Conflict can be good functional or bad dysfunctional, depending on how skillfully it is managed. Conflict is more likely to be good if group members value each other and the group's goals. Conflict also tends to be good when the group is searching for and evaluating the information. It tends to be dysfunctional or bad when a group is in the process of generating information and selecting outcomes, without skillfully managing the situation. .
Conflict can be defined by Morton Deutsch (in 1973); as a struggle involving opposing ideas, values, and/or limited resources. Morton stated this idea more formally when he said that conflict exists when there is an "action that is incompatible with another and it prevents, obstructs, interferes, in some way makes the latter less likely or less effective.".
The goals of those involved in the struggle of the conflict are to damage, neutralize, or actually eliminate one another. The important ideas in these definitions are;.
1) The incompatibility of opposing ideas or values; which means the group is Incapable of associating or blending because of values or ideas they believe in.
2) The struggle over perceived scarce status, scarce power, and or scarce resources, if there is not enough status, power, or resources then a conflict is bound to happen.
3) If a goal preventing obstructing, interfering, injuring, or in some way making it less likely that the opposing goal will be achieved. This just means if there is some goal affecting the group like time constraints then a conflict might happen because you are trying to get the goal done before time expires.
Then you have look at the intensity of conflict and the stress involved in relating it to several contextual variables. .
First variable, the more important and attractive the individual goals, the more intense the conflict is likely to be. If there is a decision you are fighting for and strongly believe in then you will fight harder for that decision to happen.
