Functional And Dysfunctional Conflict Analysis

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b. Functional and Dysfunctional Conflicts Conflicts in the projects are inevitable. Conflict can be constructive and healthy for a project. Constructive conflict or functional conflict occurs when people learn from the conflict, involvement of the individuals affected by the conflict is increased, cohesiveness is formed among team members, and a solution to the problem is found. Conflict can bring about underlying issues. It can force people to confront possible defects in a solution and choose a better one. Several advantages have been identified such as increasing personal growth and morale, enhancing communication, and producing better project outcomes. Project managers should encourage constructive conflicts in the team, allow sharing…show more content…
Managing conflict improperly causes business partnerships, team relationships and interpersonal connections to break down. Ignoring conflict just prolongs the problem. By recognizing the roles people play, the project manager can help project teams resolve problems quickly and get back to project work. A project manager must understand that conflicts are inevitable and expect some conflicts on project. PM can anticipate and avoid some conflicts; others must be managed and resolved. Conflict management is a learned skill. PM can learn different approaches for managing and resolving conflicts in the project. It is important for a project manager to understand the dynamics of conflict before being able to resolve it. The internal characteristics of conflict include perception of the goal, perception of the other, view of the other's actions, definition of problem, communication, and internal group dynamics. • Perception of the goal becomes a problem when success becomes competitive or the focus is on "doing better than the other guy." The focus is placed on the solution rather than attaining the…show more content…
In some instances, the project manager's lack of skills to effectively manage and resolve conflict can be the problem. The project manager should focus on identifying the root cause of the conflict and not the symptoms, so that the conflict is resolved permanently and does not recur in future. The root cause of a conflict could be: • Facts: People see the same fact from distinctly different viewpoints • Methods: People disagree on how to do something • Goals: The goals toward which people work are different • Values: People differ in their basic values In project management, the following modes for conflict resolution are normally practiced. The situation they are best utilized are identified: • Confronting: This is also described as problem solving, integrating, collaborating or win-win style. It involves the conflicting parties meeting face-to-face and collaborating to reach an agreement that satisfies the concerns of both parties. This style involves open and direct communication which should lead the way to solving the problem. Confronting should be used when: • Both parties need to win. • Skills are complementary. • Time is sufficient. • Trust is present. • Learning is the ultimate

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