• communication failure
• personality conflict
• value differences
• goal differences
• methodological differences
• substandard performance
• lack of cooperation
• differences regarding authority
• differences regarding responsibility
• competition over resources
• non-compliance with rules

• COMMUNICATION
• ORGANIZATIONAL
• PERSONAL

For purposes of analysis of the causes of conflict, it may be useful to identify three general categories:

COMMUNICATION

• semantic difficulties

Words do not mean the same things to everyone who hears or uses them.

If one person were to ask another to "level out the gravel" on a construction site, the words "level out" could mean different things to both party's. The differences in perceived meaning are due to semantics.

If the communication is related to an activity that is critical to the organization, a semantic misunderstanding can easily lead to conflict.

• misunderstandings

• "noise"

"Noise" in the communications process can take a number of forms. Most obviously, noise is physical -- the parties in the organization cannot "hear" one another because too many people are talking at once, there is a radio blaring in the background, or the construction workers on the street are using a jackhammer.

Noise also comes in the form of distorted signals -- the fax message is misunderstood because poor quality fax paper makes it difficult to read the letters on the page.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

• group interdependence

The greater the degree of interdependence, the greater is the likelihood of communication difficulties (see above).

Greater interdependence also increases the possibility that the parties need to share resources. If these resources are scarce, the probability of conflict is increased.

At a college, the lives of students and instructors are impacted by the Timetabling Department. The academic departments must submit their timetabling requests to the Timetabling Department. In turn, the Timetabling Department completes timetables which govern the lives of instructors and students. Neither the Timetabling Department nor the academic departments can do their jobs effectively without the highest degree of cooperation.

This interdependence can become the cause of interdepartmental conflict. If either end of this interdependent relationship does not provide the other with adequate information, poor performance results. In this case, the department initiating the poor performance becomes the recipient of the other's poor performance -- conflict escalates.

• task specialization
• reward systems
• authority relationships
• group or organizational size

PERSONAL VARIABLES

• personality types
• value systems