Conflicts

Conflicts are inevitable, as they are among the characteristics of interpersonal relationships. In organizations, conflict arises across various levels due to differences in values and expectations, knowledge and experiences, personalities, etcetera. The nature of conflict also differs with the context. For instance, Nelbud – where I work, often faces intrapersonal, interpersonal, intragroup, and intergroup levels of conflict.

Nelbud approaches all conflict levels with diligence, noting that they can be a substantial factor for organization failure. Interpersonal conflict occurs between two or more people within the organization (Madalina, 2016). Such conflicts have been among staff or between staff and managers. For instance, I have been in a conflict where my supervisor expected me to attended duties outside of my job description. It seemed that I was not respectful, but it could have been unfair to perform duties for which someone else is contracted. The incidence also led to intrapersonal conflict – which is conflict within an individual (Madalina, 2016). An individual wonders what to do and what not to do, weighing options to develop the best solution. Intragroup conflicts occur within members of a team (Madalina, 2016). For instance, Nelbud had a conflict within the Hood Cleaning department, where some members were not taking Coronavirus protection measures seriously, claiming that the measures were too strict. Lastly, Madalina (2016) explains that intragroup conflict happens when there is a misunderstanding between groups. Such include differences between sales department and finance department.

There is a likelihood for many interpersonal conflicts to arise from Nelbud’s global expansion plan. As Madalina (2016) mentioned, interpersonal conflicts occur between two pr more people who have differences. Other causes of interpersonal conflict are differences in culture, goals, actions, beliefs, opinions, and competition for resources or opportunities (Bao, Zhu, Hu, and Cui, 2016). Culture carries a critical communication component, where language may differ sharply between people of different cultures. An internationalization strategy exposes Nelbud to many cultures, and therefore, many different communication strategies, perspectives, beliefs, expectations, and such differences cause conflicts. As the global expansion plan has focused on China’s markets, the company must acknowledge the differences that further underly in approach to conflict. For instance, Eastern cultures perceive conflicts as a constraining and hostile situation, while western cultures view conflict as a disagreement of incompatibility (Bao, Zhu, Hu and Cui, 2016). Therefore, conflict management plans must be strategic to ensure both prevention and effective resolution of interpersonal conflicts.

Leaders should ensure an enabling environment for interpersonal relationships without conflicts and facilitate effective conflict resolution. According to Bao, Zhu, Hu, and Cui (2016), leaders should enable a respectful workplace environment where every person, regardless of their differences, is valued and treated fairly. They should ensure members are culturally competent through training and advocacy to avoid negative attributions between cultures. According to Lozano & Escrich (2017), leaders should facilitate intercultural training and activities such as perspective cultural talks, awareness workshops, and celebrating multicultural festivals. These will foster an understanding among global employees, hence, ensuring effective conflict management.

To sum up, intrapersonal, interpersonal, intragroup, and intergroup conflict levels are inevitable within organizations. The four levels have features in my current workplace – Nelbud, affecting all levels of leadership. As the company plans to globalize its operations, cultural differences are likely to escalate the interpersonal relationship. However, leaders should ensure an enabling environment for conflict avoidance and resolution of conflicts.

References

Bao, Y., Zhu, F., Hu, Y. and Cui, N., 2016. The Research of Interpersonal Conflict and Solution Strategies. Psychology, 07(04), pp.541-545.

Lozano, J. F., & Escrich, T. (2017). Cultural diversity in business: A critical reflection on the ideology of tolerance. Journal of Business Ethics, 142(4), 679-696.

Madalina, O., 2016. Conflict Management, a New Challenge. Procedia Economics and Finance, 39, pp.807-814.