Conflict – disagreement, opposition, clash, quarrel between individuals

Factors Leading to Conflict in an Organization

1. Rates of pay – is the pay reasonable for the type of job being done?
2. Working conditions – is the work environment clean, safe, comfortable & free from health risks?
3. Communication – is staff kept informed in a timely manner, are appropriate communication methods
used?
4. Job Security - is the staff worried about how long they will be able to keep their job?
5. Fringe benefits – are there any other benefits given to staff apart from their salary (health, travel
allowance, company vehicle, meals, lunch subsidy etc.)
6. Recognition – are staff highlighted for their contribution to the organization?
7. Unfair practices – are staff treated fairly?
8. Union Rights – are staff rights being protected by the trade union (mediator) selected to represent staff?
9. Pension schemes – is there a reasonable pension for staff after retirement?
10. Management or leadership of the organization – are appropriate/effective leadership styles used?

Methods of reducing conflicts within an organization:

 Teamwork

A team is a group of persons organized/selected by management to complete a particular task or project. The
benefits of teamwork are:
1. Creative problem solving from the input of each individual on the team.
2. The pooling (combining) of resources, ideas and expertise.
3. Allows for workers to be motivated individually and collectively (as a group).
4. Increases the amount of work done and the level of productivity of the company.
5. Improves the quality of work.
6. Allows workers to feel important as they participate in achieving the company’s goals. Also gives
workers a feeling of belong as they work with each other.
7. The project will always continue even if a member leaves the group.
8. Management can consult members of the team for ideas and advice.

The greatest disadvantage of teamwork is the length of time it takes to make decisions and complete tasks.
This is so because each team member’s opinion will have to be considered before decisions can be made.

Factors to consider when selecting a team:

 Compatibility of the team members

This refers to the type of relationship that exists between each member and their ability with each other
to complete tasks. Supervisors should choose carefully the members that are in a team, to ensure that the
team spends more time working rather than being in conflict all the time.

 The ages of the team members

o Age differences could influence the decisions arrived at, could cause conflicts and thus slow
down the work to be done.

 The Goal to be accomplished

o Team members should have a common understanding of the tasks/goals to be accomplished.

 Cultural & Religious Differences

These can also cause conflicts in certain work teams.
  The Interest of Team Members in the Task Given
o The supervisor should ensure that persons, who demonstrate a lack of interest (little or no
interest) in the project or task, are not allowed to be a part of the particular group.

Class work

Students will be placed in groups and asked to do a role-play in which a team is in place to carry out a particular
task/project, however one of the five (5) concerns mentioned above is a point of conflict in the group. The
supervisor of the group will therefore be required to show how he/she resolves this issue.

 Good Internal Communication method/Channels

Internal communication channels refer to the ways in which companies send and receive messages/information
within the company.

There are several methods of communication used within a company:

1. Consultation – this is where managers, supervisors and workers talk with each other and ask each
other’s advice or opinions on certain matters.
2. Suggestion Box – this is where a company provides a box for people to put their written comments in.
Companies usually want to hear comments from their customers and staff about the quality of goods and
services the company provides. Management then put strategies in place to improve the quality of goods
and services provided based on the comments received from the suggestion box.
3. Meetings – face-to-face contact between two or more persons to discuss matters and make decisions
about the company.
4. Reports – this is a detailed record of a past event. A report can be a simple record of an incident and be
in the form of a memorandum (memo). For reports on projects that teams of staff members or
consultants worked on, a more formal and detailed report would be necessary. This formal report will
include the following information:
i. A statement of the problem being explored
ii. Background information on the problem
iii. The methods being used to study the problem
iv. Explanation of information was collected and analyzed
v. Finally, reporting on what was discovered, the effects of the problem being studied,
writing conclusions and making recommendations to resolve the problem.
5. Memorandum (Memo) – A short note used to inform or remind individuals of a particular matter. It
usually has a specific format, it is used for internal communication and serves as proof of
communication for future reference.

Trade Unions – organizations who represents/speak out on behalf of the rights of employees and carry out the
following actions:
- Negotiate on behalf of employees for better salaries, fringe benefits and working conditions
- Help settle disputes between management and employees.
- Make new demands to management on behalf of employees.
- Educate members (employees) about their rights and responsibilities.
- They act as advocate for employees (make pleas on behalf of employees).

Home Work – Define and Outline the elements of the following:

o Grievance Procedure/Collective Bargaining
o Industrial Disputes/actions/activities