Conflict in Nhl and Organizations

Conflict

An issue everyone faces day on a daily basis is conflict, as it is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the environment, yet it is very difficult to understand. Conflict arises from a disagreement when groups have opposing goals and see the other party as interfering with their ability to reach a desired goal (“Organizational Conflict Scale: Reexamining the Instrument.” 16). A conflict can be minor or major. As well as positive or negative, depending on the way it is handled. An organization needs a minor amount of conflict as it helps boost performance and increase communication by creating a positive effect, known as a constructive conflict (“Organizational Conflict Scale: Reexamining the Instrument.” 8). The type of conflict that has a negative effect on an organization and causes damage is destructive conflict (“Organizational Conflict Scale: Reexamining the Instrument.” 8). The National Hockey League has had many conflicts over the past two decades which has cause tension and lockouts.

There are different types of conflicts. In the NHL the conflict that arose was an inter-group conflict. An inter-group conflict is classified as disagreement among groups of people (Bauer 234). One example of this is a conflict between an employee union and management. The NHL lockout was a labor dispute between the NHL Players Union and the National Hockey League. The underlying causes were over the league revenue share between players and owners and rules on contracts for players. Whenever there is a conflict, the goal is to eliminate it completely. To eliminate a conflict the organization needs to be able understand the causes and manage outcomes. While an organization can benefit from conflict it needs to be able to handle it and turn it into a positive. In resolving an organizational conflict the most effective was is through conflict management (Bauer 239). Some of the steps in conflict management involve making changes and problem solving. An...