report

1. MAJOR COSTS OF UNRESOLVED CONFLICT
1. Wasted time. How much management time is wasted on conflict rather than addressing more productive
issues? Remember to factor in lost productivity when employees spend time complaining to coworkers about
the conflict.
2. Employee turnover. When conflict is severe or ongoing, especially when there’s a sense of betrayal in the
workplace, employees are likely to seek a better place to work, particularly when the job market is strong.
Don’t underestimate replacement costs. The cost of finding, training, and bringing a new person up to speed
can often exceed the annual salary of the employee who leaves (particularly if they were a high potential). It
certainly costs more than addressing conflicts in the first place so employees don’t get frustrated and leave.
3. Grievances, complaints, and lawsuits. If problems are handled effectively from the start, many issues can be
resolved informally at a much lower cost. If problems are ignored or not handled well, then the conflict
spirals out of control and requires third-party intervention, requiring more time, effort, and cost.
4. Absenteeism and health costs. Employees often stay away from work to avoid dealing with conflict or to
delay a confrontation. Others may take time off to address the physical and emotional stress of conflict.
Health care costs, in connection to stress-related illnesses, are part of the price of conflict incompetence.
5. Workplace violence. Conflict can escalate out of control. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and
Health estimates that more than one million workers are assaulted each year at work, and a significant
number of these assaults come from disgruntled customers, patients, coworkers, and employees. The
emotional toll can be enormous and can increase the costs associated with retention, absenteeism, and health
care.
6. Poor decision-making. Destructive conflict disrupts the organization’s ability to function effectively. People
begin to lose their energy and creativity. They pull back, stop sharing information, and take fewer risks. The
result can be less collaboration across boundaries and poorer quality group decision-making.
7. Toxic workplace. Conflict causes all sorts of unpleasant emotions and reduces the sense that you’re in
a psychologically safe work environment. Anger, fear, defensiveness, negativity, hurt, and embarrassment,
combined with misunderstanding and distrust, will lower morale and strain relationships.
INTERGROUP CONFLICT
- It is a disagreement and conflict that arises between two or more groups within an organization.
- It is also defined as the conflict that occurs between two or more groups of people including families,
schools, religious groups, or nations.
CAUSES OF INTERGROUP CONFLICT
1. Diversity – The differences in backgrounds and experiences.
Example: Employees/students with different perspectives when discussing ideas or working through
problems.
2. Incompatible Goals – Conflict arises among group members with different goals.
3. Poor communication – Inability to interact and communicate toward common goals.
4. Unequal reward structure – When one group feels that another is unfairly rewarded based on a different
standard.
EFFECTS OF CONFLICT IN A GROUP
Positive Effects of Conflict in an Organization
 Social Change,
 Decision Making,
 Reconciliation,
 Group Unity,
 Group Cooperation,
 Inspire Creativity,
 Share and Respect Opinions,
 Improve Future Communication, and
 Identify New Members.

Social Change
Conflict contributes to social change ensuring both interpersonal and intergroup dynamics remain fresh. reflective of
current interests and realities.
Decision Making
Conflict serves to “discourage premature group decision making,” forcing participants in the decision-making
process to explore the issues and interests at stake.

2. Reconciliation
Conflict allows for the reconciliation of the parties’ concerns, which can lead to an agreement benefiting both parties’
needs, and often their relationship and organizations.
Group Unity
Conflict strengthens intragroup unity by providing an outlet for group members to discuss and negotiate their
interests within the group. Without intragroup conflict, the health of the group typically declines.
Group Cooperation
The conflict between groups produces intra-group unity as the conflict provides the opportunity for increased intra-
group cooperation while working towards the group’s common goal for the conflict’s outcome.
Inspire Creativity
Fortunately, some organization members view conflict as an opportunity for finding creative solutions to solve
problems. Conflict can inspire members to brainstorm ideas while examining problems from various perspectives.
Share and Respect Opinions
As organization members work together to solve a conflict, they are more willing to share their opinions with the
group. Conflict can also cause members to actively listen to each other as they work to accomplish the organization’s
goals.
Improve Future Communication
Conflict can bring group members together and help them learn more about each other.
From learning each other’s opinions on topics relevant to the organization’s growth to understanding each member’s
preferred communication style, conflict within an organization can give members the tools necessary to easily solve
conflicts in the future.
Identify New Members
Within organizations members actively participate in each meeting, enjoy serving on multiple committees, and have
an opinion on each topic the group discusses. Some members seemingly contribute little to the group and observe
more than talk.
Conflict within an organization can inspire typically silent members to step up and demonstrate their leadership skills
by offering meaningful solutions to the problem the group is facing.
Negative Effects of Conflict in an Organization
 Mental Health Concerns,
 A decrease in Productivity,
 Members Leave Organization,
 Violence,
 Distract Primary Purposes, and
 Psychological Problem.
Mental Health Concerns
Conflict within an organization can cause members to become frustrated if they feel as if there’s no solution in sight,
or if they feel that their opinions go unrecognized by other group members.
As a result, members become stressed, which adversely affects their professional and personal lives.
Organization members may have problems sleeping, loss of appetite or overeating, headaches, and become
unapproachable. In some instances, organization members may avoid meetings to prevent themselves from
experiencing stress and stress-related symptoms.
Decrease in Productivity
When an organization spends much of its time dealing with conflict, members take time away from focusing on the
core goals they are tasked with achieving.
Conflict causes members to focus less on the project at hand and more on gossiping about conflict or venting about
frustrations.
As a result, organizations can lose money, donors, and access to essential resources.
Members Leave Organization
Organization members who are increasingly frustrated with the level of conflict within an organization may decide to
end their membership. This is especially detrimental when members are a part of the executive board or heads of
committees
Once members begin to leave, the organization has to recruit new members and appoint acting board members.

3. In extreme cases, where several members leave or an executive board steps down, organizations risk dissolution.
Violence
When conflict escalates without mediation, intense situations may arise, between organization members. It’s
unfortunate, but organizational conflicts may cause violence among members, resulting in legal problems for
members and possibly the organization.
Distract Primary Purposes
Conflict can distract individuals and groups from their primary purposes, leaving them with less time and resources
for other activities.
When a conflict involves the use of “heavy contentious tactics,” it can cause the individuals or groups involved in the
conflict as well as individuals or groups not involved in the conflict to divert time and resources away from other
needs.
Psychological Problem
Conflict can have both short-term and long-term effects on the physical and psychological health of the individuals
involved in or affected by the conflict.
In worst-case scenarios, the psychological consequences can include deep trauma and diminished coping
mechanisms.
Conflict resolution is only a five-step process:
Step 1: Identify the source of the conflict.
The more information we have about the cause of the conflict, the more easily we can help to resolve it. To get the
information we need, use a series of questions to identify the cause, like, “How did this incident begin?” As a
manager or supervisors, we need to give both parties the chance to share their side of the story. It will give us a better
understanding of the situation.
Step 2: Look beyond the incident.
The source of the conflict might be a minor problem that occurred months before, but the level of stress has grown to
the point where the two parties have begun attacking each other personally instead of addressing the real problem. In
the calm of our office, we can get them to look beyond the triggering incident to see the real cause. Once again,
probing questions will help.
Step 3: Request solutions.
After getting each party’s viewpoint on the conflict, the next step is to get each to identify how the situation could be
changed. Again, question the parties to solicit their ideas: “How can you make things better between you?”
Step 4: Identify solutions both disputants can support.
We are listening for the most acceptable course of action. Point out the merits of various ideas, not only from each
other’s perspective but in terms of the benefits to the organization. For instance, we might point to the need for greater
cooperation and collaboration to effectively address team issues and departmental problems.
Step 5: Agreement.
The mediator needs to get the two parties to shake hands and agree to one of the alternatives identified in Step 4.
Some mediators go as far as to write up a contract in which actions and time frames are specified.