INDUSTRIAL CONFLICT AND ITS EFFECTS ON WORKPLACE EFFICIENCY

Abstract

Behavioural and social scientists generally are unanimous on the fact that conflict is inevitable wherever there is some opportunity for choice-making in settings that bring people together to achieve certain goals or objectives. Whether at inter-personal, group, workplace or at larger society levels, conflict should normally be expected, because certain disagreements must necessarily occur, as humans, by nature are bound to reason and act differently. This article therefore, examined industrial conflict and its effects on workplace efficiency, with a view to fashioning ways and means of its effective management. This is considered from the following three points’ objectives, namely: an assessment of the concept of conflict; evaluation of the effects of conflict in an industrial setting; measurement of industrial conflict solution, and suggestions on the management of industrial conflict. The paper made use of primary and secondary sources of data collection, and was analysed with descriptive and content analyses. The study findings revealed that, the flow of work in organisations may be affected adversely by protracted conflicts at workplace, especially on the level of performance, and attendant multiplier effects on level of production, sales volume and rate of turnover per time. The paper concluded that, though industrial conflicts are said to be inevitable, efforts and strategies can however be put in place by top management of organisations to mitigate and checkmate their occurrences.