CONFLICT MANAGEMENT The Psychology of conflict and conflict ...

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Conflicts in the Study of
Conflict in Organizations
Dean tJosvolD
lingnan university, hong Kong
This impressive volume attests that researchers and professionals have
begun to give conflict in organizations the theoretical attention and rigorous
empirical analysis that it deserves. Through organizations, wars are waged,
peace is developed, communities are built, and goods and services are produced
and delivered. Less fully appreciated is that to make these organizations
work requires daily, even hourly, conflict management. Indeed, in
our intensifying, interconnected, cross-cultural, and fragmented world of
organizations, the demands on managers and employees to deal openly
and constructively with their differences are increasing. To paraphrase Kurt
Lewin, there is nothing more important than a good theory about conflict
management, especially theories that protagonists can apply together.
Chapters have summarized that organizational members can make
good use of their conflicts to dig into issues, develop creative alternatives,
select viable solutions, and gain the conviction to implement them. Conflict
invigorates the problem-solving processes that are at the heart of an organization
that recognizes and takes advantage of opportunities as well as
deals with threats (e.g., Chen, Liu, & Tjosvold, 2005). Without problem solving,
successful organizations are vulnerable; without constructive conflict,
organizations cannot confront reality and develop future directions. However,
chapters in this volume have also documented the staggering costs of
conflict and shown how escalating conflict can split organizations.
Unfortunately, there are serious shortcomings in our research on conflict
that make it much less useful than desirable. We have not very successfully
given conflict management knowledge away. Indeed, surveys
indicated that many employees are estranged from their managers, even
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