Conflicts in organizations are inevitable. They are essential due to the fact that organizations consist of a number of versatile groups and divisions that pursue different goals. The organizational process is filled with clashes between the stakeholders, individuals, or groups. Generally, an organizational conflict can be defined as a clash that occurs when two or more groups or individuals become incompatible due to the differences in their interests, plans, actions, and goals.
Different Goals and Time Horizons
Different goals and time horizons are one of the most frequent sources of organizational conflicts (Organizational Conflict, n. d.). Naturally, different divisions of one business will have different objectives and plans. For example, the manufacturing department is focused on cost efficiency and has a short time horizon; at the same time, the department of research and development is focused on the quality of the product and has a long time horizon; moreover, the team of marketers is concentrated on the needs of the consumers and also has a short time horizon (Schermerhorn, Osborn, Uhl-Bien & Hunt, 2011).
This way, all of these divisions are likely to clash based on their objectives and time horizons. The more these departments depend on each other – the higher the chance of a conflict between them becomes. The only solution to this issue is a collaboration where there are challenges.
Scarce Resources that Face the Managers
Management conflicts often occur based on the need for resources. Management can be seen as the process of finding, developing, and using the resources, increasing the effectiveness of the business (Organizational Conflict, n. d.).
Management of resources is the base of any business. Resources are not only raw materials needed for production, but also equipment, knowledge, and experience of the workers, and the human capital themselves. It is easy to imagine what may happen if at least one of these resources become scarce; the efficiency of the whole company immediately starts to go down. When the managers of different departments experience the scarcity of resources and have to compete for them, this causes conflict. For example, if a hospital needs new surgical equipment for the pediatric department or for the cardio department, but can afford only one of these, the conflict between the two departments is inevitable.
Status Inconsistencies
Another cause of an organization conflict is a status inconsistency that can be characterized as a situation in which the social positions of people become contradictory under positive and negative influences (Status Inconsistency, n. d.). The employees with clear status inconsistency are teachers. The inconsistency is based on the fact that they act as persons of authority in the class, are in character of their students, and generally, are treated as respectable individuals, yet their salaries are rather low. This way, they simultaneously have high and low social statuses. Individuals with status inconsistency tend to be dissatisfied and frustrated at the workplace. Another example of workplace stratification causing status inconsistency is a hotel where receptionists have higher statuses than maids.
In conclusion, each organization accumulates a number of potential issues that may cause an outburst of group conflict. In fact, conflicts are natural in business organizations with a variety of diverse departments, objectives, and functions. Such conflicts are addressed by means of careful and complex planning and administration that takes into consideration the plans and goals of all the sides.
Reference List
Organizational Conflict. (n. d.). UHV. Web.
Schermerhorn, J. R., Osborn, R. N., Uhl-Bien, M., & Hunt, J. G. (2011). Web.
Organizational Behavior. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Status Inconsistency. (n. d.). Boundless. Web.