Factors of Diversity That Affect Conflict (Case Study Sample)

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Factors of Diversity That Affect Conflict
Diversity is the state or fact that very different things or individuals exist at the same place. Potential conflict may arise as a result of differences that make each individual unique. Diversity in age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, race and other personal attributes can lead to costly and divisive conflict in a business environment. However, conflict in the workplace is not always seen as a bad thing; healthy conflict is essential in exchanging diverse opinions and ideas. As such, this paper will examine these factors in details.
Whenever individuals from different backgrounds work together, conflict has a high chance of occurring. It is the unhealthy conflict in the business environment that wastes energy and time, impedes productivity and destroys relationships. It also creates an environment that harbors personal and political attacks. Individuals have their prejudices and biases about other ethnic groups and races. They often keep their perspectives to themselves but sometimes reveal them through their conducts and words. Some jokes at the workplace also come across as wrong or offensive. Some business institutions have training on diversity that assist in addressing such behaviors and situations. It is however very important to note that prejudices are observed in all directions. Minority groups also have stereotypes and biases of their own, and sometimes are against other minorities (Odyssey).
In the recent past, workplaces have become diverse at an increasing rate; immigrants, minorities and women entering the business environment are the primary contributors. The greater the diversity in the workplace, the higher the chance of conflict and misunderstanding; malicious intent does not have to be present for a conflict to arise. Employees conclude on the aptitudes and intentions of other individuals without trying to clarify them. Diverse experiences can affect how an action is interpreted by different people.
A diverse workplace sets forth the stage for conflict, tension, mistrust and misunderstanding. Those in conflict must engage and participate actively in diffusing tension and moving towards resolution. Conflicts related to diversity in the workplace remain among the most volatile and confusing dynamics. Managers prefer not to deal with these types of conflict because they consume a lot of time that should be used in increasing the productivity of the business. A recently published Washington Business Journal reported that about 25 – 40% of a typical manager’s time is spent tackling conflicts in the work environment (Feigenbaum).
The world we live in is neither equitable nor is it free from bias; there is imbalance of power and stereotypes dominate intentionally or unintentionally. Individuals are fond of identifying others as “one of them” or “one of us”. The workplace brings together individuals with different views of life, these life views are deep rooted in group and personal identity. Experiences with injustice, unfair treatment, insult and disrespect partly depend on an individual’s immigration status, education, economic power, religion, gender and race among other factors. Discrimination in the workplace is condemned; however, it appears in indirect and confusing attitudes and beliefs about pace of change, advantage or worthiness. The irony is that one of the biggest challenges that face diversity is also of great value to a business environment; that is diversity of thought and experience. (Woods)
The most common conflicts that arise in a work environment due to diversity include; personality styles, lack of information, general styles, work environment that is competitive, ego, biases or disrespectful behaviors, business etiquette, leadership or management style, role ambiguity and communication styles among others. The work environment brings together different persons, some are laid back while others are rigid in their way of thinking, and some tend to have a reputation for causing conflict. Among these different individuals, different personal traits also come to play, these include; difference in skill sets, value system, experience, knowledge and low self-esteem.
According to a survey carried out in the 1960s, personalities in individuals tend to set in by the age of seven. This survey was conducted on 2,400 children from different ethnic backgrounds. This shows that employees with clashing personality traits can only change their attitudes and behaviors for a short period of time but fail in the long run. Individuals will find themselves falling back to the behavior that is natural to them. (Odyssey)
Where conflict is caused by diversity, the story behind it almost always has something to do with group identity as well as self-identity. Difficulty arises because of difference in views on respect and insult, fair and unfair, justice and injustice. In a business environment, unless one party has behaved illegally or provided enough reason to be dismissed, conflict resolution does not aim at locking one party out, but to assist in resolving issues in a manner that reduces the risk for more conflict and makes the working environment more conducive for the future. The conflicting parties must see the need and appreciate the value of working together.
It is not easy to deal with conflicts related to diversity as they are always emotionally charged. It involves taking the parties involved through unfamiliar territories by asking them to explore various and different views of their actions perceived through diverse insights. In order to be successful in such a conflict resolution exercise, the parties should not be defensive but rather strong. Perceptions on fairness that are deeply rooted are often challenged, providing for new insight on dynamics of power and inter group relations in existence.
Business environments in America, for example, suffer most from conflicts related to diversity. This is because both the individuals born in the United States and immigrant workers with diverse backgrounds meet at the same place. They all have different communication styles, senses of propriety, approaches, social styles and perspectives. Different cultures mix causing frustrations to both the managers and employees, especially when different social styles do not comply with the institution’s culture or when difficulty arises in communication (Woods).
Various cultures may differ and may have lesser or higher degrees of autonomy in the business environment as well as be more or less deferential to situations, this can be different to what the business institution requires. Conflict resolution in such instances calls for exchange...