Conflict Management

Working together isn’t

always easy
What is conflict?

How would you

describe it?
What is conflict?
Dictionary definition:
– disagreement, struggle, fight,
incompatible
 Conflict
•Conflict Defined
–Is a process that begins when one party perceives that
another party has negatively affected, or is about to
negatively affect, something that the first party cares
about.
•o If no one is aware of a conflict, then it is generally
agreed no conflict exists. It is a perception
•.
–Encompasses a wide range of conflicts that people
experience in organizations
o Incompatibility of goals
o Differences over interpretations of facts
o Disagreements based on behavioral expectations
 Views of Conflict
Thought
•Traditional View of Conflict (1930s and 1940s)
•The belief that all conflict is harmful and must be
avoided. It is discussed as Violence, Destruction, and
Irrationality
•Causes:
•Poor communication
•Lack of openness
•Failure to respond to
employee needs
 Views of Conflict Thought
(cont’d)
•Human Relations View of Conflict
•The belief that conflict is a natural and inevitable
outcome
•in any group.
• Interactionist View of Conflict
• The belief that conflict is not only a positive
force in a group but that it is absolutely necessary
for a group to perform effectively.
• A minimal level of conflicts help keep a group
self critical and creative.
Lack of conflict is a sign of over conformity.
It is unhealthy when there is no conflict
You need
diversity
of opinion
 Functional versus
Dysfunctional Conflict
•Functional Conflict
•Conflict that supports the goals of the group and
improves its performance.

•Dysfunctional Conflict
•Conflict that hinders group
•performance.
 Functional vs.
Dysfunctional Conflict
•Functional or Dysfunctional is determined
by whether the organization’s interests are
served
• Functional Conflict serves • Dysfunctional Conflict
organization’s interests threatens organization’s
interests
• Is commonly referred to as
constructive or cooperative • Wastes the organization’s
conflict resources and is
counterproductive
Consequences of conflict
 Good
Consequences
of Conflict
increased
creativity
It forces people to clarify their
views
 It can produce
constructive social
change
It gives people the opportunity to
test their capacities
•development of group and
organization cohesion
 •Bad
Consequences
of Conflict
Violence
breakdown of relationships
polarization of views into static positions
A breakdown of
collaborative ventures
 destruction of
communication
The cost of conflict
• Relationship costs
Conflict: Functional Or Dysfunctional

• Dysfunctional Conflict:
A conflict is functional or dysfunctional:
– Are the parties to conflict hostile to each
other?
– Is the outcome likely to be negative one for
the organization?
– Do the potential losses of the parties
exceed any potential gains?
– Is energy being diverted from goal
accomplishment?
 Dysfunctional Conflict Costs

• Fortune 500 senior executives spend 20

percent of their time in litigation activities.
• Typical managers spend up to 30 percent of
their time dealing with conflict.
• The turnover costs for an employee are
anywhere from between 75 percent and 150
percent of their annual salary.
• 16 percent of employees report conflict
with a supervisor as the main reason for
leaving their last job.
 Main
sources of
conflict
• The aggressive
or competitive
behaviour of
human beings
Main sources of conflict
• Competition for limited resources
Main sourcFes of conflict
• Frustrationn
Main sources of conflict
Main sources of conflict
• Cultural influences
Main sources of conflict
• Misinformation, assumptions and
expectations
Main sources of conflict

• Role and status issues

Mindgamesources of

• Mind games
Main sources of conflict
• Triggers.
Emotional brain
 Types of Conflict
 Task Conflict
• Conflicts over content and goals
of the work.

 Relationship Conflict
• Conflict based on interpersonal
relationships.

 Process Conflict
• Conflict over how work gets
done.
 Task Conflict
• Task conflict occurs when two parties are unable to move
forward on a task due to differing needs, behaviors or
attitudes.
• It can be conflict over organizational policies and procedures,
distribution of resources or the method or means of
completing a task
• Research: Task conflict among Top management was
positively associated with performance and vise versa
with low level management
• Research: Low level of task conflict means employees
are not engaged, moderate level of task conflict leads to
creativity and high level decreases team performance
 Relationship conflict
• Relationship conflict is a conflict
resulting from either personality
clashes or negative emotional
interactions between two or more
people.
• Finally, personalities of the team
appear to matter
 Process Conflict

• Delegation of roles
 Dealing with
Personality
•Chris works with
Dirk on another
project.
•Dirk approaches
Chris and begins to
complain about Linda.
•What type of
conflict is this?

•Krietner/Kinicki,
2009
 •Dirk and Linda are working closely together on a
project. However, they have very different
personalities and working styles. For example, Dirk
prefers to create plans and checklists and Linda has a
more free-flowing approach to work.
•Linda is now so frustrated she is concerned the
project will not get completed.
•What type of conflict is this?
•What should she do?

•Krietner/Kinicki,
2009
 Three Loci of Conflict

• Loci of Conflict
– locus, or where the
conflict occurs.
– There are three basic
types:
• Dyadic conflict
is conflict
between two
people.
• Intragroup
conflict occurs
within a group or
team.
• Intergroup
conflict is
conflict between •1
groups or teams.
• 4-
The Conflict Process
Stages of Conflict Management
•Stage 1:Potential Opposition or
Incompatibility

•1. Communication

•52
Stages of Conflict Management
•Stage 1:Potential Opposition or
Incompatibility

•2. Structure

•53
Stages of Conflict Management
•Stage 1:Potential Opposition or
Incompatibility

•3. Size and specialization of occupations

•54
 Stages of Conflict Management
•Stage 1:Potential Opposition or
Incompatibility

•4. Dependence or interdependence of groups

•55
 Stages of Conflict Management
•Stage 1:Potential Opposition or
Incompatibility
•5. Personal variable

•Vertical conflict Horizontal conflict

•1
1
 •Stage I:
•Potential Opposition or Incompatibility

• Communication
– Semantic difficulties, misunderstandings, and “noise”
• Structure
– Size and specialization of jobs
– Jurisdictional clarity/ambiguity
– Member/goal incompatibility
– Leadership styles (close or participative)
– Reward systems (win-lose)
– Dependence/interdependence of groups
• Personal Variables
– Differing individual value systems
– Personality types
Stages of Conflict Management
•Stage 2: Cognition and Personalization

•Perceived conflict

•Felt conflict

•58
 Stage II:
Cognition and
•Perceived Conflict
Personalization
•Felt Conflict
Awareness by one or more •Emotional involvement in
parties of the existence of a conflict creating anxiety,
conditions that create tenseness, frustration, or
opportunities for conflict hostility.
• to arise.
 Stages of Conflict Management
Stage 3: Intention
1. Competition
2. Collaboration
3. Compromise
4. Accommodate
5. Avoiding

•60
Stages of Conflict Management
Stage 3:Intention
1. Competition

“Might Makes Right” 14

Stages of Conflict Management
Stage 3:Intention
•2. Collaboration

•“Split the •1
5
Stages of Conflict Management
Stage 3:Intention
•3.
Avoiding

•“Leave Well Enough Alone” •1

6
Stages of Conflict Management
Stage 3: Intention
•4. Compromise

•“Two Heads Are Better Than One”” •1

7
Stages of Conflict Management
Stage 3: Intention
•5. Accommodate

•“Kill Your Enemies With Kindness” •1

8
 Stage 3: Intention
•Competition and •Collaboration and
•Assertive

Authoritative command problem solving

•The goal is to •The goal is to find “Win-

“Win” Win
•solution”
•Compromise
•The goal is to find a
“middle ground”
•Unassertive

•Avoidance •Smoothing or
Accommodation
•The goal is to“Delay”
•The goal is to “yield”

•1
•Uncooperative •Cooperative 9
 Stage III:
Intentions
•Intentions
•Decisions to act in a given way.

• Cooperativeness:
• Attempting to satisfy the other party’s concerns.
• Assertiveness:
• Attempting to satisfy one’s own concerns.
Dimensions of Conflict
-Handling Intentions
 Stage III: Intentions (cont’d)
•Competing
•A desire to satisfy one’s interests, regardless of the impact on the other party to the
• conflict.
•Collaborating
•A situation in which the parties to a conflict each desire to satisfy fully the concerns of
all parties.
•Avoiding
•The desire to withdraw from or suppress a conflict.

•Accommodating
•The willingness of one party in a conflict to place the opponent’s interests above his or
her own.
•Compromising
•A situation in which each party to a conflict is willing to give up something.
Conflict Management Styles
 Slide 9.11
When Should the Avoiding Style Be
Used to Handle Interpersonal Conflicts?

The issue is of minor or passing importance

Insufficient information to effectively deal with
the conflict
Low power relative to the other party
Others can more effectively resolve the
conflict

•71
 Slide 9.12
When Should the competing Style Be
Used to Handle Interpersonal Conflicts?

Emergencies requiring quick action

Actions must be taken for long-term organizational

effectiveness and survival

Self-protective action is needed

•72
 Slide 9.13
When Should the Accommodating Style Be
Used to Handle Interpersonal Conflicts?

Need to defuse a potentially explosive emotional

conflict situation
Short-run need to keep harmony and avoid disruption
Conflict is primarily based on personality and cannot
be easily resolved

•73
 Slide 9.14
When Should the Collaborating Style Be
Used to Handle Interpersonal Conflicts?
High level of cooperation is needed
Sufficient parity exists in power of conflicting parties
Potential for mutual benefits, especially over long run
Sufficient organizational support to take the time and
energy for collaboration

•74
 Slide 9.15
When Should the Compromising Style Be
Used to Handle Interpersonal Conflicts?
Agreement enables each party to be better off,
or at least not worse off, than without an
agreement
Achieving a total win–win agreement is not
possible
Conflicting goals block agreement on one
person’s proposal

•75
What Do You Think?
•Alfonso tends to be an
agreeable person with a high
need for affiliation. When he
encounters conflict situations at
work which conflict
management style is he most
and least likely to
•use, respectively.
a.Avoiding
b.Compromising
c.Accommodating
d.Collaborating
 Stage IV:
Behavior
•Conflict Management
•The use of resolution and stimulation techniques to
achieve the desired level of conflict.
 Stages of Conflict Management
• Stage 4: Behavior Overt conflict
• Party’s behavior
• Other’s reaction

•2
0
Conflict-Intensity Continuum
 Stages of Conflict Management
•Stage 5:
Outcomes
•Decreased
group
performanc
e

• Increased
•performanc group
e performance
 Stage V: Outcomes
• Functional Outcomes from Conflict
o Increased group performance
o Improved quality of decisions
o Stimulation of creativity and innovation
o Encouragement of interest and curiosity
o Provision of a medium for problem-solving
o Creation of an environment for self-evaluation and change
• Creating Functional Conflict
o Reward dissent and punish conflict avoiders.

• Dysfunctional Outcomes from Conflict

o Development of discontent
o Reduced group effectiveness
o Retarded communication
o Reduced group cohesiveness
o Infighting among group members overcomes group goals
 •Is a process that occurs when two or more parties decide how to
allocate scarce resources
•Bargaining Strategies
•There are two general approaches to negotiation :
•Distributive Bargaining
•The most identifying feature is that it operates under zero-sum
conditions, that is any gain I make is at your expense and vice versa.
•So the essence of distributive bargaining is negotiating over who gets
what share of a fixed pie.
•Ex: employees negotiating with management for salary increase which
is an additional cost to the organisation
•Integrative Bargaining
•Operates under the assumption that one or more settlements can
create a win-win solution .
•Both parties must be engaged for it to work.
 Bar gaining
•Distributive •Integrative
Characteristic
bargaining bargaining
Goal Get as much of the pie as Expand the pie so that
possible both parties are satisfied
Motivation Win-lose Win-win

Focus Positions (I can’t go Interests ( can you

beyond this point on this explain why this issue
issue) is so important to
you? )
Interests Opposed Congruent

Information Sharing Low ( sharing information High ( Sharing information

will only allow other party will allow each party to find
to take advantage) ways to satisfy interests of
each party)

Duration of relationship Short term Long term

 What Do You Think
•Before entering a negotiation with a client
over the price of his company’s service, Ben
thinks about the client’s interests and his
company’s interests. He then
brainstorms several options that would satisfy
both needs. The approach
Ben is taking represents:
a.Integrative negotiation
b.Distributive negotiation
c.“I win, you lose” negotiation
d.Compromise negotiation
ZOPA AND BATNA
 EXAMPLE
• Colin needs a car and is negotiating with Tom to purchase his car. Tom
offers to sell his car to Colin for $10,000. Colin scours through Craigslist
and finds a similar car to which he assigns a dollar value of $7,500. Colin’s
BATNA is $7,500 – if Tom does not offer a price lower than $7,500, Colin
will consider his best alternative to a negotiated agreement. Colin is willing
to pay up to $7,500 for the car but would ideally want to pay $5,000 only.
• if Tom offers a price higher than $7,500, Colin will take his business
elsewhere.. If we assume that Tom can sell his car to someone else for
$8,000, $8,000 is Tom’s BATNA. In such a scenario, an agreement will
not be made as Tom is willing to sell for a minimum of $8,000 while Colin
is willing to purchase at a maximum of $7,500.
• If Tom’s best alternative to the deal is selling the car to a dealership, which
would offer him $6,000, both parties can come to an agreement. In such a
case, there is a zone of potential agreement – $6,000 to $7,500. In this
range, both parties can come to an agreement.
 5 steps of the negotiation
process
•1- preparation and planning

•Make sure that your goal stays paramount in your discussions

•Put your goals in writing and develop a range of outcomes to keep your
attention focused.
•Assess what you think are the other party’s goals.
•Once you have gathered your information , use it to develop a strategy.
 2 Definition of ground rules:
• During this phase , the parties will exchange their initial proposals or
demands.
• At this phase you are ready to begin defining with the other party the
ground rules and procedures of the negotiation itself

3 Clarification and justification:

• At this phase both you and the other party will explain ,amplify , clarify
and justify your original demands.
 4 Bargaining and problem solving:
• This is where both parties will undoubtedly need to make concessions.

5 Closure and implementation

• The final step in the negotiation process is formalizing the agreement
that has been worked out and developing any procedures necessary for
implementation and monitoring.
 Three factors influence how
effectively individuals negotiate :
personality, mood & emotions , and
gender.
•Personality traits in negotiation
• Agreeable/extroverted – not successful - distributive
bargaining - outgoing and friendly - share more
information than they should .

• disagreeable introvert - best distributive bargainer

appears to be a, someone more interested in his or
her own outcomes than in pleasing the other party
and having a pleasant social exchange .

Moods and emotions in
negotiation
• Negative emotions can cause intense and even irrational behavior,
and can cause conflicts to escalate and negotiations to break down.
• positive emotions often facilitate reaching an agreement and help to
maximize joint gains.

 •Gender differences in negotiations

•Men have been found to negotiate
better outcomes than women ,
although the difference is relatively
small.
There are 4 basic third party roles
•Mediator
•Mediator is a neutral third party who facilitates a negotiated
solution by using reasons and persuasion , suggesting alternatives .

•Arbitrator
•Arbitrator Is a third party with the authority to dictate an
agreement.
•The big plus of arbitration over mediation is that it always results in
a settlement .

Conciliator
•Conciliator Is a trusted third party who provides an
communication link between the negotiator and the opponent .
•Consultant
 •Consultant is a skilled and impartial third party who attempts to
facilitate
•problem solving through communication and analysis, aided by a
knowledge of conflict management.
• https://youtu.be/BA0DParCiww