Question

If you could eliminate conflict completely from every group’s activities, would you? Why or why not? Be specific as to what would be gained by eliminating conflict, or why conflict is sometimes useful.

Answer 1

It is not possible to eliminate conflict completely from every group's activities because even conflict have some positive effect in an organization they are -

- It is an opportunity for positive change/ growth

- It is a learning opportunity

- A chance to use one's Emotional Intelligence (E.I - the ability to manage one's emotions and to make the best possible use of them in any situation)

Conflict is sometimes useful, conflict is good and necessary because conflict can stimulate innovative thinking when properly managed. Lacking conflicts, thought and action are performed because they are habitual. Conflicts allow an examination of necessity of these thoughts and actions. People are frequently timid in facing the reality that legitimated differences may exist and instead blame conflict on poor or non-existent communication. It may seem easier to live with unresolved misunderstanding than to face the fact that real, Fundamental differences do exist and so demand recognition and management. It believes that conflict may benefit a group's performance. Conflict is seen as natural and inevitable outcome of people working together in groups and team. Thus it needs not necessarily be viewed negatively, but rather positively as a potential force in contributing to the performance of individuals. One of the main benefits is that it gives members a chance to identify the problems and see the opportunities, also it can inspire to new ideas, learning and growth among individuals.

- Motivates individuals to do better and work harder. One's talent and abilities come to the forefront in a conflict resolution.

- Satisfies certain psychological needs like dominance, aggression, esteem and ego, and thereby provides an opportunity for constructive use and release of aggressive urges.

- Provides creative and innovative ideas. For example employee benefits of the present day are an outcome of the union management conflict over the past decades.

- Adds variety to one's organizational life, otherwise work life would be dull and boring.

- Facilitates an understanding of the problems, people have with one another and leads to better coordination among individuals and departments, in addition to strengthening intra-group relationship

Other positive effects are

- It inspires creativity and an opportunity for finding creative solutions to problems

- Share and respect opinions, It helps members to actively listen to each other as they work to accomplish the organizational goals.

- Improve future communication

Gains by eliminating conflict will be ;-

- Conflict could be eliminated because it may lead to work sabotage, employee morale problems, decline in the market share of product/service and consequent loss of productivity so these problems can be avoided when conflict is avoided.

- Intense conflicts over a prolonged period affect individuals emotionally and physically, and give rise to psychosomatic disorders so elimination conflict will help for good individual mental health thus leads to personal and organizational growth.

- It is time consuming or wastage of time, if conflict is eliminated time spend on conflicts, if costed, could have been spent doing more productive things.

- If conflict is eliminated it can avoid major problems like in a conflict situation people may promote their self interests or personal gains at the cost of others or the organization.

- Conflict must be avoided because most conflicts have negative connotations, invoke negative feelings and often lead to destruction which decreases productivity of the individual and organization.

- Conflicts affects commitment and absenteeism, employees that have strong affective commitment come into contact with an internal strength and encouragement focus, leading to achieve maximum desire level of success under the terms of contract. If affective commitment is low, employees may cease their employment although absenteeism might be an option to resign work while it provides workers with a mechanism to express their disagreement to serious circumstances in the organization. All this can be avoided if conflict is avoided.

- Conflict elimination can avoid negative publicity, media coverage, decreased morale, increased disability and employee's payment claims, increased turnover, diversion of limited and valuable resources to dispute resolution consist of legal remedies, barrier to communication between the members.