Nature of Conflict, Process of Conflict; Levels of Conflict - Intrapersonal, Interpersonal;

Sources of Conflict; Effect of Conflict; Conflict Resolution, Meaning and types of Grievances &
Process of Grievances Handling.

Organizational Conflict or otherwise known as workplace conflict, is described as the state of

disagreement or misunderstanding, resulting from the actual or perceived dissent of needs,
beliefs, resources and relationship between the members of the organization. At the workplace,
whenever, two or more persons interact, conflict occurs when opinions with respect to any task
or decision are in contradiction.

Factors Influencing Organizational Conflict

1. Unclear Responsibility: If there is lack of clarity, regarding who is responsible for which
section of a task or project, conflict takes place. And, to avoid this situation, the roles
and responsibility of the team members should be stated clearly and also agreed upon
by all.

2. Interpersonal Relationship: Every member of an organization, possesses different

personality, which plays a crucial role in resolving conflict in an organization. Conflicts
at the workplace, are often caused by interpersonal issues between the members of the
organization.

3. Scarcity of Resources: One of the main reason for occurence of conflict in an

organization is the inadequacy of resources like time, money, materials etc. due to
which members of the organization compete with each other, leading to conflict
between them.

4. Conflict of Interest: When there is a disorientation between the personal goals of the
individual and the goals of the organization, conflict of interest arises, as the individual
may fight for his personal goals, which hinders the overall success of the project.

Types of Organizational Conflict

▪ Relationship Conflict: The conflict arising out of interpersonal tension among

employees, which is concerned with the relationship intrinsically, not the project at
hand.

▪ Task Conflict: When there is a discord, among members regarding nature of work to be
performed is task conflict
▪ Process Conflict: Clashes among the team members due to the difference in opinions,
on how work should be completed, is called process conflict.
Intra individual conflict

Within every individual there are usually

• A number of competing needs and roles

• A variety of ways that drives and roles can be expressed

• Many types of barriers that can occur between the drive and the goal

• Both negative and positive aspects attached to desired goals

Intra Individual Conflicts are of Three Kinds

i. Conflict Originating from Frustration

ii. Conflict Originating from Goals

iii. Conflict Originating from Role

Inter individual conflict

Inter individual conflict involves conflict between two or more individuals. All conflicts are
basically interpersonal conflicts because most of the conflicts involve conflict between a
person in one organization or a group and another person in other organization or a group. In an
organization disparity among employees are due to the following :

• Personal Differences

• Information Deficiency

• Role Incompatibility

• Environment Stress

. Group Level Conflict

A group consists of two or more persons who are in interaction with each other, have a well
defined structure of role and status relations and have a system values and norms of behavior
for the smooth working of the group. Groups not only affect the behavior of their members,
rather they have impact on other groups and the organization as a whole. In this process of
interaction, two types of conflict arises

(A) Intra group

(B) Inter group.

Intra Group Conflict

Intra group conflict arises when differences crop up between the members of the group. The
individual may want to remain in the group for social needs but may disagree with the group
methods. Intra-group conflict may arise in three ways. (

i) When the group faces a new problem

 ii) (ii) When new values are imported from the social environment into the group and
iii) (iii) When a person’s extra group role comes into conflict with his intra group role.

Inter Group Conflict

Causes of intergroup conflict may be summarized under four heads: (i) Absence of joint
decision making (ii) Difference in goals (iii) Difference in perception (iv) Difference in goals as
well as perception.

 Organizational Level Conflict

• The organization level conflict can be between the buyer and seller organization, between
union and organizations employing the members. • Managers must try to live with this type of
conflict. If the conflict is properly handled it can be constructive in achieving the results.
Organizational Level are of two types

• Intra-Organizational Conflict

• Inter-Organizational Conflict

Effects of Conflict

Conflict can have positive or negative effects depending on how it's managed.

A. Negative Effects

• Increased stress and anxiety

• Decreased productivity and morale

• Poor team collaboration

 • High employee turnover

• Damaged relationships or reputations

• Distrust within the organization

B. Positive Effects (when managed well)

• Encourages open communication

• Promotes innovation and diverse thinking

• Helps clarify goals and expectations

• Strengthens relationships through resolution

• Improves problem-solving and negotiation skills

Some techniques-

Strategy Description

Collaboration Working together to find a win-win solution that satisfies all parties.

Compromise Each party gives up something to reach a mutually acceptable solution.

Accommodation One party gives in to the other’s demands to maintain peace.

Avoidance Ignoring or withdrawing from the conflict (not recommended for serious
issues).
 Competition One party seeks to win at the expense of the other.

Negotiation Parties engage in dialogue to reach a fair agreement.

Mediation A neutral third party facilitates a solution between conflicting sides.

Arbitration A third party imposes a binding solution after hearing both sides.

Meaning and types of Grievances

A grievance is a formal, written complaint by an employee regarding dissatisfaction with the
workplace, such as unfair treatment, policy violations, or issues with their employment.
Grievances can stem from factual or perceived issues and are handled through a formal
procedure to resolve employee dissatisfaction and prevent escalation. Grievance handling is
the process of managing and resolving these complaints.

Grievance Definition

According to Dale Yoder, “Grievance is a written complaint filed by an employee claiming

unfair treatment”.

According to Keith Davis, “Grievance is any real or imagined feeling of personal injustice which
an employee has, concerning his employment relationship”.

Nature of Grievance

The nature of grievances is as follows:

1) It can be written or oral and expressed or unexpressed.

2) There can be diverse reasons for the causes of grievance.

3) Discontent or dissatisfaction with any aspect of the organization is a grievance.

4) A grievance may be legal or illegal, justifiable or illogical, acceptable or unacceptable.

5) Grievance leads to frustration, dissatisfaction, unhappiness, and negligence towards work,

which may lead to poor morale and ultimately results in inefficiency and low productivity of
employees.

6) The grievance can be regarding an individual or group of employees

What Causes Grievances?

Grievances arise for multiple reasons, and each grievance may affect employees differently.
These causes must be recognized to address and settle grievances. Some of the most common
causes are:

• Unfair Treatment: Unfair treatment can be through the workload, promotions, or

disciplinary action on the part of the employees.

• Poor Working Conditions: Inadequate facilities, unsafe working environments, or lack

of proper equipment could lead to grievances.

• Violation of Policies: Inconsistent application of the company’s policies is a significant

cause of dissatisfaction among employees.

• Lack of Communication: Poor communication from the management could result in

misunderstanding and a feeling of neglect among the employees.

• Job Insecurity: Fear of losing one’s job or not having an opportunity to grow in one’s
career can also be a significant cause of grievances.

How do you identify employee grievances?

There are multiple ways in which HRs can gather employee grievances.

Direct Observation

Most good HRs have a knack for catching the pulse of employees. Just by keenly observing their
talent and keeping a close, empathetic ear to how they are feeling everyday, they are able to
ascertain if someone is going through a tough time whether at work or home. Moreover, with the
help of pulse surveys enabled by their HRMS, HRs are able to keep track of their employee
sentiments to foresee any grievances.

Help Desk

By setting up virtual help desks through a smart HR tech, cloud-based solution, HRs can identify
employee grievances and categorise them into various buckets for swift redressal.
Open Door Policy

It is important for employees to feel heard and they should have non-judgmental talking spaces
within the organisation to openly discuss their issues. Enterprises need to build a culture of
empathy to enable employee expression and this can be furthered by the HR department by
keeping an open door policy where an employee of the lowest bands and grades have access to
the CXOs to raise their grievances.

Exit Interviews

These are another way to identify grievances. When an employee leaves the organisation, they
are often able to openly express things that they were hesitant to while employed. Well
conducted exit interviews can highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the organisation that
can help HRs resolve any future grievances in advance.

Forms of Grievances

Forms of grievances are as follows:

1) Factual: The relationship between employer and employee is based on the organization’s
employment contract. It is the employment contract that specifies the norms that define the
limits of an employee’s expectation from the organisation to meet his requirements and
expectations.

When these expectations are not met by the organisation, the employee gets disappointed with
his job. This type of disappointment is known as a factual grievance. These grievances are due
to the faulty implementation of organisational policies.

For example, a salary hike is promised to employees after one year but not given.

2) Imaginary: Imaginary grievance arises when an employee is dissatisfied due to his wrong
perception, negative attitude, and incorrect information. This wrong perception can have a long-
term impact on the organisation. It may develop a negative image of the organisation in front of
its employees, which may decrease their work efficiency. Therefore, this type of grievance
should be dealt with immediately.
3) Disguised: When an employee is not aware of the reasons for his dissatisfaction, then he has
a disguised grievance. Generally, employees’ psychological needs, like the need for
appreciation, friendliness, authority, success, etc., are not met.

For example, an employee who is dissatisfied with the work conditions of the company may
desire some appreciation and praise from his co-workers. Hence, disguised grievances must
also be given due consideration because if they are neglected, they can have harmful
consequences.

Process of Grievances Handling