1. Chapter 10: Handling Conflict

2. Chapter Objectives
Understand conflict and importance of communication in the process of handling conflict.
Explain different kinds of conflict.
Understand Fisher and Ury’s approach to conflict negotiation.
Discuss communication strategies for conflict resolution.
Discuss the five conflict handling styles.

3. Discussion Questions Are conflicts inevitable?
What kinds of conflicts make you the most uncomfortable?
When have you managed a conflict to produce positive change?

4. Handling Conflict Conflict is inevitable in groups and organizations.
Mutual agreement is possible in any conflict situation if people are willing to negotiate in authentic ways.
Conflict can be uncomfortable, but is not necessarily unhealthy or bad.
The question is, How can we manage conflict and produce positive change?
Communication plays a central role in handling conflict.

5. The Fundamentals of Leadership
Conflict Explained
Intrapersonal
Discord that occurs within an individual
Involves dynamics of personality
Interpersonal
Disputes that arise between individuals
This is the conflict type addressed in Chapter 9
Societal
Clashes between societies and nations
Ex.: Israeli-Palestinian conflict

6. Wilmot & Hocker (2011) Definition
Conflict is a felt struggle between two or more interdependent individuals over perceived incompatible differences in beliefs, values, and goals, or over differences in desires for control, status, and connectedness.

7. Aspects of Conflict Struggle Interdependence Feelings Differences
Opposing forces coming together
Interdependence
Leaders and followers need each other.
How much influence do I want? How much am I willing to accept?
Feelings
Emotional arousal within both parties
Array of emotions including anger, sadness, or disconnection
Differences
Differences in beliefs, values, goals, or in desire for control, status, and connectedness

8. Content and Relationship Dimension of Messages
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Content and Relationship Dimension of Messages
Content
Objective, observable aspects
What the message is about
Ex.: “Please stop texting at work”
Relationship
Indicates how the two parties are affiliated
Determines how the content dimension should be interpreted

9. Two Types of Conflict

10. The Fundamentals of Leadership
Content Conflicts
Center on differences in beliefs and values, or goals
Belief conflicts occur when others’ viewpoints are incompatible with our own.
Ex.: PETA
Value conflicts occur when others’ values are incompatible with our own. Ex.: Should a first-year college student own a car?
Goal conflicts occur where individuals have different goals.

11. Types of Goal Conflict Procedural Conflict Substantive Conflict
When individuals differ on how to reach a goal
Substantive Conflict
When individuals differ on what the goal should be

12. Relational Conflicts Also known as “personality clashes”
Center on issues of esteem, control, or affiliation
Esteem is one of the major human needs:
We desire to have an effect on our surroundings and to be seen as worthy of respect.
When our esteem needs aren’t met, we experience relational conflict.
At the same time, others want their own esteem needs satisfied.
If either party feels they are receiving insufficient validation, a clash develops.

13. Relational Conflicts, cont.
Control issues are common in interpersonal conflict.
Each of us desires to have an impact on others.
Having control increases our feeling of potency and minimizes feelings of helplessness.
When we see others hindering us or limiting our control, conflict often results.
Each of us seeks different levels of control.
Control needs may vary from one time to another.
Ex.: conflict over what a college sophomore is going to do over Spring Break

14. Relational Conflicts, cont.
Affiliation is the need to feel included in our relationships, to be liked and to receive affection (Schutz, 1966).
If our needs for closeness are not satisfied in our relationships, we experience feelings of conflict.
We each vary in our need for affiliation.
When others behave in ways that are incompatible with our own desires for warmth and affection, feelings of conflict emerge.
Ex.: football coach and one of his players
Relational issues are often bound to content issues during conflict.

15. Fisher and Ury Approach to Conflict
Principled negotiation emphasizes deciding issues on their merits rather than through competitive haggling or excessive accommodation.
Four principles focus on basic elements of negotiation: people, interests, options, and criteria.

16. Principle 1: Separate the People From the Problem
Conflicts have a people factor and a problem factor that need to be separated.
This is not easy, because they are entangled.
By separating them we are able to recognize the other’s uniqueness and needs.
It enables us to be attentive to our relationships and work together to mutually confront the problem.

17. Principle 2: Focus on Interests, not Positions
Positions represent our stand or perspective in a particular conflict.
Interests represent what is behind our positions.
Interests often relate to basic human concerns such as belonging, recognition, control, economic well-being, etc.
Concentrating on interests helps opposing parties address the “real” conflict.
Ex.: class attendance policy

18. Principle 3: Invent Options for Mutual Gains
Humans naturally see conflict as an either-or proposition; we either win or lose.
This principle frames conflict as a win-win.
Parties need to brainstorm and search hard for creative solutions to conflict.
Where do parties’ interests overlap?
By being sensitive to others’ interests we can make it easier for them to be satisfied.

19. Principle 4: Insist on Using Objective Criteria
Objective criteria help parties view conflict with an unbiased lens.
Objective criteria can take many forms:
Precedent
Professional standards
What a court would decide
Moral standards
Tradition
Scientific judgment
Ex.: salary negotiation

20. Managing Conflict: Differentiation
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Managing Conflict: Differentiation
Differentiation defines the conflict & requires individuals to explain their positions.
Focuses on individuals’ differences rather than on similarities
Occurs in the early phases of conflict
Differentiation is useful because it:
Focuses the conflict
Gives credence to both parties’ interest
Depersonalizes the conflict

21. Managing Conflict: Fractionation
Fractionation is a technique of breaking down large conflicts into smaller, more manageable pieces.
Helpful because:
It reduces the conflict by paring it down to a smaller, less-complex conflict.
It gives focus to the conflict.
It facilitates a better working relationship between participants in the conflict.

22. Managing Conflict: Face Saving
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Managing Conflict: Face Saving
Consists of messages that individuals express to each other to maintain their positive self-images during a conflict.
Allows a person to acknowledge the other’s point of view without offending them.
Makes conflicts less threatening and helps participants feel they have handled themselves appropriately.

23. Kilmann & Thomas Conflict Styles
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Kilmann & Thomas Conflict Styles
A conflict style is a patterned response that people use when approaching conflict.
Conflict styles vary along two dimensions: assertiveness and cooperativeness.
Assertiveness refers to attempts to satisfy one’s own concerns
Cooperativeness represents attempts to satisfy the concerns of others
The Thomas-Kilmann model identifies five conflict styles.
A person’s individual style is usually a combination of these five different styles.

24. The Fundamentals of Leadership

25. The Fundamentals of Leadership
Avoidance Style
This style is low on both cooperativeness and assertiveness.
Advantages of the style:
When an issue is trivial
When potential damage from the conflict would be too great
Can provide a cooling-off period
Disadvantages of the style:
Usually counterproductive, leads to stress and further conflict
Static approach, does nothing to solve problems

26. The Fundamentals of Leadership
Competition Style
This style is high on assertiveness but low on cooperativeness.
Essentially a win-lose approach
Advantages of the style:
Useful when quick, decisive action is needed
Can generate creativity
Challenges participants to make their best efforts
Disadvantages of the style:
Results in a winner and a loser
May create an unstable situation and hostile communication
Is essentially disconfirming, failing to recognize the needs of others

27. The Fundamentals of Leadership
Accommodation Style
This style is high on cooperativeness and low on assertiveness.
Individuals confront problems by deferring to others.
Advantages of the style:
Allows people to move away from uncomfortable feelings aroused by conflict
Can work when the issue is more important to one party than another or if harmony in the relationship is the most important goal
Disadvantages of the style:
In effect it is a lose-win strategy
The accommodator sacrifices his or her own values and goals to maintain smooth relationships
Need for harmony may override the need to find an optimal solution

28. The Fundamentals of Leadership
Compromise Style
This style is moderate on both cooperativeness and assertiveness.
Advantages of the style:
Requires attending to one’s goals as well as others’
Works best when other styles have failed or aren’t suitable
Can force an equal power balance between parties
Disadvantages of the style:
Doesn’t go far enough in resolving conflict
Can become as easy way out
Neither side may be completely satisfied

29. The Fundamentals of Leadership
Collaboration Style
This style is high in both assertiveness and cooperativeness.
Ideal style because it confronts conflict and then uses it to produce positive outcomes
Advantages of the style:
Both sides win
Communication is satisfying
Relationships are strengthened
Negotiated solutions are more cost-effective in the long run
Disadvantages of the style:
Demands energy, hard work, and shared control
Takes time to identify areas of agreement and select mutually satisfying solutions

30. The Fundamentals of Leadership
Leadership Snapshot
Bachal is a 25 year old woman who wants to educate children, especially girls, in her home country of Pakistan.
At 14, she decided it was wrong for children in her village to be playing in streets instead of being in school.
Father did not want her to go to school; mother labored to pay for her daughter’s education and had to sneak her off to school.
Went door-to-door to convince parents to send their kids to school in spite of threats on her life.
Created Dream Foundation in 2003, a school in a 2 room mud building. In just a decade the school has grown into a formal school with 22 teachers and 1200 students.

31. Case Study: Office Space
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Case Study: Office Space
How would you describe the conflict that has arisen between the members of the web programming department?
Is the conflict a relational conflict? If so, what type of relational conflict? Is there a content dimension to this conflict?
Using Fisher and Ury’s Method of Principled Negotiation, how would you separate the people from the problem? What do you think is really, really going on in this conflict?
Using the Kilmann and Thomas conflict styles, how would you characterize Sanjay’s conflict style? What about Bradley? Do Rosa and Kris have a style as well?
How could Martin use “fractionation” and “face saving” in attempting to resolve this conflict?

32. The Fundamentals of Leadership
Summary
Interpersonal conflict is inevitable.
If managed in appropriate ways, conflict can be constructive.
Conflict occurs on two levels: content and relationship.
One approach to resolving conflict is the Method of Principled Negotiation, which focuses on people, interests, options, and criteria.
Three practical communication approaches to resolving conflict are differentiation, fractionation, and face-saving.
Finally, researchers have found that people approach conflict using five styles: avoidance, competition, accommodation, compromise, and collaboration.
Managing conflict effectively leads to stronger relationships among participants and more creative solutions to problems.