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Communication and Power 

CONFLICT AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

 

CAUSES OF CONFLICT ON PROJECTS AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

CONFLICT AND CONSENSUShttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1_Jt3PB9iR09tHDWnvtschI1fS-VTS-bR/view?usp=sharing 

 

LEVELS OF CONFLICT 

 

CONFLICT IN SHORT 

1 Understanding Conflict

Conflict is "a situation of competition in which the parties are aware of the incompatibility of potential future positions and in which each party wishes to occupy a position which is incompatible with the wishes of the other."  Conflict can be intra-personal when it lies within the very individual, interpersonal when it exists between two individuals, intra group when it prevails within a group and intergroup whenever it exists between two or more than two groups.

Conflict can be constructive for an organization in that it can help improve individuals and the organization. It can force people to confront possible defects and help them to find solutions.  

Constructive conflict occurs when people change and grow personally from the conflict and a solution to the problem is found.  

If a conflict is not managed properly, it can be detrimental to an organization. It can undermine organizational unity, business partnerships, team relationships and interpersonal relations.  

Conflict becomes de-constructive when a decision has not been found and the problem remains. The morale of teams or individuals is sapped and groups of people become antagonistic. 

The third type of conflict is destructive and it has a pattern known as the drama triangle with the following three roles:

(i)Persecutor refers to a person who uses aggressive behavior against another person, attacking the intended victim. An attack can be direct or indirect and be physical, verbal, or both.

(ii)Victim refers to a person who uses non-assertive behavior. The victim role is often used because the individual is feeling stressed, has low self-esteem, or is being persecuted by another.

(iii)Rescuer refers to a person who uses neither a non-assertive behavior nor an assertive or aggressive behaviour. Individuals become rescuers because they will not say "no" and unwillingly assume the responsibility of solving the victim's problem.

2 Causes of conflict

 

The cause of conflict in team projects can be related to differences in values, attitudes, needs, expectations, perceptions, resources, and personalities. Conflict is inevitable in a project environment. The causes of conflict are often observed to be as follows:

 

a.   Miscommunication and misunderstanding,

b.   Personality clash,

c.    Lack of leadership,

d.   Conflict between staff,

e.   Confusing instructions from the manager,

f.     Lack of trust and respect,

g.   Lack of clarity about roles,

h.   Lack of structure,

i.     Lack of methods,

j.     Lack of benefits and rewards,

k.   Bias,

l.     Resistance to change.

 

A well run project can be positively inspiring, especially for staff who have an interest in new challenges. However, the added pressure of project constraints such as multiple deadlines and scope changes mean greater likelihood for conflict.

There are multiple other causes for conflict on a project, namely,

(i) Multiple stakeholder interests

One example of multiple stakeholder interests lies in the fact that a manufacturing stakeholder may advocate for a simple, standardized product that will be easy to manufacture reliably. A marketing stakeholder, however, may advocate for a complex product that allows for extensive customization by customers. At first glance, these two stakeholders appear locked in conflict. There are numerous cases where stakeholders are generally in conflict, for example the employer against the employee, the employee’s union against the employer union, government against the company, the community against the firm.

 

(ii)Project management style

A project manager may take a disciplined approach to managing projects and may hold staff accountable. Depending on how this management style is communicated, unproductive tension and conflict could threaten the project`s success. Alternatively, undisciplined and unethical management will lead to project failure.

(iii)Project Failure

Working on a doomed project is discouraging! Even if a project fails or is cancelled due to external conditions (e.g. regulatory change, change in financing costs), recriminations and blame are inevitable. Project cancellation may cause significant conflict between the sponsor and the project manager.

(iv)Disputes over project management methodology

Successful project management usually entails employing a framework. The project manager may be using the excellent framework defined in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). In contrast, stakeholders may be unfamiliar and unwilling to submit change requests and interpret standardized status reports. Over time, this disagreement on process leads to stakeholder disengagement.

(v)Disagreement over communication methods

For many professionals, there is a sharp line between listeners, who prefer obtaining information through conversation, and readers, who prefer written communication. Disagreements over how often, style and content of communication can be a major source of project conflict.

3 Conflict resolution

To manage conflict in a project environment, there is a need to build trust for all parties, to be open and honest and to engage in seeking a positive resolution to the situation creating the conflict. 

 

A project manager needs to strive to establish a collaborative approach among team members involved in order to fully resolve the problems.

 

If a collaborative approach is not possible, one needs to use other management styles for handling the conflict, like assertiveness, accommodation, avoidance or compromise. 

Project management is a methodological approach to achieving results within a specified time frame with defined resources. 

It involves applying knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to a wide range of activities in order to meet the requirements of a project.

The major objectives of project management include performance, cost, and time goals.  

The focus is to meet customer expectations, deliver projects within budget, and complete projects on time. Project management is helpful in achieving these objectives by organizing, planning, monitoring, controlling, and correcting the project activities.

4 Approaches to conflict resolution

There are five modes for conflict resolution, namely, Confronting, Compromising, Smoothing, Forcing, and Avoiding.

Confronting is also described as problem solving, integrating, collaborating or win-win style. It involves the conflicting parties meeting face-to-face and collaborating to reach an agreement that satisfies the concerns of both parties. This style involves open and direct communication which should lead the way to solving the problem.

Compromising is also described as a "give and take" style. Conflicting parties bargain to reach a mutually acceptable solution. Both parties give up something in order to reach a decision and leave with some degree of satisfaction.

Smoothing is also referred to as accommodating or obliging style. In this approach, the areas of agreement are emphasized and the areas of disagreement are downplayed. Conflicts are not always resolved in the smoothing mode. A party may sacrifice its own concerns or goals in order to satisfy the concerns or goals of the other party.

Forcing is also known as competing, controlling, or dominating style. Forcing occurs when one party goes all out to win its position while ignoring the needs and concerns of the other party. As the intensity of a conflict increases, the tendency for a forced conflict is more likely. This results in a win-lose situation where one party wins at the expense of the other party.

Avoiding is also described as withdrawal style. This approach is viewed as postponing an issue for later or withdrawing from the situation altogether. It is regarded as a temporary solution because the problem and conflict continue to reoccur over and over again.

5 Conclusion

Conflict in project management is not necessarily unfavorable when properly managed. Several advantages have been identified such as increasing personal growth and morale, enhancing communication, and producing better project outcomes.

Conflict can be the decline of an organization if it is not effectively managed. The challenge for organizational leaders and project managers is to try to maintain the right balance and intensity of conflict in project management. By utilizing project management principles, understanding the dynamics of conflict, and learning approaches to conflict resolution, managers will be able to establish an environment in which creativity and innovation is encouraged and project goals are accomplished.