Intergroup conflict in organizations: causes and methods of resolution

The result of the activity of any company depends on the people working in it: not only on their qualifications, but also on how they interact and understand each other. Today, organizations often have an intergroup conflict that inevitably affects the productivity of the work. In order to avoid its reduction, it is necessary to understand the sources of disagreement and methods of combating them.

Conflict is a clash of two parties, each of which has its own view of a particular situation and stubbornly proves it. Everything can turn into quarrels, threats and even insults. Sometimes such a phenomenon can also bring positive qualities: additional information and real opinions of employees leak, as a result of which one can really find the optimal solution. Everything will depend on how to coordinate the emerging disagreements.

The causes of intergroup conflicts can be very diverse. First, in any organization there is not infinite availability of resources, and management makes decisions on how to use them most effectively. However, the staff wants to increase everything they have, begins to share resources, thus creating conflict. Secondly, often the result of the work depends on the activities of the units. If one of them was functioning incorrectly, an intergroup conflict is inevitable. Thirdly, sometimes the departments themselves set a goal that they strive to achieve, no matter what. If she is given more work time than the general mission of the organization, the staff provokes discord. Fourthly, employees can perceive the circumstances differently by virtue of their aspirations, studying only those features that are favorable for their group and their own needs. This cause of conflict is very common in organizations. Fifth, if a company employs people of different ages, length of service, social status, with different experiences and values, an intergroup conflict can easily arise. The sixth reason is the imperfection of communications. If management unclearly informs employees about job descriptions, can not justify the reasons for the change in labor remuneration or make mutually exclusive demands, the result is a decrease in labor productivity, non-fulfillment of the plan and insufficient quality results.

Intergroup conflicts in organizations can be solved in several ways.

1. Evasion - one of the accused parties brings the topic to a completely different area, referring to the lack of time for the squabbles.

2. Smoothing is the resolution of a dispute based on agreement with the opposite opinion or justification of one's own judgment. The latter only superficially eliminates discord, inside the person is even more tuned against the opponent, so the situation is secretly aggravated.

3. The search for a compromise involves studying the positions of both sides and determining the optimal solution that best satisfies them.

4. Coercion is not a particularly effective option, in which one group has accumulated a lot of small grievances and makes claims, which the other can not withstand.

5. The solution of the problem. This way we consider the ideas about the emerged circumstances of both groups, after which a specific decision strategy is developed.

From the perception of people of everything that is happening and the degree of their confidence in each other depends on how the intergroup conflict will be resolved.