Fundamentals of Management, 8th ed

Chapter 13: Managing Work Groups and Teams

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As long as conflict is handled in a cordial and constructive manner, it is probably

serving a useful purpose in the organization. On the other hand, when working relation-

ships are disrupted and the conflict has reached destructive levels, it has likely become

dysfunctional and needs to be addressed.

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We discuss ways of dealing with such conflict

later in this chapter.

Figure 13.5 depicts the general relationship between conflict and performance for a

group or an organization. If there is absolutely no conflict in the group or organization,

its members may become complacent and apathetic. As a result, group or organizational

performance and innovation may begin to suffer. A moderate level of conflict among

group or organizational members, on the other hand, can spark motivation, creativity,

innovation, and initiative and raise performance. Too much conflict, though, can pro-

duce such undesirable results as hostility and lack of cooperation, which lower perfor-

mance. The key for managers is to find and maintain the optimal amount of conflict

that fosters performance. Of course, what constitutes optimal conflict varies with both

the situation and the people involved.

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