Organizational Change and Conflict

Most people experience distress from conflicts which fall into three categories: Intrapersonal (me-me), interpersonal (me-you) and personal-functional (me-job). Any one of these types of conflicts can cause energy drain.

To recharge one’s emotional battery after dealing with a conflict or stressful situation, different activities are successful depending upon the behavioral style of the person.

When people are asked what they do to unwind or recharge their energy, they usually know what they do, but many times they may not understand why some activities work better than others.

Research indicates that stress is one of the most overlooked, misunderstood part of what is causing health care costs to escalate at an alarming rate. Research by Dr. Robert Golembiewski of the University of Georgia found that 20% of 23,666 North American workers were experiencing alarmingly high levels of distress based on a questionnaire he developed.

Golembiewski says the key to survival for de-energized people is “learning what you can and can’t control and what your main stressors are.”

As time pressures increase and the rate of change continues to escalate, the ability of human beings to cope will be a critical skill for survival throughout the world.

One problem that often occurs during a change effort in an organization is intergroup conflict. A total organization is really a composite of its various working units or groups.

The important thing for organizational accomplishment is that these groups either perceive their goals as being the same as the goals of the organization, or they see their own goals being satisfied as a direct result of working for the goals of the organization.

On occasion groups or parts of an organization come into conflict. The atmosphere between groups can affect the total productivity of the organization.

The mark of a superior person is what is called “tolerance for ambiguity.” This simple means that you have the capacity to deal effectively with a rapid changing situation.

The higher up you go, the greater your income and responsibilities, the higher your status and position, the faster the rate of change will be around you. At every stage, it will be your ability to function with calmness, clarity and quiet assurance that will mark you as the kind of person who is going places in life.

In the final analysis, ones ability to perform effectively in a world of ongoing change is the true measure of how well developed a person they are. The keys are to accept change, to adjust to change, to improve upon change and then to move on to the next situation.