Conflicts

Conflicts can be serious problem in an organization. It can create chaotic conditions that make it nearly impossible for employees to work together. On the other hand, conflict also has a positive side.
There has been no shortage of definition of conflict. Despite the divergent meanings the term has acquired, several common themes underlie most definitions. Conflict must be perceived by the parties to it; whether or not conflict exists is a perception issue. If no one is aware of conflict, then it is generally agreed that no conflict exists. Additional commonalities in the definitions are opposition or incompatibility and some form of interaction. These factors set the conditions that determine the beginning point of the conflict process.
We can define conflict, then, as a process that begins when one party perceives that another party has negatively affected, or is about to negative affect, something that the first party cares about.
This definition is purposely broad. It describes that point in any ongoing activity when an interaction “crosses over” to become an interparty conflict. It encompasses the wide range of conflicts that people experience in organizations—incompatibility of goals, differences over interpretations of facts, disagreements based on behavioral expectations, and the like. Finally, our definition is flexible enough to cover the full range of conflict levels—from overt and violent act to subtle forms of disagreement.

Transitions in Conflict Thought
It is entirely appropriate to say that there has been "conflict" over the role of conflict in groups and organizations. One school of thought has argued that conflict must be avoided—that it indicates a malfunctioning within the group. We call this the traditional view. Another school of though, the human relations view, argues that conflict is a natural and inevitable outcome in any group and that it need not be evil, but rather has a potential to be a positive force in determining group performance. The third, and the most recent, perspective proposes not only that conflict can be a positive force in a group but explicitly argues that some conflict is absolutely necessary for a group to perform effectively. We label this third school the interactionist approach.

The traditional View
The early approach to conflict assumed that all conflict was bad. Conflict was viewed negatively, and it was used synonymously with such terms as violence, destruction, and irrationality to reinforce its negative connotation.