**3.1. Conflict management**

Definition of conflict includes the different conflicts people experience in organizations, such as incompatibility of goals, differences in interpretations of facts and disagreements based on expectations. Conflicts can be classified into intrapersonal, interpersonal, intragroup, intergroup, intraorganization and interorganization conflict types [1, 2, 4].

Intrapersonal conflict occurs within an individual. The experience takes place in the individual's mind. Sources of these conflicts are thoughts, values, principles emotions, needs and motives. Intrapersonal conflict can be difficult to handle if person cannot decipher his inner struggles. It may lead to restlessness, uneasiness or even depression. Eventually, when an individual finds himself out of the situation, he can become more empowered as a person. Thus, the conflict evokes a positive change which will help him in his own personal growth. Interpersonal or intragroup conflict is an expressed struggle at least two interdependent individual within same group who perceive a situation differently or have incompatible goal, are competing for scarce resources, or perceive interference for other party in achieving their goals. Conflict occurs whenever disagreements exist in a social situation. People have varied personalities, which usually results to incompatible choices and opinions. Intergroup conflict takes place when a misunderstanding arises among different teams within an organization. This is due to the varied sets of goals and interests of different groups. This is also an example of intraorganizational conflict. Interorganizational conflict occurs between two or more organizations, for example, when they compete against one another [1, 2, 16, 17].

Conflicts may have negative/destructive or positive/constructive effects on performance of group. The first one is named as dysfunctional conflicts and the later one as functional conflicts. From the traditional view, conflict should be avoided because it indicates a malfunctioning within the group or organization. Conflict is seen as a dysfunctional outcome resulting from poor communication, a lack of openness and trust between people and the failure of managers. The interactionist view proposes that conflict can be a positive force in a group but also necessity for group to perform effectively. This view encourages conflict because it provokes innovation and change. It does not allow the group to passively rubber-stamp decisions that may be based on weak assumptions, inadequate consideration of relevant alternatives or other debilities. Groups whose members have different interests and opinions tend to produce higher quality solutions to a variety of problems than do homogeneous groups [3, 4].

When conflicts are constructive, they enhance relationships, create an environment for selfgrowth, enable individual and group achieving goals, enable problem solving and enhance self-esteem. On contrary if conflicts are destructive, they result in stress, which may lead people to become more close minded and adversarial. Other outcomes are poor communication and information sharing, ignorance of other side's point of view, low trust and performance, fighting and even the destruction of the group. The conflict management involves doing things to limit the negative aspects of conflict and to increase the positive aspects of conflict. The aim is to enhance learning and group outcomes such as performance. Properly managed conflict increases learning by increasing the amount of questions asked and encourage people to challenge the status quo. The best projects and organizations have an invisible power among stakeholders, which helps in conflict situations. In the conflict management, the development of reactive and conciliatory methods is not the most important, but the development of the proactive dialogical culture for the work community. The better the latter succeed, the less the first one is needed [2, 4–6, 18–20].

The conflict management, Big five personality model and product lifecycle were utilized as theoretical knowledge in studying how Metallica has succeeded in turning conflicts as a success factor during its life cycle. These theories helped in outlining, analyzing and interpreting

Definition of conflict includes the different conflicts people experience in organizations, such as incompatibility of goals, differences in interpretations of facts and disagreements based on expectations. Conflicts can be classified into intrapersonal, interpersonal, intragroup, inter-

Intrapersonal conflict occurs within an individual. The experience takes place in the individual's mind. Sources of these conflicts are thoughts, values, principles emotions, needs and motives. Intrapersonal conflict can be difficult to handle if person cannot decipher his inner struggles. It may lead to restlessness, uneasiness or even depression. Eventually, when an individual finds himself out of the situation, he can become more empowered as a person. Thus, the conflict evokes a positive change which will help him in his own personal growth. Interpersonal or intragroup conflict is an expressed struggle at least two interdependent individual within same group who perceive a situation differently or have incompatible goal, are competing for scarce resources, or perceive interference for other party in achieving their goals. Conflict occurs whenever disagreements exist in a social situation. People have varied personalities, which usually results to incompatible choices and opinions. Intergroup conflict takes place when a misunderstanding arises among different teams within an organization. This is due to the varied sets of goals and interests of different groups. This is also an example of intraorganizational conflict. Interorganizational conflict occurs between two or more orga-

group, intraorganization and interorganization conflict types [1, 2, 4].

nizations, for example, when they compete against one another [1, 2, 16, 17].

Conflicts may have negative/destructive or positive/constructive effects on performance of group. The first one is named as dysfunctional conflicts and the later one as functional conflicts. From the traditional view, conflict should be avoided because it indicates a malfunctioning within the group or organization. Conflict is seen as a dysfunctional outcome resulting from poor communication, a lack of openness and trust between people and the failure of managers. The interactionist view proposes that conflict can be a positive force in a group but also necessity for group to perform effectively. This view encourages conflict because it provokes innovation and change. It does not allow the group to passively rubber-stamp decisions that may be based on weak assumptions, inadequate consideration of relevant alternatives or other debilities. Groups whose members have different interests and opinions tend to produce higher quality solutions to a variety of problems than do homogeneous groups [3, 4]. When conflicts are constructive, they enhance relationships, create an environment for selfgrowth, enable individual and group achieving goals, enable problem solving and enhance

the studied phenomenon.

**3.1. Conflict management**

**3. State of art**

132 Organizational Conflict

Conflict may be related to task, relationship, process or status. Task conflict relates to the content and goals of the work. Relationship conflict focuses on interpersonal relationships. Process conflict relates to how the work gets done. Status conflicts relate to responsibility and power, and they occur especially in flat organizations. Studies demonstrate that relationship and status conflicts are often dysfunctional. In contrast, low levels of process conflict and low to moderate levels of task conflict can be functional. Moderate levels of task conflict in the early development stage can increase creativity in groups. Task conflict leads to positive outcomes only when all members share the same goals and have high levels of trust. Groups performing routine tasks that do not require creativity do not benefit from task conflict. Task conflicts may escalate into relationship conflicts. Contrary to the task and process conflicts, the relationship and status conflicts are not directly related to performing the group's function [4, 21–28].

Conflict handling methods have a central impact on the outcome of the conflict. **Figure 1** represents different methods using two dimensions: cooperativeness (the degree to which one party attempts to satisfy the other party's concerns) and assertiveness (the degree to which one party attempts to satisfy his or her own concerns). There are five conflict-handling methods: competing, collaborating, avoiding, accommodating and compromising [4, 7].

Collaborative conflict handling in group with common goals is more effective than competitive style. In the collaborating style, the pie is expanded so that different parties are satisfied (win-win), while in the competing style a party tries to get as much of the pie as possible (winlose). The collaborating is suitable for long-term relationship while the competing applies to short-term relationship. When both parties are focused on learning and understanding the other side tends to yield higher overall outcomes than situations in which parties are interested in their individual outcomes. An open discussion makes it easier to develop a shared perception of the problems at hand and allows group to work toward a mutually acceptable solution. Shared goals should be emphasized, so people who disagree with each other do not become too entrenched in their points of view and start to take the conflicts personally. Compromise method usually prevent to achieving the best possible outcome from conflict, because it reduces the pressure to create new together. No one gets what they really want. Accommodating is an unselfish way to solve conflicts, and avoiding does not engage participants to solve them [4, 7].

thing is that innovators do not want to please others—in other words, agree with them. Instead of empathy and collaboration, they are selfish and even aggressive. Their thoughts and actions can cause deep disapproval in other people. Typically, people seek approval from others by pleasing them, while innovators cause a strong distortion to this harmony. They take social

Conflicts as Springboard for Metallica's Success http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.71579 135

The product lifecycle or S-curve (**Figure 3**) predicts the general trend that successful products or services will follow during their lifetime. It includes the introduction, growth, maturity and decline as stages. Usually, the most critical point is to reach the growth stage. Point of

Once a product has reached maturity it runs that risk of being discontinued by newer innovation or technologies. Since the previous product reaches a phase of maturity, there is an opportunity for a new product to appeal to the innovators that will start a new product life cycle and S-curve. New S-curve can be divided into two curves (**Figure 4**). Movement up an "S" curve is

diminishing returns locates between the maturity and decline stages [8, 9].

risks and even offend others' feelings [34–37].

**3.3. Product and organization life cycle**

**Figure 2.** Big five model [34, 35].

**Figure 1.** Dimensions of conflict handling methods [4, 7].

The conflict management has a dynamic nature, because stakeholders and their influence change over time. When interaction occurs between the stakeholders, the conflict handling method may change, when a conflicting party see the other's point of view or respond to the other's behavior. Furthermore, the conflict develops either to the functional or to dysfunctional direction. In best case, the conflict provokes innovation, and in worst case it escalates and become highly destructive. The most serious outcomes of conflicts are physical attacks or efforts to destroy the other party [3, 4, 7, 29–33].

Conflict stimulation techniques increase conflicts to improve innovativeness. Techniques include communication (using ambiguous or threatening messages), bringing in outsiders (adding people to a group whose backgrounds, values, attitudes or working methods differ from those of present members), restructuring the organization (e.g. realigning work groups, altering rules and increasing interdependence) and appointing a devil's advocate (designating a critic to purposely argue against the majority positions held by the group) [29].

#### **3.2. Big five model: personalities that promote innovativeness**

Psychologists measure personality with so-called Big five model (**Figure 2**), which includes the following factors: openness to experience, conscientiousness, agreeableness, extroversion and neuroticism. From these five factors, the innovators and revolutionaries have distinctive mixes of openness to experience, conscientiousness and agreeableness. Innovators must be openminded. They can imagine things that others cannot, and so they challenge conventions. On the other hand, they are conscientious. Discipline separates them from dreamers. The decisive thing is that innovators do not want to please others—in other words, agree with them. Instead of empathy and collaboration, they are selfish and even aggressive. Their thoughts and actions can cause deep disapproval in other people. Typically, people seek approval from others by pleasing them, while innovators cause a strong distortion to this harmony. They take social risks and even offend others' feelings [34–37].
