Introduction
Conflict is not an unusual part of human life. It is a perpetual gift of life, although different about it exist. Some see conflict as a negative situation which must be avoided at any cost while for others, it as a phenomenon which necessitates management. Although, others may consider conflict as an exciting opportunity for personal growth and could use it to their best advantage. Wherever one may fall on this continuum of viewpoints concerning conflict, seldom would one expect to be in a continual state of conflict as the basis for employment (Nebgen, 1978).
Conflict theory is significant to the role of the administrator, but it evolves from fields such as business, sociology, psychology, etc. Coser (1967) suggested that conflict is a struggle over values and claims to scarce status, power and resources in which the aims of the opponents are to neutralize, injure or eliminate the rivals. From a communication perspective, it is viewed as “an expressed struggle between at least two interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals, scarce rewards and interference from other parties in achieving their goals (Hocker and Wilmot, 1985). According to Wikipedia, organizational conflict is a state of discord caused by the actual or perceived opposition of needs, values and interests between formal authority and power and those individuals and groups affected. There are disputes over how revenues should be divided, and how long and hard people should work. There are jurisdictional disagreements among individual departments and between unions and management.
Conflict may arise from several forms such as rivalries, jealousies, personality clashes, role-definitions and struggles for power and favour. There is also conflict within individuals – between competing needs and demands – to which individuals respond in different ways. Since conflict is seemingly unavoidable, it is obviously necessary for managers to be able to recognize the source of the conflict, to view it’s constructive as well as destructive potential, to learn how to manage conflict and to implement conflict resolution technique in a practical way (Fleerwood, 1987).
In recent times, conflict is now seen as having the potential for positive growth. Deetz and Stevenson (1986), gave three assumptions that indicate that conflict can be positive. Their belief is that management of conflict serves as a more useful conception of the process of conflict resolution. Their assumptions are as follows: conflict is natural; conflict is good and necessary; and most conflicts are based on real differences.
The assumption that conflict is good and necessary is because conflict can stimulate innovative thinking when properly managed. When there are no conflicts, thoughts and actions are performed because they are habitual. Conflicts allow for evaluation of necessity of these thoughts and actions. The last assumption highlights the that people are frequently timid in facing the reality that legitimated differences may exist and instead blame conflict on poor or non-existent communication. It may seem easier to live with unresolved misunderstanding than to face the fact that real, fundamental differences do exist and so demand recognition and management (Deetz and Stevenson, 1986).
Organizational conflict is a regular occurrence. This view is a direct result of the non-existence of rules guiding an organization. Colleagues see one another as adversaries, and not as partners working towards a common goal as the case should be in any organization. There are potentials for conflict in practically every decision that the manger must make. Coping efficiently and effectively with potential and bonafide conflicts is possibly one of the most important aspects of the manager’s position (Nebgen, 1978).
As a manager, conflict is very important. The concept of conflict is majorly found in the fields of business, sociology and psychology, but not in communication or education. It is complicated to define conflict as it is difficult to come to a consensus concerning the definition of this term (Borisoff and Victor, 1998).
According to an American sociologist, Lewis Coser (1967), conflict is defined as: “The clash of values and interests, the tension between what is and what some groups feel ought to be.” To Coser, conflict served the function of pushing society and was leading to new institutions, technology and economic systems. The most important contribution of Coser to conflict resolution was determination of the functional and dysfunctional roles of conflict.
Cross, Names and Beck (1979) defined conflict as “differences between and among individuals. The differences are created by the conflict, for example, values, goals, motives, resources and ideas. Hocker and Wilmot (1985) defined conflict as “an expressed struggle between at least two interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals, scarce rewards and interference from the other party in achieving their goals” (Borisoff and Victor, 1998). Thomas (2005) defines conflict as a “disagreement in opinions between people or groups, due to differences in attitudes, beliefs, values or needs. In business, differences in such characteristics as work experience, personality, peer group, environment and situation, all lead to difference in personal attitudes, beliefs, values or needs”.