Positive side to conflict
Conflict could have positive effects as follows:
·         Encourages individuals to do better and work harder. One’s talents and abilities come to the forefront in a conflict situation.
·         Psychological needs including dominance, aggression, esteem and ego, are addressed and thereby provides an opportunity for constructive use and release of aggressive urges.
·         It provokes creative and innovative ideas. For instance, employee benefits of the present day are an outcome of the union-management conflict over the past decades.
·         In a way, it adds variety to one’s organizational life, otherwise work life would be dull and boring.
·         Brings about an understanding of the problems, people have with one another and leads to better coordination among individuals and departments, in addition to strengthening intra-group relationship.
 
Negative side to conflict
On the other hand, conflict can also lead to the following negative effects:
·         Conflicts negatively affect individual and organizational performance. Resolving conflicts takes a toll on managerial time and energy which could be more productively spent.
·         In any conflict, people may promote their self-interests or personal gains at the cost of others or the organization.
·         Serious conflicts over a prolonged period affect individuals emotionally and physically, and give rise to psychosomatic disorders.
·         Conflicts give rise to time wastage, which if costed, could have been spent doing more productive things.
·         Conflict may give rise to work sabotage, employee morale problems, decrease in the market share of product/service and consequent loss of productivity.
 
Conflict resolution and management
Conflict resolution differs from conflict management. In conflict resolution, the conflict ends by satisfying the interests of both warring parties. Conflict management entails specialized interaction that prevents a dispute from becoming a battle. Managing a conflict attends to personal issues so as to allow for a constructive relationship, even though the objective issues may not be resolvable.
Conflict resolution involves great managerial skills. The goal in conflict resolution always should be to seek a resolution based on mutual gain. Realistically, however, resolution is not always possible. When this is the case, we must manage the conflict to ensure that the relationship is constructive and that open communication is maintained.
The success of conflict resolution depends on the ability to regulate stress and emotions. During conflict, strong emotions appear which can hurt feelings. When conflict is handled in an unhealthy way, it can be the cause of irreparable rifts, resentments, and break-ups. When a person deals with a conflict in a healthy way, it increases the understanding among people, builds trust and strengthens relationships.
Strategies for managing and resolving conflicts
Resolving conflict between and among individuals can be one of the most frustrating and uncomfortable experiences for an administrator. Any attempt by an administrator to alter a specific conflict position requires that he/she be knowledgeable of its origin. An understanding of the source improves the probability that the proper resolution or stimulation technique will be selected (Robbins, 1974).
De Church, et al (2001) suggested that active conflict management allows groups to openly talk about issues and disagreements, allowing them to share information and confront a conflict together. In addition, Tjosvold, et al (2002) opined that openness makes it possible to contradict arguments. Studies have shown that there are great possibilities in open conversation and argument confrontation. The positive effects of conflict management are, according to De Church, et al (2001), a result of the active approach which benefits team effectiveness.
The most important element of the conflict management strategy is the early recognition of the conflict and paying attention to the conflicting parties. These elements are important when a manager deals with functional or dysfunctional conflicts. There should be early indication of the conflict and early evaluation of its impact on performance of employees. It is also necessary to make a plan to encourage functional conflict or manage dysfunctional conflict. The approach to the conflict and the conflict management style also depend on the participant’s emotional involvement in the conflict (Brodtker, et al, 2001).
Brodtker, et al (2001), argue further that for a conflict to take place, these three elements must be present. Moreover, to resolve a conflict, one must identify and deal with all these elements, otherwise the attempt to manage the conflict will be unsuccessful.
Conflict can be either complex or simple. The more complex a conflict is, the more the potential for a creative, constructive transformation or solution of the conflict. If the conflict is too simple, the parties will not be motivated to get engaged and they will tend to ignore it. This can lead to greater problems in the organization which can in turn, lead to poor performance. When there are more elements, the conflict becomes too complicated to manage. Darling and Fogliasso (1999) concluded that it is impossible to eliminate conflict totally. Managers who try to eliminate conflict will not last, while those who manage it well typically experience both institutional benefit and personal satisfaction.
Pitfalls to avoid during conflict resolution
When resolving conflicts, the following should be avoided:
·         Avoid being defensive
·         Avoid generalizations when addressing complaints
·         Avoid being a poor listener
·         Avoid attacker characters
·         Avoid trying to win the argument
·         Avoid disrespect
 
Conclusion
This study has reviewed and analyzed conflict management. Since conflicts are inevitable in any business organization, it is imperative that managers acquire the necessary managerial skills needed to effectively tackle and address conflicts. This will go a long way in ensuring that the benefits of conflicts are achieved and not the reverse.
References
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Deetz, Stanley A. & Sheny & Stevenson (1986). Managing Interpersonal Communication. New York. Herper.
Fleetwood, K.L. (1987). The Conflict Management Styles of Strategies of Educational Managers. Unpublished Master’s Thesis, University of Delaware, Network.
Hocker, J.I & W.W. Wilmot (1985). Interpersonal Conflict Dubuque, IOWA: Wmc. Brown Publisher.
Nebgen, M.K. (1978). Conflict Management in Schools. Administrators Notebook, 26, 6.
Robbins, S. (1974). Organizational Behavior: New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Tjosvold, et al (1992). Managing Conflict Between Department to Serve Customers. Human Relations 45 (10), 1035-1054.