Understanding Workplace Conflicts: Causes and Consequences

The entire situation was observed carefully, analyzed and eventually I came to this conclusion that there were a number of reasons due to which these conflicts were taking place. It is an understood fact that conflicts give rise to a number of problems and resources of all kind, time, money, energy etc are wasted. Conflicts seem to exist everywhere. They should be dealt with very carefully rather than fearing them or running away from them. Conflicts are a normal routine of any organization and once this fact has been understood, it becomes easy and feasible to deal and cope with them.

Some of the main reasons of conflict in Etisalat are explained as under. (Junne & Verkoren, 2005) A number of decisions are taking place in an organization simultaneously and it is necessary for the employees to understand the importance of each decision, agree with it and hence accordingly. An attitude completely opposite to this was observed. Half of the employees agreed with the decisions while the other half opposed it strongly denying to work according to the agenda.

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A lot of time was spent by the managers and to solve this dispute so that the work could be commenced according to the suggested schedule.

Competition for resources like time, money, equipment was also observed. This lead to personal disputes and its effects took over the entire organization as well. At one point it was also observed that the individuals had started fighting for their personal goals rather than focusing on the goals of the organization.

There is a very fine line between the goals of an employee and the goals of an organization. The employees need to determine the difference between these two and carefully manipulate their interests so that they are in accordance with the goals of the organization.

Ineffective communication was also leading to disputes. Communication within an organization is a means of transferring ideas and objectives in an unbiased manner. If the communication system lacks the true essence the employees are bound to feel inhibited. People from different backgrounds make up an organization. It is very obvious that they have different perspectives and different goals. Etisalat is a UAE based company and individuals belonging to different races work here. Due to these variations, disputes started arising.

It is however very necessary for the employees to understand that the ways of socializing outside the organization are very different from the methods of conversing and communicating within the organization. Conflict was arising from disagreement of perceptions. Employees have different concepts and understanding about a common goal and they perceive in various ways which makes it even more difficult to understand as to how a particular goal can be achieved. Disputes were also aggravating due to the interdependency issue.

Whenever an organization lacks open communication, the problem of conflict is likely to overcome the main purpose of the organization’s existence. Etisalat was lacking in this aspect too. The problems were increasing day by day and it was becoming very difficult to resolve them. It was creating misinterpretation and opposition. No particular goal can be achieved unless there is understanding and cooperation among the employees. It is a combined effort and hence an interdependent chain of steps. It cannot be done single handedly. (Furnham, 2005) Consequences of Conflicts

There are a number of consequences that are observed due to conflicts. They are listed as under: 1. Amplified costs 2. Wastage of time and energy 3. Decrease in productivity. 4. Retarded motivation. 5. Decrease in morale. 6. Problem of blaming and belligerence. 7. Increased gossip and backstabbing. 8. Attitude of disbelief and antagonism. 9. Community as well as company’s relationships are marred. 10. Individuals who are not directly involved are also affected. 11. The emotional and psychosomatic behaviors of individuals who are indirectly involved are also badly affected.