Conflicts occur in every aspect of life for various reasons, and one of them is at the work place. Organisations, especially the
larger ones, are broken down or decentralized into sub departments or levels.
Each department usually specializes in some function that contributes to the overall workings of the organisation. All the departments have to work together as different parts of a well oiled machine to maximize productivity and throughput. But humans have opinions and pride and an inherent clan mentality. These factors sometimes lead to the different departments behaving like warring factions, often accusing each other of being the stumbling block in the organisational process.
The proverbial oil that makes the different parts run smoothly is communication. Conflicts between organisational levels usually arise from the fundamental breakdown of communication.
Prejudiced employees, usually assume it the fault of the other department, without actually trying to find out the real cause of the problem. Many times, the attitude "If you're not going to do it, then we're not going to do it" leads to a deadlock and brings the process to an abrupt halt. This hugely affects productivity and eventually adversely affects the organisation's margins.
The onus is on the management of the organisation to bring about a work culture of communication, where every employee is aligned with the organisation's vision and mission.
This enables the employees to see the bigger picture, and hence work together towards a common goal. This can be achieved by introducing the employees to the organisation's goals during their induction and making them aware of all the departments and how important each department's role is in the overall scheme of things. Periodically, the management should organize mixers and as well as inter team bonding exercises. The more the employees know each other personally, the more they respect each other.This greatly helps in curbing workplace conflicts.