CONFLICT MANAGEMENT :What are the components in the conflict process model? From your own experiences, give an example of how a conflict proceeded through the five stages.

Conflict is a clash of interest, value action or direction (De bono, 1985) and generally there are diverse interest and contrary views behind a conflict
, which are revealed when people look at a problem from their view point alone. Conflict is an outcome of organizational intricacies, interaction and disagreement .it can be settled by identifying and neutralizing the etiological factors.

Conflict is the interaction process manifested in incompatibility, disagreement or dissonance within or between social entities,(Rahim,1992,p16).

Generally, conflict is the misunderstanding toward the a certain issue cause by the two or more people

Conflict component refer to the required part to compute or finish an activity or performing a distinctive or necessary function in the operation part of a system.

Conflict process model are the stages through which conflict can be explained that is from the first stage that the conflict is manifested to the stage of resolution and they are chronological as one stage result to the next stage.

The component of element of conflict is an organization usually involve three elements which have to be appropriately matched through necessary organization  arrangement in order to solve the conflict (turner and weed ,1983);these elements are Power, Organizational demands, Worth.

Inadequate or excessive levels of conflict can hinder the effectiveness of a group or an organization, resulting in reduced satisfaction of group members, increased absence and turnover rates, and, eventually, lower productivity. On the other hand, when conflict is at an optimal level, complacency and apathy should be minimized, motivation should be enhanced through the creation of a challenging and questioning environment with a vitality that makes work interesting, and there should be the amount of turnover needed to rid the organization of misfits and poor performers.

 Do not assume there is one conflict-handling intention that will always be best! You should select an intention appropriate for the situation. The following are the Components that provides some guidelines:

             Competition, decisive action is an emergencies on important issues, where unpopular actions need implementing (in cost cutting, enforcing unpopular rules, discipline); on issues vital to the organization’s welfare when you know you are right; and against people who take advantage of non competitive behavior.

Collaboration. To find an integrative solution when both sets of concerns are too important to be compromised; when your objective is to learn; to merge insights from people with different perspectives; to gain commitment by incorporating concerns into a consensus; and to work through feelings that have interfered with a relationship.

 Avoidance. When an issue is trivial, or more important issues are pressing; when you perceive no chance of satisfying your concerns; when potential disruption outweighs the benefits of resolution; to let people cool down and regain perspective; when gathering information supersedes immediate decision; when others can resolve the conflict more effectively; and when issues seem tangential or symptomatic of other issues.

Accommodation. When you find you are wrong and to allow a better position to be heard, to learn, and to show your reasonableness; when issues are more important to others than yourself and to satisfy others and maintain cooperation; to build social credits for later issues; to minimize loss when you are outmatched and losing; when harmony and stability are especially important; and to allow employees to develop by learning from mistakes.

 Compromise. Also goals are important but not worth the effort of potential disruption of more assertive approaches; when opponents with equal power are committed to mutually exclusive goals; to achieve temporary settlements to complex issues; to arrive at expedient solutions under time pressure; and as a backup when collaboration or competition is unsuccessful.

Negotiation was shown to be an ongoing activity in groups and organizations. Distributive bargaining can resolve disputes but it often negatively affects one or more negotiators’ satisfaction because it is focused on the short term and because it is confrontational. Integrative bargaining, in contrast, tends to provide outcomes that satisfy all parties and that build lasting relationships Organizational conflict arises when the goals, interests or values of different individuals or groups are incompatible and those individuals or groups block or thwart one another's attempts to achieve their objective. We can identify the stages that a conflict born and grows in an organization. In this post we will look at the stages of a Conflict covering the birth, rise and ending of it.

The conflict process can be seen as comprising five stages. These stages are described below;

Potential Opposition or Incompatibility stage. The first step in the conflict process is the presence on conditions that create opportunities for conflict to develop. These cause or create opportunities for organizational conflict to rise.There three conditions causes conflict. Communications this means Different words connotations, jargon insufficient exchange of information and noise in communication channel are all antecedent conditions to conflict. Too much communication as well as too little communication can lay the foundation for conflict., Structure In this context the term structure is used to include variables such as size, degree of specialization in the tasks assigned to group members, jurisdictional clarity, members/ goal compatibility, leadership styles, reward systems and the degree of dependence between groups. The size and specialization act as forces to stimulate conflict. The larger the group and the more specialized its activities, the greater the likelihood of conflict. Tenure and conflict have been found to be inversely related. The potential for conflicts tends to be greatest when group members are younger and when turnover is high. In defining where responsibility for action lies; the greater the ambiguity is the greater the potential for conflict to surface. Such Jurisdictional ambiguity increases inter group fighting for control or resources and territory.Personal Variables ,Certain personality types- for example individuals who are highly authoritarian and dogmatic- lead to potential conflict. Another reason for conflict is difference in value systems. Value differences are the best explanations of diverse issues such as prejudice disagreements over one’s contribution to the group and rewards one deserves.

Cognition and Personalization Stage.Conflict must be perceived by the parties to it whether or not conflict exists is a perception issue. If no one is aware of a conflict, then it is generally agreed that no conflict exists. Because conflict is perceives does not mean that is personalized. For example. ” Doreen may be aware that Aman and Doreen  are in serious disagreements but it may not make Doreen tense or nations and it may have no effect whatsoever on A’s affection towards Aman” It is the felt level , when individuals become emotionally involved that parties experience anxiety , tension or hostility.  Stage two is the place in the process where the parties decide what the conflict is about and emotions plays a major role in shaping perception.

 Intentions stage. Intentions are decisions to act in a given way intentions intervene between people’s perception and emotions and their overt behavior. Using two dimensions cooperativeness (the degree to which one party attempts to satisfy the other party’s concerns)and assertiveness (the degree to which one party attempts to satisfy his or her own concerns)- five conflict handling intentions can be identified. There five conflict handling Intention are as follow,

Competing: when one person seeks to satisfy his or her own interests regardless of the impact on the other parties to the conflict, he is competing.

Collaborating: A situation in which the parties to a conflict each desire to satisfy fully the concerns of all the parties. In collaborating, the intention o the parties are to solve the problem by clarifying differences rather than by accommodating various points of view.

Avoiding: a person may recognize that a conflict exists and want to withdraw from it or suppress it. Avoiding included trying to just ignore a conflict and avoiding others with whom you disagree.

Accommodating: The willingness of one partying a conflict top lace the opponent’s interest above his or her own.

Compromising: A situation in which each party to a conflict is willing to give up something.

Intentions provide general guidelines for parties in a conflict situation. They define each party’s purpose. Yet people intention is not fixed. During the course of conflict, they might change because of re-conceptualization or because of an emotional reaction to the behavior of other party.

 Behavior stage. This is a stage where conflict becomes visible. The behavior stage includes the statements, actions and reactions made by the conflicting parties. These conflict behaviors are usually overt attempt to implement each party’s intentions.

 Outcomes stage. The action reaction interplay between the conflicting parties result in consequences. These outcomes may be functional in that the conflict results in an improvement in the group’s performance, or dysfunctional in that it hinders group performance. Conflict is constructive when it improves the quality of decisions simulates creativity and innovations encourages interest and curiosity among group members provides the medium through which problems can be aired and tensions released and fosters an environment of self-evaluation and change. Conflict is dysfunctional when uncontrolled opposition breeds discontent, which acts to dissolve common ties and eventually leads to the destruction of the group. Among the more undesirable consequences are a retarding of communication, reductions in group cohesiveness and subordination of group goals to the primacy of infighting between members.

By concluding, Conflict has been a great deal in facilitating both positive and negative contribution such as can injure feelings, delay the work process, result in factions developing, etc. Conflict, however, can stimulate opinions, raise more and better ideas, air any problems or interpersonal conflicts so that they can be resolved, also can increase the efficiencies at work once the conflict is resolved.

REFERENCES

De Bono,E(1985).conflict, A better way to resolve them.London.Harrap.

Thomas,K.W et al(1974)Conflict mode instrument.Tuxedo.New York.

Pitman,Turner,S.et al(1983)Conflict in organizations. Englewood cliffs.Prentice Hall.

Tosi,H.L et al(1986).Organizational Behaviour.New York.

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