Conflict Management in Groups

What is conflict management in groups

Well, generally there are different types of conflict that groups face. One is task conflict, the way you go about doing a specific task or undertaking

There's relationship conflicts between the individuals in the group. And then there's process conflict or disagreement about how task or activity should be strung together into completion in a given job, task, or purpose

Now, with regard to how conflict is managed, it largely depends upon the view of conflict with regard to how it affects the group

A traditional view sees any conflict in the group as being negative and must be eliminated at all costs

So you seek to avoid conflict before it arises, and if it does arise, you seek to somehow remedy it so it doesn't show up again

Now a human relations view says that conflict should not be eliminated It natural in nature You simply have to manage it to make it as productive as possible but it going to naturally arise so it simply has to be managed as a process

An interactionist point of view says that conflict is absolutely necessary. Not only is it natural, but you need it in order to perform as a group at the highest level

Now, conflict can be either functional or dysfunctional. Functional conflict brings out new ideas and helps the group perform at a higher level

Dysfunctional conflict is conflict that has no productive output, that has no chance or possibility of improving overall group performance as a whole

It is simply dysfunctional and serves to break down or tear the group apart

So in this way, focusing on functional conflict is to the benefit of the group

So these are the general approaches, traditional human relations and interactionist approaches

to dealing with the types of conflict, task, relationship, and process