Types and causes of interpersonal conflicts in organizations.

Conflicts in the organization

It is believed that the cause of such conflicts is the dissimilarity of characters. This is possible, but completely incompatible people are extremely rare. Most often, it is a matter of very specific and objective reasons. Interpersonal conflict in the office can arise for the following reasons:

• due to the struggle for resources (use of the workplace, distribution of allocated funds);
• due to an incorrect understanding of job responsibilities and distribution of roles (who reports to whom and how much work is required to perform);
• due to competition (when two people apply for the same position), but this happens less often, since promotions do not happen every day.

Subjective, but still solvable problems can be envy, gender relations, differences in views on doing work and writing reports, etc.

Another type of conflict is the conflict between the individual and the group. It also has two subtypes: a conflict between one person in a team of employees (horizontal) and a conflict between a boss and a group of subordinates (vertical).

The most difficult conflict is the confrontation between a boss and subordinates. It occurs when team members unite to express common dissatisfaction with a particular situation, but the instigator of such a “war” most often becomes one person.

Conflict within a group usually arises if the leader changes, staff reduction occurs, or a new person joins the company. All groups establish their own unspoken rules of behavior, and each participant chooses his place in this small society; when any change occurs, it disrupts order and causes conflict situations.

The third type of conflict is intergroup. It includes not two or three people, but groups. Usually these are directorates and departments or small informal (friendly) groups. The causes of group conflicts are the same as those of interpersonal conflicts: professional disputes, struggle for allocated resources, personal disagreements.

What are the dangers of conflicts at work?

The team is a mechanism that allows a business to function properly, it is a single organism that must be completely healthy, and conflicts within the company interfere with effective work. Employees in a conflict situation lose their ability to work, their productivity drops, and they begin to make mistakes.

In addition, participants in a conflict can deliberately harm each other, sabotage orders and instructions, and deliberately make mistakes in order to frame a colleague. Wars between employees, and especially wars between departments, managers and subordinates, can greatly reduce the profitability of a business and even cause damage to it. Conflicts within an organization must be dealt with.

Help, Father Tsar

Many managers do not want to interfere in the conflicts of their subordinates, but this is fundamentally wrong. It is the leader who is able to stop the conflict at the very beginning, to prevent the interpersonal from developing into a conflict between the individual and the group, or even into an intergroup conflict. Moreover, the manager is obliged to initially create an environment in which the number of conflicts would be minimal.

What should a leader do? First of all, write the job descriptions that we talked about earlier. Job descriptions help resolve a huge number of seemingly controversial and conflicting issues:

• who obeys whom;
• who replaces whom in case of illness or vacation;
• what kind of work and to what extent this or that employee should perform;
• what resources, rights and opportunities each employee has.

In addition, the manager must create a comfortable working atmosphere, not distance himself from his subordinates, and, noticing even the slightest tension, talk privately with the participants in the emerging conflict. And most importantly, the leader must always clearly and competently formulate tasks. Most conflicts arise from misunderstandings.

Special trainings, corporate events and joint recreation - all that is called team building - can also help with resolving disputes and creating psychologically optimal working conditions. The main thing is that trainings and holidays are not forced and uninteresting, otherwise this will only aggravate the situation and become another cause of conflicts.

Controversy caused by unfair assessment of staff work

An unfair assessment is perceived as an infringement of one’s professional, material and status interests, a threat to them, and an attack on personal dignity.
This contradiction leads to business conflicts (lack of justified criteria, violation of procedures, double standards, etc.), which very quickly develop into emotional ones. In fact, they have been like that from the very beginning. Psychological analysis of such conflicts indicates that many of them arise as a result of fairly typical errors made in the assessment process. Let's describe them.

• Halo effect. Its essence is that business personal and professional qualities and achievements are assessed on the basis of a general impression of the personality of the employee being assessed. Hence, people who are sociable, charming, etc. are rated very highly as professionals in their field. When, with a high rating, there is a serious discrepancy between, say, charm and performance, other employees become dissatisfied and resentful, which can lead to conflicts.
• Error of "central tendency". Outwardly, it manifests itself as the notorious “equalization”: preference is given to average estimates. As a result, everyone is assessed equally, including the “advanced” and obvious “outsiders.” For the former, this causes a feeling of resentment. Practice shows that the main reason for such assessments is the insufficient level of competence of the assessors, because categorical assessments require convincing argumentation, but average, “streamlined” ones do not. The fear of demonstrating one's low level of competence leads to such assessments.
• "Logical fallacy." It is similar to the error of “central tendency”, only in it the lack of professional competence or poor knowledge of the work of personnel is attempted to be disguised as artificially created “logical schemes”. For example, the following logical chain occurs: some quality is taken as a basis, say punctuality. Next, the following scheme is built: if punctual, it means organized; Once organized, it means it has managerial potential, and so on “ascending”. But it also happens the other way around. Naturally, such evaluation schemes rarely lead to objective results.
• Contrast error. It is usually committed by an authoritarian leader who values ​​his professional achievements and personal and professional qualities very highly and takes them as a standard. The quality and results of the activities of the others in this case are naturally underestimated. This causes discontent and resentment, because there are simply no sinless leaders, and even more so among authoritarian ones. His own mistakes and blunders are immediately remembered; out of resentment, they are presented as major miscalculations. A conflict situation arises.
• The "leniency" fallacy. In this case, the ratings are clearly inflated for the favorites and favorites, which, of course, is unfair.
• The "proximity" error. In this case, as in an exam, assessees are compared with each other, rather than with valid professional standards.
• Error caused by missing standards. Personnel assessment will be objective only if there is a reasoned standard - the model of a professional. It is based on them that comparisons should be made. In practice, such standards are often absent, making it impossible to explain the “identified discrepancy” - discrepancy with whom or what? Such an assessment is perceived as biased and biased.
• Ethical error. It arises when not only activities, but personal, professional and moral qualities are assessed. This really needs to be done, but to do this you need to learn how to use objective assessment methods. Otherwise, the influence of group interests may appear. Unfortunately, objective methods are not always used, thereby creating potential sources of conflict.
• Procedural errors. They are associated with insufficient scientific elaboration of the methodological and procedural side of assessments and certification. There are many of them, for example, forcing the person being certified to undergo a psychological examination, violating the principle of confidentiality of psychological information, etc. They often lead to conflicts.

How to avoid role conflict?

Avoiding role conflict is not easy, and sometimes even impossible. However, psychologists identify only 7 principles that will help avoid conflict:

1. Tell loved ones about your experiences. The discussion will allow you to analyze the situation again, you will be able to receive unique tips that will help prevent the occurrence of emotional stress and burnout.
2. Learn to listen and hear. Important advice, especially for those who often forget to make sure that the existing requirements are complete. Don’t be afraid to talk about your desires, because no one knows about them except you. In situations where role conflict cannot be avoided by any means, the ability to build dialogues will have a significant impact.
3. Consider each role and try to love them all. If you enjoy a specific activity, but the obligations are too difficult for you, only love for the functions performed will support you.
4. When exploring new places and areas, you should independently take on the development of a new social role. Even if something doesn’t work out due to circumstances beyond your control, continue to treat failure as a new life experience.
5. Rationalization of what is happening. Learn to competently assess what is happening to you at the present time. If a requirement is objectively unattainable, then admit it, but don't beat yourself up for not meeting it.
6. Ranking of roles. In cases where there are too many social roles and you simply cannot cope with them all, then try to transfer one of them to another person. It is not necessary to transfer the role forever; you can return it back at any time.
7. Temporary or permanent removal from one of the roles in order to prevent severe emotional turmoil.

In addition, it is recommended to take preventive measures to combat emotional distress and anxiety. Reducing anxiety and fear will allow you to be calmer, more reasonable and more restrained. If a conflict develops, it is recommended to contact a specialist who will suggest an action plan. The most important thing is that a person should not let go of the brewing conflict; the most favorable situation is when a person is afraid to ask for help from loved ones.

Interrole [edit]

Interpersonal role conflict occurs when the source of the dilemma stems from holding more than one central position. For example, as a husband and father in the social system, the superintendent may think that his wife and children expect him to spend most of his evenings with them. However, his school board and PTA groups, he may feel, expect him (as their school director) to spend most of his after-school hours on educational and social activities. The superintendent usually cannot meet both of these incompatible expectations. [14]

Examples from life

In any company, small or large, conflicts are inevitable. Most often they arise between employees when they have to share a sphere of influence, management attention, and resources.

Disagreements may arise due to systematic delays and non-payment of wages .

Small groups have difficulty accepting a new member into their circle . This is especially difficult if a person has opposing views, clearly stands out in some way, has outstanding abilities, is superior to other members of the group, or comes “through connections.”

A destructive, conflictual personality in itself causes constant irritation of colleagues, this in turn disturbs the peace in the team and interferes with work.

An authoritarian manager who does not take into account the interests of employees and puts forward strict demands becomes the cause of discontent and constant tension, which ultimately results in a protracted conflict.

What causes social conflicts? Find out the answer right now.

About the nature of conflicts in an organization in this video:

Homeless men and gender[edit]

A homeless situation that places a heavy burden on those who, especially [ edit]

] men with children or dependents. Traditional gender roles describe men as providers. Homeless men are often unemployed, so they lack the means to provide the resources their family needs. This can cause great distress for men. Homeless men may also become the sole caregiver for their children during homelessness. This can lead to high levels of stress in men as they are expected to take on the role of breadwinner and caregiver. The transition can be very overwhelming. [9]

Intra-role[edit]

Intrapersonal role conflict occurs when a person in one role believes that others have many different expectations of him/her in relation to that role. “A school principal, for example, may feel that teachers expect him to be their representative and leader, taking their side on issues such as salary increases and institutional policies. However, the school principal may feel that school board members expect him to represent them, to 'sell' their views to staff because he is the executive director and policy director of the school board." [14]

Resolution methods

Conflicts in an organization are resolved using various methods. Their choice depends on the types of difficult situations, the need to achieve specific goals, and the subjects involved.

1. Antialiasing . By relieving tension and emotional involvement.
2. Evasion . There is abstention from provocative actions.
3. Encouragement to take a point of view . Power, arguments, coercion, force are used.
4. Compromise , finding a solution that will satisfy both parties.
5. Solution . The situation is examined from different angles, and the most profitable ways out of the conflict are sought.

In complex conflicts, it is permissible and recommended to use a third party, negotiators, or lawyers . This is especially true for labor disputes.

Read about the types of temperament and their psychological characteristics here.

Causes and sources of occurrence

Conflicts in an organization can arise for a variety of reasons, sometimes flaring up suddenly, or tension gradually increases.

1. Distribution of benefits and responsibilities .
   It does not always play a role here how fair this happens. For example, responsible, hardworking employees receive more tasks, but in the end everyone is paid the same salary. Such cases arise when there are errors in the regulations, when there are no established distribution rules.
2. Inability to work together. Sometimes people, due to their personalities and differences in experience, cannot effectively work together. One completes tasks faster, the other does not keep up, interferes with the production process or displeases colleagues. The conflict develops increasingly, and eventually develops into a real problem.
3. Differences in interests. Workers pursue their own interests and goals, and sometimes they do not coincide with other people. In this case, it is important to have a manager, a leader who can correctly distribute resources, responsibilities and income, stimulate productivity, and instill in the minds of the staff loyalty to the company and the need to work for the common good.
4. The struggle for leadership. The larger the organization, the more informal groups emerge, and the stronger the rivalry.
   The struggle can flare up even if there is a desire to occupy a certain position, and workers who support their colleague are included in the conflict. To prevent this from happening, the administration should create equal conditions for development and self-realization.
5. Poor working conditions . Small, dark, stuffy rooms where many people live are the cause of constant irritation, fatigue, and clashes. Work in such a place becomes less and less effective, and tension and fatigue increase. Contributing to irritation is poor equipment that breaks down, thereby missing deadlines. Meanwhile, the boss is dissatisfied with his subordinates who did not complete the work, the staff expresses dissatisfaction with their superiors and conflicts with each other.

Consequences

Any conflict has consequences.

Functional . Have the following features:

• the problem is solved in a way acceptable to both parties,
• the parties are disposed to cooperate,
• decrease in submission, when the conflicting parties are afraid and strive to express rational ideas,

Functional consequences improve the quality of applied solutions, eliminate difficulties, psychological differences and problems, and hostility.

If it is not possible to find a suitable solution and remove the hostility, then another type of consequences appears.

Dysfunctional . Have the following features:

• staff dissatisfaction increases,
• the number of dismissals and staff turnover increases,
• competition arises between groups, loyalty to one's group,
• their goals are perceived as positive, the goals of the other group are negative, the other side is perceived as the enemy,
• rational interaction between the conflicting parties ceases,
• victory in a conflict is given more importance than the ability to actually solve the problem that has arisen.

Management should not allow the conflict to escalate into a dysfunctional type, since this ultimately affects not only the dissatisfaction of the staff, but also the profit of the enterprise itself.