Conflict Analysis: A case Study of a Conflict in the Municipality of Nazareth

Essay by nzuhairUniversity, Master'sA+, July 2004

download word file, 14 pages 5.0

Introduction:

In this paper, I will describe a conflict which arose lately between two senior department managers in the Municipality of Nazareth. I will attempt to analyze the conflict in terms of organizational behavior, by dismantling it into its various components and applying OB principles. Finally, I will try to draw a conclusion, and to propose a possible resolution for the conflict.

The Conflicting Parties:

As any local authority, the Municipality of Nazareth has many departments and sections, handling the various aspects of local government and rendering a variety of services to the residents of the city, such as collecting garbage, planning, construction and maintenance of the city's infrastructure, and managing the local education system. Within the limited framework of this paper, I will focus on two such departments and on the managers who run them: the Engineering department, run by the city Engineer, and the Health and Sanitation department, run by the city Veterinarian (hereinafter: "Engineering" and "Sanitation", respectively).

Engineering is a very critical department to any local authority, especially to those, like Nazareth, that are entrusted by the law with the very delicate area of zoning , which involves constant, and frequently tense, contact with residents. The Zoning division in Engineering processes hundreds of applications for construction permits, and is responsible for implementing zoning provisions with accordance to the Planning and Construction Law and its derivative regulations. In addition to the Zoning division, Engineering embraces the Projects and Development division, which is responsible for structural development of the city, including roads, infrastructure and public buildings. In this regard, Engineering is in constant contact with contractors, external engineers, architects, and governmental agencies. In short, it can be said that Engineering is the "heaviest" of the City departments.

Sanitation is another core department of the municipality. Among other things, Sanitation...