The Causes of Conflicts within an Organization - Research Paper Example

Organisation Design and Organisation Development Table of Contents Introduction 3 Literature Review 4 What is conflict and its causes of conflict within a workplace 4 Effects of Conflicts in a workplace 6 How conflicts can be managed 7 Theoretical underpinnings 8 Analysis 9 How organizational designs, organizational structure, relationship, process and system contribute towards organizational goals and objectives? 9 Historical basis of organizational design 10 Analysis of the role and usage of power in conflict and how this relates to the organisation’s business environment and context 11 Analysis of the relevance of change management theories and its practice in implementation of any sort of changes 13 Findings and Critical Review 14 Conclusion 15 References 16 Introduction In this age of globalisation, competitiveness and sustainable position is the prime requirement of an organization. However, it might be attained only through skilled, motivated and highly committed work forces or human resources of the organization. But such type of qualitative work force might be attained only through proper management and control of conflicts. Only then, it might act as a positive basis for collaboration as well as team work that may result in amplification of the productivity and profitability of the organization as compared to many others. But if conflict is not managed effectively, then it might act negatively thereby reducing the morale, inner skills and devotion of the employees towards the organizational goals. As a result of which, a chaotic scenario might take place that may hinder the brand image and reliability of the organization in the market among many other rival players. Sims (2002) stated due to the presence of conflicting environment, the level of interpersonal relationship and motivation to work might get reduced that may hinder the performance of the employees to a significant extent (Sims 2002: 123-134). However due to reduction of the level of performance, the organizational portfolio and reputation might get reduced thereby amplifying its threats and weaknesses among other rival players. Therefore, in order to maintain the competitive position and ranking, maximum extent of the organizations desire to manage and analyse the causes of conflicts in an efficient way so as to reduce its impacts over organizational prospects (Maravelas 2005: 223-234). The rationale of this essay is to analyse critically, the ways to reduce or harness the causes of conflicts within an organization so as to improve its performance and productivity. Literature Review What is conflict and its causes of conflict within a workplace Kersley & et. al. (2006), describes conflict as a process of disagreement, which arises due to presentation of different opinions of the work forces or human resources. However, due to disagreement of the opinions, the interpersonal relationship among the employees reduces that hinders their performance and commitment. However, due to lack of performance, the total productivity and dominance of the organization reduces thereby improving the competency of the competitor (Kersley & et. al. 2006: 110-119). Therefore, in order to amplify the portfolio and reputation of the organization, most of the organizational managements desire to reduce the causes still they some of the causes lead to conflicts within an organization. These are stated below: Personality: personality is recognised as one of the most important cause of conflict among the employers and employees. This is because the level of personality of the employees and employers differs from one another at the time of fulfilment of a group assignment or task. Therefore, due to such differences in attitudes, behaviours or personalities of the team mates, interpersonal conflicts take place. According to Long (2012), due to interpersonal conflicts, the level of devotion and motivation of the employees reduces to a significant extent. As a result, the overall performance of the group declines that hinders the profit margin. However, in order to reduce such type of conflicts arising from diverse personality and attitudes, the manager or the leader might try to make a discussion with all so as to know the cause of conflict. Moreover, he or she might act as a mediator in order to reduce the impacts of conflicts among the two employees so as to retain their performance and efficiency. For example: due to change of attitudes and thinking power among the employees and CEO of Apple Inc, interpersonal conflict is a common issue among the employees and Mr. Steve Jobs. In order to improve the market share and position of the organization of Apple Inc, Steve Jobs decided to implement blue ocean strategy and tried to introduce varied types of advanced consumer electronic products at a competitive price. But it was not accepted by the employees and it results in disagreements among Steve Jobs and the employees. However, due to extreme intelligence and persuasiveness, he acted as a mediator and tackled the issues of the employees in an effective way. Due to which, inspite of numerous conflicts, the organization of Apple Inc retained the top-most position in the market among other rival players. Different working methods: it is also recognised as one of the important factor that resulted in interpersonal conflicts among the employees. On the contrary, inspite of creating conflicting situations, diverse working methods is preferred by all organizations. This is because; it helps an employee to enhance its rate of motivation and enthusiasm to work freely thereby amplifying its performance and productivity to a significant extent as compared to others. For example: as the attitude and working approach of Steve Jobs is quite rude and hostile, so the employees do not desire to communicate with him and that leads to interpersonal conflicts. However, in order to maintain the performance and productivity of the organization of Apple Inc, Mr. Steve Jobs used to communicate and support with each and every employee and enhance their rate of enthusiasm and motivation towards work. Organizational structure: According to Hersey (2001), apart from all the above mentioned factors, organization design and structure is also entirely responsible for developing varied types of conflicts among the employees (Hersey & et. al. 2001: 234-245). This is because in any sort of organizational structure, conflicting situation arises mainly due to lack of communication and interpersonal relationships among the higher authorities and lower authorities. Due to the presence of such a communication gap, the inner morale and commitment ratio of the employees reduces. However, in order to reduce this gap, most of the organizations try to maintain a good interpersonal relationship with the employees of the hierarchy. Otherwise, due to matrix or functional organizational structure and design, the level of motivation and commitment to work might get declined day by day. For example: the organization of Apple Inc follows a matrix structure, in which the lower level executives always had to report to their head and not, Mr. Steve Jobs. Moreover, the lower level employee not even gets the chance to present their viewpoints and ideas in front of Steve Jobs due to matrix organizational structure. As a result of which, varied types of interpersonal or intrapersonal conflicts arises within them. However, in order to maintain a good interpersonal relationship, Mr Steve Jobs desired to support the employees in their assigned works. This is done to improve the reliability and reputation of the organization in the market. Thus, due to these above mentioned causes, conflicts might arise within the employees and management of the organization leading to reduction of organizational productivity and brand image in the market among others. Effects of Conflicts in a workplace Conflict is extremely harmful for an organization. It is due to conflicts that hinders the prosperity and brand image of the organization. Along with this, conflicts may reduce the interpersonal relationship among the employees that hinders their level of performance and commitment towards the organizational overall output and profit margin. Other than this, due to interpersonal conflicts, the rate of retention of the employees reduces thereby amplifying the chances of switchovers. Moreover, due to the presence of interpersonal conflicts among the employees, the organization failed to develop varied types of innovative products and services for its customers. Due to which, its profitability and loyalty within the minds of the customers reduced to a significant extent that hindered its market share and reliability. In addition, due to interpersonal or intrapersonal conflicts, the working relationship among the members of a team reduces that also affects the morale and communication level of the employees. As a result of which, the rate of devotion and commitment of the employees so as to fulfil the assigned tasks of the organization reduces resulting in decline of his or her dominance and self-esteem among others. However, it’s extremely essential to manage and maintain the conflicting situations in an effective way so as to improve its performance and productivity. McInerney (2011) stated in order to do so, it’s extremely essential to recruit a skilled and talented leader or manager within the organization just as Steve Jobs of Apple Inc (McInerney 2011). Only then, any sort of conflicts such as interpersonal, group conflicts or intrapersonal might get reduced significantly that may enhance employee motivation and confidence. How conflicts can be managed Many conflicts arise when employees disagree on the appropriate method to be followed while carrying out a particular task. They tend to land up on dispute on the merits of the approach to be followed. To handle this type of situation a proactive conflict management approach can be followed. It can be a written policy and the human resource managers should be well versed and familiar with the policy undertaken by the organization. The policy should describe clearly the definition of conflict as followed by the organization along with the appropriate steps the employees should follow to resolve workplace disputes. This may lay down the foundation stone towards productive work environment. Another policy which the organization can follow is open door policy (Byrnes 2006: 57). A conflict can be resolved if it is taken care of in the early stages. An open door policy will invite the employees to approach the management with any problem and resolution can be attained through discussion and meetings. This will clear up misconceptions and will also contribute in clarifying expectations. It is also possible for the organization to mediate the conflicts in-house. They can employ an impartial employee who will be held responsible for mediating the conflict among the teams. The team can meet the responsible person individually and request his decision on a particular set of problems. Theoretical underpinnings Cooperative model as proposed by Morton Deutsch: Morton Deutsch viewed a number of factors like the behaviour of problems as well as the aims of each individual to determine the nature of intercession they will bring on the negotiation table. According to his view corporative and competitive are the two basic orientations. He also forecasted the nature of dispute that the negotiating parties will bring in. He opined that cooperative disposition will lead to mutually beneficial options for both parties. But competitive approach will lead to win-lose situation. However some of the critics of this theory opined that both competitive and corporative approaches are essential to reach towards beneficial outcomes. So it is necessary to strike a balance between the two theories. Roger and Fisher proposed four principles to manage such situation. They proposed to separate the problem from the people, to strive on interest rather than position, selecting the alternatives before arriving at the solution and focus on the agreement on the basis of the organizational objectives (Dixit, 2004). The next model was proposed by John Burton and was named as the human needs model. He opined that when an individual is deni3d his basic rights like security or participation with the society, conflict are inevitable. He stated that the needs of the employees within the organization needs to be identified first and the organization can then be restricted so as to accommodate the needs of the majority of the employees. Analysis How organizational designs, organizational structure, relationship, process and system contribute towards organizational goals and objectives? In order to amplify the level of position and demand of the products and services, proper coordination and communication is essential among all. Without which, it’s impossible to improve the profitability and brand image of the organization among all. However, in order to maintain proper relationship, proper organizational design, structure, process and systems is also extremely important. This is because; each of these above mentioned factors plays a vital role in fulfilment of the organizational goals and objectives. Organizational design: organizational design is entirely concerned with developing and altering organizational structure such as functional, divisional, matrix, process-based and network. However, in all these above mentioned organizational structure, commitment and communication acts as the prime essence. According to Daft (2014), if, the level of communication among the employees or members of the organizational structures gets hindered, then it may lead to fulfilment of the organizational goals and objectives (Daft & et. al. 2014: 423-434). Organizational process: in order to maintain the process of the organization in an effective way, proper relationship among all the members of the organization is extremely essential. Only then, the process and methods of the organization might be maintained in an effective way thereby accepting any sort of new changes. However, due to the acceptance of any new changes, the rate of efficiency and devotion of the employees enhances to a significant extent as compared to others. For example: due to proper relationship among the Steve Jobs and its employees, the idea of implementation of retail outlets became successful that amplified its image and market share among other rival players such as Microsoft, IBM etc. Organizational systems: in both closed and open systems, interpersonal relationship is extremely important in order to maintain its efficiency and effectiveness in the market among others. Otherwise, due to interpersonal or group conflicts, the organization might get failed to cope up with varied environmental challenges resulting in downfall of its portfolio and reputation among others. Thus, it might be clearly revealed that in order to accomplish the goals and objectives of the organization, not only employee commitment but organizational process, design, structure and systems also offer considerable impact. If all these elements are not linked with one –another, then the employees may not get enhanced or motivated towards fulfilment of the organizational goals in long run (Adair 2010: 612-623). Therefore, due to lack of employee support and ineffective organizational design and structure, the brand image and dominance of the group may not get enhanced. Historical basis of organizational design Frederick Taylor has identified that some methods used by the employees are more effective than those employed by others. He designed four principles like gathering in of the knowledge to design how the employees will deliver their task according to rules and mathematical formula. He also designed the appropriate scientific methods of selecting the best worker for the right job that possess the traditional skills to perform that task. The mechanistic structure broke down the organizational structure into various special tasks to be assigned to the specialists. According to Dinizen (2010), the organismic structure has adapted the possible ways to meet the environmental conditions. The job function in this organizational type is not clear and therefore there is need to redefine the job function with the aim to mitigate the factors causing unstable environmental conditions. From the starting phase of the 19th century, organizational design has undergone conceptual changes with the aim to define the functions so as to perform most effectively (Dinizen, 2010). In the beginning of the 20th century organizations were seen closed or rational systems. The traditional thought believed that the goals o the organization can be achieved through bureaucratic or formal models. This period marked the establishment of the bureaucratic control. A new perspective emerged following the rational systems it was called as the natural systems which emphasized more on the informal relationships between people. In this period the focus shifted from controlling the teams to motivating them. Following the words of Aquinas (2009), the natural systems paved the way for open systems which emphasized on interaction of the organization within the surroundings. In today’s generation managers are not only held responsible for controlling or motivating the team rather they are held responsible on the way they respond to environmental changes so as to take the opportunity of value work (Aquinas, 2009). The above mentioned organizational designs are based on mutual understanding between the team and collaboration. It can be seen that the mentioned designs empathizes more on interaction between people to reach the targeted goal. In the case of the organization under consideration conflict is a major issue which have the curse of lack of interaction among the team. Therefore it can be expected the interaction system will suffer and so the organizational design will be of no use here. Analysis of the role and usage of power in conflict and how this relates to the organisation’s business environment and context Power plays a very important role in conflicts. Most of the conflicts, either interpersonal or intrapersonal arise due to excessive implementation of leadership management style and power (Carmichael & et. al. 2011: 190-213) exerted over the employees of the organization. As a result of which, disagreements or conflicts arise among the subordinates and employers resulting in reduction of the motivation and morale of the employees. Due to which, the level of performance and efficiency of the employees reduces that hinders the overall productivity of the organization. Apart from this, due to lack of proper interpersonal relationship due to extreme leadership style, the employees fail to obey the orders of the management. In addition to this, due to lack of communication skills, the management fail to understand and evaluate the inner desires and requirements of the employees and so fails to retain those employees for longer time (Beatty & Schneier 1997: 178-190). As a result of which, the culture of the organization to develop inventive product and services gets disturbed that offers a significant impact over its image and prosperity in the market among others. For example: due to autocratic leadership style of Steve Jobs, the relationship of the employees and the employer was not at all good. He used to take varied types of business or organizational oriented decisions, without communicating with the employees and so, Steve Jobs was not preferred by his work forces. But as Steve jobs was the prime decision making authority of the organization of Apple Inc, so all the employees had to obey his orders effectively. However, later on, in order to improve the level of performance and motivation of the employees, Steve Jobs implemented the system of reward power or performance related pay systems (Mabey & Lees 2007). This strategy proved extremely effective for the organization of Apple Inc that amplified the productivity and profitability of the employees and also their relationship with the CEO or the leader of Apple Inc. Thus, it might be clearly revealed from the above discussion that, power acts as a catalyst in developing varied types of conflicts among the employees and employer of the organization. However, in order to reduce its impacts, it is better to tackle it intelligently and tactically. Only then, the organization might become successful in retaining skilled and talented workforces for longer period of time thereby maintaining a coordinating and collaborative culture. As a result, the portfolio and market share of the organization might get enhanced to a significant extent that may increase its dominance and brand value among others. Analysis of the relevance of change management theories and its practice in implementation of any sort of changes In order to improve the sustainability of an organization, change is the most acceptable requirement. This, is because; without change such as mergers, acquisitions, layoffs etc, an organization might never improve its brand image and reputation in the market among others. Moreover, in order to retain organizational effectiveness, conflict resolution is extremely essential (Furlong 2005: 334-345). However, in order to resolve any sort of conflicts, the leader or managers try to utilise the process of either avoidance or compromise so as to improve their relationships and communication. However, in order to accept such types of mutual resolutions or changes, it is extremely essential to know all its future impacts as presented by the ADKAR approach or theory of change management (Caroli & et. al. 2001). As per ADKAR approach or theory, prior accepting any sort of changes, the employees need to be aware about the necessity of the change. Only then, he or she might get interested to participate in that change so as to improve the prosperity of the organization. Other than this, if the individual is interested for the change, then he or she might present the required skills and knowledge so as to implement the change successfully in the organization an retain it for longer period of time. So that, the change might prove effective in developing a strong and unique organizational culture, entirely free from any sort of interpersonal or group conflicts. Thus, it might be stated that the above mentioned theories of change management might prove effective in developing an effective organizational design and organizational structure. Only then it might prove helpful for the organization in motivating the employees towards the assigned goals and objectives (Beardwell & Claydon 2010: 412-423). Findings and Critical Review After analysing and evaluating all the above mentioned points and information, it might be stated that, in order to reduce organizational conflicts, proper company design and structure is extremely essential. This is because if the organizational design and structure is appropriate, then it might prove effective in reducing the barriers of communication and the level of interpersonal relationship might get enhanced. As a result of which, the coordination and support of the employees so as to fulfil the objectives of the organization might get reduced. However, due to lack of coordination, the confidence and determination of the employees reduces that hinders their working style and performance to a considerable extent. Apart from this, due to improvement of the interpersonal relationship, the level of coordination and support among the employees might get enhanced resulting in amplification of their motivation and commitment towards the assigned goals. However, due to enhancement of the inner morale and commitment, the quality of work might get improved thereby amplifying the profitability and productivity of the organization in this aggressive market among others. On the other hand, due to improper interpersonal relationship, the rate of switchover costs might get enhanced that may result in reduction of organizational prosperity in the market. Other than this, due to improvement of the coordination and communication among the employees, the level of retention of the skilled employees within the organization might get improved that may amplify the portfolio and prosperity in long run. Christensen (2003) stated that, the organization might become successful in presenting varied types of inventive product and services so as to cope up with the changing requirements of the customers (Christensen 2003: 210-223). This might increase the brand image and position of the organization among others in this age of competitiveness. Conclusion Conclusively, it might be stated that in this age of globalization and technological innovation, proper communication and interpersonal support is the prime essence. This is because; success comes from coordinated efforts and it might be possible only if all the employees offer proper devotion and commitment. However, proper devotion might be possible only if effective relationship is maintained among all the employees of the organization. Otherwise, it may not be possible for an organization to attain the top-most position in the market among other existing rivals. Apart from this, due to proper interpersonal relationship, improvement of the inner skills and talents takes place. This is extremely essential for an employee to amplify his or her career objectives or goals in this era. Along with his, due to the improvement of the skills, the organization might become successful in presenting varied types of inventive products so as to attract more and more customers towards it-self that may increase its reputation and market share. Hence, its relationship that helps to improve the culture and image of an organization in this age among others. References Adair, J. (2010). Effective Motivation: How to Get the Best Results From Everyone. New York: Cengage Learning. Beardwell, .J. & Claydon, T. 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