Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ZAFRAN AWAN
Code : 5539
Topic : conflict in project
offices.
Practical study
Organization selected
History of organization
Conflict
Types of conflict
Conflict resolution
The conflict management process
Conflict handling intentions
Relationship between conflict causes and sources
SWOT Analysis
Conclusion
References
Topic: Conflict management in project offices.
What is conflict?
Definitions vary, depending on the source of the definition. Psychologists define conflict
in the perspective of intra-mind differences. Sociologists tend to define conflict as
differences between the interests of people or groups, and so it goes. When we examine
the common elements in almost all of these various definitions, we find that a definition
of conflict can be reduced to: “Conflict occurs when there are two or more competing
responses to a single event.” (Cummings, Long, and Lewis 1983) This sort of impact-
neutral definition allows us to focus on the context and sources of conflict rather than
exclusively on the result or impact of the conflict.
What is conflict?
When people think of the word conflict, they often think of wars or violence. However,
conflict exists at all levels of society in all sorts of situations. It is easy to forget that we
experience conflict every day of our lives.
Conflict happens when two or more people or groups have, or think they have,
incompatible goals.
Conflict is a fact of life. God made each of us in his own image, but he also
made us unique.
Therefore some of our views and opinions will differ from those of others.
Conflict often occurs because of a lack of respect for one another’s needs
and views.
However, in most cases we resolve the conflict. From a personal level to
international level, good communication is usually used to overcome
differences and to reach an agreement before violence breaks out. At a
personal level, we often do not realize we are overcoming our differences.
It is important to remember that conflict can be creative. Conflict is sometimes necessary
to bring justice where injustice exists. It can provide an opportunity for new social and
political systems to be established and can help to shape the future. However, when
conflict becomes violent it will usually do more harm than good. After violent conflict, it
is often difficult to see the opportunities for a better future due to the widespread
destruction of infrastructure and livelihoods, the breakdown of trust and the suffering
caused through bereavement, trauma, grief and anger. It is also likely that such social
change could have occurred before the conflict became violent.
Clash of ideas
Most of the people believe that they have the best ideas and they want others to follow
their lead rather than listening to what their peers have to say. These people do not
appreciate hearing ideas put forward by the coworkers and often find faults with them.
When such people are challenged by their colleagues or feel threatened by the ideas put
forward by the coworkers, they create problems and hence give rise to conflicts.
Everyone that is working in an organization has a different personality type and most of
the time people are able to work in collaboration. However, some people have difficult
personalities and they do not only make it hard for people to work with them but also
disrupt the office environment. Such people are often used to getting things done their
way and do not like changes. While is tough to deal with such people, it is not entirely
impossible. Managing such people is a challenge and if handled properly, they can be an
asset to the company.
Competition:
Majority of the times, competition is the most common reason behind conflicts in the
workplace. Everybody knows that competition can get ugly as your coworkers often stop
at nothing to prove to the boss that they are better at the job than you. In such scenarios,
conflicts are bound to occur as coworkers start accusing each other of stealing their ideas
and taking credit for their hard work. Sometimes such conflicts are resolved in no time
but mostly these conflicts grow to such an extent that the employees stop talking to each
other. This kind of behavior retards the growth of the company and mars the reputation of
the workers.
• Lowering productivity
• Causing lack of motivation
• Increasing frustration at work
• Inducing lack of commitment
• Disrupting team work
(http://blog.rozee.pk/2010/04/14/manage-conflicts-work/)
Poor communications
a. Employees experience continuing surprises, they aren't informed of new
decisions, programs, etc.
b. Employees don't understand reasons for decisions, they aren't involved in
decision-making.
c. As a result, employees trust the "rumor mill" more than management.
The alignment or the amount of resources is insufficient. There is..
a. Disagreement about "who does what".
b. Stress from working with inadequate resources.
"Personal chemistry", including conflicting values or actions among managers
and employees, for example:
a. Strong personal natures don't match.
b. We often don't like in others what we don't like in ourselves
Leadership problems, including inconsistent, missing, too-strong or uninformed
leadership (at any level in the organization), evidenced by:
a. Avoiding conflict, "passing the buck" with little follow-through on decisions.
b. Employees see the same continued issues in the workplace.
c. Supervisors don't understand the jobs of their subordinates.
(http://managementhelp.org/intrpsnl/basics.htm)
What is conflict management?
Conflict may be defined as a struggle or contest between people with opposing needs,
ideas, beliefs, values, or goals. Conflict on teams is inevitable; however, the results of
conflict are not predetermined. Conflict might escalate and lead to nonproductive results,
or conflict can be beneficially resolved and lead to quality final products. Therefore,
learning to manage conflict is integral to a high-performance team. Although very few
people go looking for conflict, more often than not, conflict results because of
miscommunication between people with regard to their needs, ideas, beliefs, goals, or
values. Conflict management is the principle that all conflicts cannot necessarily be
resolved, but learning how to manage conflicts can decrease the odds of
nonproductive escalation. Conflict management involves acquiring skills related to conflict
resolution, self-awareness about conflict modes, conflict communication skills, and
establishing a structure for management of conflict in your environment.
When you work with others, it is inevitable that the occasional conflict in the workplace
will arise. We all have our own points of view, ways of viewing a situation, ways of
wanting to be communicated with, ways of being led and managed, ways of resolving
problems; and given the right circumstances, these differences of opinion can escalate
into a full-blown conflict in the workplace.
(http://www.leadership-and-motivation-training.com/conflict-in-the-
workplace.html)-
Topic: Conflict management in project offices.
Conflict:
Conflict is an unavoidable aspect of everyday life. Whether it is with others, yourself or
an organization, conflict is an inevitable aspect of life experience. Understanding how it
starts and how it escalates goes a long way towards knowing how to use it to your
advantage. This article will address how to spot the seeds of conflict in a situation and
take advantage of the possible outcomes that conflict can provide.
(www.ehow.com/about_4576718_what-is-conflict.html)
Types of conflict:
The different types of conflicts which is facing by the company are as under….
Cultural factor:
Conflicts may also arise when people of different cultures, values or
backgrounds work together. Humor and sarcasm may be perceived as
insulting behavior by employees of other cultures or backgrounds.
Employees who constantly point out minor faults in other people's
work, style or approach can cause conflict, according to Women Work!
Resource. Gossiping about a co-worker may also cause resentment
and anger.
Performance Issues:
When employees fail to complete their share of the workload as expected or perform
poorly, co-workers may become angry or resentful, especially if they must complete
the unfinished work. If an expected outcome does not happen, people become
frustrated and upset and look for someone to blame, according to the International
Association of Business Communicators. Inconsistent direction and unclear goals from
management and supervisors can also cause conflict, particularly if goals are constantly
changing. Conflict may also occur if one person or department seems to have a favored
position within the company and receives more attention or praise.
Differences in Style:
People have different styles when doing their work. For example, one person may be very
task oriented and may just want to get the work done quickly. Others may be more
concerned with having it done in a very artistic way or some may even want to include
other people in the project.
Differences in Background/Gender:
Conflicts may arise between people because of differences in educational backgrounds,
personal experiences, ethnic heritage, gender or political preferences.
Conflict resolution:
In many cases, conflict in the workplace just seems to be a fact of life. We've all seen
situations where different people with different goals and needs have come into conflict.
And we've all seen the often-intense personal animosity that can result.
The fact that conflict exists, however, is not necessarily a bad thing: As long as it is
resolved effectively, it can lead to personal and professional growth.
In many cases, effective conflict resolution skills can make the difference between
positive and negative outcomes.
The good news is that by resolving conflict successfully, you can solve many of the
problems that it has brought to the surface, as well as getting benefits that you might not
at first expect:
Explanation:
In the first two steps we identify or recognize the conflicts in the work place by perceived
or by felt the conflict. Than in the third step which is intention, in this step we decide that
which conflict handling intention should applied this is determined on the basic on
intensity and the type of conflicts and then in the fourth step we check the behavior of the
conflicted parties and the results of the conflict management process the performance of
the project is increased if the conflict is effectively resolved and if the conflict is not
properly or effectively resolved the performance of the project decrease
Conflict handling intentions:
The conflict handling intentions are as follows.
Confronting:
Drawbacks:
Compromising:
Compromising is also described as a "give and take" style. Conflicting parties bargain to
reach a mutually acceptable solution. Both parties give up something in order to reach a
decision and leave with some degree of satisfaction. Compromising should be used when:
Drawbacks:
Forcing:
Avoiding:
S o u r c e s
Functional Functional Between Superior Sub-
C Manager. Personnel. Project ordinates
personnel
O
Schedules
N
F * *
Priorities
L
I * * *
C Manpower
T * *
Technology
C
* * * *
Procedures
A
U * * * *
S Personality
E
S
* * * * *
Costs
* * *
Association between perceived intensity of conflict and mod of
conflict resolution:
Strength:
Weaknesses:
Opportunities:
Loyalty
Respect for boss
Increase performance of the group
Threats:
May decrease the performance of the company
May not resolved conflict properly
May hurt any parties
Conclusion
Conflict in project management is not necessarily unfavorable when properly managed.
Several advantages have been identified such as increasing personal growth and morale,
enhancing communication, and producing better project outcomes. However, conflict can
be the decline of an organization if it is not effectively managed. The challenge for
organizational leaders and project managers is to try to maintain the right balance and
intensity of conflict in project management. By utilizing project management principles,
understanding the dynamics of conflict, and learning approaches to conflict resolution,
managers will be able to establish an environment in which creativity and innovation is
encouraged and project goals are accomplished.
(http://www.umsl.edu/~sauterv/analysis/488_f01_papers/Ohlendorf.htm#uc)