Mitigating Organisational Conflict through Effective Communication Management

Abstract

Communication is essential to any kind of organisation and information plays a crucial role in effective communication. An effective communication management is considered to be a lifeline for many projects that an organisation undertakes as well as any department of the organisation. The organisational life is one that is based on collaborative relationships with both colleagues and those outside the organisation. It requires individuals to work closely with others with varying backgrounds or cultures. Individuals can hold diverse values, potentially affecting these relationships, which may result in conflict. Good communication or conflict resolution skills can decrease the risk of conflict. Dealing with conflict properly requires the individual to develop conflict resolution skills. This is done through conscious effort to control the individuals’ behavior of poor communication. The study therefore focused on mitigating organisational conflict through effective communication management. The study identifies two sources of conflict in organisation and they include: Internal Sources: this is so called because they refer to factors which are inherent within the framework of an organisation. The External Sources: these are so called because they are outside the four walls of an organisation. The study observed that poor communication always results in misunderstandings and eventually conflicts in organisation. Thus, the study recommended that an integrative and strategic communication is essential in managing organisations successfully.