What are the types of conflicts in organizations?

At the workplace, people internalize the existence of a conflict when opinions regarding a task or a decision are perceived as incompatible. Conflict as a natural outcome of human interaction which begins, when one individual perceives that his or her goals, attitudes, values or beliefs are incongruent with those of another individual. This incompatibility or incongruence can arise within an individual, between two individuals or between groups of individuals.

The probable types of conflict in organizations originate due to :

Unclear Definition of Responsibility – When it is unclear who is responsible for what area of a project or task, conflict can occur. Territorial issues arise when decisions are made that appear to cross boundaries of responsibility. To prevent this from happening it is imperative that the roles and responsibilities of all the players are spelled out clearly and agreed upon by everyone involved before the project is started.

Conflict of Interest – Understanding how personal interests and goals fit within the structure of the organization will alleviate conflict of interest problems. When an individual’s personal goals are at odds with the goals of the organization, the individual may be tempted to fight for his personal goals, creating a conflict situation that will hamper success of the project.

Inadequacy of Resources – Competition for resources, including money, time and materials, will cause the teams to undercut each other, leading to conflict between departments or other work groups. Valuable resources need to be protected, as well as distributed fairly among all the groups. Starting out a project with a clear picture of the resources available will help manage some of this conflict.

Interpersonal Relationships – The personalities of the people involved in the organizational structure play an important part in conflict resolution. Often the conflict is a result of interpersonal relationships where the parties to the conflict are unable to resolve personal issues with each other. It is not always easy to set aside personal prejudices when entering the workplace, but it is important to recognize what those prejudices are and deal with them before conflict arises.