The Role of Conflict and How Conflict Resolution Affects Interpersonal Relationships - Research Paper

Introduction

Conflicts occur when there are disagreements between people living or working together. Conflicts can be intrapersonal when an individual is caught up between two things and have to decide between the two. When conflicts happen, they affect peaceful operations and more time is taken before a task is accomplished. To avoid disputes, people are mostly guided by principles, values, beliefs, and attitudes. The following work will examine the role of conflict and how resolution influences interpersonal relationships.

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Role conflict happens demands that are incompatible are placed upon an individual, and they are difficult to accomplish. A person is found pushed between two different directions and they are expected to hold both. Role conflict takes place in different approaches (Tedeschi 5).

Interrole conflict is when there is an inconsistency in the expectations of two roles a person is holding. A person in leadership, for example, may be required to engage in social activities as a way of promoting corporate image and it creates a conflict with parenting roles.

Intrarole conflict happens when there is a conflict between the values and attitudes of a person with what is required of them, an example in the workplace. When an employee is required to be part of price-fixing conspiracies, for example, and it is against her ethical standards, is an example of intrarole conflict.

Intersender conflict happens when an individual is required to give instructions which differ with the needs of the people. A supervisor, for example, may be required by the manager to give certain instructions to the employees and they do not meet the worker's expectations.

Intrasender conflict takes place when the person sending the role requires the receiver of the role to conduct acts that are contradictory.

Employees are independent individuals who may disagree on how things will be done or how duties will be shared among them. It creates disagreements between them and if not solved, it interferes with the way work is conducted (Tedeschi 12). Conflict may also occur between workers and supervisors or managers, especially when they give roles that differ with the beliefs or values of the employees.

When there are conflicts in the place of work, it has negative effects on work performance. The workers are divided, and it takes longer to perform one task, which could be conducted with less time if there was unity.

When there are disputes within a group of people, it affects their performance and the way they deal with each other. It also affects the output of work; however, when the conflicts are solved, it had a positive effect on the interpersonal relationships.

Conflicts can be solved using different strategies. Negotiation is one of the widely applied methods and used in different places. When there are disputes between two nations, the leaders come together and negotiate the terms of peace that should be applied. In the places of work, there is a committee made which comes together to solve a dispute by negotiating with the conflicting parties. When negotiating there is an impartial party that is involved, listening to the two sides and helping establish common grounds for improving the relationship between the warring groups.

The other approach is the identification of the cause of the conflict. A conflict can be solved, and the relationship between the warring parties mended. However, if the root cause is not determined, then it may be an issue since there will be no way to establish the solution. However, in solving the cause, the dispute will not happen again.

When conflicts are solved, peace and understanding is established in interpersonal relationships. The employees, for example, will be able to understand each other and work together towards achieving the goals of the organization (Tedeschi 18).

However, some of the conflicts, especially intersender, cannot be solved easily and the employees have to establish the coping measures they should use. To ensure that the workers cope, most companies have ethical standards, which are policies which guide the employees on how they are expected to act and should not be affected by their values.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are high chances of conflicts happening in the place of work or daily interaction with people. They occur mostly because of the difference in ideas that people have concerning varying things. There are policies and guidelines that are developed by organizations as a way of creating effective interrelations between employees by making sure that their conflicts have been resolved. When there are no disputes, peace and understanding prevail and chances of excelling personally and company wise increase.

Work Cited

Tedeschi, James T. Conflict, power, and games: The experimental study of interpersonal relations. Routledge, 2017.