MGT 602_ ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

COURSE TITLE:
ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Student : Đoàn Ngọc Đài Trang

ID : 12-00902

COURSE
CODE:
Monitor: Porf. Max-Hubert Belescot
MGT 602

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MGT 602_ ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Question 1: “Not all conflict is bad. In fact, managers may prefer some conflicts.” What
do you think?

From my point of view, conflicts are not always negative. Fortifying yourself against it doesn’t
guarantee to send it away. At the same time, apart from responding conflicts in a manner
showing respects for everyone involved, one can also identify truly great insights by
approaching it internationally.

Conflicts in the workplace can be arisen from various triggers, including:

1. Individual difference in personalities, background (culture)

2. Escalation of competition

3. A lack of communication

4. Perception

5. Generational differences

6. Interdepartmental Conflict

7. Resources scarcity

Our differences or incompatibility may be a source of conflict. It is necessary to address

destructive conflict as quickly as it is recognized or reported. Besides avoiding potential legal
actions, destructive conflict prevention can stop the situation from escalating, further lowering
the productivity of the team.

However, we all need to remember the advantages of workplace diversity and appreciate the
wonderful benefits of a diverse team.

Conflict gives us chances to view things from different perspectives, motivate innovation and
make teams work together well. Conflict helps to build and clarify our own perception in
hearing those from other people; either making us more clear and dedicated to the original
position, or unlock our creative potential. Conflict is a powerful instrument for generating
alternatives, earning trust and developing deeper agreements; all of which facilitate networking
and successful connections.

There are many conflicts that help managers in making more accurate and comprehensive
decisions. A constructive conflict is necessary for creating commitment to decisions.
Promoting constructive conflict helps open the eyes of team members to new opinions and
ways of doing things. By encouraging employees to express ideas in team meetings and holding

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team-building exercises, managers help employees develop a real respect for each other.
Additionally, an improvement on communication skills may allow employees to speak tactfully
and listen to other’s perspectives.

Differences between constructive and destructive conflict:

Constructive conflict Destructive conflict

Improving team efficiency and productivity, Reducing group effectiveness and cohesion,
strengthening team cohesion then promoting exacerbating the internal division resulted
workplace unity from refusing to work together, even opening
hostilities, ...

Improving the quality of decision making Being distracted from the organization's goal

Encouraging creativity, innovation and

personal development among group's
members

Providing better information flow, enabling

a learning environment by using self-
assessment

If I were a manager, I could consider constructive conflict as a great opportunity to help

building my team and developing my leadership skills. Sometimes, conflict happens to
enabling us identify a potential leader among our employees by watching them handle
conflicts.

Question 2: How do group norms and statuses affect individual behaviour?

 Group norms are defined as the informal guidelines governing group members’
behaviours. All the group’s members are assumed to comply with these relevant unwritten
guidelines. Norms are proposed to provide a group with stability and only a few in a group will
refuse to follow these standards. A group may maintain norms that are unnecessary, similar to
maintain poor practices simply because they have been part of the group. Unhealthy norms
easily lead individuals to ineffective communication. Members in a group are often unaware
of the unspoken norms that exist. New people joining the group have to eventually identify

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these rules on their own and may face punishments due to a norm violation that they did not
know.

Group norms affect the behaviours of the individuals in groups. A child learns the
language and basic behaviour from his/her parents and other family members. Then comes the
fellowship group, the young child learns to adhere to the accepted ways of a social party by
interacting with others and playing children's games. Social life is actually based on certain
particular guidelines. Every culture has a wide range of social rules. A norm is a specific action
guide defining acceptable and suitable behaviours in specific situation.

Norms influence how you conduct yourself in public. For instance, you are supposed
to turn around to face the door when entering an elevator. To enter the elevator and stay facing
the rest of the people would be an example a social norm violation.

Human behaviours change depending on social situations they have been experiencing
since the age of 1 or 2. In order to fit in with the rest of the crowd, individuals learn to adapt to
society by adjusting their behaviours.

 Status is used to identify the relative quantity of prestige, dissimilarity or respect given
to individuals allocated to different roles within a group or society. Most people consider the
status or ranking within a group as a serious matter. Status is a key factor in group functioning.

In a society, status is the honour attached to one's position. This social status can be
determined in two ways: through one's own accomplishment or inheritance. Status through
earned by inheritance indicated that an individual could be given a high status because he or
she was born and belongs to a very well-known family in a culture. At the same time another
may have a low status because he or she is born in a minority group which is considered poor
from all aspects, economic, education, gender and culture.

Norms are influenced by the status of the group. If all members in the group have equal
status the norm formation will be smooth and unanimous. Differential status of group members
will lead to conflicts.

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