organizational psychologists
Organizations and organizational psychologists have only recently begun to see conflict as a natural process in organizational functioning rather than as something to avoid or reduce. In the 1950s, with the publication of Lewis Coser’s The Functions of Social Conflict (1956), organizations came to perceive conflict as something that could be beneficial when addressed in the right way. Conflict may be beneficial to job performance and an organization’s operations (functional) or stress-inducing and harmful (dysfunctional) depending on the degree of conflict and factors related to the conflict, such as globalization and culture.
Stop and think: How do your own beliefs, cultural background, life experiences, attitudes, values, and biases influence your work performance? If your work colleagues or supervisors did not share your beliefs, cultural background, life experiences, attitudes, values, or biases, would this create conflict? With this in mind, what impact can globalization have on organizations, employee attitudes, and behavior?
Globalization requires understanding of different cultural patterns (individualism versus collectivism) and how to (a) apply goal setting and reward systems, (b) increase effective communications, and (c) provide performance feedback. I/O psychologists need to have the skill set to support global leaders, employees, and organizations and well as conduct global activities (e.g., assessing/training people all around the world for one company). There is a growing need to leverage practices globally while at the same time being sensitive to cultural differences. Today’s leaders need to recognize and leverage the new world of connectivity and transparency to find new ways and methods of delivering individual, team, and organization interventions.