CAUSES OF ORGANISATIONAL CONFLICT IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS IN GHANA: A STUDY IN TAMALE HIGH COURT

Abstract

Organizational conflicts are generally inevitable in public institutions. However, there seems to be paucity of studies on the causes of organisational conflict in public institutions in Ghana in general and Tamale High Court in particular. This article seeks to bridge this knowledge gap by determining the causal factors of organizational conflicts in the Tamale High Court. The research gathered data from both primary and secondary sources and used the case study approach. The key instruments used for the data collection were interview guides. A total of fifteen (15) participants; eight (8) senior staff and seven (7) junior staff who took part in this study were purposively selected. The study found out that ineffective organisational system, unpredictable policies, tribalism, incompatible goals, poor communication, distribution of duties, lack of benefits, varying views on accountability, poor relations between senior and junior staff, disagreement between employees and employers, clashing of one’s role, selfishness among employers and employees, politics and difference in educational background, personal experiences, religion and gender are the factors causing conflict at Tamale High Court. It is recommended that the staff of Tamale High Court should be cordial and work harmoniously towards the administration of Justice in Ghana. It is further recommended that the management of Judicial Service in the Northern Region of Ghana apart from the Complaint Unit design a system where grievances can be tackled easily when there are conflicts.

Keywords: Causes, Organizational Conflict, Public Institutions, Tamale High Court, Northern Region, Ghana.