Chapter 14
Managing Organizational Conflict
It is really no surprise to discover that organizations re sources of conflict in our lives. We defined conflict earlier in this textbook but we need to emphasize here that the interdependence among other parties is organizational in nature because it involves workplace relationships (boss-employee, colleagues, departmental heads, employee-public, etc.) and organizational rules of conduct. Although conflict in organizations has the potential to slow productivity and negatively impact job satisfaction, the effective management of such conflict may enhance worker productivity and job satisfaction or at least reduce its harmful effects. Ultimately, whether the presence of conflict in organizations becomes productive or destructive, improves functioning or derails the organization from its task depends upon team members' response to it.
In this chapter, then, we address the sources of these everyday conflicts in organizations and discuss various means to manage them. We also discuss three important organizational phenomena: diversity-based conflict, work-life conflict, and the prevalence of workplace bullying.
For conflicts resulting from diversity in the workplace, we need to be more in tune with cultural differences and how they may be accommodated in the workplace. We need to embrace civility. As for work-life imbalances over the long run, we must strive for relieving hyperstress by balancing demands, having sufficient rest and "down time", and asserting ourselves when negotiating with our supervisors reasonable boundaries on what they can demand of our time and energy. For dealing with bullies in the workplace, a person may use a variety of communicative means, such as turning an insult around and treating it as though it is a compliment; solicit the help of lawyers, outside experts, human resources, or oversight agencies; file a formal or informal grievance against the bully; document all interactions with the bully to accumulate a large body of evidence; and/or confront a bully using the confrontational ritual, but be prepared for failure because bullies are resistant to change and often fail to respond productively to what we think, feel, or want. Remember or warning that one mark of a bully is a person who wants to control, dominate, or abuse others.
In the event that communication with a bully does not bring about desirable results, there are other options. A person may engage in passive-aggressive behavior like subversive (dis)obedience, by changing his or her work output or communication patterns in ways that disadvantage the bully. A person may rally others at work in an effort to "gang up" on the bully, although the bully may retaliate and pick on lone individuals when others are not there to protect them. As a last resort, a person can quit her or his job or put in for a transfer.
Our approach to this chapter is to encourage you to carefully analyze an organizational conflict so that you apply the appropriate response to it. Effective conflict management also includes awareness of options that exist in every situation. All too often we respond to problematic situations by habit rather than make a more effective and appropriate response.
Chapter Objectives:
At the end of the this chapter, you should be able to:
1). Describe the sources of conflict in organizations.
2). List strategies you can use to manage conflict in organizations.
3). Describe diversity-based conflict.
4). List strategies you can use to manage diversity-based conflict.
5). Describe work-life conflict.
6). List strategies to manage work-life conflict.
7). Describe workplace bullying.
8). List strategies you can use to combat bullying in the workplace.
-Abigail, R.A., & Cahn, D.D., (2011)
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