Conflict is a word that essentially has a negative connotation to it. However, groups within an organization require some conflict to effectively operate. It motivates individuals to defining and analyzing a problem, thus promoting effective decision making and problem solving. Group conflicts, if managed effectively, promote seeking all the possible solutions to a situation, and then combining them to implement a high quality solution.
If a group knows how to handle a conflict, it can be used to the benefit of overall organization. However, if neglected, a very nominal conflict among the group can lead to financial loss and reduced work performance quality.
So what actually determines whether the group conflicts’ influence on organization will be positive or negative? The answer to that is key to any successful business, and hence is not very simple. There are certain factors, which if combined correctly, can serve to change the influence on organization of conflict into improved efficiency and higher productivity.
One of the most crucial factors is leadership. Though leadership is important for all the aspects of successful business, however in managing group conflict, a leader’s attitude and style determines the outcome for the organization. Managers of the group can use the conflict to create cohesiveness and bonding among the group and can utilize the situation to create an “us vs them” feeling among the group. This can lead to healthy competition, and will help in increasing the productivity of overall organization. Within the group this will help increased collaboration among the group members, and can help them to think of the group as a single unit.
However, if neglected or left unnoticed, a group conflict can virtually destroy all the advantages attached to teamwork. Dissatisfaction, low motivation, anger and the feeling of being wronged may sound small issues, but their presence in a work group can be detrimental to its performance. If a group member is dissatisfied this will lead to low productivity, high employee turnover rate and at times workplace violence. Primarily for this reason, many managers tend to avoid this technique and try to use more conventional and safer methods for motivating employees.
Recent trends have showed that the fruits of effective management of group conflicts have far greater positive influence on the organization than the risk of loss. Also, contemporary studies embrace that conflict is inevitable whenever individuals try to work in a group; hence conflict management has become an exact science. In modern business, managers deliberately introduce conflicts among the groups, so that stagnancy can be avoided and the organization grows.
This is achieved by implementing diverse ideas emerging from group conflicts, which would never have been discussed on individual level. Further, group conflicts help better communication and tendency to accept innovative ideas, which is crucial for any business’s survival in fast moving today’s world.