1.1 History of the term

Conflict as a social phenomenon was first formulated in Adam Smith's Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776). It suggested that the conflict was based on the division of society into classes and economic rivalry. This division is driving force development of society, performing useful functions.

The problem of social conflict was also substantiated in the works of K. Marx, F. Engels, V.I. Lenin. This fact served as the basis for Western scientists to classify the Marxist concept as a “conflict theory.” It should be noted that in Marxism the problem of conflict received a simplified interpretation. In essence, it boiled down to a clash between antagonistic classes.

The problem of conflict received its theoretical justification in late XIX- early 20th century The English sociologist Herbert Spencer (1820-1903), considering social conflict from the standpoint of social Darwinism, considered it an inevitable phenomenon in the history of society and a stimulus for social development. The same position was held by the German sociologist (founder of understanding sociology and the theory of social action) Max Weber (1864-1920). His compatriot Georg Simmel (1858-1918) first introduced the term “sociology of conflict”. Based on his theory “ social conflicts“Later, the so-called “formal school” arose, whose representatives attach the importance of contradictions and conflicts as stimulants of progress.

In Europe, the 1960s also saw a renewed interest in the conflict. In 1965, the German sociologist Ralf Dahrendorf published “Class Structure and Class Conflict,” and two years later an essay entitled “Beyond Utopia.” His concept of the “conflict model of society” is built on an anti-utopian, real vision of the world - a world of power, conflict and dynamics.

“All social life is conflict because it is changeable. There is no permanence in human societies because there is nothing stable in them. Therefore, it is in conflict that the creative core of all communities and the possibility of freedom are found, as well as the challenge to rational mastery and control over social problems.”

In our country, the study of conflicts was carried out in Soviet times, mainly in line with the Marxist theory of class struggle. The official ideology of vulgarized Marxism, which dominated in the Soviet Union, argued that under socialism only non-antagonistic contradictions can exist, and there are no conditions for the emergence of social conflicts. Therefore, the problem of conflicts was considered mainly in terms of criticism of the evils of capitalism. From the mid-1920s to the end of the 1940s. no work was done to study the conflict. Since the 1950s. Gradually, publications concerning certain private types of conflicts began to appear more and more often in the press - in works of art, in international relations, in the pedagogical process, in sports, in official and family relationships. But the general theory of conflict remained a forbidden area and was mentioned only for the purpose of “exposing the false fabrications” of bourgeois scientists and philosophers.

The collapse of Marxist ideology and the liberation of social thought from party control led to a rapid rise in conflict studies in the 1990s. Over 70 years (from 1924 to 1994), more than 2,200 works devoted to the study of conflicts have been published in Russian, most of which have been published in the last four years. This rise continues to this day.

The analysis and development of foreign experience is underway, original theoretical and methodological developments social, psychological, legal aspects of the conflict.

In the mid-1990s. A monograph by A. Zdravomyslov “Sociology of Conflict” is published, summarizing the results of foreign and domestic research and providing an analysis of conflicts in modern Russian society on this theoretical basis. The first domestic textbooks on conflict management are published. 1990s The practice of mediation has also entered our country.

The Russian-American program on conflict management played a major role in this, within the framework of which the training of conflict specialists and mediators was organized. On this basis, the first Conflict Resolution Center in Russia was opened in St. Petersburg in 1993, and in 1997, the Conflict Management Club was created, uniting professional conflict experts and mediators (about experience practical work Russian conflict experts and mediators).

1.2 Definition of conflict, its essence

The concept of “conflict” is characterized by an exceptional breadth of content and is used in a variety of meanings. The most general definition conflict (from lat. conflictus - collision) - a collision of contradictory or incompatible forces. A more complete definition is a contradiction that arises between people and teams in the process of their joint work activities due to misunderstanding or opposing interests, a lack of agreement between two or more parties. Psychologists view conflict as a natural condition of human interaction, which is based on contradictions or significant differences between the interests and values ​​of subjects. By conflict, they mean a lack of agreement, a difference of opinion, a clash of different views and desires, opposing tendencies, needs, interests, motives and styles of behavior under given circumstances 1 .

Sociologists are more inclined to characterize conflict as an extreme aggravation of contradictions, a clash and confrontation caused by opposition, incompatibility of interests and positions of individuals, social groups, layers, classes, nations, states. Lawyers usually interpret a conflict as a confrontation between subjects (bearers) of contradictions, the opposition of parties pursuing divergent or mutually exclusive goals.

Management specialists most often define conflict as a universal way of interaction. complex systems, overcoming contradictions and limitations in any area where contacts occur between individuals and their communities. At the same time, foreign scientists and management specialists use a positive functional interpretation of the essence of the conflict as a struggle for values ​​and certain claims to social status, power, material and spiritual benefits. Participants in this struggle seek to weaken, neutralize, or even destroy their opponent. In accordance with this understanding, some experts represent conflict as a lack of agreement between two or more parties, which may be specific individuals or groups. In this case, each side does everything to ensure that its point of view or goal is accepted, and prevents the other side from doing the same.

In domestic management textbooks, conflict is presented as a collision of opposing views, positions, interests, and goals of two or more people. This understanding of conflict can also be found in publications on personnel management. For example, in the personnel manual by V.R. Vesnin “Practical Personnel Management” conflict is defined as “a collision of oppositely directed tendencies in the psyche of an individual, in the relationships between people and their formal and informal associations, caused by differences in views, positions and interests” 2.

Summarizing all of the above about the concept of “conflict,” we can give the following definition: conflict is a normal manifestation of social connections and relationships between people, a method of interaction when incompatible views, positions and interests collide, a confrontation between two or more parties that are interconnected but pursuing their own goals 3 .

Conflict is one of the most common forms of organizational interaction and other relationships between people. It is estimated that conflicts and worries of staff occupy about 15% of their working time. Managers spend even more time resolving and managing conflicts—in some organizations, up to half of their working time. Organizational conflict can take many forms. Whatever the nature of organizational conflict, managers must analyze it, understand it, and be able to manage it. Some companies in staffing table They even introduce the position of employee relations manager (conflict specialist). When conflict in an organization is unmanageable, it can lead to confrontation (when organizational units or members of a micro- or macro-team stop collaborating and communicating with each other). Ultimately, such a situation of disunity will lead to the degradation of the team and the organization as a whole.

Most people associate conflict with aggression, disputes, hostility, war, etc. As a result, there is a perception that conflict should be avoided whenever possible or resolved immediately when it arises. However, it should be kept in mind that conflict, along with problems, can benefit the organization. In this regard, managers often deliberately stimulate conflict in order to revive an organization that is “rotting.” It is believed that if there are no conflicts in an organization or work collective, then something is wrong there. There are no conflict-free organizations in life.

It is important that the conflict is not destructive. If people avoid confrontation, the organization is not healthy. Therefore, the manager’s task is to design a constructive, solvable conflict, hence conflicts are a normal phenomenon. It is considered healthy for an organization to have conflict. And to benefit from conflict, you need an open, non-hostile, supportive environment. If such “ingredients” exist, then the organization becomes better from conflicts, since the diversity of points of view provides additional information and helps to identify more alternatives or problems.

However, one should not discount the fact that individual conflicts are destructive. For organizations experiencing a crisis, it is the destructive consequences of conflict that are especially undesirable. The manager must take into account that joint activities involve people who are different in their professional preparedness, life experience, individual character traits, temperament, etc. These differences inevitably leave their mark on assessments and opinions on issues that are significant for the individual and the organization, giving rise to confrontation, which, as a rule, is accompanied by emotional excitement and often develops into conflict. In some cases, clashes of assessments and opinions go so far that the interests of the case recede into the background, all the thoughts of the conflicting parties are aimed at struggle, which becomes an end in itself, which ultimately negatively affects the development of the organization.

1.3 Classification of conflicts

Depending on who is involved in the conflict, it is divided into four types.

1. Intrapersonal conflict. A typical form of such conflict is role conflict, when one person is presented with conflicting demands and targets for performing his work. Such demands on a subordinate can come from the boss, and also arise as a result of a violation of the principle of unity of command.

The cause of intrapersonal conflict can also be a lack of consistency between production requirements and personal needs and values. Such a conflict may be the result of overload with work or, conversely, its small volume. It is also associated with low job satisfaction, low confidence in the organization and self, and stress. Stress is characterized by excessive psychological and physiological tension in a person. Excessive stress can be highly destructive to the individual and therefore to the organization.

2. Interpersonal conflict. This is perhaps the most common type of conflict. Most often, this type of conflict represents a struggle between managers over limited human or financial resources, for the time to use equipment, or for the approval of a project. The purpose of this struggle is to motivate higher authorities to make decisions that are beneficial for a particular subject. In addition, the causes of interpersonal conflicts may be the opposition of the leader to the team, his inability and unwillingness to get close to informal leaders; lack of clarity and specificity in the distribution of areas of activity, rights, duties, responsibilities between subordinates and the level of remuneration. This conflict can also arise from a discrepancy between the views, goals, and values ​​of the clashing personalities.

3. Conflict between the individual and the group. It occurs when the expectations of a group of people do not coincide with the expectations of an individual who refuses to comply with generally accepted and established norms of behavior by the group, depriving himself of the opportunity to be included in it and, accordingly, to satisfy his social needs. A conflict between an individual and a group can also arise as a result of the fact that the position occupied by an individual does not coincide with the position of the group. A person who goes against the opinion of the group - no matter how close he takes the interests of his organization to his heart - becomes a source of conflict. It may also be a manager who is forced to provide the necessary productivity and follow the goals of the organization. If the disciplinary action taken by his subordinates is considered unjustified or undesirable, the group may respond to his actions with a change in attitude towards him and a possible decrease in productivity.

4. Intergroup conflict. An example of such a conflict is the conflict between formal and informal groups, when informal organizations, believing that the leader is treating them unfairly, can rally more tightly against him and reduce labor productivity. Another example of intergroup conflict is the conflict between management and a trade union. Differences in goals can also give rise to conflict between functional groups within the organization, whose autonomous actions cause mutual damage. An example would be a conflict between a customer-oriented sales department and a cost-effectiveness-oriented production department. Another example is when one division tries to increase profits by selling to external customers products that could be sold to other divisions of the organization at a lower price and satisfy their needs 6 .

The following types of organizational conflicts can be distinguished (usually, several of them are present simultaneously):

Vertical – conflict between levels of management (conflicts between subordinate and superior subjects). Problems related to goals (fuzzy or constantly changing), power, disruptions in communication, company culture, etc.

Horizontal – conflict between parts of the organization of equal status. Usually associated with the presence of different goals.

Linear-functional – conflict between line managers and specialists

Role - conflicts associated with the individual’s fulfillment of the role assigned to him.

Depending on the number of reasons, the following are distinguished: single-factor conflicts, which are based on one reason; multifactorial, arising due to two or more reasons; cumulative conflicts, when several causes are superimposed on one another, which leads to a sharp increase in the intensity of the conflict.

According to the spheres of manifestation, they distinguish: canalized conflicts, which imply a limited scope of rivalry and activity of the participants; escalating conflicts, characterized by an unlimited and expanding range of conflict interaction.

Within the framework of classifications compiled on the basis of time parameters, conflicts are divided into single, periodic and frequent, fleeting and long-term, protracted.

Depending on the forms of manifestation, a distinction is made between open conflicts with clearly expressed aggressive actions, and hidden conflicts, characterized by the absence of such actions and indirect, camouflaged confrontation.

In classifications based on such a criterion as attitude to the goals of the organization, conflicts are divided as follows: conflicts with a predominantly positive orientation (arise when the goals of the participants in the conflict coincide or are close to the goals of the organization); conflicts with a positive-negative orientation (characterized by the incompatibility of the goals of one of the parties with the goals of the organization defended by the other party); conflicts with a negative orientation (characterized by the incompatibility of the goals of both parties with the goals of the organization).

As noted earlier, depending on the consequences, conflicts can be divided into constructive (functional) and destructive (dysfunctional).

1.4 Business conflicts

Many conflicts are based on information that is acceptable to one side and unacceptable to the other. These may be incomplete and inaccurate facts, rumors that misinform communication partners; suspicions of deliberate concealment of information or its publication; doubts about the reliability and value of information sources; controversial issues of legislation, doctrines, rules of procedure, etc.

In addition, each of the parties to the conflict develops its own information model conflict situation. The features of these models are determined by the specifics of values, motives, and goals. They, in turn, depend on a person’s worldview, his education, professionalism, culture, and life experience.

In the process of communication, information transmitted by people to each other can be significantly distorted and lost. All this extremely complicates the problem of mutual understanding between people, especially in problematic situations.

Structural factors – relatively stable circumstances that exist objectively, regardless of our desire, and which are difficult or impossible to change. issues of property, social status, power and accountability, various social norms and standards, traditions, security systems, rewards and punishments, geographical location (voluntary or forced isolation or openness, intensity of contacts), distribution of resources, goods, services, income. For example, a conflict between people over low wages is caused by a lack of financial resources.

Value factors– these are those social, group or personal systems of beliefs, beliefs and behavior (preferences, aspirations, prejudices, fears), ideological, cultural, religious, ethical, political, professional values ​​and needs.

Relationship Factors associated with a feeling of satisfaction from the interaction between parties, or lack thereof. It is important to take into account the basis of the relationship (voluntary or forced), its essence (independent, dependent, interdependent), balance of power, significance for oneself and others, mutual expectations, duration of the relationship, compatibility of the parties in terms of values, behavior, personal and professional goals and personal compatibility, contribution of the parties to the relationship (hopes, money, time, emotions, energy, reputation), differences in educational level, life and professional experience.

Behavioral factors – inappropriateness, rudeness, selfishness, unpredictability and other characteristics of behavior rejected by one of the parties. They inevitably lead to conflicts if interests are infringed, self-esteem is undermined, security (physical, financial, emotional or social) is threatened, if conditions are created that cause negative emotional states. In interpersonal relationships, the most typical behavioral factors that cause conflict situations are the desire for superiority, the manifestation of aggressiveness, and the manifestation of selfishness.

An analysis of conflict situations arising in a team due to the fault of a manager or specialist shows that the vast majority of them escalate and develop into destructive forms due to miscalculations in business (professional) and interpersonal communication.

In progress business communication Various situations, including conflicts, arise between the manager and subordinates. This is due to the fact that not all employees have the same attitude towards the manager, carry out assignments and relevant tasks on time and with high quality. It is important for a leader, especially a beginner, to understand people, to know methods, techniques and ways to influence people. Moreover, the leader must be ready not only to confront non-performing, undisciplined and dishonest people, if they exist in the team, but in each specific conflict situation to quickly find the right way to overcome it.

Conflicts in the relationships of subordinate employees often worry the head of a company or department. In this situation, a showdown and long, unpleasant conversations, accompanied by considerable emotional tension, are inevitable. What about the time spent? What about the disruption to the usual rhythm of life for a number of employees? And it is still unknown whether this conflict will improve the moral situation in the team or, conversely, will leave an unhealed wound of mutual dissatisfaction

Conflict is a collision of oppositely directed, mutually incompatible tendencies in the consciousness of an individual in the interpersonal interactions of individuals or groups of people. Associated with negative emotional experiences.

In other words, a conflict is a collision of opposing goals, positions, opinions and views of opponents or subjects of interaction. The English sociologist E. Giddens gave the following definition of conflict: “By conflict I mean a real struggle between active people or groups, regardless of what the origins of this struggle are, its methods and means mobilized by each side." Conflict is a ubiquitous phenomenon. Every society, every social group, social community is to one degree or another subject to conflicts. The widespread occurrence of this phenomenon and the heightened attention to it by society and scientists contributed to the emergence of a special branch of sociological knowledge - conflictology. There are different definitions of conflict, but they all emphasize the presence of a contradiction, which takes the form of disagreements if we're talking about about human interaction. Conflicts can be hidden or overt, but they are always based on a lack of agreement. One side is trying to impose its views and prevent the other side from doing the same. Each side does everything to ensure that its point of view is accepted, which is different from the point of view and goals of the other side.

Lack of agreement is due to the presence of various opinions, views, ideas, interests, points of view, etc. However, it is not always expressed in the form of an obvious clash or conflict. This happens only when existing contradictions and disagreements disrupt the normal interaction of people and prevent the achievement of their goals. In this case, people are simply forced to somehow overcome differences and enter into open conflict interaction.

Some sociologists of Marxist and non-Marxist orientation are of the opinion that conflict is just a temporary state of society that can be overcome by rational means and, therefore, it is possible to achieve a level of social development when social conflicts will disappear.

In the minds of many people, conflicts are associated with purely negative phenomena: wars and revolutions, civil strife and scandals. Therefore, as a rule, conflict is presented as an undesirable and harmful phenomenon. In reality, this is not always the case. The consequences of conflict can be both negative and positive. To explain the functions of social conflict, one should turn, first of all, to the very concept of “function”. IN social sciences function (from Latin functio - commission, execution) means the meaning and role that a certain social institution or private social process performs in relation to the needs of the social system more high level organization or the interests of its constituent communities, social groups and individuals. In accordance with this, by the function of conflict we will understand the role that conflict plays in relation to society and its various structural formations: social groups, organizations and individuals.

There are explicit and latent (hidden) functions of conflict.

• 1. The obvious functions of the conflict are characterized by the fact that its consequences coincide with the goals that the opponents of the conflict proclaimed and pursued. For example, if the Russian government, starting military operations with Chechen bandit formations, announced their liquidation and actually achieved this. The obvious function of the conflict is also the victory of the miners in their conflict with the administration, if they pursued precisely this goal.
• 2. Hidden (latent) functions of a conflict - those when its consequences are revealed only over time and which, to a certain extent, differ from the intentions previously declared by the parties to the conflict. Latent functions can also be expressed in the fact that its consequences may generally be unexpected and not meet the goals of the parties to the conflict. Thus, none of the participants in the Chechen conflict imagined that during it oil processing plants, of which there were in the republic, would be destroyed a large number of, and as a result there will be danger environmental disaster not only in Chechnya, but also beyond its borders. The striking miners, who demanded that the government of the country in the late 80s - early 90s cancel the state order and give them the opportunity to freely dispose of profits, did a lot to reform society, but they did not even imagine that already in the late 90s years will demand the return of the government order.

Thus, both explicit and latent functions of conflict can be both negative and positive, that is, they can have a dual character.

If the function of the conflict is positive for its participants, they speak of a functional conflict, otherwise it is a dysfunctional conflict, the results of which are negative for its participants, and which they did not expect.

According to the meaning, significance and role of conflict functions, they can be divided into two groups:

• 1) constructive (positive) functions of conflict;
• 2) destructive (negative) functions of conflict.

All-constructive (as well as negative) functions of conflict, with a certain degree of convention, can be divided into:

• 1) general functions of conflict - take place on various levels social system;
• 2) functions of conflict at the personal level, which relate to the direct impact of conflict on the individual.

Common design functions of conflict

• 1. Conflict is a way of detecting and fixing contradictions and problems in a society, organization, or group. In addition, the conflict indicates that these contradictions have already reached great maturity and it is necessary to take urgent measures to eliminate them. Thus, every conflict performs an informational function, giving additional impulses to the awareness of one’s own and others’ interests in the confrontation.
• 2. Conflict is a form of resolving contradictions. Its development helps eliminate those shortcomings and miscalculations in social organization that led to the conflict.
• 3. Conflict helps to relieve social tension and eliminate stressful situation, helps to “let off steam”, defuse the situation and relieve accumulated tension.
• 4. Conflict can perform an integrative, unifying function. In the face of an external threat, the group uses all its resources to unite and confront the external enemy. In addition, the very task of solving problems that have arisen brings people together. In search of a way out of the conflict, mutual understanding and a sense of involvement in the solution are developed common task. conflict stressful contradiction
• 5. Resolution of the conflict leads to stabilization of the social system, because in this case the sources of dissatisfaction are eliminated. The parties to the conflict, taught by “bitter experience,” will in the future be more inclined to cooperate than to conflict. In addition, conflict resolution can prevent more serious conflicts that might have occurred if the conflict had not occurred.
• 6. Conflict intensifies and stimulates group creativity, promotes the mobilization of energy to solve the problems facing the subjects. In the process of searching for ways to resolve the conflict, analysis is intensified difficult situations, new approaches, ideas are being developed, innovative technologies etc.
• 7. Conflict can serve as a means of clarifying the balance of power of social groups or communities and thereby can warn against subsequent more destructive conflicts.
• 8. Conflict can serve as a means for the emergence of new norms of communication between people or help fill old norms with new content.

Constructive functions of conflict at the personal level

Here the conflict also influences the individual characteristics of the individual.

• 1. Conflict can perform a cognitive function in relation to the people who take part in it. It is in difficult critical situations that the true character, values ​​and motives of people’s behavior are revealed; It’s no coincidence that they say “a friend is a friend in need.” The ability to diagnose the enemy’s strength is also related to the cognitive function.
• 2. Conflict can promote self-discovery and adequate self-esteem personality. It can help you correctly assess your strengths and abilities and identify new, previously unknown aspects of a person’s character. It can also strengthen character and contribute to the emergence of new qualities, such as a sense of pride, dignity, etc.
• 3. Conflict can help get rid of undesirable character traits, for example, feelings of inferiority, humility, servility, etc.
• 4. Conflict is the most important factor in a person’s socialization and development as an individual. In a conflict, an individual in a relatively short period of time can gain as much life experience as he may never receive outside of the conflict.
• 5. Conflict is a significant factor in a person’s adaptation in a group, since it is in conflict that people reveal themselves to the greatest extent and one can say with confidence who is who. And then the personality is either accepted by the group members, or, on the contrary, rejected by them. In the latter case, of course, no adaptation occurs.
• 6. Conflict can help relieve mental tension in a group and relieve stress for its participants if the conflict is resolved positively for the person. Otherwise, this internal tension may even intensify.
• 7. Conflict can serve as a means of satisfying not only primary, but also secondary needs of an individual, a way of self-realization and self-affirmation.

General destructive functions of conflict

They manifest themselves at various levels of the social system and are expressed in the following consequences.

• 1. The conflict may be associated with violent methods of its resolution, which may result in great human casualties and material losses. In addition to the parties involved in a military conflict, civilians may also suffer.
• 2. Conflict can lead the opposing parties (society, social group, individual) into a state of destabilization and disorganization.
• 3. Conflict can lead to a slowdown in the pace of social, economic, political and spiritual development of society. Moreover, it can cause stagnation and a crisis of social development, the emergence of dictatorial and totalitarian regimes.
• 4. Conflict can contribute to the disintegration of society, the destruction of social communications and sociocultural alienation of social entities within the social system.
• 5. The conflict may be accompanied by an increase in pessimism in society and a decline in morals.
• 6. Conflict can lead to new, more destructive conflicts.
• 7. Conflict in organizations often leads to a decrease in the level of organization of the system, a decrease in discipline and efficiency.

Destructive functions of conflict at the personal level.

They are expressed in the following consequences.

• 1. Conflict can have an impact negative impact on the socio-psychological climate in the group; In particular, negative mental states such as feelings of depression, pessimism and anxiety may appear, leading the individual to a state of stress.
• 2. Conflict can lead to disappointment in one’s capabilities and abilities, and to de-identification of the individual.
• 3. Conflict can cause feelings of self-doubt, loss of previous motivation and destruction of existing ones. value orientations and patterns of behavior. In the worst case, the conflict may result in disappointment and loss of faith in previous ideals. And this can have very serious consequences - deviant behavior and, as an extreme case, suicide. There is no doubt about the close relationship in our society in the 90s of such phenomena as the increase in the number of social conflicts, deviant behavior and suicide. In terms of suicide, in particular, our country today ranks among the first in the world.
• 4. Conflict can lead to a person’s negative assessment of his partners in joint activities, disappointment in his colleagues and recent friends.
• 5. As a reaction to a conflict, a person can “turn on” defense mechanisms, while demonstrating types of behavior that are negative for communication, such as:
  • a) retreat - silence, lack of enthusiasm, isolation of the individual in the group;
  • b) frightening information - criticism, curses, demonstration of superiority over other members of the group;
  • c) strict formalism - formal politeness, literalism, establishment of strict norms and principles of behavior in a group, monitoring others;
  • d) turning the matter into a joke. This principle is in many ways the opposite of the previous one;
  • e) conversations on unrelated topics instead of business-like discussion of problems;
  • f) constant search for those to blame, self-flagellation or blaming team members for all troubles.

Let's look at the main types:

• 1. A true conflict arises in real time and is rationally, without exaggeration, perceived by the parties (for example, a wife wants to use a free room in the apartment for handicrafts, and her husband seeks to turn this room into a personal office, the couple enters into a true conflict situation).
• 2. Symbolic. The circumstances in this conflict are very easy to change. But, often, opponents do not consider it necessary to realize this (a disagreement that has arisen between spouses turns into symbolic when the couple does not see that they can get rid of the problem by taking another room).
• 3. Shifted. Its basis may be a conflict that is unconsciously hidden. An emerging misunderstanding between spouses turns into a shifted conflict if they do not at all strive to refurbish the room in their personal office, and the resulting clash manifests itself in some other, more serious, sometimes even unconscious conflict (resentment of one of the partners, as a result of which, he is trying to “annoy” the other with his actions).
• 4. Incorrectly assigned. Arises due to misinterpreted problems (the child is scolded for what he did while following the instructions of his parents).
• 5. Latent. A disagreement that could have happened, but did not happen, because for certain reasons it was not realized by the parties.
• 6. False. There are no objective grounds for misunderstanding. The conflict situation exists due to erroneous understanding.

Social conflicts and their classification

• 1. Individual conflict arises at the level of individual consciousness when there is excessive dependence or tension.
• 2. Interpersonal disagreement arises as a result of the interaction of individuals from different social groups, social interests, and goals that do not coincide.
• 3. Conflict between groups. Individual representatives of such groups participate in the conflict only because of their membership in one group or another.

Interpersonal conflicts and their classification

• 1. By sphere of existence: family, property, business and others.
• 2. According to functional consequences and effect: constructive and destructive.
• 3. According to the criterion of truth and reality: genuine, accidental, false, incorrectly attributed, biased, latent.

Classification of family conflicts

• 1. Conflict situations most often arise in the family and the following types are distinguished.
• 2. Marital conflicts can arise as a result of incompatibility of a psychosexual nature, an insufficient amount of positive emotions (lack of affection, compliments from a partner), excessive satisfaction of personal needs (material waste exclusively on oneself, drugs, alcohol, etc.)
• 3. Conflict between children and parents arises due to costs in children's education, age crisis in the baby.
• 4. The cause of conflicts among relatives is their authoritarian interference.
• 5. A positional conflict occurs when there is a struggle for leadership, when one of the family members does not feel his importance in the family.

leader communicative culture conflict

Let us analyze in more detail the following conflict situation that arose between a site foreman and an electrician at OJSC RUSAL Novokuznetsk.

The conflict situation described below occurred on May 20, 2008, on the day the management of OJSC RUSAL Novokuznetsk inspected the foil production site and the workers of this site passed a safety exam.

The day before, the head of the foil production site, Sobalev, holds a meeting, which is attended by the craftsmen of this site. At the meeting, issues related to the arrival of new equipment, the introduction of technologies to improve manufactured products, and much more were discussed.

At the end of his speech, Sobalev said that tomorrow (May 20) there will be an inspection by the management of our site and, accordingly, of the new equipment. Therefore, tomorrow it is necessary for each of you to give instructions on the new equipment to your team and take a safety exam from them. Sobalev also instructs foreman Andreev to warn all the workers so that they are all there in the morning, regardless of who is from lunch. Next, the leader wished everyone good luck and Have a good day, and with that the meeting ended, and the masters went to their workplaces. And then the whole day Andreev was busy checking the condition of the equipment and completely forgot about the manager’s instructions, and that the electrician Fedorov from his team would be there tomorrow not in the morning, but in the afternoon, since Fedorov asked him off work and wrote a statement that Andreev must was to be given to Sobalev. Andreev also forgot about the statement.

The next day (May 20), when the management had already visited and made appropriate comments to the manager about the work of the site itself and the absence of workers, Fedorov came at lunchtime and began, as usual, with a positive attitude and good mood to carry out their immediate work.

Then Sobalev burst into his room and started shouting at him: “Where have you been? What kind of adventure is this, when I want then I come! Who do you think you are?! Sir what! To ignore my orders and instructions and not show up for work on time! The explanatory note is on the table and immediately march to take the exam. If this happens again, you’ll leave work!” The perplexed Fedorov tried to explain to the angry manager that he was not guilty of anything and that he knew nothing, and that he asked the foreman for leave and wrote a statement, but Sobalev did not even want to listen to him. And finally he just said: “You won’t see a prize!”

After the conversation with Sobalev, Fedorov was not himself for the rest of the day, and the next day he went on sick leave.

To analyze this conflict situation, it is necessary to first identify the parties to the confrontation: the first is the head of the foil production site, the second is the electrician of the foil production site, the initiator is the foreman of the same site.

The source of the contradiction in this case was poor and unsatisfactory communication and lack of feedback.

To find solutions, we need to analyze this conflict situation step by step.

First, it is necessary to identify the participants in the conflict and give them characteristics.

1. The head of the foil production site - Sobalev - is a very quick-tempered, harsh, authoritarian person with changing moods, accustomed to giving orders and demanding their unquestioning execution. Does not tolerate objections. If this happens, it quickly “explodes” and is difficult to stop. He loves to argue and will stand his ground even if he is wrong.

2. Electrician of the foil production site - Fedorov - a very responsible worker, copes well with his duties and does the job efficiently, loves everything to be done as it should. He is a very kind person and communicates well with people. In conflict situations, he gets lost and does not know what is best to do and, as a result, often experiences stress. Basically he makes concessions.

3. Site foreman - Andreev is an absent-minded person who cannot be relied upon. He takes on several things at the same time and rarely finishes them. Likes to find fault, conflict worker. When a conflict arises with colleagues and management, he tries to impose his opinion and acts in a way that is beneficial to him.

The object of the conflict is the manager’s unfulfilled order by the foreman. The subject is a disagreement that arose between the manager and the electrician due to the fact that the electrician was absent from the workplace in the morning when the management was checking the work of the site. In other words, the manager perceived the situation as ignoring the execution of the order, the electrician - as the impossible execution of the order due to his lack of awareness of this order.

So, we have come to the culmination of the conflict situation - the incident. This external stimulus caused by the actions or set of actions of a participant (participants) in a conflict situation. They pose a threat to one of the parties, infringe on its interests, and become a reason to initiate retaliatory actions. Such a clash was observed during the censure of an electrician, where baseless accusations were made that he was careless, irresponsible and a person without conscience.

The post-conflict period in this situation was observed only in one of the opponents - the electrician. Fedorov is stressed, he worries about what happened, comprehends his behavior and cannot understand what he did wrong (wrote a statement, received permission from the foreman to come to work at lunch, does the work carefully), that the manager was so angry with him and such spoke words to him. His performance decreases and, as a result, he goes on sick leave. The negative attitude formed in the electrician during an undeserved accusation or rude attitude towards him may persist for a certain time, and Fedorov will involuntarily experience antipathy towards his supervisor and involuntarily express a negative opinion about him.

Next, we need to consider the steps that the conflicting parties took to overcome the conflict. In this clash, the head of the foil production site immediately went into open confrontation, the electrician tried to soften the conflict, figure out what he was accused of, but Sobalev was not focused on the “cooperation” strategy, since he did not look at the problem objectively, and was disrespectful to Fedorov , addressed him as “You,” shouted.

Since the goal of my course project is to develop a mechanism for ensuring the leader’s behavior in accordance with the peculiarities of management activities using the example of the above conflict situation, then first I need to clearly define its immediate causes.

Let's reverse Special attention at the predisposing stage of conflict awareness and the “mistake” stage. In this conflict collision, which was of a rough nature, which is characterized as incorrectly attributed, absolutely random from the point of view of an electrician, the stage of the incident comes to the fore rather than the awareness of the contradictions. The stage of conflict awareness is characterized by the fact that the conflicting parties begin to realize a conflict of interests. And the conflict becomes more complex if the algorithm begins to change, and it becomes much more difficult to manage. The conflict-reaction arises due to the inspection by the management of the foil production site and the receipt of a reprimand to the head of this site for the absence of workers at their workplace. In our case, a site electrician who came to work at lunchtime and received a proper reprimand from the supervisor full program. This circumstance was a catalyst, that is, it revealed a number of reasons for the collision:

1) not an established feedback system - the possession of false information by the head of the foil production site, who was confident that the foreman of the foil production site Andreev conveyed information to the electrician Fedorov that in the morning there would be an inspection by the authorities and that he needed to listen to instructions on the new equipment and pass it exam. The interests of the manager and his order were not satisfied, and any manager strives to create discipline in the enterprise and, in connection with this, demands strict fulfillment of the tasks assigned to them. This implies an explosion of emotions, the expression of which was the very conflict situation that occurred at the electrician’s workplace.

2) The conflict was fueled by unsatisfactory communications, since the lack of unity of command and an accurate interaction scheme led to a decrease in the effectiveness of teamwork.

3) The incompetence of the foil production site foreman Andreev and underestimation of the importance of the information that he should have communicated to the electrician Fedorov.

4) Low communication culture of the leader, his personal component. The leader, one of the participants in the conflict, is characterized by hot temper, rashness of actions, activity, expressiveness and aggression.

Andreev bore great responsibility for the conflict situation, since he was its initiator. Andreev did not have the courage to admit his mistake, explain to the manager that he was to blame for what happened and apologize to Fedorov.

At the end of the conflict, the contradiction underlying it was not resolved. There was a fading of the conflict, that is, a temporary cessation of opposition while maintaining the main signs of the conflict: contradictions and tense relations. The conflict has moved from an “overt” form to a hidden one. The fading of the conflict occurred as a result of: loss of motivation for confrontation (the object of the conflict has lost its relevance) and reorientation of the motive, switching to urgent, doable things.

The manager's mistake is unwillingness once again talk to your subordinates and find out all the reasons for the misunderstanding. To resolve this conflict, it was necessary to discuss it jointly with the head of the foil production site, the foreman of the foil production site and the electrician of the same site. If the problem was ignored, this conflict situation had a very real chance of acquiring elements of destructiveness and pointlessness. In other words, the accumulation of negative emotions, grievances, hostility, the emergence of a feeling of mutual irritability and intolerance in the relationship between the manager and the electrician could lead to an escalation of the conflict. Failure to clarify the circumstances of the conflict situation by the site manager Sobalev can be regarded as an avoidance of official responsibility, which ultimately leads to the loss of actual leadership of public opinion in the team.

It follows that conflict management is one of the most complex types of management activities. As part of this activity, many tense situations constantly arise related to the fate of colleagues and subordinates. Among them there are many that are accompanied severe stress and even panicky moods. In our conflict situation, Fedorov experiences stress and even, to some extent, a predominance of panic. Stress can temporarily paralyze the process of developing and making a decision, therefore, along with using a scientific approach to the matter, great importance has not only the professional qualifications of a leader, but also his mental stability and level of communicative culture. Thus, when managing conflicts, a significant role is played by the personality of the leader himself who took up the solution to a particular problem.

So, we analyzed the conflict situation, identifying structural elements and clearly describing the causes of the conflict. The next chapter will give a number of recommendations for developing a leader’s communication culture.

But first, before giving appropriate recommendations, I would like to note that the company OJSC RUSAL Novokuznetsk is a very large enterprise and has many sections and divisions, and conflicts often arise between section managers and subordinates, as well as between clients. Therefore, it is advisable, using the observation method, to analyze the personal and behavioral characteristics of each site manager and identify their tendency to create conflict situations and, based on the data, give general recommendations, which will minimize conflicts in the company OJSC RUSAL Novokuznetsk.

The observation method was used for analysis [see Appendix A], with the help of which you can get opinions about each respondent, his personal and behavioral characteristics. In our case, we chose the method of participant observation, since the researcher is an employee of this organization and a work colleague of the subjects. 15 heads of sites and divisions were interviewed.

The results of this observation are presented below.

Table 1 - Observation results

These observations indicate that 6 people in the group are prone to creating conflict situations: 2 of them are distinguished by harshness, assertiveness in communication, at the same time they are sociable, although they can often create conflict situations; 2 out of 6 people prone to conflicts are also sociable people, but at the same time they are cheeky, verbose, make inappropriate jokes - they are unpleasant in communication, which is the reason they create conflict situations; and two people in a conflict group are characterized by unsociability, secrecy, and stubbornness.

Let's draw up a diagram that clearly reflects the types of leaders in a conflict group:

Rice. 1

Next, we will characterize the group of managers of the company's sections who do not lead problematic situations to conflict, this group includes 9 people, among them there are 4 people who are distinguished by a cheerful disposition, talkativeness, good nature, and openness; 3 people are calm, balanced, and friendly; 2 people are shy, insecure, eager to please everyone.

Let’s draw up a diagram that clearly reflects the types of leaders who do not lead problematic situations to conflict:

Rice. 2

Thus, the observation results indicate that in the group of surveyed site managers, 40% of them are capable of creating conflict situations and 60% of managers do not bring problematic situations to conflict.

Let's make a general diagram for the group.

Rice. 3

So, based on the data obtained during observation and analysis of the conflict situation in the company OJSC RUSAL Novokuznetsk, it is now possible to give appropriate recommendations to managers on how they should behave in situations of conflict interaction.

To get to the origins, you need to swim against the current.

Stanislav Jerzy Lec

In order to describe a conflict as a process, it is necessary to find out what changes in people’s activities when it becomes conflicting in nature, and how these changes occur.

From the moment when an action encounters an obstacle and its implementation becomes impossible without overcoming this obstacle, i.e. from that moment, which is usually called a collision, the action loses its autonomy and becomes dependent on another action, which actually constitutes an obstacle. This circumstance sets new procedural characteristics of activity. It becomes more complex in structure, since simultaneously with the inertia of the direction that preceded the collision, a transformation associated with interference and the appearance of dependence begins to operate. Signs of changes are quite clearly identified in the self-report of one of the participants in the conflict competence training program.

I am leading a meeting, setting a new task for the team for the upcoming event. Now I’m in a monologue and I’m trying to present the text in detail and at the same time in such a way that it contains “challenges” to the employees, because I understand that without personal assignment of the task, the team’s work in this event will be ineffective. All the participants seem to be listening to me attentively and even making notes in those places that I consider the most significant.

But now I see that something happened between E. and N., sitting at the opposite end of the common meeting table. They are starting to quietly but animatedly talk about something, and these negotiations are clearly not related to the content of my message. The conversation between them becomes increasingly tense. I understand that now this small incident will destroy the process that is currently developing as it should.

I find myself pronouncing the text almost automatically and have almost no control over what I say. We'll have to leave the main message and work on resolving their relationship and getting back to working together.

I feel irritated and annoyed with the employees and at the same time feverishly figure out how to manage to “include” what is happening in the context of my message in order to preserve the general logic of work for others.

So, there is a transition from pre-conflict organization of action to conflict, i.e. caused by the interference that has arisen. Such reorganization presupposes another process - the objectification of new conditions and the actual obstacles to overcome it.

It's important for me to understand what happened on the opposite side of the meeting table. This is important because otherwise it is unlikely that it will be possible to effectively restore the wonderful atmosphere of mutual attention that has now been disrupted.

This means that, along with the suspension of pre-conflict activities, new activity on the design of a new subject of transformation.

This circumstance is extremely important when analyzing conflicts, since the separation of the pre-conflict focus of activity and the new one that has emerged also implies the involvement of other resources that are also new for the given situation. And this, in turn, means that it is possible to record another procedural characteristic of the conflict - the attraction of new resources. This process can be an inventory of existing resources and a choice among them (stereotypical reactive behavior can also be included here), or a transition to the development, creation of a truly new resource, one that has not been experienced before. In this case, we can, under certain conditions, talk about development.

Barkowski Christina group 7300

Conflictology

Description and analysis of a specific conflict situation

Plan:

Brief summary of the conflict situation

Analysis of a conflict situation

Conflict classification

Structure of the conflict

Dynamics of conflict

(The conflict is taken from personal experience.)

Brief description of the conflict.

It was morning. A young girl, Yulia, was driving her son to kindergarten. The car was a Honda Civic, right-hand drive. Son Vladik was sitting behind his mother in a special chair. There was an uncontrolled intersection on the road (no traffic lights, no traffic controllers).

Yulia was driving along a secondary road. A taxi driver was driving along the main road. He signaled a right turn. Yulia had to turn left, seeing the taxi driver’s signal, she calmly went left, knowing that there was no one in her way.

But the taxi driver gave a false signal and still drove straight, and thus crashed into the right side of Yulina’s car. On this side sat a girl and her child. Vladik began to cry. Julia was very worried about her son. People around immediately called an ambulance. Julia called the traffic police. At this time, the taxi driver was in no hurry to get out of the car, somehow help and understand the situation. Yulia and the child were not injured because the speed was not high. The taxi driver got out of the car and started cursing. Julia became hysterical from the incident. Most of all, she worried about her son, about his psychological and physical condition.

The traffic cops have arrived. They immediately recognized the taxi driver and explained that this taxi driver had not slept for two days, he was constantly working, of course, not because of a good life. They also explained that according to the rules traffic, Yulia had to give way to the taxi driver because she was driving on a secondary road, and the taxi driver was driving on the main one. They also explained that people usually don’t do this, i.e. are not inferior to those driving on a secondary road. The traffic police said that the taxi driver gave a false signal and he was to blame, but this cannot be proven because there were no video recorders, witnesses, etc. Therefore, according to the law, Yulia is to blame for not giving way.

The traffic cops sympathized with Yulia and expressed their dissatisfaction with the taxi driver. The case did not go to trial. Therefore, insurance will not cover car repairs.

As a result, the taxi driver and Yulia agreed and parted ways “amicably”, i.e. Everyone pays for their own repairs, and no one owes anyone anything. Negotiations were conducted with the help of the traffic police.

Analysis of a conflict situation.

Conflict classification:

A) By composition of subjects:

Interpersonal

B) Based on the results of the conflict:

Destructive

B) On the subject of the conflict:

Realistic

D) By scope:

Legal (travel)

D) According to the degree of normativity:

Partially institutionalized

E) By number of sides

Bilateral

G) By dynamics:

Stormy and fast-paced

H) By direction:

Horizontal

I) By the nature of the reasons:

Objective

K) By scale:

Local

K) According to the psychological state of the parties:

emotional

Structure of the conflict:

A) The main parties to the conflict:

• Traffic police (mediator)

B) Subject of the conflict:

Who is to blame for the accident

C) Object of conflict:

Who should pay for car repairs?

D) Motives of the parties:

The taxi driver understands that he is to blame, that he was careless and gave a false signal, but he is not going to pay. Yulia believes that the taxi driver gave a false signal and that he is entirely to blame for the accident.

D) Initiator:

Dynamics of the conflict:

A) Open conflict

Yulia and the taxi driver understand that a conflict has arisen - an accident

B) Incident:

When the taxi driver crashed into Julia's car

B) Escalation:

Hysteria, swearing

D) Balanced interaction:

Negotiations with a mediator (traffic police)

D) Ending the conflict:

The parties agreed with the help of a mediator that no one owed anyone anything. Reconciliation through negotiations.

Behavior style in conflict:

Compromise

Yulia and the taxi driver agreed that no one would pay for someone else’s repairs, but each would only pay for their own. I think it was a good solution to the situation.

The conflict was resolved through negotiations with the help of a mediator (SAI). The conflict could have been resolved in favor of Julia because she is the injured person, and the taxi driver understands that he is to blame, he gave a false signal, he could pay for at least part of the repairs, some kind of compensation. Then Yulia wouldn’t have had a bad feeling after the accident, and she wouldn’t have had to look for such a large sum. It would also be possible to go to court and prove there that Yulia is not guilty (if she found witnesses), then she would not have to pay for repairs, but this would waste a lot of nerves and time.