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Understanding Conflicts at Workplace

Life at Work
Published on: Dec 04, 2020
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Conflict is not same as is ‘Quarrel’ or fight but they are simply differences in opinions, goals, ideas, ideologies and line of action.

What is conflict?

Conflict is not the same as ‘Quarrels’ or fighting but they are simply differences in opinions, goals, ideas, ideologies and lines of action.

Conflicts have a wide impact on the functioning of a team. To handle conflicts creatively, we first need to understand what causes them. 

Four primary causes of conflict in corporate 

  • Communication 

Communication is key for the development of the team. Communication comprises discussing issues, doubts, and advice related to work. A team is a company’s asset that needs to be kept under regular check. Fixing problems regarding work culture, tasks, and personal issues helps in reducing stress levels.

Employee miscommunication due to conflict

Face-to-face communication, weekly staff meetings, and evaluation according to performance irrespective of personal issues manifest the growth of the employee in the organization.

The exchange of ideas about projects and tasks is a vital tool in an organization’s machinery. Poor communication or half information hampers productivity, morale and interest of employees.

Also, communication is an essential element in employee retention.

  • Competitiveness 

Every individual has different potential, abilities and skills to present themselves in the dynamic corporate environment. The unbiased decision of a manager ignites competitive feelings among employees.

On the bases of Deutsch (1973) and Coltri (2004) studies, Hafeez (2005) developed two

Cycles: Competition cycle of conflict and Cooperation cycle of conflict.

Employee feels jealous due to other employee gets appreciated.

‘Competition cycle’  describes the internal dynamics of competitive conflict. Competitive conflict occurs when one party feels more powerful than others in performing tasks. Two kinds of conflicts prominently take place in the competitive cycle. One is perceived and the other is felt conflict. The outcome of competition with other parties results in low productivity.

  • Challenges 

Working in a tense environment brings greater challenges and risks for management. Challenges include lack of transparency, mutual trust, undefined goals and improper timings. If the team members work in isolation, there is a high chance of involvement in conflicts as decision and work efficiency may differ. For the attainment of organizational goals, every team member's engagement in work matters.

Frustrated employee due to workload

  • Changes 

Change is omnipresent and it’s necessary for everybody’s growth. A good team manager prepares employees to perform in a dynamic workplace. 

Every individual’s goals, views, ideas and perceptions differ in performing tasks. Hence, sometimes it creates a nuisance related to work as conflicts may arise due to differences in individual timings of work.

Manager and employee conflict due to work expectations

Some employees might not feel comfortable working in dynamic conditions. Rigidity gives birth to monotonous brains and may turn into conflicts.

Conclusion 

From the above points, one thing is clear that small mole is always hard to break. In the same way, there are always small issues and conflicts that need immediate and proper attention. To make HR’s work easy, Runtime HRMS addresses some of the common conflict-causing reasons.

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About the Author
Celia, Virtual Assistant

Celia, Virtual Assistant

Celia is an artificial assistant built by Runtime HRMS based on large language model.