CONFLICT MANAGEMENT IN HRM

Conflict Management in HRM

Conflict Management in HRM

Conflict Management - Crtical Review

Any opposition and interferences result in incompatibilities or perceived compatibilities which are called conflicts. A positive turnaround of such feeling between grieved parties through application of HRM strategies is called conflict management. Conflict has been seen as negative phenomena, for decades, by managers. Though, conflict can result in either dysfunctional outcomes or functional outcomes. As for constructive or functional conflict, it may result into a creative outcome, but dysfunctional conflict has many implications for an organization and overall performance of an organization. Managers have recently recognized and acknowledged the possible benefits which can be gained through functional conflict. Managers have begun to find out creative answers to conflict problems.

Conflict Management Evolution

As discussed earlier, in earlier days it was preconceived that any conflict with an organization is destructive for organization's performance and leads to counter-productivity. At that time, management of conflict was tantamount to avoidance of conflict. This conception forced people to adopt one style of managing conflict i.e. win-lose thinking. Under this approach, the one lost would feel more anger inside and the conflict will surface in future, with more intensity. As a result, conflict was seen as crises that must be eliminated from a firm. The succeeding part of 19th century (until early 1950s) saw the dominance of preventive model in dealing with organizational conflicts. However, it has been proved in past decades that preventive model is not appropriate strategy for conflict management (Victor, pp. 115).

Those people who are avoided (when using avoidance model) feel that they are being ignored and; therefore, their productivity suffers. Not only this, conflict avoidance leads to the solution of conflict which later on the surface in unfamiliar faces. As the underlying reason of conflict was not solved effectively, the conflict remains under the surface until another quarrel surfaces due to the same old reason which was initially avoided. Therefore, prevention model is useless in the long term. From 1940s to late 1970s, a new view of HR conflict management dominated HR practices. According to this perspective, conflict, between different subsets of an organization, was expected and natural phenomenon, which could not be avoided. Because conflict was, now, seen as natural and unavoidable HR approach to conflict recommended the recognition of conflict. Conflict was perceived as unavoidable and productive (in some situations), as well. According to Nurmi and Darling, during this time, when this new approach to management of conflict was making headways, the term “conflict management” was established (pp. 13). By the end of 1970s, a new perspective to conflict management has appeared. The interactionist approach underpins this theoretical approach. This perspective encourages acceptance of conflict as a creative force. Many researchers have said that an organization, which lacks freedom culture, conflicts and discord eventually, becomes a non-responsive and stagnant organ which is inflexible to market changes and technological advancements. The theorists do not stop here they further argue that managers should (intentionally) induce low level of conflict in order ...