Conflict Management

Running head : Conflict Management

Conflict Management

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Conflict Management

Introduction

An organization is a social system that consists of individuals with a common or agreed objectives (Barzilai . One of the key elements of an organization is a structure that determines the roles of every member thereof . Organizational theory studies these kinds of social systems in to meet various concerns and needs , such as meeting the needs of stakeholders . Three major subs form organization theory namely individual processes , group processes and organizational processes (Barzilai ' These

subs may all be involved in the analysis of individual resistance to change , potential sources of stress , and consequences in organizations

Organizational Changes

Organizations undergo different changes in the course of their existence . Such changes are often caused by changes in the organizations ' goals and demands , which require organizations to adapt and change (Piderit , 2000 Brass , Butterfield Skaggs , 1998 . Because of such changes , people within an organization are forced into taking action and respond to change , whether to accept it , adapt , or resist the change

The common reaction of organizations to change is the adoption of more agile structures and team-oriented cultures . A part of the membership of an organization is bound to resist change , but studies show that the better reaction is organizational adaptation through employee support to organizational changes (Piderit , 2000

Piderit reviewed past conceptualizations of resistance to change in the organizational setting , and majority of the literature on the matter perceive such resistance as a negative force that seeks to preserve the status quo (2000 . Resistance to change is often viewed as disobedience or unwillingness to support the management . Such restricted perception of resistance to change unfortunately springs from the view that employees are mere subordinates to the will of the employers and managers , which limits the appreciation of the latter for the actual or justified concerns of the employees . This view supports the observation that resistance to change has evolved into an undisguised way of blaming the less powerful for unsatisfactory results of change efforts (Piderit , 2000 ' Thus , the concept of resistance to change became a construct of blame attribution , where blame is automatically ascribed to the employees , without consideration about possible justifications for the resistance

Thus , in later literature , resistance to change had taken on a new meaning . It is now attributed to valid concerns such as motivations moved by personal ethical principles

Resistance to change is also believed to have three conceptualizations as a behavior , an emotional state , and a cognitive state (Piderit 2000 . These different conceptualizations allow for deeper understanding of the reasons for employees ' resistance to change

Employers and managers should consider alternative theories on the resistance to change of members in an organization , because such alternative theories might offer better solutions towards the achievement of harmony and success of the organization

For example , it is theorized that acts of resistance or protest are not made just for the purpose of dissenting . Rather , acts of resistance might be the employees ' way of catching...