Conflicts arise when individuals differ or hold opposing viewpoints on a particular issue. Destructive disagreement in work impedes work productivity since employees hesitate to communicate with one other or do not engage in polite discussions. Destructive confrontation amongst two individuals can undermine a whole department’s attitude, lowering production and effectiveness. Constructive friction accepts opposing perspectives and worldviews to advance the firm closer to its objectives and purpose (Leonard, 2020). This form of confrontation boosts rather than hinders performance. I have experienced constructive conflicts in the workplace where we held a creative conflict. This was a brainstorming meeting in the organization where we contributed our ideas to promote the organization’s productivity. On the other hand, I have experienced a destructive conflict where some organization members discriminated against and harassed others based on their position. This created conflicts amongst the individuals lowering discriminated person’s capability to perform their best.
In the constructive conflict, the organization manager held a meeting in which every member was to contribute their ideas to promote the organization’s productivity. The meeting was held as a result of increased losses in the sales for the last two weeks. The manager encouraged every member of the organization to give their ideas to improve its sales margin. This was a constructive conflict since it focused on increasing the company’s effectiveness and productivity. On the other hand of destructive conflicts, it was noted that the persons who held higher positions in the organizations were discriminating and harassing those employees in lower classes. They were not allocating resources to them, and if they did, they asked for money from them. This conflict was destructive since it reduced the morale of the harassed employees hence lowering the effectiveness and productivity of the organization.
According to the author, constructive conflict accepts opposing viewpoints and worldviews to advance the firm closer to its objectives and purpose (Wolfe, 2021). Based on this definition, it is a conflict since many individuals have different conflicting ideas but all aims to achieve a common goal. However, this didn’t differ from my understanding of the conflict since I understood that there must be two or more disagreeing parties in a conflict. Recognizing conflicting demands and being prepared to investigate them with empathy and acceptance help a person to create an innovative problem solution, team bonding, and healthier partnerships. Also, understanding the nature of the conflict can assist a person’s productivity in their workplace since they become knowledgeable on how to handle the conflicts.
References
Kimberlee Leonard. (2020). Differences between destructive & constructive conflict. Small Business – Chron.com. https://smallbusiness.chron.com/differences-between-destructive-constructive-conflict-1202.html
Darrah Wolfe. (2021, May 6). How to embrace constructive conflict | BetterUp. BetterUp: The People Experience Platform. https://www.betterup.com/blog/how-to-embrace-constructive-conflict
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