BAC212: INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

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Introduction

Workplace conflicts are very common in an organization and this can occur because people from

diverse backgrounds with different priorities work with each other to achieve the same goal. For

any organization, workplace conflict can hamper the productivity of that organization as well as

this can lead to the loss of capable employees which in turn can affect the profit percentage also.

Conflict in the workplace can be of two types. Firstly, it happens that the ideas of the colleagues

are not in sync with the other employee. Secondly, the employees have personal differences that

lead to major conflicts in the workplace.

Discussion

An employee works in the workstations for long hours and communicates with the other

colleagues related to work and personal affairs (Salonen, 2017). Communication in various

companies is technology-driven and may not be oral communication. As per Malika (2020), it

can result in various conflicts as in many cases the communication is misunderstood (Baillien et

al., 2017, p. 870-881). The employee wants to say something but the message is misinterpreted

by the recipient. Technology-mediated communication (TMC) affects the understanding of

both the person and these conflicts hamper the relationship (Baillien et al., 2017, p. 870-881).

The individuals spent most of the time in offices and therefore it is important to understand the

conflicts and the ways to manage them (Salonen, 2017). The technology can be used in a better

way to communicate thoughts, ideas, and emotions between the employees that can reduce

conflicts (Malika, 2020). In recent times, employee conflicts are on the rise, and it affects the

relationship in the workplace to a great extent (Baillien et al., 2017, p. 870-881). Due to the

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bullying and interpersonal conflicts in the workplace, the working capacity of the resource is

hampered, and these conflicts affect the work environment (Wijbenga, 2019).

Workplace bullying refers to the situation where one or more employees are targeted with

negative behavior for a longer period. As workplace bullying is on the rise it needs to be

addressed by the management and aim for the betterment of the employee relationship (Salonen,

2017). As opined by Baillien et al., (2017, p. 870-881), interpersonal conflicts are also an issue

that hampers the sound relationship between the employees as it affects the productivity and also

the work environment of the company. This in turn affects profitability.

There are pros and cons to workplace conflicts. It so happens that the conflicts can be caused

due to the person of different background or locations (Malika, 2020). There can be differences

due to the competitive advantage that an employee brings to the organization. This is

advantageous since the other employees can get motivated and perform up to their optimum level

to match the other employees (Salonen, 2017). Diversity is closely related to organizational

performances and a mixed culture can help to understand the differences and help to grow

together (Wijbenga, 2019). However, workplace conflicts have many disadvantages as they can

lead to discrimination and lowering of the confidence level of the employee after prolonged

bullying or conflicts (Babalola et al., 2018, p. 2-37-2063).

Employee conflicts within the organization need to be resolved as it helps to improve efficiency.

Prolonged conflicts hamper the organization as it affects the work environment and lowers

productivity (Salonen, 2017). A major issue between the employees, personal or professional can

affect productivity. Therefore, strategies must be in place to help reduce the growth of this

awkward circumstance (Malika, 2020). The management needs to interfere in the matter and

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help to resolve the situation. Ethical leadership must aim to build the employee relationship and

also teach them to resolve or how to deal with a conflict situation in a workplace (Salonen,

2017).

The manager can organize a one-to-one session with the employees to support them and

understand their issues as it can help to unite all the employees and thus help to control the

process conflict (Wijbenga, 2019).

The study helps to understand the workplace conflicts and also the diversity that can result in

such untoward incidents (Babalola et al., 2018, p. 2-37-2063). As per many researchers, it has

been observed that employee conflicts due to diversity are closely related to the individual and

the organizational performance (Baillien et al., 2017, p. 870-881). An effective diverse

workplace requires the right management and the creation of a correct workplace environment

(Salonen, 2017). The conflicts related to the discrimination of race, caste, sex must be

condemned. The workforce must be free from all this kind of discrimination that can lead to

organizational conflict (Malika, 2020). As this issue can be solved it can result in a higher level

of productivity and growth of the organization.

Conclusion

The essay helps to understand the origin of conflicts and discusses how they can affect the

relationship between the employees. There are advantages and disadvantages of conflict in the

workplace and it has been discussed in the essay. Furthermore, the effective strategy to resolve

the conflicts properly for all the parties involved has been discussed as per the business scenario.

It can be inferred from the topic of discussion that management must act proactively to stop

employee conflict as it is harmful to the overall work environment.

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 References

Babalola, M.T., Stouten, J., Euwema, M.C. and Ovadje, F., 2018. The relation between ethical

leadership and workplace conflicts: The mediating role of employee resolution efficacy. Journal

of Management, 44(5), pp.2037-2063. https://lirias.kuleuven.be/retrieve/383030

Baillien, E., Escartín, J., Gross, C. and Zapf, D., 2017. Towards a conceptual and empirical

differentiation between workplace bullying and interpersonal conflict. European Journal of

Work and Organizational Psychology, 26(6), pp.870-881.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/1359432X.2017.1385601

Malika, W.N., 2020. Determinants of Conflicts in Workplace: a Case of Teachers in Public

Secondary Schools in Khwisero Sub-County Kakamega County-kenya (Doctoral dissertation,

University of Nairobi). http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/11295/154455/Malika

%20Final%20corrections.pdf?sequence=1

Salonen, M., 2017. Conflicts in workplace in technology-mediated communication.

https://jyx.jyu.fi/bitstream/handle/123456789/56419/1/URN%3ANBN%3Afi%3Ajyu-

201712194772.pdf

Wijbenga, H.M., 2019. Workplace diversity in the Netherlands, its governing and an

examination of the relation to workplace conflicts (Doctoral dissertation).

https://repositorio.iscte-iul.pt/bitstream/10071/19241/1/master_hilda_miranda_wijbenga.pdf

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