Organisations employ people and different people have different views and attitudes. Conflict is an organisational reality and a phenomenon which needs to be understood and managed.
Conflict can be defined as a process that begins when one individual perceives that another individual has had, or will have, a negative effect on something that the other individual cares about. Thus conflict is about perception. Put another way, conflict may be regarded as behaviour intended to obstruct the achievement of some other person’s goals or objectives. Management and supervisors must understand that conflict exists in all organisations.