CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

• Background of the Study

Conflict is generally inevitable and can be experienced in all spheres of life. This is because no two human beings are so exactly alike that they can think and act the same way or agree on everything all the time. It is these differences in human beings that make educational institution inevitable of conflicts (Arthur, 2009). Fortunately, most human beings can be persuaded on course. This reality, notwithstanding, is also a fact that the way and manner which differences may be addressed can be difficult for any individual or group having to work in a conflict situation.

Conflict is like a two-edge sword and the way it may be handled determines its outcome. Conflict may bring about either development or progress or negative and devastating consequences in the society. Conflict in an organization can range from trivial to tragic and may occur within the individual, between people and groups. As people come together to satisfy a wide range of emotional needs, social relations in general are swamped with conflict. People interact; deal with differences as well as similarities; with strong dislikes as well as attractions.

Conflict, dispute and disagreement are part of life, so are the feelings that go along with them-hurt, anger, frustration, resentment and or disappointment, especially when individuals are engaged in competition. It is as results from our shared culture orientations regarding competition and getting ahead. Conflict is

always seen among individuals and organizations as well. Tertiary institutions in Ghana, especially University of Cape Coast (UCC), University of Education, Winneba, and Cape Coast Technical University libraries, are always prone to conflicts because human relations are very important. According to Helliriegel, Slocum & Woodman (1995), conflict is difficult to define because it occurs in many different settings. They further add that the fundamental nature of the conflict seems to be disagreement, contradiction or incompatibility.

Baker, Kathy, Kittie & Robert (2001) argue that a potential for conflict exists whenever and wherever people have contact with one another. They add that as people are organized into groups to seek a common goal, the probability of conflicts greatly increases since individuals may dislike certain people with whom they come into frequent contacts. There can be disagreements with family members, friends and co-workers and even, with people we meet for the first time. These conflict situations appear with frequency in daily, public and private life and may be either on a small or large scale. The devastating consequence of conflicts does not affect the individual alone, but the whole society. Conflict is  not just a problem for development, but a threat to human life.

During conflicts and civil wars, society diverts some of the meaningful resources from production to violent areas (Stern, 2003). This existence of conflict may be triggered by ethnic, racial, religious and economic differences or may arise from differences in values, beliefs and attitudes regarding issues. The parties to conflict may be individuals or groups and for an organization to bring together diverse individuals and groups, it is bound to provide grounds for conflicts of many kinds.

According to Schein (1965), problems exist because as groups become more committed to their own goals and norms, they are likely to become competitive with one another and seek to undermine their rivals‟ activities.

Mullins (2005) sees conflict as “behavior intended to obstruct the achievement of some other person‟s goals”. This seems to be in congruence with Robbins (1993) assertion that conflict is the act that arises when two or more parties have incompatible interests or goals. This means that conflict occurs as a result of our own actions and inactions. Based on the definitions above, a working definition has been coined by the researcher who sees conflict as a disagreement that occurs in an individual (intrapersonal), between individuals or groups (interpersonal) and among organizations in an attempt to discharge their daily activities or achieve a set goal.

It is obvious that not all conflicts are bad and not all co-operations are good (Robinson 1972). Some people turn to view conflict as a negative force operating against the successful completion of the groups‟ goals while others view conflict as a tool that brings about development and progress in an organization. It would be expedient to distinguish the different views people hold about conflict. Psychologists are of the view that human beings are need–driven, goal oriented individuals who aim at achieving desirable goals and it is not surprising that most conflicts are goal driven (Beebe, Beebe& Redmond 1999).

Traditionalists, coming from the organizational point of view, see conflict as an evidence of breakdown in the efforts of management to halt certain practices in an

organization. Marxists, adding to the view of the traditionalists, perceive conflict as a necessary way of establishing revolutionary changes in an organization. There are also the Pluralists who see conflict as a natural phenomenon that is found in any organization or institution.

This view depicts conflict as something one has to come to terms with because it is an inevitable and cannot be eliminated. From the above mentioned views, it can be concluded that conflict is not necessarily as wasteful as some may see it, but a normal process by which socially valuable differences register themselves for the enrichment of concern. The potential positive outcomes of conflict, such as providing feedback, indicating the need for change, making supervisors aware of problems and increasing motivation are being recognized (Arthur, 2009).

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