ORGANISATIONAL

BEHAVIOUR
CONFLICT AND
TYPES OF CONFLICT
 Contents...
 Concept
 Nature of conflict
 Sources of conflict
 Types of conflict
 Functionality and Dysfunctionality of
conflict
 Effects of conflict
 Resolution of Conflict
Working together isn’t
always easy
What is conflict?
Dictionary definition:
 disagreement, struggle, fight,
incompatibility
Concept....
 Conflict can be considered as an expression
of hostility , negative attitudes , aggression ,
rivalry and misunderstanding .
 Conflict may emerge between different
organisations or within organisations , or
between organisations and their social
and political environments .
Definitions Of Conflict
 According to Joe Kelly , “ Conflict is
defined as opposition or dispute between
persons, groups or ideas ”.
 According to Follett, “ Conflict is the
appearance of difference , difference
of opinions, of interests ” .
 A conflict is serious disagreement or argument
between two or more persons
Nature of Conflict
Conflict is Finding the
Conflicts are Natural
Balance Conflict Involves
Disagreement

Conflicts are not Conflict is

Big Universal

Conflict is Conflict is
Multidimensiona
l Disruptive
 Sources of Conflict
Personality Clashes
Organisational Change

Threats to Status
Different Sets of Values

Lack of
Contrasting Perceptions Trust

Interdepartmental Wrangles Job Related Issues

Other Agendas
 Types/Classification of Conflict

Individual Level Group Level Organisational

conflict Conflict Level
Conflict

Intra-Group Inter-
Intra- Inter- conflict Group
Individual Individual Conflict Intra- Inter-
Conflict Conflict Organ. Organ.
Conflict Conflict
 Intra-personal conflict
Conflict within an individual.
1.Goal conflict
When a person has to choose between two
or more goals.
2.Role conflict
When the expectations of a role are materially
different and the individual can meet one
expectation only at the cost of other
expectations.
 Inter-personal conflict
 Conflict between individuals
It may arise due to :

1.Personality differences
2.Perceptions
3.Clash of values and interests
4.Power and status
differences 5.Scarcity of
resources
 Inter-group conflict
 Conflicts between 4. Joint decision making
groups 5.Absorption of
 Most common type of uncertainty
organisational conflict. 6. Attitudinal
 Sources of inter-group sets
conflicts: 7.Organisational
1.Incompatible goals ambiguities
2.Task interdependence 8.Introduction of change
3.Resource sharing
FUNCTIONAL & DYSFUNCTIONAL CONFLICT

 Functional conflict: works toward the

goals of an organization or group

 Dysfunctional conflict: blocks an organization

or group from reaching its goals
Functional Conflict
 Functional conflict also called Constructive
Conflict, results in benefits to individuals,
the team, or the organisation.
 Functional conflict works towards the goal
of an organisation or a group.
 On positive side, conflict can bring
important problems to the surface so they
can be addressed .
 It can increase the amount of
information used in decision-making .
 It can offer opportunities for creativity that
can improve performance .
 An effective manager or team leader is able
to simulate constructive conflict in situations
in which satisfaction with the status quo is
holding back needed changes and
development.
Dysfunctional Conflict
 Dysfunctional conflict, or Destructive
conflict, works to the disadvantage of an
individual or team.
 It diverts energies, hurts group cohesion,
promotes interpersonal hostilities, and
overall, creates a negative environment for
workers.
 Dysfunctional conflict blocks an
organisation or a group from reaching its
goal.
 This type of conflict occurs, e.g., when two
members are unable to work together because
of interpersonal differences – a destructive
emotional conflict – or when the members of
a work unit fail to act because they cannot
agree on task goals – a destructive
substantive conflict.
 Destructive conflicts of these types can
decrease performance and job satisfaction
as well as contribute to absenteeism and
job turnover .
Effects of Conflict
 Conflict has both Positive and Negative effect.
 It can be positive when it encourages
creativity, new looks at old, the clarification of
points of view, and the development of human
capabilities to handle interpersonal
differences.
 Conflict can be negative when it creates
resistance to change, establishes turmoil in
organisation or interpersonal relations
fosters distrust, builds a feeling of defeat, or
widens the chasm of misunderstanding.
Positive Effects of Conflict
 Acts as Motivating Factor : Motivate
individuals to do better and to work harder.
One’s talents and abilities come to the
forefront in a conflict situation.
 Acts as Need Satisfier : Satisfy certain
psychological needs like dominance,
aggression, esteem and ego and thereby
provide an opportunity for the constructive
use and release of aggressive urges.
Cont....
 Introducing Variety: Add variety to one’s
organisational life, otherwise work life
would be dull and boring.
 Create Understanding: Facilitate an
understanding of the problem, people and
interrelationships between people, better
coordination among individuals and
departments, in addition to strengthening
intra- group relationships, etc.
increased
It forces people to clarify
their views
 It can produce
constructive social
change
It gives people the opportunity
to test their capacities
Negative Effects of Conflict
 Drop in Productivity : Allowing a conflict to
continue means that employee attention
becomes more focused on the conflict and
not on productivity.
 Lack of Direction: Conflict can sometimes
arise when management is unable to
communicate the direction of the company to
employees. Conflict will erupt as employee
are allowed to interpret changes within the
company in their own way.
Cont....
 Lack of New Ideas: Groups in conflict tend
not to collaborate on new ideas. When
conflict goes unresolved it can be difficult to
create new ideas, the company needs to solve
problems it is facing.
 Affects Quality of Work: If conflict is allowed
to go on long enough, the parties involved
may begin to show more interest in the
conflict than in doing their jobs properly.
Product quality can suffer and in some cases
the safety of the employees can be in jeopardy
as well.
Violence
breakdown of relationships
A breakdown of
collaborative ventures
 destruction of
communication
How can conflict be managed
successfully?
Strategies for managing conflicts
 1. Conflict Stimulation
 2.Conflict prevention, and
 3.Conflict resolution
 1. Conflict Stimulation

(i) Reorganising
(ii) Communication
(iii) Encouraging competition
(iv) Bringing in outsiders
 2.Conflict prevention
(a) Superordinate goals
(b) Reducing interdependence
(c) Exchange of personnel
(d) Liaison group or integrators
(e) Appeal to higher authority
 3.Conflict resolution

(i) Problem solving

(ii) Smoothing
(iii) Compromise
(iv) Dominance or confrontation
(v) Avoidance
Resolving the Conflict

Looking for a win-win ?

 Activity in class
- Select one of the
following problems
- Discuss which of the 3
management strategies
fits the best.
(Stimulation, prevention,
resolution)
- Provide 1 idea to help
improve the differences.
 Problem 1

One Employee Has Been Accused of

Harassing or Discriminating
Another
 Problem 2

Different Personalities or Work

Styles Are Clashing 
 Problem 3

There’s Tension and unprofesional

competition Between Departments
 Problem 1
“Unwelcome conduct that is based on race, color, religion, sex
(including sexual orientation, gender identity, or pregnancy),
national origin, older age (beginning at age 40), disability, or
genetic information (including family medical history). 
Harassment becomes unlawful where 1) enduring the offensive
conduct becomes a condition of continued employment, or 2) the
conduct is severe or pervasive enough to create a work
environment that a reasonable person would consider
intimidating, hostile, or abusive.”
Unfortunately, discrimination and harassment is a workplace
conflict that is often difficult to pin down and is often
underreported – especially when it comes to sexual misconduct. 
 Problem 2
As a leader, you may also need to serve
as a mediator between employees with
different personalities, clashing
preferences, or work style conflicts. Most
research suggests different points of lead
to better results; however, when people
have different points of view,
disagreements are pretty much inevitable
– but that doesn’t mean they’re
unsolvable.
 Problem 3
 Departments might not get along if they
don’t share goals or feel that they are
unevenly supported by management. 
Additionally, there’s a problem known as
the “silo effect” in which separate
departments/teams within an
organization don’t effectively
communicate with each other. This can
lead to poor collaboration, low
productivity, and tension. 
Reaching win-win
 Solutions
•Reward collaboration between
organizational boundaries
•Transparently communicate with
every team
•Encourage company networking
•Create central goals
that everyone can work toward
 Solutions
A big part of alleviating
tension/disagreements between
departments is centralizing the
organization’s goals. To do that, leaders
need to dedicate some serious time to
understand the company’s objectives,
learn how those objectives impact teams
differently, and communicating
expectations.