CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Conflict in the workplace is inevitable, this is because people with differing ideas, values, perspectives, styles of solving organizational problems, agendas, attitude, objectives and goals, philosophy, interest, needs etc must interact to ensure that organizational goals are realized, into individual, inter personal and inter groap conflict all takes place within organizations. Conflicts have sent many organizations to their untimely doom like social interaction, interactive behavior can occur at the individual, personal group or organizational levels and it frequently results in conflict at each of these levels in an organization. There is no organization that can effectively carry out its day to day activities without encountering some form of conflict. Therefore, conflict is the commonest, general and wide- spread phenomenon that is synonymous with group activity and interaction. According to Uya (1992), conflict cannot be completely dissociated from human beings and their endeavors, be it group or organization. This means that conflict is a “necessary evil” that one cannot do without.
Therefore, conflict refers to a situation in which there are incompatible goals, cognition or emotion within or between individuals or groups that led to opposition .This definition recognizes three basic types of conflict which are goal conflict which arises when the desired outcomes are incompatible between groups, cognitive and affective conflict. Cognitive conflict arises as a result of incompatibility of ideas, affective conflict on the order hand usually arise when there is an incompatibility in emotions. Conflict can also arise when two or more values, perspective and opinions are contradictory in nature and have not been agreed upon. Conflict has negative effect on organization that is why there is a need for effective conflict resolution in an organization.
Conflict resolution therefore is a process of managing a conflict and negotiating a solution. It is best understood as a working model with two key elements, conflict management and negotiation. Conflict management is a communication process for changing the negative emotional states that will allow working out a solution to the conflict. It also refers to an attempt to control or regulate conflict through a number of measures constructively , managed conflict induces a positive performance while poorly managed conflict heats up the environment to bring about dislocation of the entire group and polarization, reduced productivity on job performance, physical and psychological injury, emotional distress and inability to concentrate on duty, interference with problem activities escalation differences into antagonist position and malice and increase hostility. (Akanji 2005). Then negotiation is a communication process for enabling disputing parties to achieve an out come with respect to their differences. Conflict management is then directed towards settlement and negotiation is directed towards achieving the more difficult outcome, resolution.
Through an effective conflict resolution, a cooperative atmosphere is created to promote opportunities and movements are directed towards non violent, reconciliation or basic clashing interest (Uchendy Anijaobi and odigwe,2013).
Therefore, with particular reference to Idemili South Local Government Areas, this conflict is day to day occurance in an organization. It is obvious that conflict is inherent in every organization irrespective of size, mission or age.
To this end, organizations are perceived to always assume that conflict necessarily damage the relationship that exist within the work places. It is based on this that a research study on conflict resolution and organizational efficiency became a subject of interest.
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS
This study aims to lack at conflicts that exist in the Idemili south local government, Anambra state and also suggest how to increase Idemili south local government area way of discharging their services effectively and efficiently through the resolutions of the conflicts.
Conflicts are the graveyard of an organization. It then follows that any organization that toys with its conflicts resolutions or how to bring harmonic atmosphere among it’s human element is doomed to have an organizational chaos, anarchy and lawlessness which will untimely end the organisation in its grave. Therefore the need to have proper conflict resolution and tranquility in a orgainzation cannot be over emphaized. Regrettably, most organizations have neglected this thereby resulting in poor performance in the organizations. For an organisation to run out of such problem and the like of chaos, anarchy, lawlessness etc. Conflicts needs to monitored and controlled from the point of it’s development to the point of it’s resolution.
It is a common knowledge that conflict results into stress and stress consequently has negative consequences in the organizational parlance, which might manifest as boredom, tension, withdrawal and communication breakdown. At times these may not be noticed and will instead the organisaiton to trust and believe that “all that glitters is gold”. Hence will put all it’s egg in a basket because the needed information in the current trend and direction of activities is lacked. In all these will result in lunge revenue losses to the organization.
This research on conflict resolution and organizational efficiency in Anambra state with particular reference to Idemili south local government has raised some questions among experts and professionals, which this study has attempted to address. These include:
A Can organizational conflicts in organisation be minimized and/or entirely criminated?
- Can organization exist without conflict?
- Is conflict beneficial or detrimental to organizational goal?
- Is efficiency dependent on peaceful co-existence and interaction among workers?
- How can organizational efficiency be increased by resolving conflicts?
These questions form the basis of investigation, which this study is designed to accomplish.
1.3 Research Questions
The following are the research questions
- Does conflict exist in Idemili south local government, Anambra state?
- What are the consequences of conflict in the Idemili south Local Government Area?
- Can organization efficiency be increased through resolving conflict?
1.4 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The aim of every banking firm such as Idemili South Local Government Area is to be efficient in the discharge of its service. It is through effective and efficient conflict resolution that can be achieved (conflict resolution is one but not the only way of achieving organizational goals).
Conflict should be monitored to ensure that it does not escalate into group involvement as to warrant the setting up of statutory machinery for its resolution. Therefore it should be treated when it is within the reach and control of the organization. The overall purpose of conflict resolution will be to ensure that there is efficiency in running of the affairs of the organization.
The main purposes of this study are as follows;
- To find out whether conflict exist in Idemili South Local Government Area.
- To find out the consequences of conflict in Idemili South Local Government Area.
- To identify how organizational efficiency can be increased through resolving conflict.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This significance of this study is grouped into Empirical and throretical
Empirically: This research will be useful tgo Anambra state government to know the causes of conflict in organizations and the need to provide adequate resources to the organizations in order to minimize the rate of conflicts in the organizations. It will also be useful to the staff of Idemili South Local Government Area in identifying some salient causes of conflict and the ways to manage the situation judiciously.
Theoretically: To the reader, they will be upgraded intellectually and also will be highly informed of the up and doings of the Idemili South Local Government Area on conflict resolution through organisation efficiency. This study will also serve as a body reserved knowledge to be referred to by other researchers who may want to pick an interest in their area of study (that is a reference material to other researchers).
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope and range of this study would have been wide enough to encompass grossly Anambra state generally and Idemili South Local Government Area in particular and the subject matter conflict Resolution and Organizational Efficiency. This study will be focuses on Conflict resolution and organizational efficiency.
1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
In the course of writing and carrying out this project work, the research encountered many difficulties; some errors in the results of the research and from external sources of data collection. These are factors standing as constraints thereby limiting the effect of the research result.
Among these are, time finance , scope and use of wrong statistics in data analysis, due to time limit, the research work is a time consuming one.
Most times the behaviour of the staff changes even when they are aware that they are being observed by the researcher. The researcher also observed that the staff sometime give false to cover their secretariat
1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS
There are some terms which their explanations according to the context of their usage in this study will help enhance the understanding of this research. They are follows.
ORGANIZATION: An organization is a structured framework of duties and responsibilities required of personned in performing various functions with view to achieve the organizational goals.
CONFLICT: Conflict is the condition of objective incompatibility between values or goals; as the behaviour is deliberately interfering with another’s goal achievement and emotionally, in terms of hostility.
INTRA INDIVIDUAL CONFLICT: This is the type of conflict, which can arise when personal and organizational goals are incompatible and each cannot be used to achieve the other.
INTRA GROUP CONFLICT: This is the conflict that occurs when a group is interacting with another group.
EFFICIENCY: Efficiency is used is terms of input, output and organizational objective to mean achievement of objectives at a minimum cost
1.9 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY
This research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows. Chapter one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (background of the study), statement of the problem, objectives of the study, research questions, research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope of the study etc. Chapter two being the review of the related literature presents the theoretical framework, conceptual framework and other areas concerning the subject matter. Chapter three is a research methodology covers deals on the research design and methods adopted in the study. Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding. Chapter five gives summary, conclusion, and recommendations.
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