Question

What are the different types of goals in conflict? How do they overlap and influence each other? What is the most effective way to clarify or collaborate on setting goals? Explain

Answer 1

In simple words, Goal conflicts are situations that occur when multiple goals having positive or negative or both positive or both negative impact are available to a person to choose. It will lead to a conflict in mind. The concept is particularly important in business field as it plays a key role in designing strategies. The avoidance of intersection of goals is an important strategy as it will deplete resources, affects efficiency and misdirect the vision of the business. There are different types of goals in conflict. For the efficient use of our study, we will discuss both the theoretical framework and practical aspects of it. In order to understand it,two terms need to be studied well.  Approach, a positive term or a desirable goal.Secondly, avoidance, a negative goal that should be avoided. The conflict of both of these elements horizontally or vertically takes us to different types of goal conflicts.

1. Desirable vs Undesirable : When the situation demands to choose between a positive and a negative goal, this conflict arises. This is known to have create mental illness and stress to people as psychologists call it as a goal conflict of choosing a necessary evil. Here a positive outcome could be achieved only by choosing a negative undesirable goal. One example is how the children move from schools to college. Moving out of school is undesirable but that is how getting into college would be made possible.  A transfer with promotion is another example. Promotion is desirable but transfer is ideally undesirable.

2. Desirable vs Desirable: When two desired goals are available to choose, it is a happy head ache.  For example, when a football team got two equally good players and if the team management cannot afford to play both of them but had to pick one. Choosing between two equally paying job or an offer to spend honeymoon in two beautiful place are some of the examples of it.

3. Undesirable vs Undesirable: Its a situation where  two negative goals intersects each other from which one has to be accepted. Though both the goals are negative and undesirable, the stress may not last long as one does not have a desirable choice to lose. The decision to mutilate a body part because of cancer is a painful example for this type of goal conflict. Both the situations are undesirable.

Though we study these concepts keeping them in opposite directions, they at times overlap and influence each other. Lets see how:

The decision to choose one goal is a necessity and the goals are mutually exclusive too. However choosing a goal is at solely depend upon the credit of one goal. It is related to the nature of the other too. In fact the features of one goal is helping an individual to choose or not to choose the other goal. Therefore the final decision in a goal conflict is decided not by the exclusivity of a single goal but by the inclusivity of the other. An undesirable is picked over another undesirable because of the less undesirability of the one goal. In the conflict between a desirable and undesirable, what makes it more stressful is the effect and impact the decision puts on the other goals. The opportunity cost of one decision is a pain in a goal conflict. It is seen in the three types of goal conflicts.

While clarifying or collaborating the goals, one needs to understand the personalized capacity to accept it. Self awareness is important in this regard. Knowing oneself is important . Even though the goals are socially desirable, it is equally important to realize that this goals are truly set for the personalized needs. The goal that motivates an individual or a business firm is the most desirable goal. The goal conflict theory may completely go hay-way if the promotion transfer job example is the one an individual always wanted. In short self awareness and motivation are the key principle in clarifying the goals setting. Though there could be many other factors but the most important factors are personalized.