the effectiveness of a group.
Conflict is constructive when it improves the
quality of decisions, stimulates creativity and innovation, encourages interest
and curiosity among group members, provides the medium through which problems
can be aired and tension released, and foster an environment of self evaluation
and change.
Dysfunctional Outcomes –
The destructive consequences of conflict on a group or organization’s
performance are generally well known. A reasonable summary might state:
uncontrolled opposition breed discontent, which act to dissolve common ties,
and eventually lead to the destruction of the group. Dysfunctional varieties can
reduce group effectiveness. Among the more undesirable consequences are a
retarding of communication, reductions in group cohesiveness and subordination
of group goals to the primary of infighting between members.
Every successful organization realizes different
opposing views and debate in creating the organizational decisions. The
decisions are focused on the side of the business leaders and on the side of
the employees, either way, conflict is also present. Organization is clearly
described as the collection of people working together to achieve a common
goal.
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