The Impact of Conflicts in the Organizational Development

• Author: Angela-Mihaela Ene
• Position: Senior Lecturer, PhD, 'Danubius' University of Galati, Faculty of Communication and International Relations, Galati, Roamania
• Pages: 291-295

ISSN: 2067 – 9211 Interdisciplinary Dimensions of Communication Science

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The Impact of Conflicts in the Organizational Development

Angela-Mihaela Ene1

Abstract: Conflict, regardless of its forms, is inherent in social life, being obviously present at the level of

different types of organizations. This paper aims to highlight the impact and positive, constructive effects of

conflicts in organizational development. Conflicts are inevitable and often lead to the efficiency of the

organization's activity, to its development. Sometimes conflicts need to be caused in order to generate

something new, evolution and invigorate an organization. Conflict is inherent in human interaction, appearing

as a result of different s ystems of social values, differences in principles, culture, interests. Considering these

aspects, it tends to manifest itself with a greater emphasis within an organization, considering the multitude of

groups and subgroups that make it up. A mirror analysis between the particularities of the group, as a production

entity and the constituent elements of the conflict phase, from its outburst to its fadeaway, will be a sufficiently

calibrated working tool to be used in the analysis matrix and strategic reconstruction of an organization.

Keywords: conflict; organization; impact; development

Introduction

For individuals who are involved in the conflict, this is of particular importance and it is very real. The

vast majority of conflicts have a destructive, negative effect on the organization in which they have

arisen, which is why they should never be ignored or denied, but approached in an active and combative

manner.

Conflict represents a disagreement, a confrontation of opinions, interests between different people or

groups of people and when we refer to its causality, we must consider a multifactorial and very diverse

one. Elements with a general title that could fall into the causality of some conflicts, both interpersonal

and organizational, are: age difference, perception of situations, level of training, level of education,

differences in behaviour and character, poor or defective communication, accepted and promoted values

and norms, knowledge of other organizations experiences, perception of past organizational

experiences, receptivity or resistance to change, to the new, different interests and objectives and others.

Content

Along the time, there have been different views in the specialized literature on how to approach conflicts.

Summarizing all these approaches, the following perspectives can be considered:

- the traditional one, according to which the conflict is dysfunctional by definition, adopting a negative

attitude towards any type of conflict. Therefore, the traditional approach promotes the avoidance or

elimination of conflicts, by eradicating their causes and sources;

1 Senior Lecturer, PhD, “Danubius” University of Galati, Faculty of Communication and International Relations, Galati,

Roamania, Address: 3 Galati Blvd., 800654 Galati, Romania, Tel.: +40.372.361.102, Fax: +40.372.361.290, Corresponding

author: angelamihaela.ene@univ-danubius.ro.