Why do conflicts arise, what are they, and how to resolve them?

Causes of interpersonal conflicts

In society, millions of interpersonal conflicts flare up every day; there is no person who does not participate in them at least once. If an individual is not the instigator of the confrontation, then he can be drawn into it even against his will. This is facilitated by various causes of interpersonal conflicts, which can be divided into five groups:

1. Information reasons, which are based on information unacceptable to one of the parties. These may include incomplete or inaccurate facts, rumors, misinformation, the release of unsolicited or confidential communications, misinterpretations, or controversial issues in existing laws or regulations.
2. Confrontation between people often arises against the background of behavioral factors. Rudeness, aggression or selfishness of one of the parties.
3. Dissatisfaction with the relationship between the parties. This can be either dissatisfaction with the existing interaction, or a proposal for its development or continuation.
4. Value reasons. This may include those personal attitudes and beliefs that are accepted by one side but rejected by the other.
5. Structural factors or stable circumstances that exist regardless of the will of a particular individual, that is, those that he cannot change. System of government or justice, gender, age, etc.

Analysis of the conflict

Rarely do those in conflict try to make a detailed analysis of the situation. Although only in this case contradictions in the interests of each side can become a source of development and contribute to better mutual understanding.

The conflict resolution technique described above is based on their analysis. This is not the only parsing method, but it is very effective. To quickly solve a problem, you need to learn how to formulate it correctly. Analyzing a difficult situation helps this.

This article provided an example of a conflict and its solution. Regardless of its type (interpersonal, intercultural, pedagogical), the path to resolution is approximately the same.

Conflict Management

The presence of multiple causes of conflicts increases the likelihood of their occurrence, but does not necessarily lead to conflict interactions. Sometimes the potential benefits of participating in a conflict are not worth the costs. However, having entered into a conflict, each party, as a rule, begins to do everything to ensure that its point of view is accepted, and prevents the other party from doing the same. Therefore, in such cases, conflict management is necessary to make their consequences functional (constructive) and reduce the number of dysfunctional (destructive) consequences, which, in turn, will affect the likelihood of subsequent conflicts.

There are structural (organizational) and interpersonal methods of conflict management.

Towards structural methods

include:

• A clear formulation of requirements, that is, an explanation of the requirements for the work results of both each individual employee and the department as a whole, the presence of clearly and unambiguously formulated rights and responsibilities, rules and performance of work.
• The use of coordinating mechanisms, that is, strict adherence to the principle of unity of command, when the subordinate knows whose requirements he must fulfill, as well as the creation of special integration services that should link the goals of various units.
• Establishing common goals and developing common values, that is, informing all employees about the policies, strategies and prospects of the organization, as well as the state of affairs in various departments.
• Using a reward system that is based on performance criteria, eliminating conflicts of interests between various departments and employees.

Signs of conflict

In order to clearly understand what a conflict is and how to identify it, you need to remember three main features that must be present in it:

1. Bipolarity (opposition)

. This phenomenon occurs when two people defend opposing points of view in a dispute that is interesting to both. The presence of opposing positions does not yet imply conflict, but is a prerequisite for it.

2. Activity

. Surely you have heard the expression “conflict is only possible with the active participation of both sides.” This is true. For the conflict to continue, both sides must be active.

3. Availability of subjects

. A conflict is not just a situation, but a form of interaction between two subjects. Typically, the likelihood of a dispute escalating into a conflict depends on the conflict level (that is, the presence of conflict thinking) of the subjects.

Classification of conflicts according to the specifics of the opposing parties and the conditions for the development of the conflict

According to the specifics of the opposing sides and the conditions of development, conflicts can be internal, external and antagonistic.

Internal conflicts are characterized by the interaction of two or more opposing entities within a community or group of people.

EXAMPLE: An excellent example of internal conflict is intra-class struggle, for example the struggle for leadership.

External conflicts - represent the interaction of opposites that relate to different objects (groups, classes, etc.).

EXAMPLE: An example of an external conflict is the confrontation between man and natural elements or the struggle of the body with the external environment.

Antagonistic conflicts are one of the most acute conflicts, because are interactions between social groups that are irreconcilably opposed to each other. What is unique is that the very concept of “antagonism” is very common in medicine and biology - antagonism of teeth, muscles, microbes, drugs, poisons, etc. can occur. In addition, in mathematical science, antagonism is considered as an opposition of interests. In its pure form, antagonism is presented in social processes.

EXAMPLE: A striking example of an antagonistic conflict is war, market competition, revolution, sports competition, etc.

In addition to all of the above, a correct understanding and interpretation of conflicts, as well as their functions, features, essence and consequences, is impossible without typology, i.e. without identifying the basic types of conflicts based on identifying their similarities and differences and ways of identifying them with the commonality of the main differences and characteristics.

To make it possible to choose an adequate method of influencing and managing a conflict (which you will learn about in our next lessons), it is necessary to classify conflicts according to their main characteristics: methods of resolution, areas of manifestation, direction of influence, degree of expression, number of participants and violated needs.

It is on the basis of typology that both types and varieties of conflicts are determined. The type of conflict as a variation of conflict interaction is distinguished according to certain characteristics.

Intergroup conflict

Intergroup conflicts usually include clashes between individual representatives of different social groups (large, small and medium), as well as between these groups as a whole. In this case, we can also distinguish such types as conflict in an organization (examples: between employees and management, administration and trade union, students and teachers, etc.), domestic (if the conflict involves several representatives of two or more groups - for example, in communal apartments, in queues, public transport, etc.).

We can also highlight such examples of social conflicts at the intergroup level as interethnic, intercultural and religious. Each of these types covers wide sections of the population and is characterized by a significant extent in time. In addition, the identified species may have an overlapping nature. A separate category is represented by international conflicts (examples of which we constantly see in the news), including between individual states and their coalitions.

Examples of interpersonal conflicts

Professionals argue that interpersonal conflict in psychology is an integral part of life in human society. It is caused by a large number of reasons mentioned above. Which is why examples in real life can be found everywhere:

1. The boss gives an interview to a local newspaper about the activities of his company. After the issue is published, he realizes that many facts have been distorted by the journalist. The parties meet and the editorial staff member refuses to issue a retraction, citing his interview notes.
2. Students in one dorm room argue over who should do the cleaning. One believes that everyone should take turns cleaning up, while the other is sure that the one who litters the most should clean up more often.
3. A husband and wife cannot find a common language regarding raising their son. An interpersonal conflict flares up when a preschooler refuses to dress himself, asking his parents to do it. The father forbids the mother to dress her son, but she still helps the child.

Rivalry

This strategy is typical for most people, in which the interlocutor tries to pull the blanket to his side. Only their own interests are valued, other people's needs are not taken into account, and opinions and arguments are simply ignored. The competing party is trying to force people to accept their point of view in every possible way.

Position and power can even be used for coercion in this style of behavior. Participants in the conflict representing the opponent are often not satisfied with the solution, and they may sabotage it or abandon the relationship. Therefore, competition is ineffective and rarely fruitful. Moreover, the decision made in most cases turns out to be incorrect, since other people’s opinions are not taken into account. When is competition effective in conflict?

• When there is authority and sufficient power, and the proposed solution seems obvious and the most correct.
• There is no other choice and nothing to lose.
• If the interlocutors (often subordinates) prefer an authoritarian style of communication.

The main causes of conflicts in an organization are the following:

1. Limited resources and distribution. In the largest organizations, resources are always limited, so management must decide how to allocate financial, human resources, raw materials and supplies among various groups in order to most effectively achieve the organization's goals. The need to share resources almost inevitably leads to various types of conflicts.

2. Task interdependence. Where one person or group depends on another person or group to complete a task, there is always the possibility of conflict. All organizations are systems consisting of interconnected elements; if one unit or person performs inadequately, the interdependence of tasks can cause conflict.

3. Differences in goals. Conflict increases as organizations become more specialized and divided into departments

Specialized units, in turn, formulate their own goals and can pay more attention to achieving them than the goals of the entire organization.

4. Differences in ideas and values. People's perceptions of a situation may be completely different depending on their goals. Instead of assessing a situation objectively, people may consider only those aspects of the situation that they believe are favorable to their group and personal needs. Differences in people's values ​​are also a very common cause of conflict.

5. Differences in behavior, life experience and level of education. Research shows that people with personality traits that make them highly authoritarian, dogmatic, and indifferent to other people's opinions are more likely to engage in conflict. Differences in life experiences, values, education, work experience, age, dress style and social level reduce the degree of mutual understanding and cooperation between people in an organization.

6. Poor communications. Poor communication is both a cause and a consequence of conflict. Poor communication can act as a catalyst for conflict, preventing individual workers or a group from adequately assessing the situation and understanding it from the perspective of other workers. Conflicts can also arise and worsen due to the inability of managers to develop and communicate accurate job descriptions to subordinates.

How to prevent conflicts

If you have a good understanding of what conflict is and how it arises, you can avoid it in many situations. There are a large number of techniques to soften the situation. We will look at some of the simplest and at the same time effective:

1. Common cause

. This method works best with children's conflicts. If children in a family or group begin to conflict, they can be united by doing an interesting and exciting activity.

2. Developing Empathy

. It is important to be able to empathize with other people. This will allow you to better understand your opponent's motivation. When doing an act that you didn’t like, the other person was probably also thinking about something, wanted something. And this action cannot be considered reprehensible just because it conflicts with your interests.

3. Developing respect for others

. This point echoes the previous one. You need to take into account those around you and understand that they are endowed with the same rights.

4. Paying attention to your opponent's strengths

. If you think more about the positive traits of the person with whom you have disagreements, it will be much easier to find reconciliation.

5. Social "strokes"

. You can take part in some pleasant, relaxing event together, for example, going on a picnic in the same company. That is why the management of many companies encourages and organizes “corporate parties” - communication in a pleasant informal atmosphere helps employees get closer and better understand each other.

To learn how to effectively prevent and manage conflicts, you need to improve your communication skills and learn to control your emotions. The online intensive “Effective Communication” from Vikium will help you with this. This course will teach you:

• Manage your emotions and control impulses
• Overcome difficult emotional situations
• Understand the other person's feelings and thoughts on a deeper level
• Communicate more effectively with your surroundings
• Manage conflicts
• Build harmonious relationships

The author of the course is Oleg Kalinichev. Expert in nonverbal behavior, emotional intelligence and lie detection. Accredited trainer Paul Ekman International. Managing Director of Paul Ekman International in Russia (PEI Russia).

The online intensive “Effective Communication” will be especially useful:

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4. Anyone who wants to improve their communication with others.

The training consists of 4 blocks:

1. Emotions. Basics;
2. Emotional stability and emotional flexibility;
3. Social efficiency;
4. Building harmonious relationships.

How the training works:

1. Watch video lectures;
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3. Participate in webinars and discuss difficult issues;
4. Take tests on the material you have studied;
5. You complete the intensive course and receive a certificate.

You can find out more about this course by following the link.

Types and types of conflict situations in the business environment

The most common are clashes of interests in organized groups, namely in workers' collectives, among teachers in schools, in organizations made up of individuals of different ethnic backgrounds. In this case, the following types of conflicts are considered:

• Intrapersonal. It is formed in connection with the dissatisfaction of an individual with the requirements imposed on his activities. That is, if a person is forced to do something against his will, or the fulfillment of a given task contradicts the foundations and values ​​of the individual, an intrapersonal conflict situation arises.
• Interpersonal. Most often, interpersonal conflicts arise in groups. Their manifestation is directly related to the lack of any resources to achieve set goals, the desire to “curry favor” with superiors (higher positions), as well as to the character traits of each group member. Basically, “friction” in a team arises due to the radical dissimilarity of individuals, the difference in their worldview and different temperaments.
• Between the individual and the group. The emergence of a conflict of this kind is caused by defending the opinion of one individual in front of a group. That is, a person who disagrees with the opinion of the majority tries to defend his idea, while creating a conflict situation.
• Intergroup. Any team consists of at least 2 groups: formal and informal, between which conflicts periodically arise. Basically, the basis for this is the unfair attitude of the authorities towards the informal group that unites to protect and defend its interests.
• Managerial. It develops during the work process, during the distribution of resources. Managerial conflict arises due to a mismatch in the temperament of subordinates, divergence of values ​​and goals.

Types and types of conflicts

The main types of conflicts include:

• intrapersonal (intrapersonal);
• interpersonal (interpersonal);
• intergroup;
• conflict between the individual and the group.

Thus, the emphasis in this case is on the subjects (participants) of the conflict. In turn, interpersonal, intergroup conflicts, as well as conflict between an individual and a group are examples of social conflicts. The first social conflict, along with intrapersonal and animal conflict, was identified as an independent type by the German sociologist G. Simmel. In some later concepts, intrapersonal conflict is also included in the concept of social, which, however, is a debatable point.

Among the main causes of social conflicts, it is customary to highlight limited resources, differences between people in the value and semantic context, differences in life experience and behavior, limitations of certain capabilities of the human psyche, etc.

Intrapersonal conflict

It implies a subjectively experienced mismatch of certain tendencies in a person’s self-awareness (evaluations, attitudes, interests, etc.), interacting with each other in the process of development (Mitina L. M., Kuzmenkova O. V.). In other words, we are talking about a collision of certain motivational formations that cannot be satisfied (realized) at the same time. For example, a person may not like his job, but be afraid to quit because of the prospect of remaining unemployed. A child may feel a desire to skip class and at the same time be afraid of being punished for it, etc.

In turn, this type of conflict can be of the following types (Antsupov A. Ya., Shipilov A. I.):

• motivational (“I want” and “I want”);
• conflict of inadequate self-esteem (“I can” and “I can”);
• role-playing (“must” and “must”);
• conflict of unfulfilled desire (“I want” and “I can”);
• moral (“I want” and “need”);
• adaptive (“need”, “can”).

Thus, this classification identifies three main components of the personal structure that come into conflict with each other: “I want” (want), “I must” (must) and “I am” (can). If we compare this concept with the well-known personality structure developed by Sigmund Freud within the framework of psychoanalysis, we can observe a conflict between the Id (I want), the Ego (I can) and the Super-Ego (I must). Also in this case, it is advisable to recall the transactional analysis of Eric Berne and the three personality positions he identifies: Child (I want), Adult (I can), Parent (I need).

How to behave in different situations

In a conflict situation, you should avoid excessive emotionality - this can complicate it. It is necessary to remain calm and restrained, to maintain respect for the opponent. Mutual negativity will make it impossible to resolve controversial issues.

There are certain strategies for human behavior in a conflict situation:

1. Rivalry. A tough strategy when you need to win by any means in an open struggle for your interests. There is a dangerous “who will win” principle at work here.
2. Cooperation. Joint decision making that satisfies both parties.
3. Compromise. Between the parties to the conflict, in the form of a discussion, a compromise solution is sought by analyzing disagreements and mutual concessions.
4. Avoidance. Participants in the conflict ignore its danger, do not want to take responsibility for making decisions, and want to quietly get out of the situation. With this strategy, the solution to the problem can be postponed to another time.
5. Device. This is a method of smoothing out disagreements by neglecting one’s own interests and completely accepting all the demands of the opposite side.

Each confrontation has its own characteristics, and there are no identical ways out of it. To avoid stress, you need to adhere to certain rules of behavior and response. Psychologists give the following recommendations to simplify the resolution of all types of conflicts:

1. Behave with restraint, watch your movements, speech and facial expressions, avoid closed poses.
2. You cannot immediately and sharply deny someone else’s opinion, interrupt, or raise your voice.
3. Listen carefully and tolerantly to the interlocutor, repeat his words to confirm that he has been heard.
4. After listening to the opposite side, present your arguments in a soft, friendly manner. This will disarm a negative opponent.
5. You should not take verbal abuse seriously and take it personally.
6. During a developing conflict, restrain the response, be sure that you have understood your opponent correctly.
7. It is necessary to beware of entering into disagreements with individuals who have mental disabilities or a low level of intelligence. A reasonable ending is excluded in this case.

Additional Information. Distracting your opponent with questions on other topics will help buy time to think about further behavior.

Table with main types

Since the classification of conflicts into types is rather arbitrary, without clear boundaries, other types periodically arise against the background of complex social relationships. Unsatisfied human needs make life unthinkable without disagreements and contradictions. The ability to resolve conflict situations makes life easier in many ways.

How conflicts arise in business

Lawyer and mediator Alexandra Chirikal notes three entry points into conflicts in business:

1. mismatch of interests and needs of partners;
2. unequal share ratio and unstable economic situation;
3. refusal of one of the spouses to consent to the sale of a share of the company.

The expert gives an example when a client was able to reach an agreement with his co-owner only after one of the partners bought out the share of the second. The entrepreneurs were unable to come to an agreement personally.

With the ratio of shares in an ordinary LLC, and even with a typical ill-conceived charter, companies come to a situation where it is very difficult to come to an agreement,” says Chirikal. – In my case, it was difficult for my partners to suppress strong emotions in order to think logically and act based on their needs. Due to strong emotions, distrust of each other grew.

Giorgio Parola, first vice president of the Mikro Kapital holding, believes that conflicts of interest are often associated with the fact that the interests and objectives of employees do not coincide. For example, employees receive bonuses for profits, but evaluate the quality of their work by the size of the portfolio. In this case, employees direct most of their efforts towards achieving personal goals rather than for the benefit of the company - this is not always detrimental, but it also does not work for the main goal of the business.

To solve this problem, Parola suggests building a motivation system and a control system and ensuring that employee motivation is aimed at completing tasks that benefit the company.

Compromise

This is a less constructive style of behavior in conflict. Compromise nevertheless occurs, especially when it is necessary to quickly relieve accumulated tension and resolve a dispute. The model resembles “collaboration”, but is carried out at a superficial level. Each side is inferior to the other in some way. Therefore, as a result of a compromise, the interests of opponents are partially satisfied. Reaching a common solution requires effective communication skills.

In what cases is compromise effective?

• When the interests of both parties cannot be fulfilled at the same time. For example, opponents are applying for one position.
• If it is more important to win something than to lose everything.
• The interlocutors have equal power and present equally convincing arguments. Then cooperation gives way to compromise.
• A temporary solution is needed because there is no time to find another one.

The most common types of conflicts

More often than others, interpersonal and intrapersonal clashes, as well as clashes between a group and an individual, occur in a person’s everyday life and activities. An example of a conflict between two people can be found in any school class, team, or family:

• Failure to accept a new group member based on external criteria. For example, a student comes to class who does not correspond to the group’s ideas about appearance; they do not notice him, push him away, and do not invite him to participate in joint games and discussions. Here there is a conflict between a group and an individual.
• A dispute over raising a child is an interpersonal conflict.
• An order from management to increase working hours for a specific specialist. This is fraught with the emergence of an intrapersonal conflict situation.

Strategies for dealing with conflict

Kenneth Thomas identifies the following effective strategies for human behavior in conflict:

• rivalry;
• device;
• evasion;
• compromise;
• cooperation.

Some scholars also identify two additional effective conflict resolution strategies: suppression and negotiation.

Rivalry is the main strategy that most people choose when conflict arises. When competing, a person assumes that he is obliged to defend his point of view, but if he takes into account the point of view of another person, he has the opportunity to lose

The opposite position is not taken into account by him

Advantages of the “Rivalry” strategy:

• Establishing strict control over the development of the conflict and the actions of the opponent.
• Rigidly defending your position, taking into account your own interests.
• Improving the quality of your personal performance through the use of a competitive strategy.

Disadvantages of the “Rivalry” strategy:

• The possibility of using deception, cunning in order to create an advantage in one’s favor, provoking an opponent, which can lead to negative consequences.
• The use of this strategy is impossible in cases where long-term relationships, friendship, love are implied between the subjects; it is necessary to take into account the interests of the other person.
• Rivalry indicates a party’s reluctance to enter into a constructive dialogue due to their own insecurity.

Adaptation characterizes a special way of human behavior in a conflict, when the subject puts his personal needs and interests into the background, makes concessions to the opponent, and aims to prevent further development of the conflict.

Advantages of the “Adaptation” strategy:

• The ability to save personal resources.
• Due to the content of victory, the opportunity to gain the upper hand, to assert oneself, in the absence of claims to victory and resistance.

Disadvantages of the “Accommodation” strategy:

• The subject is forced to constantly agree with the opponent’s demands, please him, and demonstrate a passive position in active ways.
• The subject is forced to take and indulge the opponent.
• Due to the subjective side, the use of this strategy is impossible in cases where the cause of conflicts is something significant. Otherwise, the conflict will not be resolved; negative emotions arise, which again lead to conflict.

The avoidance strategy is that a person tries in any way to postpone the conflict and making important decisions until “later.”

Advantages of the Avoidance strategy:

This strategy is useful when no further relations with the opponent are planned or the essence of the conflict is not particularly important for the parties. It implies a refusal to use force and a denial of the importance of the conflict.

Disadvantages of the Avoidance strategy:

• Demonstrates the opponent's fear of making a counter move.
• It is not applicable in cases where the relationship with a person is important for the opponent; the avoidance strategy in this case will only worsen the situation, leading to a break in the relationship.

Compromise acts as a partial way to satisfy the needs of the parties.

Advantages of the “Compromise” strategy:

• The parties occupy equal positions.
• The parties can offer their options for resolving the conflict.
• Opponents strive to find a mutually beneficial solution that takes into account the interests of both parties. The decision must comply with the principle of fairness.

Disadvantages of the Compromise strategy:

• Compromise is an intermediate stage of conflict resolution that does not exhaust all problems.
• Sometimes parties use cunning or flattery to induce good intentions in the other party.

The cooperation strategy provides for resolving the conflict in a way beneficial to both parties

Moreover, it is important not only to take into account the opponent’s position, but also to strive to be as satisfied as possible with the results of conflict resolution

Advantages of the “Collaboration” strategy:

• Complete collection of information about the subjects of the conflict, the causes and conditions of the conflict.
• Using sufficient resources to resolve the conflict between the parties:
• The opportunity to openly discuss the conflict and objectify it

Disadvantages of the Collaboration strategy:

• It is not applicable when the essence of the conflict is not important for the parties, the parties measure their strength.
• It is not applicable if one of the opponents is not inclined to cooperate, in which case the conflict will not be resolved, at best, its resolution will be delayed for an indefinite period.

Figure 1. Options for behavior in conflict situations. Author24 - online exchange of student work

Conflict management

An integral part of modern reality is such a concept as conflict. Conflict classifications and conflict management are an objective necessity. This will keep them under control and resolve them effectively. The individual has the opportunity to directly influence the dynamics and course of the confrontation.

The goal of conflict management is to turn a destructive conflict into a constructive direction or to prevent a creative confrontation from becoming destructive. It is also worth noting the need to anticipate such situations in order to prevent them. In some cases, disputes can be artificially provoked to solve certain organizational problems or relieve hidden tension in the team. The classification of conflicts in this case must be taken into account.

Conflict management includes a number of concepts:

• settlement - the search for an alternative, thanks to which the interests of all warring parties will be satisfied to one degree or another, and tension will be partially or completely relieved;
• resolution is the complete elimination of the cause of a conflict situation or the search for a compromise that will make it irrelevant or insignificant;
• forecasting - the ability to foresee the onset of a contradictory situation based on available data;
• prevention - taking a set of measures to prevent the development of a conflict and its transition into an open form;
• stimulation - creating an atmosphere that would provoke constructive confrontation or dispute.

The classification of conflicts plays an important role in managing controversial situations. Sometimes the choice of a set of measures may depend on this factor.

Consequences of intrapersonal conflicts

It is believed that intrapersonal conflict is an inseparable element in the formation of the individual’s psyche. Therefore, the consequences of internal confrontations can have a positive aspect (that is, be productive) for the individual as well as a negative one (that is, destroy personal structures).

A confrontation is considered positive if it has the maximum development of opposing structures and is characterized by minimal personal costs for its resolution. One of the tools for harmonizing personal development is constructively overcome intrapersonal confrontation. The subject is able to recognize his personality only by resolving internal confrontation and intrapersonal conflicts.

Intrapersonal confrontation can help develop adequate self-esteem, which, in turn, contributes to personal self-realization and self-knowledge.

Internal conflicts that aggravate splitting of personality, turn into crises, or contribute to the formation of reactions of a neurotic nature are considered destructive or negative.

Acute internal confrontations often lead to the destruction of existing interpersonal interactions at work or family relationships. As a rule, they become the causes of increased aggressiveness, restlessness, anxiety, and irritability during communicative interaction. Long-term intrapersonal confrontation hides a threat to the effectiveness of activities.

In addition, intrapersonal confrontations are characterized by a tendency to develop into neurotic conflicts. Anxieties inherent in conflicts can transform into a source of illness if they begin to occupy a central place in the system of personal relationships.

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Classification of conflicts

Constructive (functional) conflicts

lead to informed decision making and promote relationship development.

The following main functional

consequences of conflicts for the organization:

1. The problem is solved in a way that suits all parties, and everyone feels involved in its solution.
2. A jointly made decision is implemented faster and better.
3. The parties gain experience in cooperation in resolving controversial issues.
4. The practice of resolving conflicts between a manager and subordinates destroys the so-called “submission syndrome” - the fear of openly expressing one’s opinion that differs from the opinion of one’s seniors.
5. Relationships between people improve.
6. People stop viewing the presence of disagreements as an “evil” that always leads to bad consequences.

Destructive (dysfunctional) conflicts

hinder effective interaction and decision making.

Major dysfunctional

the consequences of conflicts are:

1. Unproductive, competitive relationships between people.
2. Lack of desire for cooperation and good relationships.
3. The idea of ​​the opponent as an “enemy”, his position as only negative, and his position as exclusively positive.
4. Reducing or completely stopping interaction with the opposite party.
5. The belief that “winning” a conflict is more important than solving the real problem.
6. Feeling resentful, dissatisfied, bad mood.

Realistic conflicts

are caused by the failure to satisfy certain demands of the participants or the unfair, in the opinion of one or both parties, distribution of any advantages between them.

Unrealistic conflicts

have as their goal the open expression of accumulated negative emotions, grievances, and hostility, that is, acute conflict interaction here becomes not a means of achieving a specific result, but an end in itself.

Intrapersonal conflict

occurs when there is no agreement between various psychological factors of the individual’s inner world: needs, motives, values, feelings, etc. Such conflicts associated with work in an organization can take various forms, but most often it is a role conflict, when different A person's roles place different demands on him. For example, being a good family man (the role of father, mother, wife, husband, etc.), a person should spend evenings at home, and his position as a manager may oblige him to stay late at work. Here the cause of the conflict is the mismatch between personal needs and production requirements.

Interpersonal conflict

- This is the most common type of conflict. It manifests itself in different ways in organizations. However, the cause of the conflict is not only differences in the characters, views, and behavior patterns of people (that is, subjective reasons); most often, such conflicts are based on objective reasons. Most often, this is a struggle for limited resources (materials, equipment, production space, labor, etc.). Everyone believes that it is he, and not someone else, who needs resources. Conflicts also arise between a manager and a subordinate, for example, when a subordinate is convinced that the manager makes unreasonable demands on him, and the manager believes that the subordinate does not want to work to his full potential.

Conflict between individual and group

occurs when one of the members of the organization violates the norms of behavior or communication that have developed in informal groups. This type also includes conflicts between the group and the leader, which are most difficult with an authoritarian leadership style.

Intergroup conflict

is a conflict between the formal and (or) informal groups that make up the organization. For example, between the administration and ordinary employees, between employees of various departments, between the administration and the trade union.

- this is the emergence of a contradiction between any components of the social structure (people, social groups) or a clash due to the similarity of the desire to possess something valuable for the conflicting parties. Subjects of the conflict (participants): Instigators.

Basic methods of conflict resolution

Psychologists define 4 groups of conflict resolution methods. We invite you to get to know each of them.

1. Administrative methods of conflict resolution.

This method involves analyzing a conflict situation and making a decision on how to get out of it at a meeting of the workforce. The decision of the general meeting is binding. Another option is no less effective - “mechanical destruction” of the conflict. In this case, one of the participants is fired or transferred to another department or job. This method can hardly be called humane, so its use is resorted to in extreme cases. As a rule, it is used in relation to one of the leaders when resolving conflicts between groups.

Read our article “Blue Ocean Strategy: What it is and how to apply it in your business.”

2. Pedagogical methods of conflict resolution

This group includes a larger number of options for solving the problem:

• belief;
• mutual reconciliation of conflicting parties;
• admission of guilt by one party;
• free speech;
• mediation by a disinterested person;
• increasing the distance between conflicting parties;
• method of norms (introduction of certain social norms aimed at resolving conflict, for example, correct behavior);
• implementation of the “divide and conquer” principle. In case of group conflict, subgroups are created, each of which has its own goal. If possible, the subgroups are separated from each other and influence each of them separately, selecting the necessary “motives” and forming the correct behavior;
• the “scapegoat search” method (an object is found to which all the negativity of the conflict is transferred);
• “two evils” method (if it is impossible to resolve the conflict in a way that satisfies both parties, the lesser evil is chosen).

3. Structural methods of conflict resolution

This includes clarifying work requirements, defining powers and establishing a hierarchy, using mechanisms that coordinate and integrate the actions of the parties to the conflict, establishing goals that promote the unification of the parties, and implementing a motivation system (encouraging unconstructive behavior of the group or its individual members is not allowed).

This group of methods is used to solve problems in organizations and is aimed at reducing the intensity of conflict.

Structural methods of conflict resolution are:

• use of official position (the manager acts by issuing an order, directive, resolution, etc.);
• “separation” of the organizational parts involved in the conflict (“separation” according to goals, resources, means, etc. or the creation of conditions that reduce the dependence of the conflicting parties on each other);
• introduction of a special integration mechanism for conflicting groups (common supervisor, coordinator or leader);
• unification of departments based on solving a common problem (for example, the labor and wages department and the personnel department should be combined into an employee development department, the purpose of which, in addition to settlement and accounting functions, is the development and growth of each employee).

4. Interpersonal methods of conflict resolution

R. Blake and J. Mouton proposed a fairly effective model of conflict management, including concepts whose names resemble strategic ways out of conflict situations: retreat, smoothing, imposition, alternative and compromise. The authors believe that the greatest value for management is the ability to compromise, as this helps to minimize hostile attitudes and quickly resolve conflict situations, satisfying both opposing sides.

Smoothing means that team members are a single team. Blake and Mouton say in this regard that the conflict can be extinguished by repeating the following phrase: “It doesn’t matter. Remember all the good things that happened today.”

There are other effective conflict resolution strategies:

• victory - defeat;
• victory - victory;
• defeat - defeat;
• defeat is victory.

Sometimes, when entering into a conflict, the parties expect victory at the expense of the defeat of the opposing side. Usually both of them lose. The most favorable way out of an interpersonal conflict situation is victory, in which the interests of both parties are taken into account.

Constructive and destructive conflict - difficulties of assessment

It is worth noting that the confrontation between individuals or their groups is quite difficult to assess. It is not always possible to determine the variety due to the following objective factors:

There are no clear criteria according to which constructive and destructive conflict are distinguished. Most often, this can only be done after the confrontation is over, when the consequences can be assessed (and even then the answer may not be clear-cut). Most conflicts, regardless of the environment in which they arise, are characterized by both constructive and destructive functions simultaneously. The characteristics of the confrontation can vary significantly depending on what stage it is at. A constructive conflict can become such only after an acute phase or, conversely, move into the realm of destruction. When assessing a conflict, it is always worth considering the subjective side. So, one side may consider it constructive, but for the other it will be destructive.

In addition, it is important to take into account the interests of third parties who may initiate confrontation

What is conflict?

A conflict is a situation in which two parties take opposing positions, making mutually exclusive demands on each other. The word itself does not necessarily imply quarrel or aggression. So, in the case of interaction between two legal entities, the term “conflict of interest” only means that they see the continuation of the relationship differently. At the same time, both sides are interested in finding consensus and resolving the conflict.

Conflicts exist at different levels, but today we consider them exclusively as an everyday phenomenon - a clarification of the relationship between two people. The tendency to enter into an emotional argument, gradually turning into rudeness, is inherent in us by nature. You can see this by observing children who conflict frequently and quite emotionally, despite the fact that no one taught them this. Life without conflict situations is simply impossible. But everyone can learn to avoid conflicts, and if they do arise, quickly end them while maintaining dignity.

If your new acquaintance modestly says “I am a non-conflict person,” most likely he wants to say that in conflicts with his participation the interlocutor is always to blame. Therefore, it is better not to argue with him.

Most conflicts start innocently enough. First, the disputants try to argue their position neutrally, trying not to offend the interlocutor. But there is one peculiarity in our psyche: if it seems to us that we have been offended, we try to respond in such a way as to “hurt” the interlocutor much more strongly. As a result, a harmless dispute develops into a conflict, each participant of which is completely confident in his own rightness and cannot understand why the interlocutor is so stubborn and does not notice that he is categorically wrong.