1. Managing Conflict

2. Research Findings on Conflict
Some degree of conflict can be expected in all organisations
Conflict can have positive as well as negative effects
Managers spend a considerable portion of their time handling conflict
Identifying and resolving conflicts is critical to the success of managers

3. What is conflict
Dispute, clash, or opposition created due to differences in opinion, interest, values, goals
Perceived incompatible differences that result in interference or opposition
Behaviour of one party affecting another party in such a way that the value of the outcome of the action of the second party is reduced
Contradiction => Attitudes => Behavior

4. Conflict Four conditions
Antecedent condition (e.g. scarcity of resources)
Affective state (e.g. stress, tension)
Cognitive state (e.g. awareness of conflict situation)
Conflictual behaviour (e.g. passive resistance or overt aggression)

5. Conflict Creation Outcomes Conflict Consequence: Functional
Dysfunctional
Inputs
Incompatible
goals
Resource
constraints
Communication
problem
Perception
Personality
clash
Process
Perceived
conflict
Felt
Outputs
Manifest
conflict

6. Conflict Episodes

7. Different Approaches to conflict
Traditional view
All conflict is bad and must be avoided
Avoid conflict through rules and regulation, by establishing standards, norms, rewards and punishment system, socialization, and by increasing conformity
Human relation view
A natural and inevitable outcome in any organization
Accept it
Manage them through interpersonal skills, leadership, communication, teamwork and participation

8. Different Approaches to conflict
Interactionist (modern) view:
Necessary for an organization to perform effectively
Conflict should be encouraged to the level enough to keep the organization viable, self critical and creative
Conflict a source of energy
Manage appropriate level of conflict

9. Conflict and Performance
Low
High
Level of Conflict
High
Level of
Organization
Performance
Low B C
Situation A
Level of conflict Low or none Optimal High
Type of conflict Dysfunctional Functional Dysfunctional
Organization's Apathetic Viable Disruptive
Internal Stagnant Self critical Chaotic
Characteristics Unresponsive to Innovative Uncooperative
change
Lack of new ideas

10. Conflict and Effectiveness
Level of conflict
Characteristics of organization
Effectiveness outcomes
None or low
Apathetic, stagnant, non-responsive to change, lack of new ideas
Low
Optimal
Viable, innovative, self critical
High
Disruptive, chaotic, uncooperative

11. Positive Effects Increases interactions Facilitates change
Increases interpersonal ability
Improves problem solving ability
Stimulate creativity and productivity
Releases emotion
Generates new learning

12. Negative Effects Increases mistrust, competition and ill feeling
Increases stress and tension
Deepen differences and creates barriers to cooperation
Divert people from dealing with really important issues
Promote insularism
Reduces cooperation and coordination

13. Types of Conflict Role conflict
Intra-role: a person has two roles with conflicting requirements
Inter-role: separate parties having different expectations of a person in a particular role
Person-role: role's requirements conflicting with the person's values and attitudes
Interpersonal conflict (between persons)
Inter- group conflict (between groups)
Inter-organizational conflict

14. Sources of Conflict
Personal factors (differences in personality, goal, value, interest, expectation, behaviour)
Informational deficiency(information holding, inadequate information, misrepresentation or misinterpretation of facts)
Structural deficiency (differences in goals, unclear policies, unequal distribution of power and resources, jurisdictional ambiguity, lack of organisation- wide vision)
Environmental stress

15. Approaches to Conflict Management
Conflict prevention
Conflict resolution
Conflict stimulation

16. Preventing Conflict
Remove the key sources of conflicts as far as possible
Recognise and accept personal differences
Be honest with self and others
Avoid assuming yourself always right and others wrong
Develop positive orientations (in behaviour, attitude and thought)
Develop and use interpersonal competencies

17. Resolving Conflict Identify conflict
Recognize the behavior that tends to emerge in a conflict
Develop the skills to behave more rationally
Use appropriate conflict response
Use appropriate conflict resolution style and strategy

18. Identifying Conflict Identify conflict parties
Get to know about them as much as possible
Assess the effects of the conflict
Identify the nature of the conflict
Identify the sources of the conflict
Speculate the conflict response patterns of the involved parties
Decide the most appropriate response pattern

19. Conflict Behavior
Usually negative emotions and behaviors such as anger, frustration, aggression or withdrawal
Acceptance of conflict as normal, natural and inevitable
Confronting conflict positively
Assertiveness and responsiveness/ cooperative behaviors
Self analysis, interpersonal, negotiation skills

20. Conflict Resolution Skills
Identify your preferred conflict handling style
Be judicious in selecting the conflicts you want to handle
Evaluate the conflict players: people, their interest, values, personality and resources
Look the conflict situation through the eyes of the conflicting parties
Assess the sources of the conflict
Know your options

21. Conflict Response Forcing (assertive, uncooperative)
Accommodating (unassertive, cooperative)
Avoiding (unassertive, uncooperative)
Compromising (between assertive and cooperative)
Collaborating (assertive, cooperative)

22. Conflict Response Options
(I win you lose) (I win You win)
Forcing Collaborating
Assertive
Integrative
Distributive
Concern for one’s goal
Compromising
(Both win some and lose come)
Assertiveness
(I lose You win)
Avoiding Accommodating
Uncooperative Cooperative
Unassertive
Cooperativeness
Concern for other’s goal

23. Know Your Options
Avoidance: withdrawal from or suppression of conflict
Accommodation: resolving conflicts by placing another’s needs and concerns above one’s own
Forcing: satisfying one’s own needs at the expenses of another’s
Compromise: a solution to conflict in which each party gives up something of value
Collaboration: resolving conflict by seeking a solution advantageous to all parties

24. Use of Conflict Response
Avoidance
Issue not important to you
Relationship not critical
Relative power is equal to high
Time not a factor
Accommodating
Relationship critical
No other option

25. Use of Conflict Response
Forcing
Issue extremely important to you
Relationship not necessary
Relative power is high
High sense of urgency
Compromising
Issue very complex and moderately important for both
Relationship moderately important
Relatively equal power
Time constraint low

26. Use of Conflict Response
Collaborating
Problem identification
Solution generation
Action plan and agreement
Implementation and follow up

27. Conflict Response Approach and Situations
Forcing
Accommodating
Compromising
Collaborative
Avoiding
High
Low
Medium
Equal-High
Low-high
Medium high
Medium-high
Issue importance
Relationship importance
Relative power
Time constraint

28. Resolving Strategies Lose - lose strategy Win - lose strategy
Avoidance
Compromise
Smoothing
Separation
Buffering
Reference to rule
Win - lose strategy
Dominance
Authoritative command
Majority rule

29. Resolving Strategies Win -win strategy Super-ordinate goals
Resource expansion
Objective criteria
Mutual gains
Mediation
Integration/ collaboration
Problem solving

30. Resolve the Conflict Sit together (for information collection)
Evaluate the conflict and conflicting parties
Think of strategies:
Avoidance: leave as it is.
Power based: person with power can quell.
Right based: being a judge to identify the right and wrong and give justice
Interest based: consider the interest and need of the party.
Chose the strategy

31. Conflict Resolution method Conflict resolution process
The Outcome
One party prevails
Competing or Accommodating
Force and violence
Adjudication
Rules of chance
Compensation
Strong one takes the orange
Orange is given according to some principles like rights, needs or preference
Tossing a coin to decide who gets the orange
Compensation for the loser
Withdrawal Avoidance
Prevarication, misleading
Walk away from the orange, give orange to some body, just watch the orange or put the orange in deep fridge
Prof. Subas KC/2010

32. Conflict Resolution method Conflict resolution process
The Outcome
Compromise
Negotiation
Cut the orange, peel the orange and divide the slices or any other methods of division
Transcendence (collaborating, problem solving, design solution and outcome)
Dialogue
Get one more orange, get more people to share the orange, bake the orange, sell it and divide the proceeds, sow the seeds have more oranges

33. Initiator Problem identification Solution generation
Succinctly describe your problem
Persist until understood
Encourage two way discussion
Manage the agenda carefully (incrementally)
Solution generation
Focus on things you share in common while requesting preferred alternatives

34. Responder Problem identification Solution generation
Establish a climate for joint problem solving
Seek additional information about the problem
Agree with some aspects of the complaint
Solution generation
Ask for recommendations

35. Mediator Problem identification Solution generation
Acknowledge that a conflict exists
Gather all relevant information
Maintain a neutral posture
Manage the discussion to ensure fairness
Solution generation
Explore options by focusing on interests behind stated positions

36. Is Conflict Stimulation Needed?
Are you surrounded by yes people?
Are the subordinates afraid to admit ignorance and uncertainties to you?
Is there so much concentration by decision makers on reaching a compromise that they lose sight of values, long term objectives or the organization’s welfare?
Do managers believe that it is in their best interest to maintain the impression of peace and cooperation in their unit, regardless of the price?
Is there a lack of new ideas?

37. Is Conflict Stimulation Needed?
Is there an excessive concern by decision makers for not hurting the feelings of others?
Do managers believe that popularity is more important for obtaining organizational rewards than competence and high performance?
Are mangers unduly enamored or obtaining consensus for their decisions?
Do employees show unusually high resistance to change?
Is there an usually low level of employee turnover?

38. Stimulating Conflicts
Change the organization’s culture where the person who challenge status quo, suggest new ideas, offer divergent opinions are rewarded
Regulate flow of information: such as floating ambiguous or threatening messages, layoff and closing down of the units
Bring in outsiders or transfer to mix with different backgrounds, attitudes, values and managerial style

39. Stimulating Conflicts
Restructure the organization such as centralizing decisions, realigning work groups, increasing formalization and increasing interdependency
Appoint a “Devil’s Advocate” who purposely presents arguments that run counter to those proposed by the majority or against current practices may just to stimulate discussion
Create greater independence
Use too much or too little leadership