The Impact of Conflict on Institutions- Understanding Causes, Roles, and Resolution Strategies

The Impact of Conflict on Institutions- Understanding Causes, Roles, and Resolution Strategies

Reasons for Conflict within an Institution

Conflicts are inevitable within an institution or organization due to various reasons. One of the common reasons is the uneven distribution of resources. Organizations require resources such as equipment and financial resources to maintain operations and meet their goals. In some instances, there may be limited resources, leading to competition for resources among employees and departments, which results in conflict. The second reason is task interdependence. Task interdependence arises because of the reliance on different departments to meet an organization’s overall goals (Chen et al., 2016). Therefore, tension between departments may occur if one of the departments fails to complete its tasks on time, leading to delays in the completion of other tasks assigned to another department. For example, the marketing department may rely on the finance department to authorize the release of financial resources needed to plan a marketing event such as a product launch and cannot proceed with holding the event if the financial resources are not provided, thus increasing the likelihood of a conflict if the financial department does not provide the financial resources on time. Conflict within an institution or organization may also occur because of personality differences. For instance, employees may have different viewpoints of situations within an organization because of personality differences, which could lead to disagreements that create conflict. Individual differences and perceptions can also contribute to conflict by creating misunderstandings and misinterpretations of ideas.

Role of Functional Conflict in Institutional Change

Change is vital in an organization because it enables organizations to grow and respond appropriately to the changes in their internal and external environment. According to Katz and Flynn (2013), functional conflict arises when there is skillful management of practical disagreements between employees in an organization, leading to stronger performance of groups by providing a better understanding of different solutions and perspectives. Functional conflict can promote institutional change by promoting the exchange of different ideas. For example, functional conflict can push individuals to focus on satisfying different interests in the organization. Accordingly, this could enable an organization to consider changes that can meet those interests. For instance, a functional conflict involving a disagreement on whether an organization should use renewable energy or whether it should continue using non-renewable energy because of the high cost of transitioning to green energy can promote institutional change because the organization must consider a solution that meets the interests of both sides. Functional conflict can also promote institutional change by encouraging employees to embrace different solutions and perspectives.

Role of Dysfunctional Conflict in Institutional Change

Dysfunctional conflict arises as a breakdown or strain in interpersonal relationships, leading to emotions of betrayal and anger and hurt emotions and feelings (Katz & Flynn, 2013). Dysfunctional conflict can promote institutional change by creating competition among employees, which could promote innovative ideas. However, dysfunctional conflict can also cause resistance to change when people exchange destructive ideas about a change, such as the idea that the change may increase workload or reduce employee salaries and benefits. Dysfunctional conflict may also cause destructive competition, leading to challenges in implementing changes that require employees to work together. According to Coleman et al. (2014), destructive competition includes unregulated unfair competition, which could result in conflict within an organization. Organizations may be unable to prevent destructive competition when initiating change when employees prioritize their interests and are unwilling to share information that could impact the change implementation process.

Recommended Conflict Resolution Strategy for Functional Conflict

Functional conflict is important in an organization because it promotes the exchange of ideas that can benefit the organization. Therefore, it is important for organizations to use proper conflict resolution strategies to manage functional conflicts so that they do not negatively impact the productivity of employees and collaboration among employees from different departments. One of the conflict resolution strategies that organizations can use with functional conflict is training employees on how to apply the dual concern model when there is a conflict. According to Oore et al. (2015), the dual concern model includes combining the motivation to satisfy self-interests versus the motivation to satisfy other people’s interests in a conflict. Organizations can train employees on how they can maintain a balance between their interests and the other party’s interest in a conflict to promote constructive exchange of ideas.

Recommended Conflict Resolution Strategy for Dysfunctional Conflict

Dysfunctional conflicts are inevitable in an organization because of differences in people’s opinions, competition among employees, and sharing of resources. Therefore, organizations must have a strategy to resolve dysfunctional conflicts before they negatively impact operations and limit the organization’s ability to meet its goals. One of the conflict resolution strategies organizational leadership could use with dysfunctional conflict is workgroup conflict interventions. According to Oore et al. (2015), workgroup conflict interventions include the Civility, Respect, and Engagement (CREW) model, which includes developing shared expectations for civil behavior, a common unit definition of incivility and civility, actively coping with incivility and regularly holding discussions with a trained facilitator to celebrate progress and air problems. Organizations can use the CREW model to promote civility when handling dysfunctional conflict and encourage employees to consider and embrace each other’s differences to promote a civilized discussion. Organizations can also use interventions to understand the causes of dysfunctional conflict and get the opinion of the conflicting employees on how the conflict can be successfully resolved.

References

Chen, S., Zhang, G., Jiang, W., Shi, S., & Liu, T. (2016). Collectivism-oriented HRM and individual creative contribution: The roles of value congruence and task interdependence. Journal of Management & Organization, 25(02), 211–223. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2016.68

Coleman, P. T., Deutsch, M., & Marcus, E. C. (2014). The handbook of conflict resolution. Jossey-Bass.

Katz, N. H., & Flynn, L. T. (2013). Understanding conflict management systems and strategies in the workplace: A pilot study. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 30(4), 393–410. https://doi.org/10.1002/crq.21070

Oore, D. G., Leiter, M. P., & LeBlanc, D. E. (2015). Individual and organizational factors promoting successful responses to workplace conflict. Canadian Psychology / Psychologie Canadienne, 56(3), 301–310. https://doi.org/10.1037/

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Instructions
Complete the following:

Describe at least three reasons for conflict within an institution or organization. How might individual differences and perceptions contribute to the conflict?
Explain the role of functional conflict in institutional change.
Explain the role of dysfunctional conflict in institutional change.

The Impact of Conflict on Institutions- Understanding Causes, Roles, and Resolution Strategies

Recommend one conflict resolution strategy organizational leadership could use with functional conflict.
Recommend one conflict resolution strategy organizational leadership could use with dysfunctional conflict.
Format this assessment as a professional report. Use appropriate headings and support your statements with the resources you located. Follow APA guidelines for your in-text citations and references.