The parties to the conflict are... The interests of the parties to the conflict

In order to effectively manage conflicts, you need to know some of their components:

• typology,
• static and dynamic characteristics,
• strategy and tactics of behavior, their adequate application for each specific situation in the process of social interaction.

Conflicts occur within us and between us; according to this, conflicts are divided into intrapersonal and external. External conflicts, in turn, are usually divided into interpersonal, group, collective, social, and international conflict.

What is conflict

Conflict is a disagreement or clash between people or groups of people that is caused by differences in goals, behavior or attitudes. The interests of the parties to the conflict do not coincide, while each side tries to ensure that its point of view is accepted, and the enemy insists on his position. Conflict, as a rule, is accompanied by negative emotions and is the most acute form of clarification of relationships.

It often happens that the result of conflict is actions that go beyond generally accepted rules and social norms. There is a whole science that studies conflicts. It's called conflictology.

Not only people are capable of sorting out relationships. In nature, collisions also occur between individuals and groups of animals. This indicates that conflicts play an important role in the interaction of all living creatures on the planet.

Causes of the conflict

Among the main causes of conflict, the following are usually identified:

• Resource allocation. As a rule, in any environment the number of resources is limited. At the same time, each individual tends to want to take possession of as many valuable assets as possible. On this basis, clashes arise, since both sides of the conflict want to increase their share of resources at the expense of each other.

• Task interdependence. In any organization there are interdependent elements - people, groups of people or departments. They are all united by one task, but to achieve it, each has their own roles. When someone does their role poorly, disagreements arise that can lead to conflict. In this case, the parties to the conflict are those people or groups of people who, on the way to accomplishing their task, encounter any obstacles caused by the actions of other elements.

• Differences in goals. It often happens that the goals that people or a group of people set for themselves differ from the goals of another department or the organization as a whole. In this case, during the practical implementation of the overall goal of the organization, conflict situations may arise.

• Differences in life experiences and values. People who differ in level of education, age, ideas about life and their habits may periodically conflict with each other.

Structure of the conflict: object, subject and participants

“Conflict situations are the norm of life,” as Charles Lixon, an American psychologist, wrote. He joked: “If there are no conflicts in your life, check if you have a pulse!”

Positive and negative sides of the conflict

Practitioner teacher N.V. Zueva from the State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education "Kovrov Transport College" in her presentation examines the structure of the conflict, breaking it down into the following components:

• parties to the incident (participants);
• subject or object of the incident;
• motives for the collision;
• positions of the conflicting parties;
• image of a situation of discord.

All these components are closely interconnected and represent the structure of any disagreement.

Parties to the incident

The participants in the conflict are primary and secondary. The initiator of the controversial issue is included in the main opposing forces of the conflict. The supporting cast includes the organizers and instigators of the clash.

Organizers often remain in the shadows and help the situation flare up by attracting additional participants and providing the initiator with information and the necessary funds. The initiator's power and influence depend on his capabilities, connections and resources.

Some of the people supporting the initiators on each side form support groups.

Attention! To resolve conflict situations without radical measures (violence), third parties are involved - judicial bodies, arbitrators or entities with significant authority and an objective view from the outside.

According to the form, the parties to the conflict can be divided into the following types:

• individual citizens;
• community groups;
• organizations;
• states.

Interesting. As a result of the conflict that arose between the states of the Nazi bloc and the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition, World War II began on September 1, 1939. There were 62 states participating in it.

Subject or object of the incident

The subject of a conflict is a contradiction that has arisen over something between two parties.

It is often very difficult to get to the bottom of a dispute. Even in an ordinary domestic quarrel that ends in violence, investigative actions to establish the object of the incident take considerable time. Sometimes even the participants themselves cannot accurately determine the object of the conflict, and this misunderstanding only complicates the situation.

The main feature inherent in the object of conflict is value, which can be:

• material;
• spiritual;
• social.

The cause or reason for the disagreement can also be considered the object of the conflict.

Motives for the collision

Motives include internal forces that encourage the parties to initiate and further incite a clash. Motives fill the confrontation with an emotional component. Motives may be:

• various kinds of needs: recognition, security, inclusion in a certain social affiliation, etc.;
• personal interests and values;
• beliefs and ideals;
• goals.

By the way! The goal, as a motive, with its possibility of the expected result very often intensifies the struggle. "End justifies the means!".

Positions of the conflicting parties

They include what the parties present to each other during the disagreement process. These are requirements, justifications and provision of additional information.

Image of a situation of discord

These are the experiences of individuals drawn into conflict with all their individual additions and conjectures. Both sides, inflamed by the confrontation, see the situation as they want it to be, and not as it really is. Added to this image is the idea of ​​the environment in which the conflict develops.

Subjective perception of the incident

Classification of conflicts

If we take the main causes of conflicts and combine them, we can obtain a classification of the disagreements that arise. For example, if we consider conflicts of interest from the perspective of the party to the conflict, this assumes the following classification:

• conflicts between individuals;

• between a specific person and a group of people;

• among groups;

• between social communities;

• between ethnic groups;

• interstate conflicts.

Social conflicts based on motivation can also be distinguished. There are three blocks in total:

• conflicts related to the distribution of positions of power and authority;

• conflicts of interests based on the distribution of material resources;

• disagreements related to differences in basic life attitudes.

Classification of conflicts is a method of determining them, which consists in establishing a common characteristic by which conflicts can be grouped. At the same time, the parties to a social conflict interact with each other in a certain direction, characteristic of one or another form of opposition, which is determined by the reasons for the disagreement.

General conflictology

1.1. The concept of conflict, its types and types

A conflict is a confrontation between two or more parties that are interconnected but pursuing their own goals. Conflicts can arise wherever there is development, both in living and inanimate nature, and accordingly the term “conflict” is used in the analysis of biological, physical and social phenomena.

In accordance with the subject of consideration, we are interested in conflict not just in living nature, but specifically in society. Conflict appears where mutual agreement cannot be reached. If tension arises between the parties that does not have an antagonistic basis, it can be overcome. Even if it is not possible to reach complete agreement on all issues, then quite often the parties do not move to the level of escalation of the conflict. That is, even in this case, tension does not develop into conflict, since a certain agreement promotes a tolerant attitude of the parties towards each other even on issues on which disagreements remain.

Conflict

(from Latin
conflictus
- collision) - the process of development and resolution of inconsistency of goals, states, relationships and actions of people, communities, determined by objective and subjective reasons. Conflict is a manifestation of connections and relationships between people, an individual and a social group, as well as between different groups.

The classification of the main types of conflicts is a theoretical, purely abstract procedure. As G.V. Plekhanov noted at one time, thanks to the process of abstraction, various aspects of the social whole take the form of separate categories, and various manifestations and expressions of human activity turn in our mind into special forces, supposedly causing, conditioning this activity, being its last reasons. Only in theory is it possible to isolate one or another type of conflict relations, and even more so their certain aspects, from a single social whole.

There have been many attempts to create a typology of conflicts. The complexity of typologization from a theoretical point of view is caused by the lack of uniform generally accepted scientific principles and the strong difference in cognitive prerequisites among different authors. From a practical perspective, typology can help in developing specific criteria for intervention in conflict situations. Typology is no less important from the point of view of analyzing the causes of a particular conflict. The organizational and technological complexity in this case is that the classifications already created by well-known and recognized scientists make it difficult to introduce new bases, which will certainly lead to some overlap with the criteria of other authors.

Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor at Salzburg and a number of other European universities, head of the consulting firm TRIGON

(Vienna) Friedrich Glasl outlined the purpose of typologization as follows: “Typology should help us first to outline the main elements of the conflict and roughly localize them, for example, to exclude in advance certain issues and possible actions. By identifying the type, it is possible to decide in advance in which field it is appropriate to carry out an intervention so that it does not cause harm... In most cases, rapid intervention in a conflict situation is required, which brings quick relief or, at least, prevents further spread of harm. But every diagnostic intervention is at the same time an introduction into a conflict situation.”

F. Glasl conventionally divided conflicts into three categories: by the subject of the dispute, by the forms of manifestation, by the properties of the conflicting parties, their positions and mutual relations. In addition, he compiled typologies focused on action and conflict frames.

In this textbook we consider only conflicts that are social in nature.

Social conflict

most scientists interpret it as “the highest stage of development of contradiction in the system of relations between people, social groups, social institutions, and society as a whole, which is characterized by the strengthening of opposing tendencies and interests of social communities and individuals.” These are conflicts between social actors: individuals, groups, organizations. The subject of study of the sociology of conflict can be the causes and dynamics of social conflicts, ways of resolving and preventing them.

The definition of the main types of social conflicts depends on what will be taken as the basis for the classification. A. G. Zdravomyslov considers needs, interests, and values ​​as the driving forces of conflict, cross-analyzing them in the main spheres of life: economics, politics and spiritual life. V.N. Amelin also classifies conflicts according to a cross-sectional scheme, taking as a basis the forms of conflicts (role, administrative, political) and their participants (interpersonal, intergroup, institutional).

N. F. Fedorenko and V. P. Galitsky consider the duration of the flow, the content of the conflict, its object, the force of influence on the participants, the form of manifestation, the source of occurrence, consequences, etc. as signs of typology. O. N. Gromova classifies conflicts “depending on a number of factors: the method of their resolution, the scope of manifestation, the direction of the impact, the degree of expression, the number of participants, the presence of an object of conflict, the needs affected.”

Conflicts in society can be divided simultaneously depending on the interests of the parties involved in the conflict, and on the spheres of society in which they arise and develop. For example, both conflicts that arise in politics and conflicts that arise for political reasons can be called political. Similarly, conflicts developing in the economic sphere of society and those caused by economic reasons are called economic. All conflicts that exist in society are social in nature, because they arise and develop on a social basis - between specific people or their various formalized or informal groups. However, the concept of “social conflict” should be analyzed in a narrower interpretation, considering the social as part of the public sphere along with other areas: economic, political, spiritual and cultural. Let us examine in more detail the main types and types of conflicts that arise in society.

Social conflicts

arise both in the sphere of work and during non-working hours in the process of communication between people and social groups. The authors of the textbook agree with the broadest definition of social conflict given by the already mentioned Friedrich Glasl: “Social conflict is an interaction between parties (individuals, groups, organizations, etc.), in which at least one party is aware of incompatibility in thinking/perception/ perception, and/or in feeling, and/or in will with the other party (other parties) in such a way that in implementation it encounters opposition from the other party (other parties).”

A. Ya. Antsupov and A. I. Shipilov “social conflicts include: interpersonal, between an individual and a group, between small, medium, large social groups, interstate.”

An important role in the analysis of conflicts is played by the question of the motivation of the conflicting parties. Depending on motivation

Researchers identify three blocks of social conflicts:

1) arising in connection with the distribution of power and positions;

2) regarding material resources;

3) regarding the values ​​of the most important life attitudes.

Determining the main types of social conflicts is necessary not to differentiate them in practice according to some special specific characteristics, but in order to take into account as much as possible the reasons for its occurrence and possible options for its development when overcoming a specific conflict. Specific conflicts and their system for a particular social group are a single whole because the active stage of a social conflict is preceded by social tension, which manifests itself primarily at the socio-psychological level. As the conflict situation develops, the state of tension between the parties can change both upward and downward. In every social group, even in societies at a low level of development, a more or less dynamic process of social stratification can be found. Various contradictions appear between the emerging layers, which can cause various conflicts. Conflicts that arise between individual segments of society involve not only economic, but also social interests, such as considerations of prestige. The subject of a separate conflict may be everything that concerns the life of a particular social stratum.

Economic conflicts

represent a certain set of conflicts based on the economic interests of individuals, groups, and organizations. The economic activities of people, especially the production of goods that satisfy multiple needs, influence the development of production relations and certain social structures within which various interests collide. In this interaction of interests one can find the sources of many conflicts that play a significant role in the life of society, which is clearly confirmed by historical material. Economic conflicts arise, for example, in areas related to economic renewal, where there is a struggle for property, various resources, loans, and benefits received from the state. Economic conflicts arise both at the federal, regional and local levels of government.

Political conflicts

— a clash between political actors regarding the distribution of the sphere of political influence. These include, for example, confrontation between political parties, groups, movements, organizations, as well as individual politicians. The existence of such complex social organisms as the state, as well as peoples with their inherent special aspirations and inclinations (the idea of ​​a special “historical mission”, “chosenness”, etc.) creates conditions for the emergence of various political conflicts of an international nature. Thus, in addition to class conflicts of a political nature that occur within states, one can also distinguish various interstate conflicts, which often result from a significant expansion of contradictions between states.

Conflicts in the sphere of culture.

The contact of people representing different cultures gives rise to various conflicts aimed at “containing” foreign cultures that differ in ideals and lifestyles. For example, we can name the conflicts that arise on this basis between residents of cities and villages, between the indigenous population and immigrants, between the old intelligentsia, especially the humanitarian ones, and the new, technical one. Often the initiators of conflicts are marginalized people. The subject of these conflicts are various values, or rather, their recognition by one or another carrier.

In the four areas described, other conflicts appear that are of a public nature and simultaneously cover all spheres of society. For example, these are ideological, national-ethnic, axiological, etc.

Ideological conflicts

can arise both between classes and within the same class, for example, ideological conflicts between believers and non-believers, as well as between separate groups, for example, on a religious, racial, ethnic basis. The subject of such conflicts is the different ideological values ​​of social groups.

Differences that exist between social classes cause class conflicts

, or class struggle, which can manifest itself in economic, political and ideological areas. These are the most important social conflicts among all that take place in class societies, because they determine social development. These conflicts reflect different class interests.

Both in each individual type of conflict in society, and in their intersection, communities of people united on one or another basis can be involved. Thus, conflicts can arise both within national-ethnic formations and between different ethnic groups and/or nations.

National-ethnic conflicts

arise due to differences in language, economic and psychological structure, religion among different peoples and ethnic groups and other reasons. Within family, clan, religious and other associations formed on the basis of common values, so-called axiological conflicts arise.

Axiological conflicts.

Opposing values ​​and goals realized by different social groups (family, clan, religious, etc.) can also be sources of social conflicts. And since in every developed society a person participates in the life of many social groups, he may find himself in a conflict situation arising from the difficulties of coordinating opposing values ​​and goals programmatically implemented by individual groups. Internal conflicts arise between individuals, the subjects of which can be very diverse.

Various types of conflicts that arise in the process of life.

There are a huge number of reasons that cause conflicts; accordingly, many conflicts can be identified. Let us consider the main ones that are most widespread or of greatest importance in society. The most common conflicts that arise during work activities (social and labor conflicts).

Social and labor conflicts

, arising in the sphere of labor activity, represent a confrontation between participants in the labor process (employers and employees, as well as employee(s) with other employee(s)) in the course of performing labor operations and other official duties, i.e. in the process professional activity. Their reasons may be business conditions, a confluence of unfavorable circumstances for the functioning of organizations, problems of labor motivation associated with remuneration, the content and prestige of work, relationships that arise in the process of work between individuals and social groups, structural inconsistencies, dissatisfaction with decisions made, psychological emotional and other features.

Environmental conflicts

appear as a result of divergence of goals and interests of various groups, layers, personalities that arise in the process of life activity that violates the natural environment. Environmental actions of human communities are carried out in opposition to man-made pressure on the environment. The placement and organization of work of an increasing number of people in areas with an artificially created environment (technosphere) increases the potential for conflict in the sphere of relations between man and nature, which requires not only a careful attitude towards nature, but also the constant reproduction of the natural environment.

Organizational-hierarchical (positional) conflicts

are types of conflicts caused by divergence of goals and interests that objectively appear due to the organizational regulation of the life of an individual, the hierarchy of relationships, i.e., the functional assignment of rights and responsibilities to employees and departments of enterprises, organizations, institutions.

Classification of conflicts according to the method of their resolution, degree of expression and communicative orientation, composition, interests of the conflicting parties.

Well-known conflictologist in our country E. A. Utkin divides conflicts according to the method of their resolution

:

• antagonistic - can be resolved only by destroying the structures of all conflicting parties, except one, or by refusing to participate in the conflicts of all parties, except one. This side wins (war to victory, complete defeat of the enemy in the dispute);

• compromise - they allow several options for their resolution due to mutual changes in the goals of the parties to the conflict, terms, and conditions of interaction. For example, the supplier does not deliver the ordered product to the plant on time due to lack of funds for transportation of the goods. The plant has the right to demand compliance with the delivery schedule, but the conditions of the subcontractor have changed. If there is mutual interest, it is possible to reach a compromise: change the delivery time, help with a loan, enter into negotiations.

Antagonistic conflicts are characterized by instability and irreconcilability of the parties, while compromise ones allow for several options for their resolution by bringing together the views and interests of the parties.

According to the severity of the confrontation

conflicts can be open (dispute, quarrel, etc.) and hidden (not manifested externally). Some conflicts can be prepared, pre-planned or provoked, others arise spontaneously. Moreover, the first of them may either have no expediency or turn out to be inevitable and, to a certain extent, natural.

By communication focus

conflicts are divided into vertical, horizontal and mixed. Vertical conflicts (“top-down”, “bottom-up”) - conflicts between workers of different hierarchical levels and influence. Horizontal conflicts involve people who are not subordinate to each other. A mixed conflict is a situation where its participants in some cases are not bound by one or another type of subordination, but in others such subordination arises. Mixed conflicts also include conflicts that have both vertical and horizontal directions. For example, a scientist from one university, who is not subordinate to a scientist from another university, is a member of the dissertation council, which the latter heads. During the period of his duties as a member of the council, he reports to its chairman, and while leading the work of the city duma committee to which both scientists were elected, their roles change.

Conflicts classified according to the composition of the conflicting parties

. These include intrapersonal, interpersonal, intragroup, and intergroup conflicts. Intrapersonal conflicts are a clash of different motives, needs and interests of an individual due to the impossibility of satisfying them at the same time or the need to make a choice between opportunities and desires. Interpersonal conflicts arise between people or when an individual clashes with a group. These conflicts most often involve intimate problems that concern only one of the conflicting parties. Their resolution means ending the confrontation or localizing the contradiction. Intergroup conflicts affect two or more groups or units involved in the conflict. During the period of conflict itself, groups most often manifest themselves as a single whole.

When classifying conflicts, the question of the balance of interests of the parties

. It is customary to distinguish between two types: zero-sum conflict and non-zero-sum conflict. If the interests of the parties to the conflict are completely opposite, i.e., the realization of the interests of one participant means that the interests of the other will not be realized at all, then such conflicts are called zero-sum conflicts. In them, the gain of one side is exactly equal to the loss of the other, and in the end the sum of the gains turns out to be zero. Hence the name “zero-sum conflict.” The most striking examples of situations in which the interests and goals of the parties are opposite, and the result of resolving the contradictions is zero, are sports games: chess, football, tennis, etc. If we are talking about major social, political, international conflicts, then some researchers are inclined believe that civil wars are described by a situation with a sum close to zero. In civil wars, as a rule, the participants either win or lose completely. Similar to these conflicts are conflicts related to territorial disputes or determination of the status of a particular territory.

And yet, for the most part, political, ethnic, and international conflicts are described as non-zero-sum situations. The goals and interests of the parties in them, although contradictory, are not absolutely opposite, i.e., when they are implemented, the final sum will not be equal to zero. These types of conflicts are sometimes called mixed-interest conflicts.

There are conflicts with a negative sum, when there is neither a winner nor a loser. The most striking example here is a hypothetical global nuclear conflict, which cannot end except in the mutual destruction of all parties.

There are as many conflicts as there are us, and even more, since most people are somehow involved in a number of conflicts at the same time. A person, when involved in a conflict situation, introduces new features into it. The types and manifestations of conflicts are diverse, as are the forms of organizing the life of society.

Classification of conflicts taking into account motivation, perception of the situation, environment of manifestation.

Taking into account the motivation of the conflict and subjective perceptions of the situation

There are three types of conflicts:

1. False conflict - the subject perceives the situation as a conflict, although there are no real reasons.

2. Potential conflict - there are real grounds for a conflict to arise, but so far one of the parties or both, for one reason or another (for example, due to lack of information), has not yet recognized the situation as a conflict.

3. True conflict is a real clash between the parties. In turn, true conflict can be divided into:

• constructive - arising on the basis of really existing contradictions between subjects;

• accidental - arising from a misunderstanding or coincidence;

• displaced - arising on a false basis, when the true cause is hidden. For example, a student, dissatisfied with a low assessment of his knowledge, looks for any reason to enter into confrontation with the examining teacher;

• an incorrectly attributed conflict is a conflict in which the true culprit, the subject of the conflict, is “behind the scenes” of the confrontation, and the conflict involves participants who are not related to it. For example, a person is accused of a crime that he did not commit. Of course, the above classifications, like any attempt to dissect social phenomena, are conditional. In real life, everything is interconnected. Conflicts in the world of work may arise due to national reasons or due to different political positions. Confrontation between different individuals in the family and everyday sphere, in ideological and interethnic relations is often due to different levels of culture, the degree of assimilation and acceptance of generally valid norms and traditions. In the newly independent states that formerly made up the USSR, all social conflicts, as a rule, have a political overtones. Society seemed to be divided into several militant subsystems, depending on the attitude towards the past of the country and its leaders, towards the current situation and direction of social development. Analysis and assessment of conflicts, development of measures to resolve them require their classification not only by the nature of their occurrence, but also on other significant grounds. All of the above types of conflicts can occur in territories of different size and location, have different scales (local, general) and duration (short-term, medium-term, long-term, or, in other words, protracted), involve different numbers of people and groups in the process of confrontation, arise for objective and subjective reasons (outside the will and desires of the participants or because of the deliberate aspirations of a particular subject of social relations).

In the literature one can find classification on other grounds, and within each type of conflict further classification is also possible. The task of the discipline being studied does not include a detailed examination of all types of conflicts, but only consideration of those that mainly affect social development, social mobility, social and social-labor relations, and social management.

The variety of types and types of conflicts is determined by the very structure of the social elements of society that interact and, in certain cases, find themselves in a conflict situation.

Of great importance when analyzing social conflicts and determining their main types is the question of their social consequences, that is, the impact of conflicts on the environment where they occur. According to this criterion, conflicts can be divided into successful and unsuccessful. The first includes conflicts, as a result of which the goals of all parties are achieved to some extent. A conflict is called unsuccessful when at least one of the parties exceeds the permissible “price” for victory. Depending on the social environment of manifestation

Stuart Chase back in the early 50s. last century identified the following types of conflicts:

• individual quarrels occurring between husband and wife, servant and master, etc.;

• conflicts between families;

• confrontation between clans and similar communities;

• disputes between different communities: villages, cities, etc.;

• disputes between regions (eg northern and southern regions in many countries);

• conflicts between employees and managers of enterprises - disputes may take place here between different categories of workers and managers at different levels;

• electoral struggle between political parties;

• racial conflicts, for example between whites and blacks;

• religious conflicts, for example, between Protestants and Catholics;

• anti-Semitism as a manifestation of antagonisms arising from religious, cultural and racial aspects;

• ideological struggle that arises between representatives of different ideologies;

• disputes between professional groups: between workers and technicians, between engineers and technicians;

• competition within one industry, for example, among textile and automobile manufacturers;

• competition within different industries, for example, between oil producers and automakers;

• rivalry between individual nations, which can take place in different areas: struggle for markets, spheres of influence, rivalry in the field of weapons, sports, etc.;

• conflicts between different cultures, for example, between the culture of different regions, the culture of the city and the countryside;

• cold war, carried out without weapons as opposed to conventional war;

• the struggle between East and West or North (developed capitalist countries) and South (third world countries).

Social functions of conflict

The social functions of conflict can be both positive and negative. The impact of conflict depends largely on the social system. In those groups that are freely structured, where conflict is the norm, and at the same time effective mechanisms for its resolution have been developed, contradictions contribute to increased resilience, dynamics and progress. If a social group has a totalitarian organization, where conflict is not allowed and is suppressed only by one method - force, then the conflict leads to disintegration and dysfunction. When unresolved differences accumulate, they lead to serious social problems.

Positive aspects of the conflict

Confrontation is an integral source of the development of society and the changes occurring in it. When developed correctly, conflict has positive results. These include:

• Progressive changes. Any new beginning involves the negation of the old. This is a kind of conflict between established foundations and new trends. Since there is a human factor behind any action, confrontation between adherents of the old and the new is inevitable.

• Mobilization of resources and attention. The positive aspects of the conflict in this case are manifested in the fact that it provokes people to take actions that are necessary to resolve any uncomfortable situation. It is possible for a long time, due to mutual respect, reluctance to provoke scandals, and other things, to avoid difficult issues. But when a conflict arises, problems have to be solved, mobilizing all the necessary resources and means for this.

• Involving the population in pressing issues. Conflict attracts society's attention to complex issues, and this, in turn, provokes people to take actions that help resolve the negative situation.

• Development of free thinking. Conflict, as a rule, aggravates the situation and helps eliminate the “submission syndrome.” The positions of the parties to the conflict are defended by its participants with great zeal, awakening in a person all his hidden resources.

Rivalry

Rivalry is a type of behavior when a subject strives to satisfy his own interests, causing damage to the interests of the opposing subject. Following the presented strategy, a person is confident that only one participant can gain the upper hand in a conflict, and victory for one will always mean defeat for the other. A person who prefers competition will “push his line” in every way available to him.

The opposite position will not be taken into account by them.

Basic human actions with the “Competition” strategy

• Tight control over your opponent's actions
• Constant and deliberate pressure on an opponent by any means
• The use of deception and tricks to create an advantage in one’s favor
• Provoking your opponent to make mistakes and ill-considered steps
• Reluctance to engage in constructive dialogue due to overconfidence

Pros and cons of the “Rivalry” strategy

Rigidly defending one's position can, of course, help the subject gain the upper hand in the event of a conflict. But such a strategy cannot be applied if the subsequent interaction of people involves long-term relationships, for example, joint work, friendship, love. After all, relationships can develop and generally have the right to exist only if the desires and interests of all people are taken into account, and the defeat of one will mean defeat for everyone. Therefore, if the person with whom you have a conflict is dear to you or the relationship with him is important to you for some reason, it is better not to use the strategy of competition to resolve the conflict.

2

Negative sides of the conflict

The negative sides of the conflict are dysfunctional phenomena that lead to a decrease in the efficiency of the organization. If we consider in more detail the negative aspects of the contradictions, among them we can highlight the following:

• Distracting people from real problems and goals. It often happens that the goal of defeating the enemy overshadows reasonable arguments, and selfish interests begin to prevail. In this case, the conflict does not solve pressing problems, but only distracts attention from them.

• Increased dissatisfaction, depression, mistrust of others and management. These phenomena reduce labor efficiency and do not contribute to unlocking people's potential.

• Fruitless waste of strength, energy and resources on internal struggle. In conflict situations, people spend certain resources, and when these costs do not help improve the unfavorable situation, this causes unjustified losses of resources that could be used in a more necessary direction.

functional consequences of conflicts for the organization:

1

The problem is solved in a way that suits all parties, and as a result, people feel involved in solving a problem that is important to them

2. A jointly and voluntarily made decision is implemented faster and better.

3. The parties gain experience in cooperation in resolving controversial issues and can use it in the future.

4. Effective resolution of conflicts between a manager and subordinates destroys the so-called “submission syndrome” - the fear of openly expressing one’s opinion that differs from the opinion of one’s seniors.

5. Relationships between people improve.

6. People stop viewing the presence of disagreements as an “evil” that always leads to bad consequences.

(-) interferes with the assertion of one’s own opinion and independent behavior.

Characters of the conflict

In any conflict, the following actors are distinguished:

A conflict participant is a person or group of people who are involved in a conflict situation. The participant may not even be aware of the true goals and objectives of the confrontation.

The direct participant in the conflict is the instigator. It is he who initiates the showdown.

The subject of the conflict is a person or group of people who creates an opposing situation. The subject is able to sufficiently influence the course of the conflict, focusing on his interests. The subject also influences the behavior and position of the participants in the conflict, involves new subjects in it and is capable of causing changes in social relations.

The parties to the conflict are new unities that are capable of acting as an independent whole. The parties to the conflict include only those social entities that take active actions towards each other. The parties to the conflict are unities that are formed around newly emerging issues from the remnants of old, disintegrated groups.

Conflict resolution

Any conflict situation is sooner or later resolved or frozen. In order to eliminate contradictions and constructively resolve the issue, it is necessary to recognize the existence of the conflict and identify its main participants. Then it is worth organizing a negotiation procedure, discussing pressing issues, searching for compromise solutions and putting the adopted resolutions into practice.

If it is possible to achieve such results, the conflict can be considered a positive phenomenon that has positive consequences.