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4 Emp. Resp. & Rts. J. 1 (1991)

handle is hein.journals/emprrj4 and id is 1 raw text is: Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1991 Introduction to the Special Issue on Positive Conflict- Conflict and Employees: The Right and Processes to be Heard Dan R. Dalton and Richard A. Cosier1 Conflict, defined as clash, competition, or mutual interference of opposing or incom- patible forces or qualities, may be positive. The appropriate amount of conflict may be a delicate balance not easily achieved. Thus, a key issue is conflict management. The major charter of this special issue is the presentation of work which suggests or demonstrates that conflict can be a positive force in the modern organization. It also is pointed out that conflict, positive or otherwise, and its resolution involves a broad spectrum of inquiry into the rights and obligations of those involved in the conflict KEY WORDS: organizational conflict; positive conflict; conflict management; conflict resolution; conflict and rights and obligations of the parties. Webster's Third International Dictionary defines conflict as clash, competi- tion, or mutual interference of opposing or incompatible forces or qualities (ideas, interest, wills) . . . Certainly, we can imagine situations in which such contrasts of will are destructive. Consider, for example, a duel-literally-in which one of the opposing parties lies mortally wounded. In defense of such an approach, we would concede that the conflict is settled, at least to the satisfaction of one of the com- batants. Conversely, though, it would be difficult to argue that such a tactic is mutually beneficial. Obviously, then, all conflict is not advantageous. Perhaps more importantly, some means that might be adopted to reduce conflict are not remotely sensible. The common thread in the collection of research and essays in this issue of The Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal is that some types of conflict and some means of conflict management are positive. The effect of conflict in the workplace, like most organizational phenomena, is almost certainly curvilinear. Cer- tainly, it is possible to have too much of it. Correspondingly, too little of it does not serve us well. Conflicts that result in substance abuse and industrial sabotage, for example, would hardly seem functional. Setting aside omniscience, one of the tThe Graduate School of Business, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405. 1 0892-7545/91/0300-0001$06.50/0 © 1991 Plenum Publishing Corporation