CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

In the first place, intra individual, interpersonal and inter-group conflict all take place within organizations.  Individuals within organizations have many conflicting organizational gross pressure operating on them.  Conflict is inherent in organizational process such as;

1. The boss want more production/service
2. Subordinates want consideration,
3. Operators resist change

The rulebook suggests a formular; the staff says it will not work.

 Conflict have sent many organizations to their untimely doom.  Like social interaction, interactive behaviour can occur at the individual, personal, group or organizational levels.  And it frequently results in conflict at each of these level in banking sector of Nigerian economy, these conflicts have left much to be desired in the activities of these banks.

Therefore with particular reference to the United Bank for African (UBA Plc), this conflict is not absence.  This is because conflict is an energy day occurrence in life.  Through but it is not entirely bad.  This is because an organization can exploit opportunities and increase its efficiency through conflict.

Conflict can lead to innovation and change, it can energies people to activity, develop protection for something else in the organisation and be an important element in systems analysis of the organisation.  Such factors indicate that conflict can be managed to work for rather than against, goal attainment in the modern organisation.

More conceptually, it has been suggested that there are four causes of organizational conflict, viz:

1. An incompatible goals situation
2. The existence of incompatible means or incompatible resource allocation.
3. A problem of status incongruities, and
4. A difference in perceptions

In the classical organisation, there are four predominant types of structural causes of conflict;

1.       Hierarchical conflict between various levels of the organisation.  The board of directors may be in conflict with top management, middle management may be in conflict between with supervisory personnel or there may be general conflict between management and the workers.

2.       Functional conflict between functional departments of an organisation. 

 1.2            STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS

This study aims to lack at conflicts that exist in the United Bank for Africa (UBA) PlcEnuguand also suggest how to increase the banks efficiency through the resolutions of the conflicts.

Conflicts are the graveyard of an organisation.  It then follows that any firm that toys with its conflicts resolutions or how to bring harmonic atmosphere among it’s human element is doomed to have an organizational chaos, anarchy and lawlessness which will untimely end the organisation in its grave.  Therefore the need to have proper conflict resolution and tranquility in a banking industry cannot be overemphaised.  Regrettably, most banking firms have neglected this thereby resulting in poor performance in the industry.  For an organisation to run out of such problem and the like of chaos, anarchy, lawlessness, loss of customers patronage, poor competitive powers, conflicts needs to monitored and controlled from the point of it’s development to the point of it’s resolution. 

It is a common knowledge that conflict results into stress and stress consequently has negative consequences in the organizational parlance, which might manifest as boredom, tension, withdrawal and communication breakdown.  At times these may not be noticed and will instead the organisaiton to trust and believe that “all that glitters is gold”.  Hence will put all it’s egg in a basket because the needed information in the current trend and direction of activities is lacked.  In all these will result in lunge revenue losses to the organization.

This research on conflict resolution with particular reference to Unit Bank for Africa (UBA) PlcEnuguhas raised some questions among experts and professionals, which this study has attempted to address.  These include:

1. Can organizational conflicts in organisation be minimized and/or entirely criminated?
2. Can organization exist without conflict?
3. Is conflict beneficial or detrimental to organizational goal?
4. Is efficiency dependent on peaceful co-existence and interaction among workers?
5. How can organizational efficiency be increased by resolving conflicts?

These questions form the basis of investigation, which this study is designed to accomplish. 

 1.3            PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The aim of every banking firm such as United Bank for African (UBA) is to be efficient in the discharge of its service.  It is through effective and efficient conflict resolution that can be achieved (conflict resolution is one but not the only means of achieving this).

Conflict should be monitored to ensure that it does not escalate into group involvement as to warrant the setting up of statutory machinery for its resolution.  Therefore it should be treated when it is within the reach and control of the organization. The overall objective of these measure will be to ensure the profitability of the organisaiton.  This is addition to the above started measures; the researcher wants to achieve through this study the following objectives:

1. To find out whether conflict exist in United Bank for Africa Plc Enugu
2.  To examine and assess various conflicts traceable in the bank
3. To find out whether a specific method of resaling conflict actually exist in United Bank for Africa Plc.
4.   To identity problems if any encountered in resealing conflicts in the organization.  Statuary machinery for its resolution rather it should be treated when it is within the reach and control of the organization.
5.  To find out the consequences of conflicts in the bank activities.
6. The recommend ways organization efficiency can be increased through resolving conflict.

 1.4   SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope and range of this study would have been wide enough to encompass grossly all the commercial banks.  This study will be focuses on conflict resolution as a means of increasing organizational efficiency with particular emphasis is on the united bank for Africa plcEnugu.  More so, comparisons may be made with other commercial bank where and when necessary .

 1.5     RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

The research will be guided by the hypothesis formulated here under  H0 gives with negative.

H0:    Conflicts are well resolved retrained resulted to increase in organizational efficiency in united bank for African Plc Enugu.

Hypothesis should be line with research questions.

Hi:     Alternative hypothesis is conflicts are not well resolve and this has resulted to organizational inefficiency in the United Bank for Africa, plcEnugu.

H0:    Cnnflicts are avoidable and not inevitable

 1.6       SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Conflict has been regarded as the black spot of organization often constitutes the largest single current liability of such an organization some losses are incurred for persistent and detrimental conflict.  Such losses, which are seen theoretically practically include loss of goodwill, customers patronage, market share, output, communication,; job satisfaction due to stress caused by conflict.  The researcher having viewed the huge loss involved deems it inevitable to study the various ways of increased efficiency by resolution of conflict in banking firms.  So, it is hoped that firms such United Bank for Africa Plc Enugu will achieve her organizational efficiency through this research it is also hoped that future researchers will benefit from this work.

 1.7    LIMITATION OF STUDY

The researcher during the course of this work encountered some problems.  The problem of time stood in the way of the researcher.  The time for the work was very short to have a through analysis of the study.

Financial predicament was yet another limitating factor the researcher faced within the course of this study.  As result, it became difficult for the researcher to pay regular visits to UBA at least to afford him the opportunity of observing from time to time techniques of conflicts resolution and perhaps customers of the could have been approached to give data necessary for the study.

 Unnecessary bureaucratic process within the bank posed a great deal of problem, as the writer was not able to get at some of the staff of the bank.

 Based on these limitations, the study becomes restricted to increasing organizational efficiency through conflict resolution in United Bank for Africa Plc Enugu and does not cover all banking firms.

 1.8       DEFINITION OF TERMS

There are some terms which their explanations according to the context of their usage in this study will help enhance the understanding of this research.  They are follows.

 ORGANIZATION:      An organization is a structured process in which persons interact for objectives.

 CONFLICT:       Conflict is the condition of objective incompatibility between values or goals; as the behaviour is deliberately interfering with another’s goal achievement and emotionally, in terms of hostily.

 INTRA INDIVIDUAL CONFLICT:        This is the type of conflict, which can arise when personal and organizational goals are incompatible and each cannot be used to achieve the other.

INTRA GROUP CONFLICT:  This is the conflict that occurs when a group is interacting with another group.

EFFICIENCY:    Efficiency is used is terms of input, output and organizational objective to mean achievement of objectives at a minimum cost.

REFERENCES

Locker K.O. (1992)  Business and Administrative Communication, 2nd

Edition IRW/N Home Good, ILGO,BOSTONM.A. 02116; P.140.

Kilman R.II and (1989)  Four Perspectives on Conflict Management,

AcademyofManagementReview Pp. 59-62.

Pearce John A.II (1991) “Strategic Management: Formulation, Implement and 

Control; Richard D. Larwin Inc Fourth Edition; P 162.