Common Overall Causes of Negative conflict at work:
Organizational Structure in Laundry
This is usually when one employee has more than one boss. Conflict can arise from this from multiple sources and levels. The following would be an example:
- The plant manager tells an employee something different than the production manager. Most of the time this is fixed with communication, but sometimes it can be a fight between opinions which should be resolved by upper management.
- The GM tells someone to do something which is in conflict with what the floor management tells them to do. Most of the time, the GM should resolve this by going to management and clearing it up.
Resource allocation for projects
- In every business there is limited money, time and/or equipment. This can be a source of conflict and needs to be paid attention to by the management team.
- The management team should have short meetings to confirm what the resources are that are available. Sometimes this message is not clearly communicated, and can change from expectation.
Task dependence – Who’s responsible
- This issue occurs when you have to depend on someone else to accomplish your own goals.
- If you’re waiting on someone else to finish something before you can do what you need to do, this would be an example of task dependence.
Causes of Negative conflict at Work at all levels:
Opposing Goals and Priorities
Conflict arises when work is at the top of your list but at the bottom of someone else’s.
Personality differences
Understanding differences among the way people think and act can help you anticipate the reactions of others and mediate your own tendencies.
Communication problems
This can happen because of things like missing key information or misinterpreting what someone said.
Feedback and Coaching
Focus on people’s behavior and its effects, not on the person.
Instead of telling someone they have a bad attitude, talk about how their attitude is negatively impacting their performance.
Conflict can have positive and negative outcomes – Positive Results could be below:
- More creativity
- Better decisions
- Stimulating a broader range of ideas
- Stronger solutions
- Uncovering inaccurate assumptions
- Getting people to talk productively
Conflict can have positive and negative outcomes – Negative Results could be below:
- Increased stress and anxiety among coworkers
- Decreased productivity and satisfaction
- Feeling defeated and demeaned
- Lowered morale
- Increased turnover
- A climate of mistrust
- Hindered teamwork and cooperation
