Levels of Conflict
Intrapersonal
Levels of Conflict: This level refers to an internal conflict involving just one person. Your own thoughts, feelings, beliefs, values, and predispositions are the source of this struggle. When you’re torn between what you “want to do” and what you “should do,” it might happen.
Levels of Conflict Factors in Individuals:
Unacceptability:
In terms of his own aims and views, every person has a recognised acceptable alternative. He is unable to accept the organization’s recommended solution since it is unsatisfactory to him. Unacceptability is a subjective concept since what one person finds unacceptable may be acceptable to another. When a person finds the alternative undesirable, he will seek out fresh options. His quest for a suitable substitute is still ongoing. However, failing to find acceptable alternatives might lead to a redefining of what is acceptable.
Incomparability:
The guy is aware of the alternatives’ probability distributions, yet he is unable to make a choice since the outcomes are incomparable. No conclusion could be made if the findings were not comparable. In the same way, a human is unable to properly compare options. Clarity, comparison approach, including giving weights to diverse components, rationality in attitude and behaviour, and task competency are all required for comparison.
The comparison technique is also dependent on the individual’s clarity and determination on the minimal level of performance. If the person does not have a clear understanding of the expected outcome, he will be unable to form a comparison. Individuals experience a great deal of stress and conflict as a result of their incomparability.
Uncertainty:
Individuals are unsure of their surroundings both within and outside of organisations. The behaviour of individuals about acceptance of the alternative and effectiveness of the alternative might be established with confidence if the environment could be accurately described. When a person is in a condition of uncertainty, they get frustrated, which leads to conflict. There are generally many conflicting objectives and positions inside one person.
Interpersonal:
In a broader organisation, this dispute happens between two or more persons. Different personalities or ideas on how to achieve objectives may cause conflict. It’s possible that interpersonal conflict occurs without either side noticing it.
Interpersonal conflict occurs when two or more people disagree, and it is the most prevalent and well-known kind of conflict. Because the majority of disputes involve disagreement between people in one organisation or group and people in another organisation or group, all conflicts are essentially interpersonal conflicts.
Every person has their own acceptable alternate path of action, and different people choose various options. The organisation itself produces scenarios in which two people are pitted against one other. This might include a dispute between two managers who are fighting for limited financial and human resources, for example.
Disagreement over the organization’s aims and objectives is another sort of interpersonal conflict. When these confrontations are founded on ideas rather than facts, they are amplified. Opinions are very subjective and personal, which may lead to criticism and conflict. Personality clashes are often the cause of many confrontations.
There are four origins of interpersonal conflict, according to Whetten and Cameron.
(1) Personal Distinctions:
Personal differences may cause a lot of friction between people. Individuals vary according to their upbringing, cultural and familial customs, family history, educational experience, and values.
(2) Inadequate Information:
Another factor of interpersonal conflict is a lack of knowledge. This form of conflict is often caused by a breakdown in organisational communication.
(3) Incompatibility of Roles:
Role in compatibility may also be a cause of interpersonal conflict. Many managers in today’s inter-functional organisations have interconnected jobs and responsibilities, and their particular positions may be incompatible.
(4) Stress in the Environment:
Environmental stress may also cause interpersonal conflict. Environmental stress comes as a result of limited or diminishing resources, downsizing, competitive pressures, and a high level of uncertainty. Because the disputing parties are unable to stay tense for an extended period of time, interpersonal disputes tend to settle themselves. Time is the most important aspect in resolving these problems. Interpersonal disputes may be handled by counselling, good communication, successful bargaining, and transactional analysis if they are persistent. Management must examine the sources of conflict and decide to foster an environment of transparency and mutual trust inside the company.
Intragroup
When there are several individuals with different ideas, histories, and experiences working toward a same objective, this degree of conflict arises amongst members of a single group. Even though they all desire to accomplish the same thing, they may differ on how to get there. When team members have different communication styles and personalities, intragroup conflict may arise.
Intragroup conflict occurs when there are disagreements among the group’s members. Although the person may desire to stay in the group for social reasons, he or she may disagree with the group’s practises. Intra-group conflict may occur in three different ways.
(I) When the group is confronted with a new challenge
(ii) When new values are brought into the group from the social environment.
(iii) When an individual’s extragroup role clashes with his intragroup role.
Intragroup conflict is similar to interpersonal conflict, with the exception that the individuals participating in the conflict episode are members of the same group. Interpersonal disputes have many of the same reasons.
Intergroup
This degree of conflict arises when distinct factions within a bigger organisation or those with different main aims collide. Intergroup conflicts are disputes that occur inside an organisation between distinct groups. Organizational conflict is another word for inter-group conflict.
Intergroup conflict may be categorised into four categories:
- (I) The lack of a unified decision-making process
- (ii) Disparities in objectives
- (iii) Perceptional differences
- (iv) Goals and perceptions are different.
(I) Lack of shared decision-making:
Different groups make up an organisation. Each group makes it a priority to get the most out of the few resources available to them, and they push for approval of their own timetable for completing a work. If a group’s preferences in terms of resources and timelines are adopted, other groups will not be treated fairly, resulting in organisational ineffectiveness. The only way to overcome the disagreement is to make joint decisions. Conflicting parties may get down and address their individual requirements in the context of the organisation as a whole.
(ii) Goals are different:
The following factors contribute to differences in goals:
(a) Factors that influence organisational commonality, such as group heterogeneity.
(b) Factors that influence reward structure clarity and consistency
(c) Factors affecting reward structure comparability
(iii) Perceptional Distinction:
Intergroup conflict is caused by differences in perception caused by:
(a) Members with a variety of information sources
(b) Different information processing methodologies
(c) Various time horizons and
(d) Disparities in objectives.
Organizational strife
All of the conflicts covered in the previous section are related to disputes that occur inside organisations. Inter-organizational conflict occurs when two or more organisations are reliant on each other in some manner. Individual conflicts, group conflicts, and intergroup conflicts are all part of the organisational level conflict. Conflict at the organisational level may arise between buyer and seller organisations, between unions and the organisations that employ their members, and between government agencies that regulate particular organisations and the organisations that are regulated.
Managers must make an effort to live with disagreement. If the disagreement is managed effectively, it may help you achieve your goals. It may serve as a stimulant, as well as a challenge and motivator to keep the organisation going forward.