Showing posts with label Inter-Group. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Inter-Group. Show all posts

The Dynamics of Inter-Group Conflict

Inter-group conflicts over authority, jurisdiction and resources are exceedingly common. Every group is in at least partial conflict with every other group it interacts with. Most of the departments in the organization compete for the allocation of scarce resources and power. They differ in goals, act, work activities, power and prestige. The seeds of inter-group conflict are shown in these differences. Imagine about a recent announcement of a government owned insurance company to privatize it. The dynamics of inter-group conflict is related to understanding of emotions, attitudes and behaviors of different group members who are divided because of their interest and preferences. Finally, understanding such dynamics helps to find strategic opinions to solve problems. Following are the dynamics of inter-group conflict. 


1. Incompatible Goals 

Differences in group goals can easily lead to group conflict. Goal compatibility implies goals attainment by one or more other groups. The achievement of one department's goal often interferes with another department's goal. Quite often this is due to high horizontal differentiation and task specialization. The production department might perceive its goals as being potentially incompatible with those of marketing. Production department may pose such questions. 
  • Why do not we have accurate sales forecasts?
  • Is it possible to keep everything in inventory?
  • Why don't we have enough capacity?
  • Why don't we ever have the right merchandise in inventory? 

Therefore, in the modern organization, goals are to be compatibly stated or defined for the purpose of reducing the size of conflict. 

2. Changes within Each Group 

With the formation of inter-group conflict, there will be changes in the behavior like perceptions, attitudes, personality, values, customs and ethical issues of the participants belonging to groups in the following ways: 
  • Autocracy in leadership 
  • Increase in group think and cohesiveness
  • Increased concern for task accomplishment
  • Loyalty to the group becomes more important
  • Organization and structure will become more rigid 

3. Resource Allocation 

Resources symbolize power and influence and are the means of accomplishing goals. As such, most of the departments in an organization exercise for resources and power. In their anxiety to achieve goals, groups try out a bigger slice out of the common pool. When the more parties compete, the more intense is the conflict. Conflict may be minimized if the organization is prospering and new resources are growing by allowing greater share to each and every department. 

4. Changes in Relations between Groups 

Relations between groups will also be disrupted with the increase in inter-group conflict. For each group involved in conflict, goals become extremely important to achieve, they start violating rules and procedures and a situation of open antagonism will arise because of the following reasons: 
  • Shift from problem-solving to win-lose orientation
  • Distortion in communication and interaction
  • Increasing hostility toward the rival group
  • Distortion in perception 

5. Competitive Incentive and Reward system 

When tasks are independent, competition can affect cooperation among members and performance may actually decline. For example, when all students in a group received the same grade regardless of individual contribution, coordination, communication and quality seem better. But when students are graded according to their personal contributions to the group, they try to succeed at the expense of others and seem more frequently in conflict. Similarly, inter-group conflict is more likely to occur when the reward plan is tied to individual group performance rather than to overall organizational performance. If departments are regarded only for departmental performance, managers are motivated to excel at the expense of others. 

6. Strategy of Groups to Win Power 

Strategy of groups to win power is another dynamic issue observed in inter-group conflict. Sometimes, groups show attitudes of co-operation and also try to share resources to win power. Some strategies for making gains are presented below: 
  • Attacking and blaming others
  • Cultivating networks
  • Contracting
  • Forming coalitions
  • Forcing and pressure
  • Controlling information
  • Managing impressions

7. Differences in Values and Perception 

Sometimes, status in congruence also promotes conflicts. The differences in goals among members at the various departments in the organization are frequently accompanied by differences in attitudes, values and perceptions that can also lead to conflict. Engineering people may value sophisticated designs while manufacturing people may prefer simple designs. If members of particular department perceive themselves as having higher status than the others for one reason or other, conflicts results in. for example, conflict was found to result when low status industrial engineer directed the higher status engineers in the implementation of certain tasks. 

8. Consequences of Winning or Losing Conflict 

One another dynamic issue in inter-group conflict is consequences of winning or losing conflict. Normally, between two groups, own wins and another looses. In such a situation, conflict arises. There are following effects of success as well as failure. 

a) Effect of success 
  • For the winning group, in the short run, concern for work and task accomplishment will decrease.
  • Stronger belief in the negative stereotype of the losing group.
  • Losing some of the spirit of fighting by the winning group.
  • Increase in group cohesiveness and co-operation within the winning group.
  • Concern of the winning group for its member's satisfaction and needs.
  • Work atmosphere for the winning group will become more casual and complacent. 

b) Effects of Failure 
  • Increase in tension among group members.
  • They try to convince others that the other group was very strong.
  • Put in more efforts for excuses for such failure.
  • Decreasing cohesiveness and inter-group co-operation among the losing group members.
  • The losing group attempts to distort the reality of their failure or simply denies losing.
  • The group gets opportunity to re-evaluate its stereotypes.
  • Although, initially, the group feels upset, later on, members realize their weaknesses and improve their work quality.

When conflicts takes place within inter group i.e. conflict between one group to another, the following dynamism can be seen in the group.
 
1. Changes within each group

When there will be inter-group conflict, the following changes seen within each group. Each group now try to make the strong to meet the hurdles created, by other group. So, there will be the following five major changes within each group. The changes are:
  • Loyalty to the group becomes more important: In the face of an external threat, the group demands more loyalty from individual members. Not only is social interaction with people outside the group not encouraged; it is expressly discouraged. Such interaction could lend to inadvertent betrayal of group strategy and secrets. Deviance is more closely monitored and punished.
  • There is increased concern for task accomplishment: When there will be inter conflict, the group member now becomes more concern for task accomplishment. There will be less informal relation among group members but high formal relation among group members.
  • Leadership in the group becomes more autocratic: When inter group conflict is present, it is especially important for a group to be able to respond quickly and in a unified manner to the activities of other groups. A democratic work style can reduce the group’s capacity respond quickly.
  • The organization and structure of the group becomes more rigid: After the inter-group conflict among the groups, each group is concerned of making the group more effective. There will be rigid organizational structure. They build up formal relation rather than informal relation. This makes them more task concern. Task will be highly valued first and then after people will be concerned.
  • Group cohesiveness (degree of unity) increased: In the face of an external threat, past differences and difficulties between group members are forgotten. The group closes ranks to meet the challenge. Individual group members find both the group as whole and other group members more attractive.

2. Changes in Relations between groups
  • Interaction and communication between group decreases.
  • There are distortions of perception, both one’s own group and about the other group.
  • There is a shift from a problem-solving orientation towards other groups to win lose orientation.
  • There is increased hostility forwarded by the rival group.

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Inter-Group Conflict: Types of Inter-Group Conflict

Inter-group conflict arises out of the interaction of various groups. There are many factors in the organization which determine the inter-group relationships. The nature of the relationship between groups also changes markedly during inter group conflicts. Four changes in particular occur at this time. 


1. There are distortions of perception, both one’s own group and about the other group. First, perception of one’s own group is highly selective: people see only the best aspects of their own group and deny any weakness in their own group’s performance. Second, and more important, perception of the other groups is systematically distorted: groups see only the worst parts of other groups and deny other groups positive accomplishments. Thus, inter group conflict leads to increased use of stereotypes. Each group develops more positive stereotype of itself and a more negative of other. 

2. Interaction and communication between groups decreased. Because group members feel hostile toward members of rival groups, there is less desire for interaction with them. Moreover, decreased interaction makes it easier for each group to maintain its negative stereotype of the other. 

Even when groups are forced to interact with each other, those interactions become fairly rigid and formal. Whatever information is passed between groups is very carefully observed and sometimes deliberately distorted. Groups tend to ignore the similarities between their positions and exaggerate the differences. 

3. There is a shift from problem-solving orientation toward other groups to win lose orientation. These various facts shift in orientation. First, there is a much clearer distinction drawn between the groups, resulting in a “We - they” rather than a “We - versus” – the problem orientation. Second, all exchange with the other groups are evaluated in terms of victory or defeat. Third, the groups tend to see the problem only from their own point of view, rather than in terms of the needs of both groups. Fourth, the parties emphasize the benefits of winning the conflict in the short run and tend to ignore the long-term consequences of the conflict for the relationship between the groups. 

4. There is increased hostility toward the rival group. As a result of negative stereotyping, decreased communication between groups, and win lose orientation, increased hostility inevitably occur between rival groups. Members of the other group are seen as the enemy, and deserving of hostile attacks. Major types of inter-group conflict are follows: 
  • Functional conflict: Conflict that supports the goals of the groups and improve its performance. 
  • Dysfunctional conflicts: Conflict that hinders group performance. 
  • Task conflict: Conflict based on interpersonal relationships. 
  • Process conflict: Conflicts over how work gets done. 
Types of Inter-group Conflict

Inter-group conflict arises out of the interaction of various groups. There are many factors in the organization which determine the inter-group relationships. These factors can influence relations between two or more groups. If these factors are not positive, they tend to create conflict among groups. These factors are goal incompatibility, resource sharing, task relations, uncertainty absorption and attitudinal set. These factors are described below to show how these can lead to co-operative or conflicting relations among group. 

There are following types of inter-group conflicts: 

1. Line and Staff Conflicts 

Today, line and staff differences are the most common types of inter-group conflict. In other words, controversy and conflict are inherent in the concept of line and staff. It is not an easy task to divide and distribute expertise, authority and roles in equitable quantities between the line generalist and staff specialists. The concept authorizes the splitting of various functions into two categories: hierarchical and non-hierarchical that is creation of low status and high status persons. The splitting of functions into hierarchical and non-hierarchical levels and the creation of low status and high status positions creates a discrepancy between expected and actual authority leading to resentment and frustration to all the parties involved. This conflict is basically a clash of demand caused by dividing expertise, authority and roles. Dalton's study of line and staff conflict highlighted the following sources of conflict: 
  • Line managers dislike to take advice from younger staff specialists. The fear being shown up. 
  • Line managers label staffs as agents on trial. The staff, in turn, views himself as an expert.
  • Line managers feel that staff oversteps its authority.
  • Line people resent staff's highly academic and untested ideas.
  • Staff people feel that line managers are bull headed and do not cloth staff with enough authority and resist new ideas. 

2. Horizontal Conflict 

Horizontal conflict refers to the conflict between employees or departments at the same hierarchical level in an organization. The source of conflict between department consists of pressure towards sub-optimization. Each department may sub-optimize by independently trying to achieve its own departmental goals. For example, production department may prefer long economical runs whereas sales department may insist on quick delivery. Again, when two departments are functionally inter-dependent, breakdowns in the performance of one department can lead to serious conflicts. 

3. Vertical Conflict 

Vertical conflict separates people in various levels of the occupational ladders in organization. It refers to any conflict between different levels in an organization. It occurs usually in superior-subordinate relations. 

C.G. Smith identified three reasons for vertical conflicts: 
  • Inadequate communication between levels.
  • Conflict arises essentially from differences of interests between position holders occupying different status in the organizational hierarchy. 
  • A distinct lack of shared perceptions and attitudes among members in various levels.
  • Vertical conflicts arise because superiors attempt to control subordinates and subordinates tend to resist, forcing the superior to increase the dosage of impersonal rules to obtain exact obedience and gain control.
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