The Importance of Conflict Management

Conflict management can be based on culture, individuals, or the work environment. Conflict is a discordancy between two or more views, ideologies, or interest which can lead an individual or group to perceive that another individual or group negatively affects their interests. When conflicts are left unchecked it might grow and at that stage it becomes too late to try to work it out. Conflict management is the practice of recognizing and dealing with conflicts in a rational, balanced and effective way.

In certain cultures, things that are acceptable can sometimes viewed as inappropriate by people of a different culture. For example, in India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka, their cultures favor a man having multiple wives, while some people might find polygamy to be extreme, it is a way of life for them and they feel comfortable talking about it. Another way that conflicts arise from cultural differences is when an individual assumes they know everything about a culture, but they are ignorant about even the simplest of things, which can offend the whole country and start global incidents.

For effective cultural conflict management people need to be sensitive to each other’s cultural differences. As human beings we are supposed to respect each other preferences and come to the point where both parties can agree to disagree. All this tie into the culture perspective, being able to learn or appreciate someone else cultural beliefs makes things easier.

Conflicts in the work environment can be very stressful. Working for someone or a company is never easy. We all wish we could be self-employed but that is not always the case. When a company hires an employee, the company pays to get work done. Conflicts and arguing about simple things and work processes keep the company from progressing. As employees, we all want our voice to be heard, we want to share our point of view but there should be a limit to it.

There would always be conflicts in the work place, but we can manage conflicts and produce positive outcomes from them. We all have to do our part when it comes to work, employee should feel relaxed and able to do what they need to instead of having to think about who ate john’s sandwich last week. Avoiding the problems only makes them grow and spreads negativity all over the organization, affecting all employees in direct contact with the situation. Conflict management implemented within the work environment typically involves effective communication, problem resolving abilities and good negotiating skills to restore the focus to the company's overall goal

Conflict management in an individual can be overwhelming. “A survey conducted in the year 2000, by one of the famous HR consulting companies in New York, revealed that a majority of the employers offered paid leaves in order to keep its workforce happy and satisfied.” As this clearly states if a company can keep their employee happy then there is a way to minimize the impact of conflict within individuals.

In conclusion, poor conflict management results in negative outcomes while effective conflict management produces a positive effect on life. Knowing how to manage conflict in a business environment is helpful because it will help a company progress and it will keep their employee happy because that will give them a sense of achievements. It never hurts to try to resolve a problem before it rapidly escalates. On the individual level, hiding yourself from conflict will not help, because we face conflict every day in life. 

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