Causes of Conflict

There are countless differences between people and between situations, so there is no single explanation for conflict or what to do about it. However, there are some patterns that should help you to understand the basics of conflict. Table 14 outlines some of the more common causes of conflict in organizational settings, divided into three main categories.

COMPETITION

• For limited resources or rewards

• For control

• For accomplishment

• Between differing values, opinions , or goals

LACK OF UNDERSTANDING

• About differences in situations, experiences, or personalities

• Involving a lack of communication

• Involving rumors

IMPACT OF PAST EVENTS

• Lingering hurt feelings

• Desire for revenge

• Lack of trust

• Lack of respect

Competition

Competition between individuals or teams is one main cause of conflict. Anytime I want to have things my way and you want things another way, we are likely to experience conflict. I may want things a certain way because I have a strong need for control. In addition, since no organization has unlimited resources, I may be motivated to compete with you because I want something that you also want (e.g., a new computer, a more desirable schedule, a better office, etc.), and the organization cannot afford to satisfy both our desires. Furthermore, if our values or goals differ , I will think that my way is right and your way is wrong. Our conflict will generate behaviors aimed at determining which of us gets his or her way.

Lack of Understanding

In chapter 2 we discussed the frustration experienced by people with differing personalities when they try to communicate with each other. Personalities represent our natural tendencies, and often we are surprised that others don't think and talk the same way we do. Instead of accepting, or even trying to benefit from, these differences, we allow our frustration to turn into conflict. The same pattern can occur when the conflict stems from different backgrounds, professions , upbringing, age, race, ethnicity , or gender. We don't understand where some of our teammates are coming from because we have not had the same experiences that helped form their views on life. When we stereotype people from any given group, we complicate this problem even further. We make assumptions about the individual based on patterns that probably don't even exist. We fail to look at the actual situation and instead focus on who is involved and what group they represent to us. Lack of understanding provokes many of the conflicts experienced in organizational settings.

Impact of Past Events

Conflict involves feelings we bring to the present situation that were actually generated by past events. We spend more time with people at work than nearly any other group of people in our life. This proximity gives us the opportunity to benefit from relating with people we might not have bothered to interact with otherwise . However, it also gives us plenty of opportunities to disappoint each other. Many people are prone to remember the one time a person treated them poorly and take for granted the many times he or she treated them well. Memories of past events often put people on guard. This defensiveness shows up in lack of trust or even lack of respect. We hold onto hurt feelings and find it difficult to move forward. The likelihood of the impact of past events being the root cause of a given conflict is a function of some personal tendencies but also of how long the group has interacted with each other. Before looking at some specific tools you can use to help teams deal with conflict, let's look at the forms of conflict that tend to emerge during the different stages of a team's development.