Conflict and stress management, business communication ethics

Features of conflicts

The very concept of conflicts is known to many sciences, and it is interpreted differently. But conflict is always understood as a clash of interests, their confrontation. Characteristic of this situation is the fact that neither side is willing to make concessions. A business conflict is specific in that it always happens in a professional environment. In this regard, several of its varieties are distinguished:

1. Pointless. When the conflict is based on something abstract and serves only to relieve people emotionally. This type is least common in a business environment.
2. Realistic. Its goal is to achieve a specific result.
3. Destructive. It is also called destructive, and it is the most dangerous.
4. Constructive. It is based on facts and is creative in nature.

What types of conflicts are there?

All main types and types of conflicts can be divided into two large groups: internal and external. The first group includes intrapersonal contradictions between a person and himself. They arise when a person is faced with the fact that his internal positions do not coincide with external requirements. For example, if an employee is not satisfied with the work activity in which he is engaged.

If we talk about the external group, then the types of conflicts in business relationships include:

1. Interpersonal types of conflicts in an organization - two or more people are involved. At the same time, individuals believe that they have completely opposite goals, values ​​and lines of behavior.
2. Between the individual and the group. Caused by a discrepancy between personal and group norms of behavior. A person who does not accept the group’s attitudes risks being left alone.
3. Intergroup. May arise between administration and departments, as well as between other formal and informal groups.

If we talk about what type of conflict is the most difficult to resolve for a manager, then the greatest difficulty is caused by interpersonal conflict. In this case, groundless hostility may arise between people, which is generally not amenable to any external adjustments or methods of resolution.

What are the reasons

Any conflicts in business communications arise for certain reasons. The most well-known and studied causes of constructive conflicts are:

• Different visions of the final result of the work.
• Differences in intellectual level and education.
• Lack of money or employees.
• Difficult working conditions.
• Company employees have different rights.
• Lack of ability to interact with each other.

Destructive conflicts always arise due to subjective reasons. This may be an illiterate management policy, incompatibility of employee characters, or intrigue for the purpose of career advancement.

Destructive conflicts always arise due to subjective reasons.

Business conflicts: causes and prevention

Conflicts arise in almost all spheres of human activity. They are most often based on the clash of opposing goals, opinions and interests of people. As the French sociologist Benat Gurney writes: “We would all like to avoid conflicts completely. But this is an absurd dream." The most common are conflicts in organizations [1].

According to some statistical estimates, more than 65% of problems in organizations are related to dysfunctional relationships rather than professional difficulties. 25% of managers' time is spent resolving conflicts. Subjects of communication are always looking for supporters, and therefore the conflict tends to grow. 70–80% of conflicts in organizations have a “vertical” component, that is, they are associated with the activities of management.

Conflict is defined by the fact that the conscious behavior of one of the parties: an individual, group or organization conflicts with the interests of the other party. Conflict management is one of the most important functions of a leader. To manage them, it is necessary to know the types of conflicts, the causes of their occurrence, the characteristics of their course, as well as the consequences to which they can lead [2,3].

Conflict, affecting interpersonal relationships, can:

• show weaknesses, problematic issues and hidden shortcomings in some situations of the social life of an individual team or the whole society;
• help develop various areas of society, organization, enterprise, group and team;
• prevent stagnation, both in interpersonal interaction and in the relationships of various social groups and communities.

The causes of conflicts in business communication are varied. Any of them represents a disagreement between two or more parties, as a result of which they cannot satisfy their needs. Differences in desires, goals, motives or infringement of someone's interests are always destructive. It is better to be able to prevent this collision than to try to restore balance after the incident. In business communication, it is customary to consider conflicts of two types: constructive (or objective) and destructive (subjective) [4].

The reasons for constructive business conflicts in an organization, firm or company may be as follows:

• different ideas of employees about the ultimate goals of the activity;
• different levels of intelligence and education;
• lack of financial or human resources;
• unfavorable working conditions;
• inconsistency of rights and responsibilities or their incorrect distribution in the team;
• inability of colleagues to properly communicate with each other.

These reasons lead to the fact that business conflicts in a team, called constructive, occur with regular stability. Eliminating them, first of all, means getting rid of the cause that led to disagreements. In addition, resolving business conflicts of this kind will improve labor productivity, and in the future will lead to the development of the workforce and the company as a whole [5].

As a rule, business conflicts do not arise out of nowhere. There are always preliminary reasons that form the potential for future disagreements, misunderstandings and quarrels - preconditions for conflicts. Their characteristics should include 2 sides:

• Internal (manifests itself through the intrapersonal properties of the emotional sphere and thinking, perception and type of psychological defense);
• External (behavioral factors initiating conflict).

In the process of conflict interaction, the prerequisites for incidents, disagreements and discord are:

• Stereotypical view, prejudice, attitude. It manifests itself as the perception of the existing situation not directly, but through a pre-formed position.
• Weak management and low control of emotions. Reluctance or inability to pacify one's own emotional manifestations.
• Egoistic belief. Focus only on yourself and personal needs.
• Biased judgments. Lead to erroneous, distorted conclusions and conclusions.
• Wrong expectations. Subjectivity in assessing the situation and the needs of the opponent.
• Humiliating position. It manifests itself in a condescending attitude towards the interlocutor, when even praise and compliments look offensive.
• Insincerity. Leads to unreasonable and distorted relationships [6].

There are many types of conflicts that manifest themselves in everyday business interactions:

• depending on the direction: top-down (from boss to subordinates) and bottom-up (from subordinate to boss);
• by the number of participants: interpersonal, intergroup and between the individual and the team;
• by the method and nature of resolution: compromise, with full agreement, with maximum disagreement (antagonistic);
• by severity: open (with active actions) and hidden (with disguised actions);
• by the nature of formation: in the organization, in the social sphere, personal.

Psychologists recommend resolving conflicts in business communication in several stages:

• In order for the warring parties to adequately assess the situation, they need to ask themselves the following questions: how do I understand this problem? What led to the conflict?
• How does my opponent see this problem? What, in his opinion, is the cause of the conflict?
• On what issues do my opponent and I disagree, and on what issues do we agree?

After analyzing these issues and deciding on a way out of the conflict, both warring parties must implement this method. At the same time, it is important to explain that the very situation that caused the disagreement is absolutely impossible to remember and replay in your head.

Ways to prevent or prevent unconstructive behavior. This is greatly facilitated by:

• fair and open distribution of benefits and resources in the organization (in the team of employees);
• favorable environment (its creation): both material (physical working conditions) and psychological (establishing a microclimate, selecting employees taking into account individual characteristics and compatibility);
• the presence of norms and procedures for resolving disagreements (in writing: rules, algorithms);
• creation of an optimal management structure and organizational system at an enterprise or institution: without duplication of functions, with objective control and fairness of the workload for employees;
• forecast of emergency situations and tense situations with increasing activity intensity;
• blocking the influence of personal and individual problems on the process of activity.

It is almost impossible to completely prevent conflicts in business communication. But if each of the company’s employees makes it a rule to ensure that disputes and disagreements are resolved immediately, many problems can be avoided [8]. Of course, it is difficult to foresee all the variety of conflict situations that life creates for us. Therefore, in conflict resolution, much must be resolved on the spot, based on the specific situation, as well as the individual psychological characteristics of the participants in the conflict [9].

Solutions

There are different ways to resolve any conflict situation. But they are always gradual:

1. At the first stage, the conflicting parties must understand what led to the conflict, what is its cause and how the opponent views the problem. This helps to understand the essence and understand the second side, and this is already half the battle.
2. Actions that both partners consider unacceptable for resolving the conflict are determined. Next, a common goal is sought, because of which the dispute must be resolved as quickly as possible.
3. At the last stage, options for action that will lead to the end of the conflict are jointly found.

It is important to resolve such situations as quickly as possible so that they do not drag on or escalate. After all, problems can accumulate as fast as a snowball!

What other types of conflicts are there (briefly)

All types of conflicts in management are divided into several categories. Let's briefly look at each of them.

By organizational level:

• horizontal – various departments, formal and informal groups of people, etc. are involved;
• vertical – different levels of the organizational hierarchy are involved;
• mixed - have elements of vertical and horizontal conflicts.

By area of ​​origin and further development:

• business – relate to work activity and fulfillment of assigned duties;
• personal – arose against the background of unofficial relationships.

By degree of manifestation:

• hidden - concern two individuals, usually expressed in the form of intrigues, deliberate dishonest actions against each other;
• open - develop under the control of the manager, therefore they are not so dangerous for the company and the team.

By nature of education:

• objective - associated with the presence of real problems and defects, are on a business basis and arise in the process of enterprise development;
• subjective – characterized by different assessments of events and relationships from the point of view of personal understanding, always emotional and built on the incompatibility of people’s views and misunderstanding of each other.

Useful to study: The main causes of conflicts in an organization

In addition, types of conflicts in business relationships are divided according to the consequences that arise after the end of the controversial situation.

Preventive actions

Every business conflict is easier and wiser to prevent and prevent than to resolve later. The following recommendations can help greatly:

• Maintain a fair company policy aimed at equal distribution of benefits for all employees.
• Creating a comfortable environment for work.
• Prescribing measures to resolve disputes.
• Avoiding emergency situations.
• Preventing the influence of personal problems on the work activities of the entire team.

When faced with a conflict situation, a person can take two different paths: try to avoid it or accept it for a constructive solution. The first path leads either to a painless resolution of the problem, or, conversely, to prolongation. The second path is active and therefore often turns out to be productive. It helps you develop your communication skills, as well as gain experience in difficult business communication.

When faced with a conflict situation, a person can take two different paths: try to avoid it or accept it for a constructive solution.