Conflict Improves Performance

Power involves a relationship between two or more actors in which the behavior of one is affected by the behavior of the other. The most important thing to remember is that power is relational. Power can’t be possessed or exercised unless there is a recipient. Additionally, power doesn’t extend simply to the individual, one organization can have power over another due to a position of strength in a particular market.

There are two outcomes to power. The most prevalent is simply compliance. When the application of power results in compliance, one agent basically yields to the will of the other. Employees who yield to the will of a manager are being obedient. They recognize the legitimate authority of a superior and act accordingly. The second and most dynamic power outcome is conflict. There are consequences to the action-reaction interplay of actors in conflict. These consequences can be functional or dysfunctional. A functional consequence results in performance improvements, whereas a dysfunctional consequence hinders performance. Hence, power and its outcomes are central organizational processes.

Properly managed conflict can act as a positive force to increase organizational performance. Conflict can improve the quality of decisions by allowing all points related to a topic to be heard. In this respect, conflict helps ensure the interests and opinions of the minority are protected. Conflict is also an antidote to groupthink. Conflict stimulates creativity and innovation by challenging the status quo and encourages the development of new ideas, which may bring change to the organization. Furthermore, conflict can improve productivity. Healthy competition between competing organizational groups can have a positive influence on morale as well as the bottom line.

Uncontrolled conflict breeds discontent within the organization. Negative conflict can dissolve common ties among members and can destroy the organization. Reduction of group cohesiveness and the subordination of group goals to individual agendas can stop the organization from moving forward. In fact, it can stop the organization from moving at all. For this reason, organizations may wish to actually strategically apply conflict within the organization in order to exercise greater control.

The stimulation of conflict within organizational groups can increase cohesiveness and ultimately productivity. Some common conflict stimulation techniques are:

1. Communication: Using ambiguous or threatening messages to increase conflict levels.
2. Bringing in outsiders: Adding employees to a group whose backgrounds, values, attitudes or managerial styles differ from those of present members.
3. Restructuring work groups, altering rules and regulations, increasing interdependence and making similar structural changes to disrupt the status quo.
4. Appointing a devil’s advocate: Designating a critic to purposely argue against the majority positions held by the group.

These techniques allow managers to control conflict levels. Conflict stimulation can increase group performance and yield improvements for the organization. The goal is to create an environment where conflict is healthy.