Functional conflict refers to conflict that supports the goals of an organisation. It may be called ‘Constructive conflict’.
The following are the benefits that are derived from this type of conflict:
It fosters creativity
It is a major stimulant for change
It clarifies issues and goals
It enhances communication
It increases energy within a given unit
It overcomes organisational inertia (apathy) and leads to organisational leaning and change
It can also improve decision making and organisational learning by revealing new ways of looking at a problem or the false erroneous assumptions that distorts decision making