Workplace Conflict
Conflict management at Jackson Research is ambiguous at best. While at first glance most of these conflicts seem to be constructive, they seldom end up that way. In fact, Jackson seems to thrive on the use of the destructive type of conflict. It soon becomes a battlefield of highly paid egos that are desperate to prove they’re right. An outsider looking in would be sickened.
These are primarily intergroup conflicts that quickly escalate to destructive. This type of conflict becomes personalized throughout the team. Emotions tend to run high and this causes people to become resentful and defensive resulting in interpersonal conflicts. Consequently, the members feel vulnerable and a lack of trust quickly follows. In addition, all involved become preoccupied with power struggles and threats instead of focusing on the task at hand (Esquivel & Kleiner, 1997, p. 89).
The signs of dysfunctional conflict quickly become evident. The lack of agreement within the team causes negativism and eventually destroys morale. Not only does this impact the individuals but also the group as a whole. Next, individuals begin to set up barriers and are less likely to compromise. This splits the team into factions and a ‘turf’ conscious environment is created. The energy of the team is also diverted away from the solution. The result is an obvious decrease in productivity with no clear decision or direction created (Capozzoli, 1995, p. 3). And that is the general story at Jackson.
There are however, certain areas or even groups of people that work together very well. So well, in fact, that they seem to work for a different company at times. Within their small clique they act as a well-oiled machine, at times not even having to communicate verbally to get the j ...