CONFLICT

Conflict Management

[Name of the Institute]

Conflict Management

Introduction

For this paper, I will consider the article written by Howard M. Guttman on the subject of conflict in an organization, its management and its significance for HR professionals. According to Guttman it is commonly believed that conflict is something bad which has a bad impact not only on the employees but also on the entire organization. This stereotype perception about conflicts has been changed as recent trends indicate that conflicts can be shaped towards productive means. Conflicts can be established as competition among the members of the organization, and this competition can be proved as productive for organizations as well as for the employees. The paper focuses on three aspects of the study; first, the sources of emerging conflict; second, is the management of these conflicts is the responsibility of HR and finally the relevance of understanding the sources of such conflict, as they can be forcefully resolved under an autocratic structure.

Sources of Conflicts

Convert the conflict within the company into a vital force and beneficial for the results is an enormous challenge, and taking into account globalization, decision-making in the digital age, working models are not synchronized with each other, compartmentalization of labor relations and other similar factors. These centrifugal forces in organizations have become ideal places for the occurrence of dysfunctional conflict.

The management of these conflicts is a hot topic in the business world. Convert cohesive management teams and groups inevitably mean rethinking the strategy, structure and relationships within the company in order to find the optimal way to make decisions at every organizational level. In other words, conflict management is not a mere exercise of human resources, but the way an organization can become more competitive and better results.

Guttman has identified the stages of the conflicts in Team Development Wheel. Stage 1 refers to the low performers and the team structure varies among the member. The conflicts in such teams are abundant and conflicts are resolved forcefully rather than being discussed openly. On the other end, the Wheel is the Stage 4; it is characterized by top performers, having structured goal and objective. However, conflicts may still be present in such teams, sometime more than Stage 1. Their conflicts are resolved though consensus while enabling open discussion. The only difference between these stages is that members of stage 4 conflicts have learned to shape their conflict in productive means. Conflicts are transformed into challenges and challenges are achieved fostering individual and organizational performances.

Conflict Resolution and HR Responsibility

As discussed by the author managing and ...