CHAPTER 3:
CONFLICT
MANAGEMENT
• Conflict can be defined as the negative differences of opinion, or the varied
emotions people experience often due to a dispute over a particular issue
FUNCTIONAL CONFLICT
• Refers to a situation where different parties deal with the conflict in a manner that is
healthy and where they respect each other’s opinions. The outcome of functional is
positive, and sometimes it may lead to more innovation, creativity and higher
productivity.
• Without respect shown by both parties, functional conflict will prove impossible. It is
important that both parties listen to the other’s point of view and then acknowledge
there may be merit in the opposing point of view, and a compromise will lead to a win-
win situation.
• An interesting concept: The manager may sometimes deliberately
play devil’s advocate to create conflict, as it may lead to group
bonding because they have to defend their common interest.
• Possible outcomes of functional conflict:
• Team members may start to consider a wider range of ideas, which
result in increased participation by people who were not interested
before; creativity and higher productivity.
• Perceptions that may not be accurate are discussed and
misconceptions cleared.
• Clarification of individual’s views occurs and cooperation issues.
• When conflict leads to a decline in productivity, it
is known as dysfunctional conflict. Dysfunctional
conflict is often the result of people’s
misperceptions, ambitions and egos or an
unwillingness to compromise.
• Misunderstandings and a lack of communication
are central to dysfunctional conflict.
DYSFUNCTIONA • The manager has to step in if the conflict situation
has a negative impact on productivity to ensure
L CONFLICT the conflict situation is resolved; dysfunctional
conflict may hinder group performance, waste
resources, be counterproductive, and undermine
group cohesiveness.
• If a compromise cannot be reached between the
conflicted parties, the manager may have to force
employees to set aside their differences and
cooperate to achieve the goals of the
organization.
POSSIBLE OUTCOMES OF DYSFUNCTIONAL
CONFLICT:
• A climate of mistrust that has a negative impact on teamwork and
cooperation.
• Blaming each other, backstabbing and gossip.
• Higher levels of stress and anxiety which contribute to lower levels
of job satisfaction.
• Lower morale and increased staff turnover.
• Waste of time and other resources.
• Sometimes even violence.
REASONS FOR CONFLICT
• In the workplace there are people with different personalities, who
not only have to work together to achieve the overall goal of the
business, but also realize their personal goals in terms of their
ambitions. Egos often get in the way when people do not want to
compromise and insist on their way of doing things.
• The manager should assess the situation. If the conflict parties are not
able to resolve the situation, they should intervene to get people to
focus first on the business at hand, before trying to promote their own
agendas.
• Differences in backgrounds, cultures and values often ruffle feathers
and lead to irritations and lower productivity.
• It is important to address these types of issues as soon as they become
a problem. Employees should be reminded that sensitivity is required
when dealing with these often-complex differences. Sensitivity training
and developing skills such as time keeping, respecting interpersonal
space and emotional intelligence will go a long way towards managing
this type of conflict
• Poor communication leads to misunderstanding, because facts are
interpreted in different ways. This may lead to role overload (where
one person has to do more than they can cope with), role conflict
(where team members all want to perform a certain task), or role
ambiguity (team members are not sure of the roles each has to
play).
• Poor communication may also contribute to someone in time of a
problem meeting a specific deadline, so that contingency plans can
be put in place.
• All barriers to communication should be removed. This may include
issues such as poorly phrased messages, poor use of language,
distorting the message, and disturbances such as noise or interruptions.
• Change brings uncertainty and this may lead to conflict as there is often
resistance to change. It is much more comforting to keep doing things
the way they have always been done. Unfortunately, any business that
stagnates and fails to adapt to changes in the macro environment or to
new demands from consumers will not be successful.
• Change management is crucial to the success of any manager. Employees
need to understand what the changes are and why changing certain things
are important to the success of the business, and how the necessity for
change is important to them too. To achieve this, change must be managed
in a way that enables people to face challenges effectively. A two-way
communication strategy makes employees feel valued and contributes to
higher levels of buy-in. training employees in the new strategy is also
important, as it will empower the people to remain competent and enable
them to cope. It is also useful to identify the leader in the group and achieve
buy-in from them so the rest of the group will follow their lead and accept
the change.
• Limited resources and competition between team members for these
resources may lead to conflict. The conflict may be functional if it
inspires team members to work harder, but it could also contribute
to people feeling there can be only one winner, which may provoke
anti-productive behavior.
• The manager must constantly remind team members that although they
may sometimes have to compete with one another, ultimately each one
will contribute to the overall success of the business. Similarly, individual
success contributes to the success of the whole team.
• Previously unresolved issues may erupt in conflict in the future.
Sometimes the easiest way to deal with conflict, is not dealing with it
at all. The manager may hope that by ignoring the conflict situation,
it may disappear. For a short while, it may very well appear to be the
case. But unresolved issues will remain an issue for as long as both
parties are required to work together. This unresolved conflict may
even escalate and become a more serious problem if the manager
thinks the solution is to put their head in the sand and ignore the
issue.
• The manager must deal with any conflict situation as soon as it arises.
Ignoring the issue or becoming too involved in the situation may hinder
their capacity to think logically and to act decisively.
• ACCOMODATING: The person will be cooperative and not
assertive. They will probably neglect their own interests and
even sacrifice some of their beliefs when yielding to the
other’s point of view.
• AVOID: Ignore the situation by withdrawing from the situation
or postpones dealing with it till a later stage or avoids the
situation by getting someone else to deal with the situation.
MAKE • COLLABORATING/COOPERATING: The parties try to work with
RECOMMENDATIONS each other in a situation that fully satisfies everybody
REGARDING THE involved. When collaborating, the parties attempt to find a
MANAGEMENT OF solution that fully satisfies everyone’s concerns. This will
CONFLICT IN THE usually take time, as the underlying differences must be
BUSINESS: uncovered and addressed.
• Competing: An individual is not prepared to give in, instead
they will do everything in their power to win. People will
follow this approach if the conflict is over a principle or value
that cannot be relinquished.
• Compromising: Parties as trying to find an acceptable
solution to the mutual satisfaction of both parties by seeking
a common middle ground.
THIRD PARTY
INTERVENTIONS TO
RESOLVE CONFLICT
WORKPLACE FORUMS (WPF)
• Workplace forums are strictly speaking not a form of third-party
intervention, because it is a mechanism whereby employees and
employers can consult and make joint decisions on certain issues.
• WPF may only be established if the business employs 100 employees
or more.
• The WPF consists of employee representatives and management.
• A WPF comes into existence if the majority Trade Union applies to the
CCMA to form a WPF.
• Some of the issues that will be dealt with by the employer and WPF
may include:
• Health and safety measures
• New work methods that may lead to restructuring and possible
retrenchment or workers
• Job grading
• Criteria for merits and bonusses
• Education and training
• If there is a dispute between the WPF and the employer that cannot
be resolved, the dispute should be referred to the CCMA in writing.
TRADE UNIONS AND EMPLOYER
ORGANIZATIONS
• The rules and regulations pertaining to the establishment and management
of a Trade Union, and Employer Organization are dealt with in the LRA.
• Trade Unions represent the employees and aims to promote their well-being.
• Employer Organization does the same for employers that belong to an
organization.
• Unfortunately Trade Unions in SA are not really associated with conflict
resolution but are often regarded as the reason for the conflict.
• Trade Unions should only look after the welfare of the workforce and do
what is their best interest when negotiating with the employer.
• COFESA is one of the largest Confederations of Employers Organizations in South Africa
and has been active since 1989. They represent about 6500 employers and aim to
assist members with challenges presented by legislation such as the Labour Legislation
Act, The Basic Conditions of Employment Act, The Employment Equity Act, UIF and Tax
Legislation, The OHS and the Companies Act.
• Employers do not always have the time, expertise or resources to deal with challenges
brought on by Human Capital and Industrial Relations issues.
• Employer organizations such as NAPE (National Association of Private Employers) or
COFESA (Confederations of Employers in SA) assist members with issues that may
include:
• Implementation and maintenance of labour legislation
• Employment contracts
• Training and development
• Disputes and CCMA and Bargaining Councils negotiations
• Trade Union negotiations
• Disciplinary grievance procedures
COMMISSION FOR CONCILIATION,
MEDIATION AND ARBITRATION
• The CCMA will try to settle disputes that were referred to them. They will go
through a process of:
• Conciliation: Where they listen to both sides, but merely act as an independent
party, while both sides discuss their respective points of view. If no consensus
can be reached between the two parties, the next step will be mediation.
• Mediation: The CCMA representative will make a recommendation on how the
dispute should be settled.
• Arbitration: The Arbitrator will issue an instruction on how the dispute should
be settled and this instruction is binding on both parties.
• If one of the parties feels there was an oversight by the CCMA representative
in dealing with this issue, it may be referred to the Labour Court.
• The aim of the CCMA is to prevent labour disputes from escalating into labour
unrest. The CCMA is not affiliated with any political party, employer
organization or Trade Union. Consequently, in dispute resolution, its unbiased
opinion/position is recognized and accepted.
• Another important service provided by the CCMA is training on issues such
as:
• The prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace
• Disciplinary procedures
• Workplace restructuring
• Affirmative Action programs