Fundamentals and stages of development of social conflict. Stages of social conflicts

29.09.2019

Typically, there are four stages of development in social conflict:

1) pre-conflict stage;
2) the conflict itself;
3) conflict resolution;
4) post-conflict stage.

1. Pre-conflict stage.

A conflict is preceded by a pre-conflict situation. This is an increase in tension between potential subjects of conflict caused by certain contradictions. However, contradictions, as already mentioned, do not always entail conflict. Only those contradictions that are perceived by potential subjects of conflict as incompatible opposites of interests, goals, values, etc., lead to an aggravation of social tension and conflicts. Social tension represents psychological condition people even before the start of the conflict is of a latent (hidden) nature.

The most characteristic manifestation of social tension during this period is group emotions. Consequently, a certain level of social tension in an optimally functioning society is quite natural as a protective and adaptive reaction of the social organism. However, exceeding a certain (optimal) level of social tension can lead to conflicts.

IN real life The causes of social tension can “overlap” one another or be replaced by one another. For example, some people have negative attitudes towards the market Russian citizens caused primarily by economic difficulties, but often manifest as value orientations. Conversely, value orientations, as a rule, are justified by economic reasons.

One of the key concepts in social conflict is dissatisfaction. The accumulation of dissatisfaction with the existing state of affairs or the course of developments leads to an increase in social tension. In this case, there is a transformation of dissatisfaction from subjective-objective relations into subjective-subjective ones. The essence of this transformation is that the potential subject of the conflict, dissatisfied with the objectively existing state of affairs, identifies (personifies) the real and alleged culprits of dissatisfaction. At the same time, the subject (subjects) of the conflict becomes aware of the intractability of the current conflict situation by conventional means of interaction.

Thus, the conflict situation is gradually transformed into an open conflict. However, the conflict situation itself can exist for a long period of time and not develop into a conflict. For a conflict to become real, an incident is necessary.

An incident is a formal reason for the start of a direct clash between the parties. For example, the murder of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne Franz Ferdinand and his wife in Sarajevo, carried out by a group of Bosnian terrorists on August 28, 1914, served as a formal reason for the outbreak of the First World War, although tensions between the Entente and the German military bloc had existed for many years.

An incident can happen by accident, or it can be provoked by the subject(s) of the conflict. The incident may also result from the natural course of events. It happens that an incident is prepared and provoked by some “third force”, pursuing its own interests in a supposed “foreign” conflict.

The incident marks the transition of the conflict to a new quality.

In the current situation, there are three main options for behavior of the conflicting parties:

1) the parties (sides) strive to resolve the contradictions that have arisen and find a compromise;
2) one of the parties pretends that nothing special happened (avoiding the conflict);
3) the incident becomes a signal for the beginning of open confrontation.

The choice of one option or another largely depends on the conflict attitude (goals, expectations, emotional orientation) of the parties.

2. The conflict itself.

The beginning of open confrontation between the parties is the result of conflict behavior, which is understood as actions aimed at the opposing party with the aim of capturing, holding a disputed object or forcing the opponent to abandon his goals or change them. Conflictologists identify several forms of conflict behavior:

active conflict behavior (challenge);
passive-conflict behavior (response to a challenge);
conflict-compromise behavior;
compromising behavior.

Depending on the conflict attitude and the form of conflict behavior of the parties, the conflict acquires its own logic of development. A developing conflict tends to create additional reasons for its deepening and expansion. Each new “victim” becomes an “justification” for escalating the conflict. Therefore, each conflict is unique to a certain extent.

Three main phases can be distinguished in the development of the conflict at its second stage:

1) the transition of the conflict from a latent state to open confrontation between the parties. The fight is still being carried out with limited resources and is local in nature. The first test of strength occurs. At this phase, there are still real opportunities to stop the open struggle and resolve the conflict by other methods;
2) further escalation of confrontation. To achieve their goals and block the enemy’s actions, more and more new resources of the parties are introduced. Almost all opportunities to find a compromise are missed. The conflict is becoming increasingly unmanageable and unpredictable;
3) the conflict reaches its climax and takes the form of a total war using all possible forces and means. At this phase, the conflicting parties seem to forget real reasons and the goals of the conflict. The main goal of the confrontation is to inflict maximum damage on the enemy.

3. Conflict resolution stage.

The duration and intensity of the conflict depend on many factors: on the goals and attitudes of the parties, on the resources at their disposal, on the means and methods of fighting, on the reaction to the conflict environment, from symbols of victory and defeat, from existing and possible ways(mechanisms) for finding consensus, etc.

At a certain stage in the development of the conflict, the conflicting parties’ ideas about their capabilities and the capabilities of the enemy may change significantly. There comes a moment of “reassessment of values”, caused by new relationships that have arisen as a result of the conflict, a new balance of power, the awareness of the impossibility of achieving goals or the exorbitant price of success. All this stimulates a change in tactics and strategies of conflict behavior. In this situation, one or both conflicting parties begin to look for ways out of the conflict and the intensity of the struggle, as a rule, subsides. From this moment the process of ending the conflict actually begins, which does not exclude new aggravations.

At the conflict resolution stage, the following scenarios are possible:

1) the obvious superiority of one of the parties allows it to impose its conditions for ending the conflict on the weaker opponent;
2) the fight continues until one of the parties is completely defeated;
3) due to a lack of resources, the struggle becomes protracted and sluggish;
4) having exhausted resources and not identifying a clear (potential) winner, the parties make mutual concessions in the conflict;
5) the conflict can be stopped under pressure from a third force.

The social conflict will continue until clear conditions for its termination appear. In a fully institutionalized conflict, such conditions can be determined before the confrontation begins (for example, as in a game where there are rules for its completion), or they can be developed and mutually agreed upon during the development of the conflict. If the conflict is not institutionalized or is partially institutionalized, then additional problems of its completion arise.

There are also absolute conflicts, in which the struggle is waged until the complete destruction of one or both rivals. Consequently, the more strictly defined the subject of the dispute, the more obvious the signs marking victory and defeat of the parties, the greater the chances that the conflict will be localized in time and space and the fewer victims will be required to resolve it.

There are many ways to end a conflict. Basically, they are aimed at changing the conflict situation itself, either by influencing the parties to the conflict, or by changing the characteristics of the object of the conflict, or in other ways, namely:

1) eliminating the object of the conflict;
2) replacement of one object with another;
3) elimination of one side of the conflict;
4) change in the position of one of the parties;
5) changes in the characteristics of the object and subject of the conflict;
6) obtaining new information about the object or imposing additional conditions on it;
7) preventing direct or indirect interaction between participants;
8) the parties to the conflict coming to a single decision (consensus) or turning to the “arbiter”, subject to submission to any of his decisions.

There are other ways to end a conflict. For example, the military conflict between Bosnian Serbs, Muslims and Croats was ended through coercion. Peacekeeping forces (NATO, UN) literally forced the conflicting parties to sit down at the negotiating table.

The final stage of the conflict resolution stage involves negotiations and legal formalization of available agreements. In interpersonal and intergroup conflicts, the results of negotiations can take the form of oral agreements and mutual obligations of the parties.

Usually one of the conditions for starting the negotiation process is a temporary truce. However, options are possible when, at the stage of preliminary agreements, the parties not only do not stop “fighting”, but escalate the conflict, trying to strengthen their positions in the negotiations. Negotiations involve a mutual search for a compromise between the conflicting parties and include the following possible procedures:

1) recognition of the existence of a conflict;
2) approval of procedural rules and regulations;
3) identifying the main controversial issues (drawing out a protocol of disagreements);
4) research possible options problem solution;
5) search for agreements for each controversial issue and on conflict resolution in general;
6) documenting agreements reached;
7) fulfillment of all accepted mutual obligations.

Negotiations may differ from each other in terms of both the level of the contracting parties and the disagreements existing between them, but the basic procedures (elements) of negotiations remain unchanged.

The negotiation process can be based on a compromise method, based on mutual concessions of the parties, or a method focused on jointly solving existing problems.

Negotiation methods and their results depend not only on the relationship between the warring parties, but also on the internal situation of each party, on relations with allies, as well as on other non-conflict factors.

4. After the conflict stage.

The end of direct confrontation between the parties does not always mean that the conflict is completely resolved. The degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the parties with the concluded peace agreements will largely depend on the following provisions:

to what extent it was possible to achieve the pursued goal during the conflict and subsequent negotiations;
what methods and methods were used to fight;
How great are the losses of the parties (human, material, territorial, etc.);
how great is the degree of infringement on the self-esteem of one or another party;
whether, as a result of the conclusion of peace, it was possible to relieve the emotional tension of the parties;
what methods were used as the basis for the negotiation process;
to what extent it was possible to balance the interests of the parties;
whether the compromise was imposed under forceful pressure (by one of the parties or some “third force”) or was the result mutual search conflict resolution;
what is the reaction of the surrounding social environment to the results of the conflict.

If one or both parties believe that the signed peace agreements infringe on their interests, then tensions between the parties will remain, and the end of the conflict may be perceived as a temporary respite. Peace concluded as a result of mutual depletion of resources is also not always able to resolve the main controversial issues that caused the conflict. The most durable peace is one concluded on the basis of consensus, when the parties consider the conflict to be completely resolved and build their relations on the basis of trust and cooperation.

The post-conflict stage marks a new objective reality: new balance of power, new relationships of opponents to each other and to the environment social environment, a new vision of existing problems and a new assessment of one’s strengths and capabilities. For example, Chechen War literally forced the highest Russian leadership take a fresh look at everything Caucasus region and more realistically assess Russia’s combat and economic potential.

Introduction 3

1. Main aspects of social conflicts 4

1.1.Classification of conflicts 6

1.2.Characteristics of conflicts 8

2. Stages of social conflicts 13

Conclusion 18

Introduction

Social heterogeneity of society, differences in income levels, power, prestige, etc. often lead to conflicts. Conflicts are an integral part of social life. The modern life of Russian society is especially rich in conflicts. All this calls for close attention to the study of conflicts. The wide distribution of this phenomenon served as the basis for this work.

The relevance of the topic is evidenced by the fact that clashes of points of view, opinions, positions are a very common phenomenon in production and public life. Therefore, in order to develop the right line of behavior in various conflict situations, you need to know what conflict is and how people come to agreement. Knowledge of conflicts improves the culture of communication and makes a person’s life not only calmer, but also more psychologically stable.

Conflict, especially social conflict, is a very interesting phenomenon in the social life of people, and in this regard, it is no coincidence that many prominent scientists involved in a very wide range of sciences are interested in it. So Professor N.V. Mikhailov wrote: “Conflict is a stimulus and a brake on progress, development and degradation, good and evil.”

Difficulties that arise when extinguishing and localizing conflicts require a thorough analysis of the entire conflict, establishing its possible causes and consequences.

1. Main aspects of social conflicts

Conflict is a clash of opposing goals, positions, opinions and views of opponents or subjects of interaction. The English sociologist E. Gidens gave the following definition of conflict: “By conflict I mean a real struggle between active people or groups, regardless of the origins of this struggle, its methods and means mobilized by each side.” Conflict is a ubiquitous phenomenon. Every society, every social group, social community is susceptible to conflict to one degree or another. The wide dissemination of this phenomenon and the keen attention of society and scientists to it contributed to the emergence of a special branch of sociological knowledge - conflictology. Conflicts are classified according to their structure and areas of research.

Social conflict is special kind interaction of social forces, in which the action of one side, faced with opposition from the other, makes it impossible to realize its goals and interests.

The main subjects of the conflict are large social groups. Major conflict expert R. Dorendorf considers three types of subjects of conflict social groups:

1) Primary groups are direct participants in the conflict who are in a state of interaction regarding the achievement of objectively or subjectively incompatible goals.

2) Secondary groups - strive to not be directly involved in the conflict, but contribute to inciting the conflict. At the acute stage, they can become the primary side.

3) Third forces are interested in resolving the conflict.

The subject of the conflict is the main contradiction, because of which and for the sake of resolving which the subjects enter into confrontation.

Conflictology has developed two models for describing conflict: procedural And structural. The procedural model focuses on the dynamics of the conflict, the emergence of a conflict situation, the transition of the conflict from one stage to another, forms of conflict behavior, and the final outcome of the conflict. In the structural model, the emphasis shifts to the analysis of the conditions underlying the conflict and determining its dynamics. The main goal of this model is to establish the parameters that influence conflict behavior and specify the forms of this behavior.

Much attention is paid to the concept of “strength” of participants in conflicts 1 . Strength is the opponent’s ability to realize his goal against the will of the interaction partner. It includes a number of heterogeneous components:

Physical force, including technical means used as an instrument of violence;

An informationally civilized form of the use of force, requiring the collection of facts, statistical data, analysis of documents, study of examination materials in order to ensure complete knowledge about the essence of the conflict, about one’s opponent in order to develop a strategy and tactics of behavior, the use of materials discrediting the opponent, etc.;

Social status, expressed in publicly recognized indicators (income, level of power, prestige, etc.);

Other resources - money, territory, time limit, number of supporters, etc.

The stage of conflict behavior is characterized by the maximum use of the power of the participants in conflicts, the use of all resources at their disposal.

An important influence on the development of conflict relations is exerted by the surrounding social environment, which determines the conditions in which conflict processes take place. The environment can act either as a source of external support for the parties to the conflict, or as a deterrent, or as a neutral factor.

Classification of conflicts

All conflicts can be classified depending on the areas of disagreement as follows.

1. Personal conflict. This zone includes conflicts occurring within the personality, at the level of individual consciousness. Such conflicts may be associated, for example, with excessive dependence or role tension. This is a purely psychological conflict, but it can be a catalyst for the emergence of group tension if the individual seeks the cause of his internal conflict among group members.

2. Interpersonal conflict. This zone involves disagreements between two or more members of one group or more groups.

3. Intergroup conflict. A certain number of individuals forming a group (i.e., a social community capable of joint coordinated actions) come into conflict with another group that does not include individuals from the first group. This is the most common type of conflict, because individuals, when starting to influence others, usually try to attract supporters and form a group that will facilitate actions in the conflict.

4. Conflict of belonging. Occurs due to the dual affiliation of individuals, for example, when they form a group within another, larger group or when an individual is simultaneously part of two competitive groups pursuing the same goal.

5. Conflict with the external environment. The individuals who make up the group experience pressure from the outside (primarily from cultural, administrative and economic norms and regulations). They often come into conflict with the institutions that support these norms and regulations.

According to their internal content, social conflicts are divided into rational and emotional 2. TO rational include such conflicts that cover the sphere of reasonable, business-like cooperation, redistribution of resources and improvement of managerial or social structure. Rational conflicts also occur in the field of culture, when people try to free themselves from outdated, unnecessary forms, customs and beliefs. As a rule, those participating in rational conflicts do not move to the personal level and do not form an image of the enemy in their minds. Respect for the opponent, recognition of his right to some share of the truth - these are characteristic features of a rational conflict. Such conflicts are not acute or protracted, since both sides strive, in principle, for the same goal - improvement of relationships, norms, patterns of behavior, fair distribution of values. The parties come to an agreement, and as soon as the frustrating obstacle is removed, the conflict is resolved.

However, during conflict interactions and clashes, the aggression of its participants is often transferred from the cause of the conflict to the individual. In this case, the original cause of the conflict is simply forgotten, and the participants act on the basis of personal hostility. Such a conflict is called emotional. From the moment an emotional conflict appears, negative stereotypes appear in the minds of the people involved in it.

The development of emotional conflict is unpredictable, and in the vast majority of cases they are uncontrollable. Most often, such a conflict ends after new people or even new generations appear in the situation. But some conflicts (for example, national, religious) can transmit the emotional mood to other generations. In this case, the conflict continues for quite a long time.

Characteristics of conflicts

Despite numerous manifestations of conflict interactions in social life, they all have a number general characteristics, the study of which allows us to classify the main parameters of conflicts, as well as identify factors influencing their intensity. All conflicts have four main parameters: the causes of the conflict, the severity of the conflict, its duration and consequences 3 . By considering these characteristics, it is possible to determine the similarities and differences in conflicts and the characteristics of their course.

Causes of conflicts.

Defining the concept of the nature of the conflict and the subsequent analysis of its causes is important in the study of conflict interactions, since the cause is the point around which the conflict situation unfolds. Early diagnosis of a conflict is primarily aimed at finding it real reason, which allows for social control over the behavior of social groups at the pre-conflict stage.

It is advisable to begin the analysis of the causes of social conflict with their typology. The following types of reasons can be distinguished:

1.The presence of opposite orientations. Each individual and social group has a certain set of value orientations regarding the most significant aspects of social life. They are all different and usually opposite. At the moment of striving to satisfy needs, in the presence of blocked goals that several individuals or groups are trying to achieve, opposing value orientations come into contact and can cause conflict.

2.Ideological reasons. Conflicts arising from ideological differences are a special case of a conflict of opposing orientations. The difference between them is that the ideological cause of the conflict lies in in different ways to a system of ideas that justify and legitimize relations of subordination, dominance and in the fundamental worldviews of various groups of society. In this case, elements of faith, religious, socio-political aspirations become a catalyst for contradictions.

3.The causes of conflicts are various forms of economic and social inequality. This type of reason is associated with a significant difference in the distribution of values (income, knowledge, information, cultural elements, etc.) between individuals and groups. Inequality in the distribution of values exists everywhere, but conflict arises only with such a magnitude of inequality that one of the social groups regards it as very significant, and only if such significant inequality leads to a blockade of important social needs in one of the social groups. The social tension that arises in this case can cause social conflict. It is caused by the emergence of additional needs among people, for example the need to have the same amount of values.

4. The causes of conflicts lie in the relationships between elements of the social structure. They arise as a result of the different places occupied by structural elements in a society, organization or ordered social group. Conflict for this reason may be associated, firstly, with different goals pursued by individual elements. Secondly, conflict for this reason is associated with the desire of one or another structural element to occupy a higher place in the hierarchical structure.

Of course, all social conflicts cannot be fit into a single universal scheme. There are conflicts like a fight, where you can only count on victory, conflicts like a debate, where disputes, maneuvers are possible, and both sides can count on a compromise. There are conflicts like a game, where the parties act within the same rules, etc.

After the typology of social conflicts, the stages and phases of the conflict should be considered, which provides the basis for searching for ways of regulation.

The emergence of a conflict is a latent stage, often not even noticeable to an outside observer. Actions develop at the socio-psychological level - conversations in the kitchen, smoking rooms, locker rooms. The development of this phase can be monitored by some indirect signs (an increase in the number of dismissals, absenteeism).

No social conflict arises instantly. Social tension and emotional irritation accumulate over some time, and the pre-conflict stage can be extended.

Characteristic feature social conflict is the presence of an object of conflict, the possession of which is associated with the frustration of subjects drawn into social conflict.

The pre-conflict stage is the period when the conflicting parties assess their resource capabilities. Such resources include material assets with which you can influence the opposite side; information; power; communications; allies whose support you can count on.

Initially, the parties to the conflict look for ways to achieve goals without influencing the rival side. When such attempts prove futile, the individual, the collective, or the social group determine the object that is interfering with the achievement of goals, the degree of its guilt, and the degree of possible resistance. This moment in the pre-conflict stage is called identification.

There are situations when the cause of frustration is hidden and difficult to identify. Then it is possible to select an object for social conflict that has nothing to do with blocking the need, that is, false identification occurs. Sometimes a false identification is created artificially in order to distract attention from the true source of frustration, social tension. In the most complex interweaving of social life, experienced politicians quite often let off the steam of social tension by creating false objects of frustration. For example, the head of an enterprise, unable to manage financial resources wisely, explains the non-payment wages actions of the central government.

The pre-conflict stage is also characterized by the development by each of the conflicting parties of a scenario or even several scenarios of their actions, and the choice of methods of influencing the opposing side. The pre-conflict stage is of scientific and practical interest for managers and sociologists, because when making the right choice strategies, ways of influencing participants can extinguish emerging conflicts or, conversely, inflate them, using certain political or other goals.

The initiating stage is the stage at which an event occurs that plays the role of a trigger. It forces the parties to act openly and actively. This could be verbal debates, rallies, deputations, hunger strikes, pickets, economic sanctions and even physical pressure, etc. Sometimes the actions of the parties to the conflict can be of a hidden nature, when rivals try to deceive and intimidate each other.

According to their content, social conflicts are divided into rational and emotional, although in practice it is difficult to separate one from the other. When a conflict occurs in rational form, then its participants do not move to the personal level and do not strive to form an image of the enemy in their minds. Respect for an opponent, recognition of his right to a share of the truth, the ability to enter into his position are characteristic features of conflicts that are rational in nature.

However, most often during conflict interactions, the aggression of its participants is transferred from the cause of the conflict to the individual, and hostility and even hatred towards rivals is formed. Thus, during interethnic conflicts, an image of a foreign nation is created, as a rule, uncultured, cruel, possessing all imaginable vices, and this image extends to the entire nation without exception.

The development of emotional conflicts is unpredictable, and in most cases they are difficult to manage, so the desire of some managers, for their own purposes, to artificially cause a conflict to resolve a conflict situation threatens with serious consequences, since the conflict can be controlled to a certain extent.

The peak stage is the critical point of the conflict, the stage when interactions between the conflicting parties reach maximum severity and strength. It is important to be able to determine the passage of this point, since after this the situation in to the greatest extent manageable. And at the same time, intervention in the conflict at the peak point is useless and even dangerous.

After passing the critical point, several scenarios for the development of the conflict are possible:

destruction of the core of the strike and transition to the extinction of the conflict, but the formation of a new core and a new escalation are possible;

reaching a compromise as a result of negotiations;

an escalating option for turning a strike into a tragic one, a dead end in its content, when a search for alternatives, new positions of the conflicting parties is required. In another version - hunger strikes, pogroms, militant actions, destruction of equipment.

The extinction of the conflict is associated either with the exhaustion of the resources of one of the parties, or with the achievement of an agreement. If the conflict is a forceful interaction, then participation in the conflict requires the presence of some force, a way of influencing the opponent, the opposing side.

Power is understood as the potential of a social group, which, by its action or threat of action, can force another social group to yield and satisfy demands.

Among the main sources of such power are:

formal power;

control over scarce resources (finance, control over information, decision-making processes, control over technology). The situation of air traffic controllers in civil aviation, miners, power engineers during the winter heating period, etc.

The potential of an individual social group consists of personal, social potential, financial resources, economic potential, technological potential, time resources and some other factors.

social conflict confrontation regulation

The external resources of the conflicting parties include: natural environment(positions of heat power engineers in the Far North), connections with funds mass media, political (court, law enforcement), possible allies, etc. Naturally, external resources can work for one of the parties to the conflict, and then the latter gains an advantage.

Of course, each of the parties to the conflict is driven by certain social interests, which are expressed in goals, needs, and policies. Interests can be real, real and inadequate - inflated, hypothetical (far-fetched), translated, that is, not the interests of a given group, but representing the interests of other social groups.

The interests of a social group are expressed during a conflict in certain demands. These may be demands for the payment of arrears of wages or their increase, disputes about the boundaries of responsibility, issues of employment and movement at work, actions in support of other teams or social groups. In addition, a conflict situation absorbs the entire set of conditions and causes that precede it. In conflict, the contradictions accumulated in the social organization are discharged; they are comparable to a lightning bolt, which absorbs all the accumulated energy.

It doesn't happen suddenly. Its causes accumulate and sometimes ripen for quite a long time.

In the process of ripening conflict, 4 stages can be distinguished:

1. Hidden stage- caused by the unequal position of groups of individuals in the spheres of “have” and “can”. It covers all aspects of life conditions: social, political, economic, moral, intellectual. Its main reason is the desire of people to improve their status and superiority;

2. Stage of tension, the degree of which depends on the position of the opposing side, which has great power and superiority. For example, tension is zero if the dominant party takes a cooperative position, tension is reduced with a conciliatory approach, and very strong if the parties are intransigent;

3. Antagonism stage, which manifests itself as a consequence of high tension;

4. Incompatibility stage resulting from high tension. This is actually a conflict.

The emergence does not preclude the continuation of previous stages, since the hidden conflict continues on private issues and, moreover, new tensions arise.

The process of conflict development

The conflict can be viewed in a narrow and in a broad sense words. In a narrow way, this is a direct collision of the parties. In broad terms, it is an evolving process consisting of several stages.

The main stages and stages of the conflict

Conflict- is the lack of agreement between two or more parties; a situation in which the conscious behavior of one party (individual, group or organization as a whole) conflicts with the interests of another party. In this case, each side does everything to ensure that its point of view or goal is accepted, and prevents the other side from doing the same.

Ideas about conflict have changed over time.

In the 1930-1940s. The traditional approach to conflict assessment has become widespread. According to it, conflict is defined as a negative, destructive phenomenon for the organization, therefore conflicts should be avoided at all costs.

From the late 1940s to the mid-1970s. There was a widespread approach according to which conflict is a natural element of the existence and development of any group. Without it, the group cannot function successfully, and in some cases, conflict has a positive effect on the effectiveness of its work.

The modern approach to conflict is based on the idea that constant and complete harmony, conciliation, and the absence of new ideas that require breaking old techniques and methods of work inevitably lead to stagnation, inhibiting the development of innovation and the forward movement of the entire organization. That is why managers must constantly maintain conflict at the level necessary for the implementation of creative innovation activity in the organization, and skillfully manage conflict to achieve organizational goals.

In its development, the conflict goes through five main stages.

First stage characterized by the emergence of conditions that create opportunities for conflict to arise in the future, namely:

problems related to communication (unsatisfactory exchange of information, lack of mutual understanding in the team);
problems associated with the peculiarities of the organization’s work (authoritarian management style, lack of a clear system for evaluating staff performance and rewards);
personal qualities of employees (incompatible value systems, dogmatism, disrespect for the interests of other team members).

Second stage characterized by such a development of events in which the conflict becomes obvious to its participants. This may be evidenced by a change in the relationship between the parties to the conflict, the creation of a tense environment, and a feeling of psychological discomfort.

Third stage characterized by the obvious intentions of the parties to the conflict to resolve the existing conflict situation. Here are the main conflict resolution strategies:

confrontation, when one of the parties wants to satisfy its interests, regardless of how this will affect the interests of the other party;
cooperation, when active attempts are made to most fully satisfy the interests of all parties involved in the conflict;
the desire to avoid conflict, when the conflict is ignored, the parties do not want to acknowledge its existence, they try to avoid people with whom disagreements are possible on certain issues;
opportunism, when one of the parties to the conflict seeks to put the interests of the other party above their own;
compromise, when each party to the conflict is ready to partially sacrifice its interests for the sake of common ones.

Fourth stage conflict occurs when the intentions of its participants are embodied in specific forms of behavior. In this case, the behavior of the participants in the conflict can take both controlled forms and uncontrolled ones (clash of groups, etc.).

Fifth stage conflict is characterized by what consequences (positive or negative) occur after the conflict is resolved.

At conflict management The most commonly used methods are:

organizing meetings of conflicting parties, assisting them in identifying the causes of the conflict and constructive ways to resolve it;
setting joint goals and objectives that cannot be achieved without reconciliation and cooperation of the conflicting parties;
attracting additional resources, primarily in cases where the conflict was caused by a shortage of resources - production space, financing, opportunities for career advancement, etc.;
developing a mutual desire to sacrifice something to achieve agreement and reconciliation;
administrative methods of conflict management, for example, transferring an employee from one unit to another;
change organizational structure, improving information exchange, redesigning work;
training the employee in conflict management skills, interpersonal skills, and the art of negotiation.