7.3.1 Nature and types of conflicts

In management theory, the word "conflict" ^* has many interpretations and definitions. Conflict - the collision of oppositely directed goals, interests, positions, opinions, views of two or several people .

Characteristic features of the conflict are:

• conflicting positions of the parties on this or that issue;
• opposing goals, interests, desires, desires;
• difference in means of achieving goals.

Conflict is a fact of human existence . The world of business is characterized by the fact that different goals and interests of people, firms, and companies collide here. Therefore, conflicts are manifested most clearly and clearly.

Conflict in an organization — organizational conflict — can take many forms. But whatever the nature of the organizational conflict, the manager ^* must study, understand, and manage it. If the conflict in the organization is out of control, it can lead either to a decrease in the effectiveness of its work, or to its liquidation. On the contrary, managed conflict ensures the organization’s prosperity.

Studies show that all workers by their commitment to conflict can be divided into three groups: conflict-resistant, kept from conflict, and conflict. The number of the third group is about 6-7% of the total number of employees. This is a relatively large group of difficult people, creating various excesses in the control system. Approximately the same data is given by psychologists in foreign countries.

According to the English management researcher Robert Brahms, only 10% of employees are difficult subjects. This conclusion was made on the basis of a survey of 400 managers of various British companies. In his opinion, in order to ensure a favorable psychological climate in the subdivision, it is necessary to make major efforts only to one tenth of the personnel. The remaining 9/10 themselves strive for orderliness.

It should be borne in mind that the emergence of conflict within an organization should not always be viewed as a negative phenomenon. Modern management theory considers some conflicts as desirable. If a conflict provides more implementation of the law of the necessary diversity, helps to find a greater number of promising alternatives, makes the group’s decision-making process more effective, ensures self-realization of an individual, then this conflict is called functional and leads to an increase in the effectiveness of the organization. In this connection, managers often consciously stimulate conflict in order to “shake up” employees, revitalize an organization, and find a new, more effective solution. It is believed that if there are no conflicts in the organization, then there is something wrong. There are no conflict-free organizations in life. It is important that the conflict is not destructive. If people avoid confrontation, then the organization is unhealthy. Therefore, the task of the manager is to design a constructive, manageable conflict.

However, it should be borne in mind the fact that some, most often interpersonal conflicts are destructive. Therefore, if, as a result of a conflict, the goals of the organization are not achieved and the needs of an individual are not met, then such a conflict is called dysfunctional , leading to a decrease in personal satisfaction, group cooperation and organizational effectiveness. The conflict model is shown in fig. 6.15.

Fig. 6. 15. Model of conflict as a process

The manager ^* according to his role is usually at the center of a conflict in an organization and is intended to resolve it by all available means. Leaving conflict without attention is the same as leaving ember in an empty house. In general, the analogy between conflict and fire is deep enough: both are easier to prevent than to extinguish; in both cases, the time factor can be decisive, since both the conflict and the fire are terrible in their growth. Managing conflict ^* is one of the most important functions of a manager. On average, managers spend about 20% of their working time studying and settling various kinds of conflicts.

To effectively manage a conflict, it is necessary to know not only the nature, but also the types of conflicts, the causes of their occurrence.

Types of conflicts. There are four main types (levels) of conflict: intrapersonal, interpersonal, between personality and group, intergroup and intraorganizational (see. Fig. 6.16.).

These levels are closely related. For example, intrapersonal conflict can force an individual to act aggressively towards others and thereby cause interpersonal conflict.

Fig. 6. 16. The main types of conflicts.

Sources of conflict can be a shortage of resources, unequal contribution to the cause, lack of autonomy, unjustified expectations, etc. Consider the main types of conflicts.

1. 1. Intra-personal conflict takes place within the individual and is often by nature a conflict of purpose or cognitive conflict. Conflict of goals is an intrapersonal conflict when an individual chooses and tries to achieve mutually exclusive goals. An example of intrapersonal conflict can be the choice of a job as a university graduate. Intra-personal conflict acquires a cognitive coloring when an individual recognizes the inconsistency of his thoughts, dispositions, values, or his behavior in general. A person begins to feel discomfort and tries to get out of this state through a change in his thoughts, locations, values ​​and behavior, or by getting more information about the problem. There is always a certain degree of insolvency under consideration. Otherwise, our inner world would be in constant harmony with the external environment.

   2. Interpersonal conflict involves two or more individuals who perceive themselves to be in opposition to each other in relation to goals, ways to achieve them, dispositions, values, or behavior. It manifests itself as a clash of personalities about the goals and knowledge, as well as in the sense plane. For example, the struggle of managers for limited resources, labor, finance, etc. Everyone believes that if resources are limited, he must convince the higher leadership to allocate them to him, and not to another leader.

Another form of interpersonal conflict is the clash of personalities with different character traits, temperaments, and value orientations, which, due to differences in goals, are not able to get along with each other. They are not psychologically compatible.

1. The conflict between the individual and the group . A conflict arises when a person takes a position that is different from the position of the group when the group’s expectations conflict with the expectations of the individual.

2. Intergroup conflict arises in organizations consisting of a variety of formal and informal groups. Since different groups have their own goals, distinct from other groups, there are inevitable conflicts even in the most effective organizations. Such a confrontation may be professional-industrial (designers - production workers - marketers), social (workers and leadership) or emotional ("lazy" and "workers") basis.

The most striking example is the ongoing conflict between the union and the administration. It has been established that the threat of a strike becomes a reality when the number of dissatisfied employees of an enterprise with the quality of labor or the amount of remuneration for labor exceeds 50% of the total number of employees. Periodic monitoring allows us to identify the causes of discontent and the number of those who are dissatisfied and thus prevent the strike.

In addition, the focus of conflicts are divided into horizontal, vertical and mixed. Horizontal conflicts include conflicts in which persons who are subordinate to each other are not involved. Vertical conflicts include those in which individuals are subordinate to one another. In mixed conflicts, both vertical and horizontal components are represented.

Conflicts with vertical leaving, i.e. vertical and mixed conflicts, an average of 70-80%. They are most undesirable for the head. His every action is viewed through the prism of this conflict.

By the nature of the causes of conflict can be divided into objective and subjective. The first are generated by objective reasons, the second are subjective.