What are the consequences of conflict in organisations? Types of conflicts -Functional Conflict and Dysfunctional Conflict

What are the consequences of conflict in organisations? Types of conflicts  -Functional Conflict and Dysfunctional Conflict

What are the consequences of conflict in organisations?

Answer:

Conflict can be good. Not all conflicts are bad. In fact, some types of conflict encourage new solutions to problems and enhance the creativity in the organizations. In these cases, managers will want to encourage the conflicts. 

 

There are also conflicts that hinder group performance. These are dysfunctional or destructive forms of conflict. Therefore, managers should stimulate functional conflict and prevent or resolve non-dysfunctional conflict. This is the key to conflict management. 

The consequences of conflict can be positive or negative, as shown below:

	Positive Consequences		Negative Consequences
1	Leads to new ideas.	1	Diverts energy from work.
2	Stimulates creativity.	2	Threatens psychological well-being.
3	Motivates Change.	3	Wastes resources.
4	Promotes organizational vitality.	4	Creates a negative climate.
5	Helps individuals and groups establish identities	5	Breaks down group cohesion.
6	Serves as a safety valve to indicate problems.	6	Can increase hostility and aggressive behaviours

Conflicts are basically of two types -Functional vs. Dysfunctional Conflict

Functional Conflicts:

• Functional, constructive forms of conflict support the goals of the group and improve its performance.
• They do not involve personal resentment or anger.
• Functional conflicts actually help in creative thinking and lead to new ideas.
• Task conflict relates to the content and goals of the work. Low-to-moderate levels of task conflict are functional and consistently demonstrate a positive effect on group performance because it stimulates discussion, improving group performance.

Dysfunctional Conflict:

•  Dysfunctional conflicts hinder group performance, and are therefore known as dysfunctional or destructive forms of conflict.
• Dysfunctional conflict is an unhealthy, destructive disagreement between two or more people.
• A key for recognizing a dysfunctional conflict is that its origin is often emotional or behavioural.
• They usually involve personalized anger and resentment directed at specific individuals rather than specific ideas are dysfunctional.
• In dysfunctional conflict, the losses to both parties may exceed any potential gain from the conflict.