What causes a conflict?- 11 Reasons for Conflict in an Organization

What causes a conflict? Reasons for Conflict
What causes a conflict?

What Causes a Conflict? Many times managers ponder upon reasons of conflict which results in the suboptimal performance of a team. Even though conflicts are inevitable in an organization, knowing the reasons can potentially help us in identifying solutions that can be the baseline for team motivation and high performance. According to a Global Study on Conflict Management at Work, Time Spent on Workplace Conflict Has Doubled Since 2008.

There are many different reasons why disagreements can arise within a company. Due to the fact that people come from a variety of different backgrounds and have a variety of different goals and wishes, it is reasonable to assume that conflict will arise at the place of employment. Conflict is unavoidable; it is an integral component of any organization. Conflict in the workplace frequently arises from issues that arise between employees working for the same organization. Costs of conflicts can be loss of Productive time, increased sick leaves, bullying, and even resignation of the critical talent pool.

What Causes a Conflict within the team?

Reasons of Conflict 1: Divergent priorities and conflicting interests

When different groups within an organization hold values that are in direct opposition to one another, that is, when they have firm convictions regarding particular issues on which they are unwilling to budge, conflict arises within the organization. This belief might be different from that of coworkers, which could potentially cause tension between them. For instance, if a person is opposed to having a diverse workforce, he or she might have difficulty accepting workers who are different from themselves.

When an individual pays more attention to his or her own goals rather than the goals of the organization, which can become problematic for other workers to deal with. This is what happens when an individual focuses on achieving his or her own goals without having any concern for the impact that this will have on other workers and the company itself.

For instance, Mr. A is a member of one team within the organization, and all of the team members are tasked with cooperating with one another to complete a particular task. As a consequence of this, Mr. A might work according to his own plan and in the way that he thinks is appropriate, causing friction between her and her coworkers.

Ponder more on the reasons of conflict and understand traditional vs modern views of conflict in this post

Reasons of Conflict 2: Conflicts Caused by Individual Differences in Personality

Personality characteristics that account for individual differences are another factor that can generate conflict within an organization. No two human beings are alike. It’s possible that one of the staff members is more combative than the others. People who are highly authoritarian, egotistical, autocratic, and dogmatic, for instance, are likely to cause conflict because of their behaviors. It’s possible that the problem will occur if the two employees don’t respect or understand each other’s personalities.

For instance, an employee who is more extroverted may view it as an insult if another employee, who is more introverted, does not talk to them very often. It’s possible that he’ll take it as an insult, rather than realizing that it’s just part of the employee’s personality, but when two people don’t understand and respect each other’s methods, conflict is inevitable.

Reasons of Conflict 3: Ineffective Communication Among Employees

Conflicts are more likely to arise when there is either an insufficient amount of or an excessive amount of communication taking place within the organization. Either an excessive amount of information or an inadequate amount of information can serve as the catalyst for a conflict. The inability of employees to communicate effectively with one another is a leading cause of confusion and discord within the workforce.

It takes place when the manager asks one employee to relay some information to the other employees but that employee fails to do so in the same way that another employee has asked them to do so. It’s possible that employees will incorrectly complete their work and then blame each other for the end result if they were given incorrect information or information that was intentionally misleading.

Reasons of Conflict 4: Conflict as a Result of Personal Problems

Conflicts within an organization can sometimes arise as a result of personal problems, such as marital or parental problems. As a result, employees may interact with one another in a manner that is different from how they normally would. Therefore, it may be possible to avoid conflict if employees leave all of their worries at home before coming to work or share their concerns with their coworkers.

Reasons of Conflict 5: Vagueness of Responsibility Within an Organization

When Two Units of the Same Organization Compete Over the Duty That Needs to Be Carried Out, it gives rise to intergroup conflict, which can be defined as a disagreement about who will take responsibility for ongoing tasks.

This is a problem that any organization is likely to encounter on a regular basis. Even newcomers to an organization do not have a good grasp on the responsibilities that are expected of them while working there. It is possible that it will become a source of contention at some point. As a consequence of this, managerial and staff jobs, by their very nature, are notoriously difficult to pigeonhole into a specific job description.

Ponder more on the reasons of conflict and understand traditional vs modern views of conflict in this post

Reasons of Conflict 6: The Introduction of Change Within the Organization

The introduction of change within an organization can lead to conflict between two different groups or teams. It is not uncommon for the company that is being acquired and the company that is doing the acquiring to engage in a power struggle during the process of an organization being merged with another organization. Before an amalgamation takes place, the organization will always make an effort to reduce the potential for conflict by laying out plans for how power will be distributed. If there is a struggle for power underlying the conflict, it will be difficult to avoid it.

Reasons of Conflict 7: The Fight Over Limited Resources

 In today’s highly competitive environment, the amount of available resources is extremely limited. These resources could be physical or intangible, depending on the context.

There is a limited supply of tangible resources within the organization, such as men, materials, and money; as a result, the various groups within the organization compete with one another for access to these tangible resources. Intangible resources such as status, power, support services, and managers’ time can be scarce, which can lead to conflict at times. Every single company does not have the capacity to supply all of the resources that are required by the various departments. There are not enough resources to go around for all of the different groups within the organization, so they have to compete for what little there is.

Reasons of Conflict 8: Interdependence of Tasks:

The different groups that make up the organization do not work independently of one another; rather, they are dependent on one another in some capacity, whether it be a general or a specific one. Before the marketing department can market the product and the sales department can sell it in the market, the manufacturing department will not be able to produce anything until the financial department provides the money to buy raw materials. When it comes to the efficient operation of the organization, every department is reliant on the other departments.

There are three distinct types of interdependence that can serve as a source of tension within an organization.

What causes a conflict? Reasons for Conflict
What causes a conflict: Interdependence of Tasks

(1) Pooled Interdependence: The concept of pooled interdependence refers to a situation in which two groups do not interact directly with one another but are still affected by the performance of the other group within an organization.

(2) Sequential Interdependence: Something is said to have sequential interdependence when the performance of one group is dependent on the performance of another group that came before it.

(3) Reciprocal Interdependence: Something is said to have reciprocal interdependence when the performances of two or more groups are equally interdependent in the process of accomplishing their tasks.

Reasons of Conflict 9: Status Struggles:

This type of conflict arises when one group attempts to modify or change its status, and another group within the organization views this attempt as a risky business venture. This is because an improvement in the status of one group may result in a reduction in the status of another group in the status hierarchy. In terms of rewards, job assignments, and working conditions, groups might also feel that the treatment given to one group is inequitable in comparison to the treatment given to the other group.

Ponder more on the reasons of conflict and understand traditional vs modern views of conflict in this post

Reasons of Conflict 10: Competing Roles:

An individual has many responsibilities throughout his or her life, including those of a son or daughter, spouse, parent, and grandparent, among other roles.

Each role is distinct from the others, and the requirements for fulfilling each role are unique. Within an organization, there are three major types of role conflicts that could potentially arise, including the following:

(1) Type One: In its most fundamental form, it is a conflict between an individual and the role that they play. Therefore, it is possible for the individual’s personality and the requirements of the role to come into direct opposition with one another.

(2) The second type of role conflict is known as intra-role conflict, and it occurs when different people have different expectations regarding how a specific role should be carried out.

(3) The third type of role conflict is known as inter-role conflict, and it occurs when the requirements of two or more roles that must be played simultaneously are in direct opposition to one another.

Reasons of Conflict 11: Environmental Stress:

This kind of conflict may arise within an organization as a result of the stressful environment that exists there. Environmental stress may emerge as a result of limited resources, a reduction in the number of employees, the demotion of an employee, a reduction in working hours and pay, or any combination of these factors. Requesting that workers perform their duties in shifts or making frequent changes to employees’ shift schedules.

Whatever might be the reasons of conflict, we must understand the traditional versus modern viewpoint of conflict. In a modern-day context, conflict is not always deemed unfruitful