Functional & Dysfunctional Conflict

 Functional & Dysfunctional Conflict

 

            Conflict may be viewed as being functional or dysfunctional.  Functional conflict refers to any divergence which is responsive and innovative aiding in creativity and viability (Falikowski, 2002).  This creative confrontation allows individuals engaged in a controversy or dispute to be at odds with the issues, yet not each other.  “The critical factor is the willingness to explore and resolve it mutually.  Appropriately handled, conflict can provide an important opportunity for growth” (Functional & Dysfunctional Conflicts, 2010).  Dysfunctional conflict occurs when conflict “disrupts, prevents job performance, and upsets personal psychological functioning” (Falikowski, 2002).  Typically, problems occur when emotions distort the content issue.  Feelings are misperceived or stated too intensely (Functional & Dysfunctional Conflicts, 2010).

            An example of an intergroup conflict which converted from functional to dysfunctional occurred amongst a communications class.  Students were assigned to groups of four or five and then were instructed to select a topic on which to deliver an oratorical speech.  Initially, selecting a topic was a bit of a challenge.  The group was indecisive.  After two class sessions passed without a topic being selected, the team captain suggested for the group to draw straws.  Soon thereafter, the topic was selected and agreed upon by all, and then the captain began to delegate tasks and research responsibilities.  However, this only proved to be a short-term solution.  The next two weeks, the group met with regularity.  Yet as time wore on, certain team members became disgruntled that their topic had not been selected, and began to cease meeting with the group outside of scheduled class time (i.e. library, dorm sessions).  The group began to fall behind in progress in comparison to the rest of the class; therefore the team captain took it upon himself to fulfill others’ obligations.  Nevertheless, this dysfunctional conflict could have been reverted back to functional by utilizing the following tactics:

1.      Mediation - Integrating a neutral third party: The team captain could have expressed his concern to the class instructor, requesting class time (while every team member was present) to have an intervention in which the instructor could express and reiterate the importance of group cooperation and involvement.

2.      Communication – Team members could have called one another throughout the week to check-in and update cross-information, rather than waiting for a particular session or meeting to initiate contact.

References:

Falikowski, A. (2002). Conflict. Retrieved from

            http://webhome.idirect.com/~kehamilt/ipsyconf.html.            

Functional & Dysfunctional Conflicts. Retrieved from

            http://www.scribd.com/doc/25304585/Functional-and-Dysfunctional-Conflicts.

Intractable Conflict

 Intractable Conflict

            Intractable conflict occurs once destructive disputes endure for long periods of time and defy every effort to resolve them constructively (Deutsch, Coleman, & Associates, 2006).  The nature of the conflict, an imbalance of power, instability, the relationship of the parties involved, culture, and gender variances may escalate the dispute and enhance the difficulty of achieving a favorable resolution.  As time progresses, intractable conflicts often attract the participation of several parties, become progressively more complicated, and may threaten basic human needs or values (Deutsch, et al., 2006).  This has the potential to lead to violence, rape, murder, or bloodshed.  “Most intractable conflicts do not begin as such, but become so as escalation, hostile interactions, sentiment, and time change the quality of the conflict.”

(Deutsch et al., 2006, p. 534). 

            Intractable conflict may be resolved if the disputants are able to:

“adapt to the conflict situation, survive the stressful period, and struggle successfully with the adversary. The formal termination of such a conflict begins with the elimination of the perceived incompatibility between the opposing parties through negotiation by their representatives—that is, a conflict resolution process” (Bar-Tal, 2000).

The effectiveness of conflict resolution depends on the disputants’ ability to “change in the conflictive ethos, especially with respect to societal beliefs about group goals, about the adversary group, about the ingroup, about intergroup relations, and about the nature of peace” (Bar-Tal, 2000).  A desire for harmony, trust, acceptance, cooperation, and consideration of mutual needs between the opposing parties must exist.  The disputants must be willing to overlook their tumultuous history and commence to work constructively in effort to mend their damaged relationships and environments (Deutsch et al., 2006).

References:

Bar-Tal, D. (2000). From Intractable Conflict to Conflict Resolution to Reconciliation:

            Psychological Analysis. Political Psychology, 21(2), 351-365.

Deutsch, M., Coleman, P.T., Marcus, E.C., (Eds.). (2006). The Handbook of Conflict

Resolution: Theory & Practice. (2^nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.