Managing Conflict
:SugarwareZ-078:
Conflict is the primary engine of creativity and innovation
Chapter Outline
What is conflict?
Diverging schools of thoughts about conflicts
Approaches to managing conflict
What is Conflict?
Cole (1998) defines conflict as:
“a condition that arises when the perceived interests of an individual or a group clash with those of another individual or group in such a way that strong emotions are aroused and compromise is not considered to be an option. Conflict, when managed effectively, can contribute to organisational effectiveness, but when mishandled, can give rise to counter-productive behaviour, in which both sides lose.”
Litterer (1985) views conflict as the outcome of perceived inequity :
“Conflict is a type of behaviour which occurs when two or more parties are in opposition or in battle as a result of a perceived relative deprivation from the activities of or interaction with another person or group.”
Robbins (1998) :
“Conflict 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.”
Some similarities in definitions:
• Conflict must be perceived y the parties to it; whether or not conflict exists is a perception issue.
• Opposition or incompatibility
• It encompasses a wide range of conflicts that people experience in organizations:
• Incompatibility of goals
• Differences in interpretation of facts
• Disagreements on based on behavioral expectations
The definitions cover the full range of conflict levels from subtle forms of disagreements to violent overt acts.
Diverging Schools of Thoughts
• Traditional view
• Human Relations view
• Interactionist view
The Traditional View :
Referred as the Unitary perspective by Morgan (1986). He viewed conflict to be bad and harmful for organisation in the sense that conflict tended to deflect organisations from pursuing their objectives.
The Human Relation View :
Referred as the Pluralist perspective. Cole (1995) views organisation as a loose coalition of different interest groups. As such, he believed that conflict is a natural and inevitable outcome of organisational processes and it is through conflict that the organisation learn to know about what is dysfunctional and find measures to correct them
Views on Conflict
The Interactionist View :
This view goes one step further to the Human Relation View. It holds the belief that conflict is not only a positive force in a group but it is absolutely necessary for a group to perform effectively. However, it precise that not all conflict is good. This view, therefore, distinguishes two forms of conflict :
Functional Conflict
Dysfunctional Conflict
Functional v\s Dysfunctional Conflict
• The interactionist school does not propose that all conflicts are good.
• Some conflicts support the goals of the group and improve its performance, these are functional, constructive forms of conflicts
• Conflicts that hinder group performance are dysfunctional or destructive forms of conflicts.
• The demarcation between functional and dysfunctional conflicts is not clear cut nor precise.
• What differentiates functional from dysfunctional conflict is group performance.
• The impact that the conflict has on the group rather than on any individual member is what determines functionality.
• A group member may perceive an action as dysfunctional e.g outcome is personally dissatisfying to him\her but that action would be functional if it furthers the objectives of the group.
Conflict Process
The Conflict Process
Antecedent Conditions
Perceived Conflict
Felt Conflict
Manifest Behaviour
Conflict Resolution
Resolution Aftermath
Antecedent Conditions : this first step occurs when there is the presence of factors that create opportunities for conflict to occur, for example, misunderstanding.These are the causes\sources of conflicts. 3 categories namely communications, structure and personal variables.
Perceived Conflict : when the difference of opinion or perception is felt this ignites conflict. The conflict is defined.
Felt Conflict : once the conflict is perceives, the person feel it inside.Parties can experience anxiety,tension,frustration or hostility
Manifest Behaviour : this feeling can make the person adopt a certain behaviour. A lot of conflicts are worsened merely by one party attributing wrong intentions to the other party.
Conflict Resolution : attempts are made in several ways to resolve the conflict.
Resolution Aftermath : Once the conflict is resolved, satisfaction occurs , and the person forgets about the conflict.
• 5 conflict-handling intentions using 2 dimensions:
• Cooperativeness – the degree to which one party attempts to satisfy the other party’s concerns
• Assertiveness – the degree to which one party attempts to satisfy his\her own concerns
• Competing (assertive and uncooperative)
• Collaborating (assertive and cooperative)
• Avoiding (unassertive and uncooperative)
• Accommodating (unassertive and cooperative)
• Compromising (midrange btw assertiveness and cooperativeness)
Approaches to managing Conflict
Emphasise the organisation’s wide goals and effectiveness : this will ensure that individuals know what is expected of them and what they are suppose to achieve.
Provide stable, well-structured tasks : In line with the above approach, this will enable individuals to have a clear idea of the tasks to accomplish and this will minimised frustration.
Facilitate inter-group communication : Managers should ensure that communicaion takes place in the most effective manner within and among groups.
Avoid win-lose situations : Managers must create opinions or situations that lead to win-win for both parties, so that hard feelings and frustration are minimised.
Negotiation : this strategy have the following benefits –
Helps to approach conflicts, or potential conflicts, with more confidence;
To resolve conflict without acrimony;
To see opportunities to negotiate, which one may have overlooked before;
To obtain better outcomes.
Techniques to stimulate Conflict
Robbins (1974) propose the following techniques to stimulate conflict:
• Communication : using ambiguous or threatening messages to increase conflict levels.
• Bringing in outsiders : adding employees to a group coming from different background, values, attitudes or managerial styles. This will help to create interactions that will unearth long existing problems.
a devil’s advocate : designing a critic to purposely Restructuring the organisation : realigning work groups, altering rules and regulations, increasing interdependence and making other changes to disrupt the status quo.
Appointing argue against the majority positions held by the group.
Problem solving : face to face meeting of the conflicting parties for the purpose of identifying and examining the problem.
Super-ordinate goals : Creating and formulating a shared goal that can be attained through the collaboration and cooperation of the conflicting parties.
Expansion of resources : This is particularly applicable if the conflict has risen due to a scarcity in resources, for example, money. By expanding this resource this can create a win-win situation.
Avoidance : Forget that a conflict has taken place at one point in time.
Smoothing : Both parties try to understand what each party will gain if the conflict is ignored.
Compromise : Each party gives up something valuable and shake hands with the other party to create a win-win situation.
Authoritative command : Management uses its authoritative style to resolve the conflict and communicates its decision to the parties involved.
Altering the human variable : Using behavioural change techniques such as human relations including interpersonal skills training to alter attitudes and behaviours that cause conflict.
Altering the structural variables : Changing the formal organisation structure through job designs, including job rotations, transfers,...
:SugarwareZ-140:
:SugarwareZ-078:
Conflict is the primary engine of creativity and innovation
Chapter Outline
What is conflict?
Diverging schools of thoughts about conflicts
Approaches to managing conflict
What is Conflict?
Cole (1998) defines conflict as:
“a condition that arises when the perceived interests of an individual or a group clash with those of another individual or group in such a way that strong emotions are aroused and compromise is not considered to be an option. Conflict, when managed effectively, can contribute to organisational effectiveness, but when mishandled, can give rise to counter-productive behaviour, in which both sides lose.”
Litterer (1985) views conflict as the outcome of perceived inequity :
“Conflict is a type of behaviour which occurs when two or more parties are in opposition or in battle as a result of a perceived relative deprivation from the activities of or interaction with another person or group.”
Robbins (1998) :
“Conflict 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.”
Some similarities in definitions:
• Conflict must be perceived y the parties to it; whether or not conflict exists is a perception issue.
• Opposition or incompatibility
• It encompasses a wide range of conflicts that people experience in organizations:
• Incompatibility of goals
• Differences in interpretation of facts
• Disagreements on based on behavioral expectations
The definitions cover the full range of conflict levels from subtle forms of disagreements to violent overt acts.
Diverging Schools of Thoughts
• Traditional view
• Human Relations view
• Interactionist view
The Traditional View :
Referred as the Unitary perspective by Morgan (1986). He viewed conflict to be bad and harmful for organisation in the sense that conflict tended to deflect organisations from pursuing their objectives.
The Human Relation View :
Referred as the Pluralist perspective. Cole (1995) views organisation as a loose coalition of different interest groups. As such, he believed that conflict is a natural and inevitable outcome of organisational processes and it is through conflict that the organisation learn to know about what is dysfunctional and find measures to correct them
Views on Conflict
The Interactionist View :
This view goes one step further to the Human Relation View. It holds the belief that conflict is not only a positive force in a group but it is absolutely necessary for a group to perform effectively. However, it precise that not all conflict is good. This view, therefore, distinguishes two forms of conflict :
Functional Conflict
Dysfunctional Conflict
Functional v\s Dysfunctional Conflict
• The interactionist school does not propose that all conflicts are good.
• Some conflicts support the goals of the group and improve its performance, these are functional, constructive forms of conflicts
• Conflicts that hinder group performance are dysfunctional or destructive forms of conflicts.
• The demarcation between functional and dysfunctional conflicts is not clear cut nor precise.
• What differentiates functional from dysfunctional conflict is group performance.
• The impact that the conflict has on the group rather than on any individual member is what determines functionality.
• A group member may perceive an action as dysfunctional e.g outcome is personally dissatisfying to him\her but that action would be functional if it furthers the objectives of the group.
Conflict Process
The Conflict Process
Antecedent Conditions
Perceived Conflict
Felt Conflict
Manifest Behaviour
Conflict Resolution
Resolution Aftermath
Antecedent Conditions : this first step occurs when there is the presence of factors that create opportunities for conflict to occur, for example, misunderstanding.These are the causes\sources of conflicts. 3 categories namely communications, structure and personal variables.
Perceived Conflict : when the difference of opinion or perception is felt this ignites conflict. The conflict is defined.
Felt Conflict : once the conflict is perceives, the person feel it inside.Parties can experience anxiety,tension,frustration or hostility
Manifest Behaviour : this feeling can make the person adopt a certain behaviour. A lot of conflicts are worsened merely by one party attributing wrong intentions to the other party.
Conflict Resolution : attempts are made in several ways to resolve the conflict.
Resolution Aftermath : Once the conflict is resolved, satisfaction occurs , and the person forgets about the conflict.
• 5 conflict-handling intentions using 2 dimensions:
• Cooperativeness – the degree to which one party attempts to satisfy the other party’s concerns
• Assertiveness – the degree to which one party attempts to satisfy his\her own concerns
• Competing (assertive and uncooperative)
• Collaborating (assertive and cooperative)
• Avoiding (unassertive and uncooperative)
• Accommodating (unassertive and cooperative)
• Compromising (midrange btw assertiveness and cooperativeness)
Approaches to managing Conflict
Emphasise the organisation’s wide goals and effectiveness : this will ensure that individuals know what is expected of them and what they are suppose to achieve.
Provide stable, well-structured tasks : In line with the above approach, this will enable individuals to have a clear idea of the tasks to accomplish and this will minimised frustration.
Facilitate inter-group communication : Managers should ensure that communicaion takes place in the most effective manner within and among groups.
Avoid win-lose situations : Managers must create opinions or situations that lead to win-win for both parties, so that hard feelings and frustration are minimised.
Negotiation : this strategy have the following benefits –
Helps to approach conflicts, or potential conflicts, with more confidence;
To resolve conflict without acrimony;
To see opportunities to negotiate, which one may have overlooked before;
To obtain better outcomes.
Techniques to stimulate Conflict
Robbins (1974) propose the following techniques to stimulate conflict:
• Communication : using ambiguous or threatening messages to increase conflict levels.
• Bringing in outsiders : adding employees to a group coming from different background, values, attitudes or managerial styles. This will help to create interactions that will unearth long existing problems.
a devil’s advocate : designing a critic to purposely Restructuring the organisation : realigning work groups, altering rules and regulations, increasing interdependence and making other changes to disrupt the status quo.
Appointing argue against the majority positions held by the group.
Problem solving : face to face meeting of the conflicting parties for the purpose of identifying and examining the problem.
Super-ordinate goals : Creating and formulating a shared goal that can be attained through the collaboration and cooperation of the conflicting parties.
Expansion of resources : This is particularly applicable if the conflict has risen due to a scarcity in resources, for example, money. By expanding this resource this can create a win-win situation.
Avoidance : Forget that a conflict has taken place at one point in time.
Smoothing : Both parties try to understand what each party will gain if the conflict is ignored.
Compromise : Each party gives up something valuable and shake hands with the other party to create a win-win situation.
Authoritative command : Management uses its authoritative style to resolve the conflict and communicates its decision to the parties involved.
Altering the human variable : Using behavioural change techniques such as human relations including interpersonal skills training to alter attitudes and behaviours that cause conflict.
Altering the structural variables : Changing the formal organisation structure through job designs, including job rotations, transfers,...
:SugarwareZ-140: