The Conflict Perspective

Karl Marx believes that the conflict perspective was a view of society, a conflict that influences the distribution of power as well as the direction of social change (Fortuna, 2017). I feel that the conflict perspective is the way that I view a current situation, the persons involved, and the outcome that may result from it. My belief on workplace conflicts is not about society, they are about co-workers and their non-ability to work together. For the outcome of this class, I hope to learn from the experience of my classmates, professors, and the materials provided, how to know when a situation may be coming, how to defuse that situation, and how to amend that situation.

In the workplace area, most of us at one time or another have encountered people we just don’t like, or can’t seem to get along with. More than likely, the root of these conflicts is a collision of personalities, no matter all of the efforts that are put forth, there are times that we just can’t seem to make it work.

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This downfall can sometimes result in the quality and enjoyment of work will suffer, bringing with that stress, and in some cases, this conflict will also disrupt the entire team as well.

There are a host of personality conflicts, work style differences, background differences, attitude differences, and competitive versus cooperative differences. With the work style differences, people work in different ways, that is just a reality in the workplace. Some people will work quickly, while others may enjoy the charge that they get when waiting for the deadline anothersdeadlines looming, some will work on the areas that they find appealing, to those will work step by step.

Each work style is correct, as long as the work is accomplished within the deadline. The background differences usually focus on gender, ethnicity, political views, and even religion. Each of these situations may cause a person to view the situation from a different perspective. On the competitive versus cooperative differences, there are those people, no matter what they do in life, who will always need to compete and compare their work with others. Then some people will seek to cooperate and work together, rather than against one another. Working in this type of atmosphere, there may be actions and words of condescending, and aggression., which after time, this type of conflict can be draining, as well as putting the others in a continuously defensive state of mind. Finally, we come to the attitude differences, this is the area where cynicism, arrogance, and irritability will all result in an attitude of negativity. This negative attitude can result in a shut down of communications, and on the other hand, no one wants to deal with a person who has a negative attitude. A person who is upbeat and optimistic will find it difficult to deal with a person with a negative outlook.

Also, there are a few severe consequences when personalities clash. The levels of stress can increase, causing tension and anxiety. Being in a constant state of alert, while waiting for the next unpleasant interaction can cause both physical and emotional strain, which at times could result in an employee leaving their job. It can also cause lower productivity when team members have a conflict with each other, it usually affects the entire project. Energy is drained, which lowers productivity, as well as the morale of the team.

There are ways to assist with the handling of conflict in a workplace, these actions and suggestions will change the situation overnight, but they will pave the path for a better workplace. Try to remain calm by not overeating in a problematic situation. If you speak your opinions calmly and respectfully, the others involved are more likely to consider your viewpoint. Communicating your feelings in words instead of actions. If you find yourself getting angry, walk away, and approach the person again later on that day to discuss the issue keeping the conversation to a non-emotionally one. Tell the person exactly what is bothering you, be specific. Only deal with one point at a time, don’t stockpile all of your displeasure into one big issue. Always be willing to have proposed particular solutions, invite the other person to do the same, and most of all are willing to compromise (Unknown)

In conclusion, conflict is a part of any work environment. It can’t be helped. When you have a group of people working together with different personalities, there’s bound to be a few problems. Taking a step in the right direction to identify and find solutions to deadlinesine and the workplace is a start. Always remember that healthy conflict encourages new ways of thinking, and that conflict itself can be the best catalyst for bringing on change, and the best conflict with a workplace is to have open conversations, debates or brainstorming sessions.