Common Causes of Conflict

Summary

This script explores the multifaceted nature of conflict, identifying common causes such as task disagreements, process conflicts due to role ambiguity, and interpersonal clashes stemming from personality differences. It highlights the impact of scarce resources, change, and values on conflict, emphasizing the importance of understanding these dynamics for effective organizational conflict management. The role of communication in exacerbating or mitigating conflicts is also underscored.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Conflict arises from disagreements stemming from perceived threats to interests, needs, or concerns.
• 🛠 Task conflict is a disagreement about tasks or goals and can be beneficial in the early stages of a project to increase innovation.
• 🌟 Moderate task conflict is productive if handled correctly, as it can generate more alternatives and innovation.
• 🔄 Process conflict involves disagreements about how to accomplish a task, who is responsible, and how tasks should be delegated.
• 🤝 Role ambiguity can lead to process conflict when work tasks are not clearly assigned, causing employees to compete for desirable assignments.
• 👥 Interpersonal differences, such as in motivations, assumptions, or personality, can trigger relationship conflict.
• 💥 Personality traits like dogmatism or power motivation can exacerbate relationship conflicts and lead to dysfunctional disputes.
• 💰 Conflicts of interest often arise from the availability and allocation of scarce resources, leading to competition and incompatibility of needs.
• 🛑 Change is a primary driver of conflict, with organizational and external changes increasing uncertainty and opportunities for conflict.
• 🌐 Values conflicts occur due to differences in beliefs about what is considered good, bad, fair, or unfair.
• 📢 Poor communication increases uncertainty and can lead to informational conflict, where there is a lack of or disagreement over relevant information.
• 🏢 Structural conflict is the result of organizational processes or features, which can manifest horizontally or vertically within the organization.

Q & A

What is the short definition of conflict according to the script?

Conflict is a disagreement that arises when two or more parties perceive a threat to their interests, needs, or concerns.

Why is a moderate amount of task conflict beneficial in the early stages of a project?

A moderate amount of task conflict is beneficial because it increases innovation and generates more alternatives from which to choose.

How can task conflict be productive if handled correctly?

Task conflict can be productive if it is managed in a way that leverages differing viewpoints to enhance creativity and problem-solving.

What is process conflict and how can it arise?

Process conflict reflects disagreement about how to accomplish a task, including who is responsible for what and how tasks should be delegated. It can arise due to role ambiguity or unclear task assignments.

How does relationship conflict differ from task conflict?

Relationship conflict is the result of incompatibility or differences between individuals and groups, often triggered by interpersonal differences such as personality traits, while task conflict is about disagreements on tasks or goals.

What personality traits can trigger relationship conflict?

Personality traits such as dogmatism or power motivation can trigger relationship conflict.

Why is the availability and allocation of scarce resources a major source of conflict in organizations?

Scarce resources can create conflicts of interest when individuals or groups believe they have to satisfy their own needs at the expense of others, leading to competition and disagreements.

How does change cause conflict in an organization?

Change, such as reorganization, downsizing, or changing business strategies, increases uncertainty and opportunities for resource conflicts, thus causing conflict.

What is values conflict and how can it arise?

Values conflict arises from perceived or actual incompatibilities in beliefs about what is good or bad, right or wrong, fair or unfair. It can occur when people or groups have different values or a different understanding of the world.

How does poor communication increase the potential for conflict?

Poor communication increases uncertainty, which can lead to informational conflict. This occurs when people lack important information, are misinformed, misinterpret information, or disagree about what information is relevant.

What is structural conflict and how does it occur?

Structural conflict is the result of structural processes or features of the organization. It can be horizontal or vertical and arises from the way the organization is structured or how its processes are designed.

Why is understanding conflict critical to managing it in organizations?

Understanding conflict is critical because it allows for the identification of the root causes and the development of strategies to address and resolve conflicts effectively, thus maintaining organizational harmony and productivity.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Understanding Conflict Origins

This paragraph delves into the root causes of conflict, highlighting that it can stem from any source of disagreement. It emphasizes that conflict often arises when parties perceive a threat to their interests, needs, or concerns. The script discusses various types of conflict, including task conflict, which can be beneficial in the early stages of a project by fostering innovation, but may become detrimental over time, especially with complex tasks. Process conflict is explored as disagreements over task delegation and responsibilities, which can be exacerbated by role ambiguity. Interpersonal differences and personality traits, such as dogmatism or power motivation, are identified as triggers for relationship conflict. The paragraph also touches on conflicts of interest due to scarce resources and the impact of change and uncertainty, both within organizations and externally, on conflict dynamics. Values conflict, arising from differing beliefs and worldviews, and structural conflict due to organizational processes or features, are also covered. The importance of understanding these conflicts for effective management within organizations is underscored.

Keywords

💡Conflict

Conflict, in the context of the video, refers to a disagreement that arises when parties perceive a threat to their interests, needs, or concerns. It is central to the video's theme, which explores the various causes and types of conflicts within organizations. For instance, the script mentions that 'conflict can be caused by anything that leads to a disagreement,' highlighting its multifaceted nature.

💡Task Conflict

Task conflict is defined as a disagreement about tasks or goals. The video posits that a moderate amount of task conflict can be beneficial in the early stages of a project as it fosters innovation and generates alternatives. However, it also warns that over time, especially with complex tasks, if not managed well, it can become detrimental, as seen in the script's discussion on the impact of task conflict on projects.

💡Process Conflict

Process conflict reflects disagreements about how to accomplish a task, including who is responsible for what and how tasks should be delegated. The video script illustrates this concept by discussing 'role ambiguity' and how it can increase process conflict when managers do not clearly assign work, leading to employees competing for desirable assignments.

💡Interpersonal Differences

Interpersonal differences refer to the variations in motivations, assumptions, or personality among individuals, which can trigger relationship conflict. The video emphasizes that relationship conflict, resulting from incompatibility or differences, can escalate disputes and lead to dysfunctional conflict spirals, particularly when personality traits like dogmatism or power motivation are involved.

💡Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts of interest arise when the availability and allocation of scarce resources lead to disagreements. The video script explains that competition over resources or perceived constraints can create such conflicts, which occur when individuals believe they must satisfy their own needs at the expense of others' interests.

💡Change

Change is presented in the video as a catalyst for conflict, with the assertion that 'change is not possible without conflict.' Organizational changes like reorganization, downsizing, or shifts in business strategies increase uncertainty and the potential for resource conflicts, as highlighted in the script's discussion on the primary drivers of conflict.

💡Values Conflict

Values conflict is defined as a disagreement arising from perceived or actual incompatibilities in beliefs about what is considered good or bad, right or wrong, fair or unfair. The video script notes that people or groups with different values or understandings of the world can experience values conflict, which is a source of disagreement rooted in fundamental beliefs.

💡Uncertainty

Uncertainty is identified in the video as one of the primary drivers of conflict. It increases the potential for conflict by creating a lack of predictability and clarity, as seen in the script's discussion on how uncertainty from organizational and external changes can trigger conflict.

💡Poor Communication

Poor communication is highlighted in the video as a factor that increases uncertainty and, consequently, the potential for conflict. The script discusses informational conflict, which occurs when people lack important information, are misinformed, or disagree about what information is relevant, thereby contributing to conflict within an organization.

💡Structural Conflict

Structural conflict is the result of structural processes or features within an organization. The video script explains that this type of conflict can be horizontal or vertical, depending on the nature of the organizational structure and its impact on how conflicts arise and are managed.

💡Role Ambiguity

Role ambiguity refers to a lack of clarity about job responsibilities, which can lead to process conflict. The video script uses this term to illustrate how employees may experience conflict when they are unsure about their tasks, leading to competition for desirable assignments and avoidance of less desirable ones.

Highlights

Conflict can arise from anything that leads to a disagreement.

Conflict is a disagreement arising from a perceived threat to interests, needs, or concerns.

Task conflict is beneficial in the early stages of a project for innovation and generating alternatives.

Over time, task conflict can be detrimental, especially with complex tasks.

Process conflict involves disagreements about task execution, delegation, and responsibility assignment.

Role ambiguity increases process conflict as employees compete for desirable tasks.

Interpersonal differences can trigger relationship conflict due to incompatibilities in motivations or personality.

Personality traits like dogmatism or power motivation can fuel disputes and dysfunctional conflict.

Scarce resource allocation is a significant source of conflict in organizations.

Conflicts of interest occur when satisfying one's needs requires sacrificing another's.

Change is a primary driver of conflict, with uncertainty being a key factor.

Organizational changes increase uncertainty and opportunities for resource conflicts.

External changes, such as regulations or market conditions, can also trigger conflict.

Values and worldviews differences are a source of values conflict.

Values conflict arises from incompatibilities in beliefs about what is good, bad, fair, or unfair.

Poor communication increases uncertainty and the potential for conflict.

Informational conflict occurs due to lack of information or misinterpretation.

Structural conflict results from organizational processes or features, which can be horizontal or vertical.

Understanding conflict is critical for effective conflict management in organizations.

Transcripts

[Music]

what creates conflict the short answer

is that conflict can be caused by

anything that leads to a disagreement

let's take a look at common causes of

conflict conflict is a disagreement that

arises when two or more parties perceive

a threat to their interests needs or

concerns tasks conflict is a

disagreement about tasks or goals a

moderate amount of task conflict is

beneficial in the early stages of a

project because it increases innovation

and generates more alternatives from

which to choose

however task conflict is more likely to

be detrimental over time when tasks are

complex tasks conflict can be very

productive if handled correctly have you

ever wanted to do a task one way but

someone else preferred a different

strategy even when we agree about what

we're trying to accomplish we can still

disagree about how we should accomplish

it process conflict reflects conflict

about how to accomplish a task who is

responsible for what and how things

should be delegated role ambiguity

increases process conflict if a manager

does not clearly assign work tasks to

employees employees may experience

process conflict as they jockey with

each other to do the most desirable

assignments and avoid the least

desirable tasks have you ever had

trouble working with someone because you

just didn't like the person conflicts

can arise from interpersonal differences

in motivations assumptions or

personality interpersonal differences

are a common trigger of relationship

conflict which is the result of

incompatibility or differences between

individuals and groups relationship

conflict can be triggered by personality

particularly the personality traits of

dogmatism or power motivation

relationship problems can often fuel

disputes and lead to an uncertainty in

escalating spirals of dysfunctional

conflict the availability and allocation

of scarce resources is a major source of

conflict in organizations incompatible

needs and competition over perceived or

actual resource constraint

can create conflicts of interest

conflicts of interest can occur when

someone believes that they have to

satisfy their own needs the needs and

interests of someone else must be

sacrificed change also causes conflict

indeed it's been said that change is not

possible without conflict one of the

primary drivers of conflict is

uncertainty organizational changes

including reorganization downsizing and

changing business strategies increase

uncertainty and opportunities for

resource conflicts external changes can

also trigger conflict if regulations or

changing market conditions change the

relative importance of different

organizational groups people differ in

their values and worldviews these

differences are a source of values

conflict or conflict arising from

perceived or actual incompatibilities in

beliefs about what is good or bad right

or wrong fair or unfair values conflicts

can arise when people or groups have

different values or a different

understanding of the world

remember uncertainty is one of the

primary drivers of conflict poor

communication increases uncertainty and

can thus increase the potential for

conflict informational conflict occurs

when people lack important information

are misinformed misinterpret information

or disagree about what information is

relevant when one person or unit is

dependent on another for resources or

information the potential for conflict

increases structural conflict is the

result of structural processes or

features of the organization structural

conflict can be horizontal or vertical

understanding conflict is critical to

managing conflict in organizations

[Music]

you