An Evaluation of Conflict Management Strategy and Its Influence on Workers’ Productivity (Case Study of Some Selected Private Firms in Calabar Metropolis)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

One of management’s most essential responsibilities is to create an atmosphere in which individuals and groups of people can work together to achieve their own goals as well as the organization’s overall objectives. One recurrent issue in organizations is that people and work groups struggle for limited resources, power, prestige, and other benefits to the point that cooperative efforts are disrupted (or even enhanced) as a result of their rivalry. Conflicts are the broad term for these types of competitions (good or negative). Conflict, according to Mullins (2005), is behavior that is meant to hinder the attainment of another person’s aims. A conflict, according to Schramm-Nielsen (2002), is a state of substantial disagreement and contention over something that is essential to at least one of the persons concerned. Conflicts arise when one party’s activities are regarded as impeding or obstructing the aims, needs, or actions of another.

Conflict can emerge as a result of a variety of organizational events, including incompatible goals, differing interpretations of facts, bad sentiments, differing beliefs and ideologies, and disagreements over shared resources. Despite the fact that conflicts are unavoidable. Conflicts occur on a daily basis in any organization, necessitating the need for conflict management. The role of conflict in an organization is becoming more widely recognized. According to a recent poll, managers spend a significant amount of time dealing with conflict, and conflict management is becoming increasingly vital to their performance. Despite this, Obisi (1996) claims that peace is one of the most important variables for increased productivity, which helps both labor and management as well as the country’s economic development. As a result, it would not be inappropriate to explore management measures in order to reduce conflict and prevent it from obstructing operations. A positive perspective on organizational conflict is that it is unavoidable. As a result, open debate on ideas should be openly encouraged, as should the stimulation and resolution of conflict. Even if this viewpoint is not shared, organizational management conflict is unavoidable. Forces both inside and outside the organization contribute to the inevitability of conflict. External surroundings of the organization occasionally alter in ways that demand a reshuffling of goals and resource allocation among internal subunits, as well as adjustments in power and influence patterns amongst them. Instead of avoiding conflict, organizations should try to manage or eliminate it for the sake of the organization.

Statement of the problem

Differences between individuals and groups are to be expected in a society where people with various interests, opinions, and values coexist. When they are not adequately managed, however, they may have a variety of negative consequences for the organization, including lower employee satisfaction, insubordination, decreased productivity, economic loss, fragmentation, and poor performance. If appropriately managed, it may function as a catalyst for change and have a beneficial influence on employee happiness and organizational success. Unmanaged conflict, on the other hand, has a detrimental influence on both employee happiness and work performance. When leaders in organizations disregard workplace disagreement, they transmit the message that poor job performance and unacceptable behavior are acceptable.            According to Awan and Anjum (2015), well-managed conflict encourages open communication, collaborative decision-making, frequent feedback, and prompt conflict resolution. Open communication and cooperation encourage the flow of new ideas and develop working relationships, both of which may boost employee morale. Employee happiness and work performance may be improved by providing regular feedback and resolving conflicts quickly. According to Awan and Anjum (2015), a hostile work atmosphere that does not encourage dispute resolution can lead to bad employee behavior and performance. Unmanaged disagreement leads to a breakdown in communication and bad conduct among employees. One employee’s poor behavior can have a negative impact on overall employee morale, resulting in poorer production. In this context, the purpose of this study is to assess conflict management technique and its impact on worker productivity using a case study of a private firm in Calabar Metropolis.

Objective of the study

The broad objective of this study is to evaluate  conflict management strategy and its influence on workers’ productivity using selected private organization in Calabar Metropolis as case study. Specifically the study seeks:

1.        To ascertain how conflict will be managed effectively.

2.        To ascertain the major causes of conflict.

3.        To assess the effect of organizational conflict on performance of employees..

4.        To understand which leadership style is the most effective in addressing conflict.

Research Hypotheses

HO1: Organizational conflict cannot have any significant impact on organizational performance

HO2: Appropriate Conflict Management strategy cannot influence workers productivity

 Significance of the study

The expectation is that the findings should assist the university authorities by analyzing past management approaches adopted during students‟ crises with a view to improving students‟ crises management and subsequently offer suggestions on better means of handling such crises whenever they occur. In addition, data generated would provide the platforms for the acquisition of necessary knowledge and skills needed to work through crisis situations. Finally, the study would contribute empirically to the body of existing literature and it would serve as a reference source to students or other researchers who might want to carry out their research on the similar topic.

Scope of the study

the broad objective of this study is to evaluate  conflict management strategy and its influence on workers’ productivity using selected private organization in Calabar Metropolis as case study. Specifically the study seeks:

5.        To ascertain how conflict will be managed effectively.

6.        To ascertain the major causes of conflict.

7.        To assess the effect of organizational conflict on performance of employees..

8.        To understand which leadership style is the most effective in addressing conflict.

 Limitation of the study

Like in every human endeavour, the researchers encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. The significant constraint was the scanty literature on the subject owing to the nature of the discourse thus the researcher incurred more financial expenses and much time was required in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited choice of sample size. Additionally, the researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. More so, the choice of the sample size was limited  as few respondent were selected to answer the research instrument hence cannot be generalize to other corporate organizations. However, despite the constraint  encountered during the  research, all factors were downplayed in other to give the best and make the research successful.

 Definition of terms

Crises: A crisis is any event or period that will lead, or may lead, to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affairs, especially when they occur abruptly, with little or no warning.

Conflict: A conflict is a clash of interest. The basis of conflict may vary but it is always a part of society. Basis of conflict may be personal, social, class, caste, political and international. Conflict in groups often follows a specific course.

Conflict Management: Conflict management is the practice of being able to identify and handle conflicts sensibly, fairly, and efficiently. It is the process by which disputes are resolved, where negative results are minimized and positive results are prioritized.