 |  Organizational Behavior: Solutions for Management Paul D. Sweeney,
University of Central Florida
Dean B. McFarlin,
University of Dayton
Constructively Dealing with Conflict and Stress
Chapter Objectives
1Conflict is very common in organizations. Contention and disagreement can have both negative and positive effects on organizations and people. |
| | | 2Organizational and interpersonal causes of conflict are important to consider because they can be guides for diagnosing when and why conflict can get out of hand and become problematic for the firm. |
| | | 3Assuming that conflict does come to a head, and it almost always does at some point, how do people typically deal with that disagreement and dissension? It turns out that five styles are commonly used by managers, with more or less success. Each style has pluses in certain situations; the real trick is finding people that are flexible enough to adapt their styles to fit the situation. |
| | | 4Some have said that instead of hoping that a manger has the right style, that more general techniques for reducing conflict should be used. These include creating common goals that unite separate units or departments. On the other hand, there are times when there just isn’t enough conflict and managers need to stir up the pot. |
| | | 5Regardless, organizations that are constantly dealing with conflict and contention begin to see stress take its toll. In addition to chronic conflict, other causes of stress include the actual jobs people perform, stress-prone personalities, and the work-family interaction. |
| | | 6The costs associated with health and performance problems, among others, can be enormous for organizations. So, it is wise to try to manage stress - both at the individual and organizational level. |
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2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education