Describe a dysfunctional example of conflict and a functional example of conflict in an organization that you are familiar. What were some of the useful aspects of organizational conflict in this setting?
Conflict is a common thing in every workplace. Due to the difference in people's attitudes and working, conflicts often emerge. When attending the internship, there was bad blood between some workers in the reception. One worker claimed that the others had been gossiping about her behind her back, which infuriated her. As a result, she only spoke to some of her workmates. However, this prevented her from working effectively with the others. This was an example of a dysfunctional workplace conflict. On the other hand, the organization had a culture where workers were divided into teams, and a common challenge was given. The administration would then place a reward on the winning team. I remember that most of the time, this was carried out to help solve internal problems. The reward would cause competition among the employees who strived hard to win the reward. Conflict in the workplace has several advantages. One is that conflict opens the employees to new ideas and reasoning. For instance, if the conflict is centered on having the employees resolve a problem within the workplace, employees can learn new ideas from others (Amason, 1996). In this case, the conflict helps the employees remain objective on a task. On the same note, conflict provides opportunities to speak out openly about needs and suggested solutions. When employees differ from their coworkers or superiors and are allowed to come up with the best solutions, this helps them to verbalize their needs and present their perspectives. Furthermore, conflicts serve as a measure of how employees can handle challenges within the workplace (Menon et al., 1996). Positive workplace conflicts give employees the opportunity to look into their differences and come to common ground. Functional conflicts, therefore, foster teamwork and cultivate a spirit of unity among the employees. References
Amason, A. C. (1996). Distinguishing the Effects of Functional and Dysfunctional Conflict on Strategic Decision Making: Resolving a Paradox for Top Management Teams. The Academy of Management Journal, 39(1), 123–148. https://search-ebscohost-com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?
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Menon, A., Bharadwaj, S. G., & Howell, R. (1996). The quality and effectiveness of marketing strategy: effects of functional and dysfunctional conflict in intraorganizational relationships. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, v24(n4),299. https://search-ebscohost-com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?
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