Conflict is a disagreement that exists between two or more people or groups of people, and

Conflict management style is someone’s behavioral pattern, which he tends to exhibit while

facing a conflict (Moberg, 2001).

The vigilance case study

The vigilance case study posses a team conflict scenario. This is based on the fact that the US

team feels that they have been sidelined by their colleagues in France. The colleagues in France

are making all the decisions without getting input from the US based teams. The US based team

having gone through a similar project believes they have valid experiences to pass to their

counterparts in France to guide the Vigilance project.

The conflicts that that I see developing are;

1. Intra-individual/Intra-personal Conflict; where an individual’s objective and vision differ

from the company’s overall vision. Intra-personal conflicts can be sub divided into goal,

frustration and role conflicts (Muhammad & Fatima, 2011).

2. Interpersonal conflict; is between two colleagues arising from differences in personality,

work-style and personal background. Every individual has a separate alternative course of action

that is acceptable to him (Muhammad & Fatima, 2011).

3. Intra-group Conflict; is when an individual is pitted against a group and is either unwilling

or unable to conform to group dynamics causing them to leave (Muhammad & Fatima, 2011).

4. Inter-group conflict; here the goals, interests or values of different individuals or groups are

incompatible and those individuals or groups frustrate one another’s attempts to achieve their

objective (Muhammad & Fatima, 2011).

Poor communication is the main cause of workplace conflict, and personality clashes can also

be a source of disagreement and mistrust among employees.

How distance affects team dynamics and performance

 Distance affects the level of interaction or face to face meetings. This reduces the level

of information sharing.

 With geographic distance the teams tend to become isolated from each other affecting

cohesion and escalating inter group conflicts.

 Distance has also been seen to create power distance that influences the interpersonal

relationships within the organization.

 Organization requires a vast network of structures to harmonize effective information

distribution without losing time along the process that may influence project deadlines.

The structural theory of conflict, says conflict depends on how a particular societies is structured.

Structuralist’s maintain that conflict occurs because of domination of one class by another (Uzun

Tevfik, 2020). Performance of an organization is hereby affected, (Shaw, B., & Luiz, J., 2017).

The decision to appoint sub-team sponsors looks like a good idea that may quickly solve the

information flow hurdle. The sub-team sponsors will solve the following problems;

 Bridge the communication gap that has existed between the teams

 Assist in bringing about a conclusion of an item that seems to be at a stalemate.

 Furnish reports to management on the status of the project.

 Encourage teams to voice their concerns and or contribute to the discussions

However, the sub-teams may not be able to force Didier to change his approach of management

or his opinion about how to run the project communication channels. Also, conflict is something

that no one can do away with. The Realist Theory of conflict explains conflict as an inherent
attribute of man. As far as men live with their ‘baggage of emotions’, so will conflict remain a

part of their habitat (Barash & Webel, 2002).

In addition to technical skills, a manager must possess other skills like;

 Communication skills. Written, verbal, and nonverbal language. One should know how to

be clear, concise, and direct.

 Interpersonal skills. Such as empathetic listening and understanding help one to be more

objective oriented.

 Negotiation skills. This assists a one sell their opinions to colleagues without necessarily

creating a conflict.

 Emotional intelligence. relates to being able to understand own emotions and react to

others’ emotions appropriately and be able to take criticism positively.

 Networking skills. Ability to easily connect easily with many people. When people know

each other, things get done easily.

For this case I believe the necessary negotiation skills are;

 Patience. Give everything time for consideration

 Cooperative. Be able to do certain tradeoffs so that the organization works as a team

 Persuasion. Sweet talk colleagues to take your point of view

 Rapport building. Try to engage everyone freely to develop the element of trust

 Avoid bias. Go to the negotiation without a preconceived idea or opinions.

References:

Barash, D.P., & Webel, C.P., (2002) Peace and Conflict Studies (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications).
Hussein A.F.F., & Al-Mamary Y.H.S.,(2019). Conflicts: Their Types, And Their Negative And
Positive Effects On Organizations. International Journal of Scientific & Technology
Research, 8, 8
Muhammad R., & Fatima J., (2011). Types, Sources, Costs & Consequences of Workplace
Conflict(Link). Asian Journal of Management Research. , Volume 2,. Pp. 600-611.
Omisore B.O., & Abiodun A.R., (2014). Organizational Conflicts: Causes, Effects and
Remedies. International Journal of Academic Research in Economics and Management
Sciences, 3, 6. doi: 10.6007/IJAREMS/v3-i6/1351 URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJAREMS/v3-i6/1351
Shaw, B., & Luiz, J., (2017). The Impact of Distance (External) and Organizational Factors
(Internal) on the Knowledge Chain of Multinational Corporations: South Africa as a Host
Country: KNOWLEDGE CHAIN OF MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS: SOUTH
AFRICA AS A HOST. Thunderbird International Business Review. 60. 10.1002/tie.21892.
Uzun Tevfik (2020). Relationships between Power Distance, Organizational Commitment, and
Trust in Schools. Educational Policy Analysis and Strategic Research, 15, 3,