Sources of conflict

Sources of conflict

Front-line employees often face interpersonal and inter organizational conflicts on the job.

a. Person/role conflict:

In some situations, boundary spanners feel conflicts between what they are asked to do and their own personalities, values.

It arises when employees are required to wear specific clothing to confirm job requirements.

b.Organisation/client conflict:

Here conflict arises when employees have 2 bosses, organization and the individual customer.

When a customer makes excessive demands, the employee has to choose whether to follow the rules or satisfy the demands.

The conflict is greatest when the employee believes the organization is wrong in its policies and must decide whether to accommodate the client/losing the job.

b.     Inter-client conflict:

This occurs when there are incompatible expectations and requirements from 2 or more customers.

Ex: Teachers

^§Providers may satisfy one customer by spending additional time.

^§Customizing service

^§Bring very flexible in meeting customers needs

The waiting customers are becoming dissatisfied, b‟z they are not met on a timely way.

Quality/productivity trade-off:

Here front-line service workers are asked to be both effective and efficient. They are expected to deliver satisfying service to customers and at the same time to be cost-effective and productive in what they do.

Thus essential trade-offs between quality and quantity and between maximum effectiveness and efficiency, place real-time demands and pressures on service employees.