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Conflict

Decent Essays

Conflicts do not always have to be destructive. In fact, in many instances, conflicts are incentives that cause us to take action to accomplish a particular goal. Getting issues out in the open and on the table allows teams to evaluate an issue with more complete information and, in the end, to make a better decision.
Too often teams operate as if they’re in an volunteer organization. You know what I’m talking about; everyone is polite during the meeting but then after the meeting’s over the cliques form to judge what he or she said. “I can’t believe what a stupid idea that was.”
Now why don’t we stop pretending to be polite and have the conflict face to face? Weren’t you taught to attack the process, not the person? Save time, …show more content…

Perspectives on conflict in the workplace can be broken down into three categories: the traditional approach, the behavioral approach, and the interactionist approach. The traditional view, popular in the early twentieth century, holds firmly to the fact that conflict is destructive and should be avoided at all costs. By adopting this view, organizations miss out on the many benefits of conflict that can be brought to their team members. The behavioral approach, which emerged around the 1940 's, recognized that conflict was inevitable in the workplace. This mode of thinking accepted conflict as natural, but modern management theory has taken this thinking one step further with the interactionist approach.
Interactionist theories of conflict don 't just accept conflict, they embrace it and the benefits it can bring. For a successful and developing company, this is where your thinking should lie. The first step in effectively managing conflict with this perspective is to determine and control where the source of conflict arises. When disagreements arise about how projects should be carried out, objectives should be fulfilled, and long-term goals should be reached, conflict has the power to spark creativity and enhance problem-solving.
One of the most important elements of managing conflict and reaping its benefits now becomes clear. Conflict can

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