When we talk about conflict management in companies, we are referring to a set of processes, measures and strategic actions that aim to establish a more harmonious and healthy work environment for employees, without affecting productivity, through solutions that put an end to the disagreements that arise in everyday life.
Managing a company is a task that demands numerous responsibilities from a manager, not only in terms of finances, taxes or how the market perceives the organization. Internal issues directly impact external results, so they need to be well aligned with the business’s policies and values .
In this content, we will show you the main types and levels of conflicts present in companies and how to manage them in an ethical and professional manner. Want to know more about the subject? Then read the article to find out!
Types of conflicts present in organizations
To understand how conflict management works, first, you need to know the types of conflict issues that usually occur in organizational environments, to identify them and seek the best solution.
Personal conflict
This is the way the employee deals with himself. That is, his personal dissonances and concerns that are reflected in what he says and does, or in the contrast between what he thinks and how he actually acts on a daily basis. This type of conflict can trigger various states of friction and stress.
Interpersonal conflict
This is a kind of struggle that takes vicinity among or greater folks who view the same state of affairs from unique factors of view. Although most of this form of conflict is as a result of normal organizational troubles, maximum disagreements and friction are, but, interpersonal in starting, which makes it hard to address them.
Still within the context of interpersonal conflicts, there may be intragroup conflicts, that is, disagreements in a department or sector of the company, and intergroup conflicts, which is when different areas come into conflict.
Organizational conflict
In this context, the conflict is not based on a system of personal principles or values , but rather on the results of the way in which work dynamics and policies change, generally external to the company.
Internal conflict
This is the type of conflict that can occur between specific units or departments of the organization, but it always has as its fundamental conflict the conflict between people. In a way, this is the most complex type, since the parties involved are usually “on the same side of the table” and many of the consequences are hidden, but they significantly affect results and productivity.
External conflict
It is usually more easily identified and can be measured more accurately. This type of conflict can occur with other organizations, with the government, with regulatory agencies, and even with another person. In all cases, the reason for conflicts is because where there are people, there are emotions.
Level of severity of conflicts
Now that you know the main types of conflicts, we will show you the levels at which they can occur.
Perceived conflict
This is the level of conflict that occurs when the parties involved understand the existence of a problem, since the difference between their interests interferes or offers the possibility of interfering with the objectives of each party. The individuals involved rationally notice that there is a conflict, although they do not speak out about it.
Felt conflict
This level affects both parties involved, as it encompasses emotions from different areas and occurs consciously. It is common for feelings of hostility, anger, disbelief and fear to be present between one individual and another, but they are not clearly expressed.
manifest conflict
This is the level at which the conflict is expressed through passive or active interference behaviors by at least one of the parties involved. It can also be considered an open conflict and it is common for it to have already reached at least one of the participants, to the point of being noticed by third parties, which ends up interfering in the dynamics of the company group.
It is not usually subtle, as it is expressed by those involved through passive or active interference and behaviors.
How to manage conflicts effectively?
As you already have a broader understanding of the subject, in this topic we will show you how to manage conflicts efficiently, ethically and professionally.
Identify the problem
Have you ever heard of strategic HR ? Well, in simple terms, it consists of a set of processes, actions and methodologies to manage the team intelligently, with the purpose of creating a harmonious and productive work environment for all employees.
In this context, it is interesting to pay special attention to problems that can normally arise in a company, such as issues of relationships between team members . After all, no matter how homogeneous your staff is, there will always be behavioral differences and these can cause problems in coexistence.
A small problem can trigger serious disagreements if it is not identified in time and a solution is not worked out. Therefore, identify where the conflict lies, evaluate the attitude of each person involved, the way they are working to resolve the issue, the way they treat their coworkers and the rate at which functional errors occur in their daily lives.
Remember: a conflict can be easily located, but it can also be so subtle that by the time it is identified, the team has already suffered permanent damage, to the point of causing team members to leave.
Listen to the collaborators
After identifying the conflict and recognizing those involved in the problem, meet with them. Listen carefully to what each person has to say, without interrupting during the explanation. If necessary, involve employees who are close to those involved to hear their version of events as well. After all, listening to employees is part of effective people management .
Encourage participation from those involved
Employees should be encouraged to engage in conflict resolution themselves. Explain that it is pointless to look for the guilty party, but rather to resolve the problems in the kindest, the most businesslike and the most dignified manner with minimal negative effects.
Stress that those in the office are the ones we work with most, and therefore it is in the interest of the organisation and employees that we need to foster a conducive, harmonious and non-intrusive atmosphere.
Improve processes and infrastructure
Finally, it is important to highlight that the cause of internal conflicts in a company is often the lack of resources. When an organization cuts costs in order to become competitive, it can sometimes generate a series of conflicts that affect the performance of departments and, of course, employees.
Therefore, be careful not to harm employees’ infrastructure, so that they have fewer resources to perform their tasks.
