Monday, January 3, 2011

ROLE CONFLICT

Role conflict is the result of divergent role expectations. It exists hen the expectations of a job are mutually different or opposite and the individual cannot meet one expectation without rejecting the other. For example. The supervisor, the man in the middle, is a bumping post, he has to take it from both ends. He has to perform strikingly different roles. He is both a boss and a subordinate. As a part of management team he should have the corresponding values and attitudes. As a member from the worker’s group he should have their values and attitudes. He is expected to wear both the hats gracefully. Role conflict arises when roles are so conflicting supervisors do not know which set of expectations they should follow. Different forms of role conflict are mentioned as below-

Intra sender role conflict:
this occurs when an individual is expected to perform a task within specifiedlimits but it is not possible to bhevahe in a manner consistent with role assignment. For example if the libreian is asked to purchase rare, precious books from approved book sellers and the books are not found there but are found in roadside bookshops-intra sender conflict may develop.

Inter sender role conflict:
if a building contractor asks a carpenter to do something that is different from the instructions of the architect, the municipal building codes or his unions work rules, that is called intersender role conflict.

Inter role conflict: 
this types of conflict is the result of facing multiple roles. It occurs because individuals simultaneously perform many roles, and they conflict with each other. Many professors who try to evaluate the performsnce of students many find it uncomfortable to fulfill the demand of other roels like the role of trainer, developer or teacher.

Person role conflict:
this types of conflict arises when the expected behavour is incompatible with a persons own basic values and attitudes. For example, a politician asks one of his supposrtor to paly dirty tricks on an opponent, and the suposrter refuses on moral grounds.

Intra-Group Conflict:
Intra-group conflict relates to values, status and roles played by an individual in the group and the group norms. Individual may want to remain in the group for social needs but may disagree with the methods and procedures followed by the group. The conflict may arise when social changes are incorporated in the group. When group faces new problems and when values are changed due to change in social environment. Intra-group conflict is like Inter-personal conflict except that the people involved in the conflict episode belong to a common group.

Inter-Group Conflict:
Conflicts between different groups, sections and departments are called inter-group conflict.
For example, conflict between production and sales departments over the quality being produced and the customer requirements.

Horizontal Conflict:
Horizontal Conflict is caused due to incompatibility of goals, sharing limited resources and difference in time orientation. It leads to tension, misunderstanding and frustration on the part of both the parties. Horizontal conflict relates to employees or group at the same level. Organizational goal at implementation level vary from department to department. The sources of conflict between department consists of pressures towards suboptimization. Each department may suboptimize by independently trying to achieve its own departmental goals. For example production departments may prefer long economical runs whereas sales departments may insist on wuck delivery. Again when two departments are functionally interdependent, breakdowns in the performance of one deparment can lead to serious conflicts.

Vertical Conflict:
Vertical conflict refers to conflicts that might take place between different levels of hierarchy.
Conflicts between subordinates and superior occur due to incompatibility. It is generally caused because of differences in perception, value system, goals that may be assigned, cognition and difference in individual behaviour. Conflict is also caused due to inappropriate communication between individuals at two different levels.

Line and Staff Conflict:
Line and staff conflict has been traditional. Line authority creates product and services and contributes directly towards the revenue generation. While staff authority assists line authority and acts in advisory capacity. Staff and line authority have a different predispositions and goals. They have different skills and expertise. Since staff authorities (managers) are in the chain of command and have a day to day assess to the top boss, have a tendency to dictate terms to the line authority and usually disregard the working knowledge of the line authority. They have tendency to dominate and disregard the efforts put in by line authority managers. On the contrary staff managers have a technical know how and they are able to advice the line authority to cut down cost of production and save on wastage etc. Line authority does not like their advice at times. Staff managers get frustrated when their suggestions and ideas are not implemented by line managers and hence the cause for conflict. In the process the organizational goals are not achieved as per plans.

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