What is Conflict?
Interpersonal conflict has been defined as:
“An expressed struggle between at least two interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals, scarce resources, and interference from the other party in achieving their goals”.
Unpicking this a little, it means that for a disagreement to become a conflict, there needs to be:
Some element of communication: a shared understanding that there is a disagreement;
The well-being of the people involved need to depend on each other in some way. This doesn’t mean that they have to have equal power: a manager and subordinate can be equally as interdependent as a married couple;
The people involved perceive that their goals are incompatible, meaning that they cannot both be met;
They are competing for resources; and
Each perceives the other as interfering with the achievement of their goals.
Find more at: http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/conflict-resolution.html#ixzz3rcYHJD3v