Conflict and Conflict Management

Conflict and conflict management

The  article  I  selected  is about  the  main  issue  of  conflict  and  conflict management. The article is named “Conflict in the Workplace”. It was published on October 30, 2007 in Entrepreneur web site, which is a publication that referred to all different of disputes. Moreover, Stephen   Robbins  defined  as "A  process  that  begins  when  one  party  perceives  that  another  party  has  negatively  affected  or  is  about  to negatively  affect something the first party cares about.”

Conflict is an inevitable phenomenon. It can facilitate learning ,creativity and  change, but  some  people  hold  their point  that  it makes their work environment  less  enjoyable. The  frequency  and  intensity of workplace conflict  allows  them  uncomfortable  and   impedes  their  effectiveness, especially,  the  conflict can  have  a  dramatic  harmful  impact  on  their performance. Therefore, they emphasize that the organizers should try their best to avoid or even eliminate it in their workplace.

In fact, however, participating in conflict can have positive effects on relationships and organizations.  First  of  all,  it   is  provide  the  people involved  a  chance  and to identify neglected problems and opportunities; performance and creativity can enhance as a result. Secondly, it also increasingly awareness of what is critical to individuals, they will become angry or distresses when they faced with conflict.  Furthermore, the positive conflict can also assist organizations become more innovative. It can happen when distinct ideas, perceptions and ways of processing and judging information collide. In contrast, without the conflict, the employees will stay in a low motivation level in workplace.

As a result of these reasons, the advantages of conflict should be advocated. What is positive conflict and what is negative conflict? Can you clearly discriminate them? According to David G. Javitch, “Conflict in itself is neither good nor bad. But when we unite our own experiences to conflict or tension, we give it a positive or negative value.” In other words, conflict itself is neither instinctive good nor inherently bad. It depends on how we deal with it.

It is said that both the high conflict and low conflict are in low potential. They are not positive conflict. When conflicts between leaders and the employees are minimal, the overall group cohesion and productivity are low. When the level of conflict is high--chaos, strained or uncertain lines of authority, or unclear job processes, employee output and cohesion are also low. The medium conflict is what we called constructive conflict, which is the result in positive benefits to the group. This is the optimal combination of tension and productivity. Therefore, we should encourage positive conflict, which is in medium level in all workplaces to sustain the company’s vitality and energy, and make the greatest interest.