Interdepartmental conflict is a vital but frequently underrated cause of organizational inefficiency

and suboptimal performance. The views are presented of a number of practicing managers in
large manufacturing enterprises on the issue of interdepartmental conflict. Managers' comments
are reported in the following categories: personality of managers, communication, objectives and
interdepartmental priorities and perspectives. The comments indicate the prevalence of
interdepartmental conflict, and suggest that the essence of the problem is limited managerial
effectiveness and a paucity of mutual interdepartmental understanding.

The Conflict Between Marketing & Production Departments

Your primary business goal is to sell. You might think this makes it obvious that your marketing
department should sell as much as possible and that your production department should strive to
keep up. However, legitimate conflicts can arise between production and marketing, and your
ability to understand and resolve these conflicts can determine the success or failure of your
business.
Quality Control Issues
One myth that permeates many marketing departments is that production personnel want to slow
down so they won't have to work so hard. This myth can cause conflicts. Production may want to
go slower in order to make a higher-quality product, which can cut down on customer returns
and complaints. If marketing insists that production must always be at capacity, you may need to
step in and determine if the value of quality control measures is worth the price of lower
production.
Confusion over Authority
Department managers can become hungry for authority. For example, the production manager
may view himself as the person who controls the pulse of the company; if he doesn't put the
products out, no one can sell them. This type of manager slowly gains authority and may begin to
set a production pace that pleases him instead of one that meets demand. The solution is to lay
out clear lines of authority. Management can set production quotas, thereby demonstrating that
authority for production levels comes from above, not from the production or sales departments.
This eliminates the problem of sales staff accusing production personnel of holding them back by
not making enough products to meet customer demand.
Lack of Feedback
Conflicts can develop between managers without upper-level executives hearing about it. If
marketing is screaming for more products and production is screaming for more time, resentment
grows and personnel may not be able to focus on their jobs. Executives need to be in the
feedback loop, and regular meetings with marketing and production managers can help resolve
conflicts before they fester into battles.
Isolation from Market Forces
Conflicts often develop when the production department doesn't sense the pressures of the
marketplace. Marketing staff may see changing demand or tastes, increased competition and
improved versions of competitors' products that can hurt your company's sales. If production
insists on doing things the way it always has done them, conflict may arise. In such a case, a toplevel manager must step in and create production standards that address changes in the market.

The Importance of Communication Between Different Departments in an Organization

Communication is one of the organizational functions that helps a company to stay efficient and
productive. One of the more important forms of organizational communication is interdepartmental communication, the Institute for Public Relations notes. The importance of
communication between different departments in an organization becomes most evident when
that communication breaks down. Implementing policies to strengthen inter-departmental
communication help to underscore its importance and maintain an efficient flow of information.

Trust
Accurate and efficient communication between departments builds trust within the organization.
When departments trust each other to deliver accurate information, this eliminates the extra factchecking step that can slow down productivity. Departments should ensure that the information
they are giving to other departments in the organization is reliable to help improve operational
efficiency.

Customer Service
When inter-departmental communication is poor, customer service can suffer. For example, if a
client continues to receive a bill for an invoice that was already paid because the accounts
receivable department is not communicating properly with accounts payable, then there is the
risk of losing repeat business. To retain clients and insure the flow of repeat business, you need
to maintain a high level of customer service. When the departments in your company are
efficiently sharing information, then clients can be properly attended to, and customer service
improves.

Efficiency
If your sales department loses business because the manufacturing group was unaware of an
increase in product demand, then your company suffers a loss of revenue. The accurate exchange
of information between departments improves the ability to meet sales projections, to get product
to distribution points and to have contracts and documents reviewed by the proper people.
Information exchange allows for a productive exchange between engineering and marketing
about the release of a new product and gets information on prospective employment candidates
to the human resources department. Improving communication between departments improves
the efficiency of the overall operation of your organization.

Conflict
A breakdown in communication at any point in the organization can result in conflict. If the
shipping department does not get notification of an important shipment in time to make next day
delivery, then that can cause a conflict among several departments in the organization. Fingerpointing and arguing accompany a breakdown in inter-departmental communication. When
departments engage in conflict, the productivity of your entire organization is affected.

Conflict Resolution Strategies in the Workplace

Between Departments
Managing conflict between different departments in the workplace typically involves
establishing better communication and promoting collaboration. Conflict inevitably occurs
when two different groups have competing goals. Early intervention prevents minor
arguments from escalating into a major problem. Any disagreement that disrupts the flow of
work, impacts productivity or threatens employees needs attention.

Assessment
The first step in conflict resolution involves accurately assessing the situation. Before you
attempt to mitigate the situation, conduct interviews with representatives in each
department to establish the facts. Get each side to acknowledge a problem exists. By
recognizing that each others concerns are important, you can help the departments work
together and start the resolution process.

Focus
By aligning all departmental strategic objectives to the goals set for the company as a
whole, you can avoid many interdepartmental conflicts. For example, two departments may
compete for the same resources, such as employees, materials and funding. If one
departments actions dont support executive leaderships directives, encourage the
department to re-evaluate its policies. To have a lasting effect, you need to recognize that
people have emotional responses to workplace issues. Discourage emotional outbursts and
attempt to face the problem head on. Focus on the problems, not the individuals in the
department. Attempt to resolve personality conflicts separately from departmental or
organizational disagreements.

Guidelines
Establish meeting guidelines and get participants to agree to adhere to these rules. By
allowing everyone a chance to speak, permitting people to ask questions and encouraging
an open dialog, you allow people from each department to understand other perspectives.
Encourage participants to listen, paraphrase to indicate they know what was heard and
focus on the fundamental issues. Promote teamwork and collaboration. After you resolve the
immediate crisis, take steps to foster better operations by running team-building activities,

such as off-site meetings, events or parties, to help people in different departments

recognize the value each person has in contributing to achieving the companys strategic
goals.

Decisions
Designate one person to act as a facilitator in meetings, ideally a person from a neutral
department. That person should review the information presented by each department,
propose options and make a recommendation. Dont delay making a decision. Keeping the
departments in limbo prevents work from progressing. Communicate the decision by giving
details about why the ruling makes sense and get commitment from each department to
abide by the decision. For example, if one department requires the use of a conference room
on an ongoing basis to conduct customer focus groups, publish the schedule and explain the
reasons for dedicating the room to that department. At most companies, meetings with
customers take priority over internal meetings, and once people in the other department
recognize the benefits of improving revenue generation, they tend to accept allowances
made to other departments, even if it represents an inconvenience to their own operations.

Conflict
Resolution:
Manage Workplace Conflict

Strategies

to

Conflict in the workplace is inevitable, but it doesn't have to bring down morale or effect
productivity. Here are eight things you can do to handle conflict and restore the peace.

Image source: BigStockPhoto.com

Conflict in the workplace is a painful reality and a key reason for poor productivity and
frustration. Do you have people in your workplace that cause problems for everyone else? Do

they create additional work for others? One point is clear--conflict does not magically go away
and only gets worse when ignored.
Certain types of workplace conflict are readily identified. Other forms of conflict may not be so
easily detected. Small, irritating events such as negative attitudes occur repeatedly over time and
can cause people to strike out at each other. In many cases, conflict occurs at the senior level of
the organization. In these situations some kind of intervention is needed.
What type of workplace conflict requires intervention? Anything that disrupts the office, impacts
on productivity or poses a threat to other employees needs addressing. The degree to which you
tolerate a situation before intervention may vary. A manager may not feel it necessary to
intervene when a minor exchange of words occurs between employees--unless such an incident
becomes a daily occurrence and expands beyond the employees initially involved. However, a
situation where one employee threatens another requires immediate action. When handling
conflict, some basic guidelines apply.
Related: 9 Toxic Coworkers to Look Out For (and How to Protect Yourself)
Understand the situation. Few situations are exactly as they seem or as presented to you by
others. Before you try to settle the conflict insure you have investigated both sides of the issue.
Acknowledge the problem. I remember an exchange between two board members. One member
was frustrated with the direction the organization was taking. He told the other, Just dont worry
about it. It isnt that important. Keep in mind what appears to be a small issue to you can be a
major issue with another. Acknowledging the frustration and concerns is an important step in
resolving the conflict.
Be patient and take your time. The old adage, Haste makes waste, has more truth in it than
we sometimes realize. Take time to evaluate all information. A too-quick decision does more
harm than good when it turns out to be the wrong decision and further alienating the individual
involved.
Avoid using coercion and intimidation. Emotional outbursts or coercing people may stop the
problem temporarily, but do not fool yourself into thinking it is a long-term solution. Odds are
the problem will resurface. At that point not only will you have the initial problem to deal with,
but also the angry feelings that have festered below the surface during the interim.
Focus on the problem, not the individual. Most people have known at least one problematic
individual during their work experience. Avoid your own pre-conceived attitudes about
individuals. Person X may not be the most congenial individual or they may just have a
personality conflict with someone on your staff. This does not mean they do not have a
legitimate problem or issue. Focus on identifying and resolving the conflict. If, after careful and

thorough analysis, you determine the individual is the problem, then focus on the individual at
that point.
RELATED: How to Manage Employee Conflicts in a Small Business
Establish guidelines. Before conducting a formal meeting between individuals, get both parties
to agree to a few meeting guidelines. Ask them to express themselves calmlyas unemotionally
as possible. Have them agree to attempt to understand each others perspective. Tell them if they
violate the guidelines the meeting will come to an end.
Keep the communication open. The ultimate goal in conflict resolution is for both parties to
resolve the issue between themselves. Allow both parties to express their viewpoint, but also
share your perspective. Attempt to facilitate the meeting and help them pinpoint the real issue
causing conflict.
Act decisively. Once you have taken time to gather information, talked to all the parties
involved, and reviewed all the circumstances, make your decision and act. Dont leave the issue
in limbo. Taking too long to make a decision could damage your credibility and their perception
of you. They may view you as either too weak, too uncaring, or both, to handle the problem. Not
everyone will agree with your decision, but at least they will know where you stand.