1

Conflict and Conflict Management

Conflict in organisations…

Happens when I feel (perceive) You have Something I care aboutYou will negatively affect something I care about

2

Conflict in Organisations

• Inevitable

• Has many causes

• Is not always bad

• Therefore must be ‘managed’

• May be ‘perceived’ or ‘felt’

Potential conflict in organisations

3

Potential Conflicts in Organisations

• Regional affiliations

• Erosion of status

• Differences in personal views

• Basis for grant of pay increase – allocation of pay

increase budget

• Autonomy to a position / level / individual

• Diversification plans

• Own manufacture or outsourcing

• HQ versus Branch Office

• Product Pricing

• …

Levels of conflict…

4

Conflict may be…

1. Intrapersonal – frustration, goal conflict, cognitive dissonance,

role conflict etc

2. Interpersonal

3. Intergroup

4. Organisational - structural

Sources of Interpersonal Conflict…

5

Sources of Interpersonal Conflict

1. Personal differences Personality - clashing needs

threat, suspicion, incompatibility, Interactive and communication styles,

Preferences, How you like to spend time

2. Information deficiency - About the other

person’s needs, motives, preferences, ambitions ,

Circumstances, Intentions

3. Role incompatibility - organisational

4. Environmental stress

How do you tend to manage conflict

Johari Window

TA

6

Individual Strategies for ‘managing’ conflict - suitable response

• Collaborate

• Avoid

• Forcing

• Accommodate

2 dimensions - assertiveness and

cooperativeness

Compromise

Conflict management team - organisation

7

The Thomas Kilman Conflict Model

Avoider

Assertiveness

Co-operation

Accomodator

Compromiser

Fighter –

competitivecollaborator

Do I usually follow one strategy ??? Conflict management techniques in organisations

8

Scoring – Conflict Style Inventory- ASCIQuestion Competition Compromise Collaboration Avoidance Submission

1 A   B    

2 B   A    

3 A   B    

4       B A

5       B A

6       B A

7 B A      

8 A B      

9 B A      

10   B   A  

11   A   B  

12   B   A  

13 A       B

14 B       A

15 A       B

9

Conflict Style Inventory - ASCI

Inter group conflict

Question Competition Compromise Collaboration Avoidance Submission

16   A     B

17   B     A

18   A     B

19 B     A  

20 A     B  

21 B     A  

22     A B  

23     B A  

24     A B  

25   B A    

26   B A    

27   B A    

28     B   A

29     A   B

30     B   A

10

Inter Group Conflict

Conflict management

•Task Interdependence

•Task ambiguity

•Goal incompatibility

•Competition for Limited Resources

•Competitive Reward System

•Line and Staff

•Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Conflict

11

Conflict Management Techniques - Organisation

• Problem solving

• Shared goal

• Expansion of resources

• Authoritative command

• Using behavioural change techniques

What does it really mean to be ‘good with people’ ? 4 Dimensions of Relational work

12

Personal Differences

• Differences in Personality - clashing

needs threat, suspicion,

incompatibility

• Interactive and communication styles

• Preferences

• How you like to spend time

• etc

13

New view of conflict

• Is inevitable

• Has many different causes

• May aid or hinder organisational

performance

• Task of management - manage conflict

• Best performance requires moderate

conflict

14

Positive aspects of conflict

• Energising - focuses members on

existence of problems

• Promotes change

• Stimulates interest and creativity

• Can be fun

15

Is conflict always bad?

Differentiate between -

• Personalised conflict

• Issue based conflict

Between

• Task conflict – content and goals of work

• Relationship conflict

• Process conflict – how work is done

16

‘perceived’ and ‘felt’ conflict

Perceived - Awareness by one or more

parties that there is a situation where

conflict may arise

Felt - emotional involvement in a

conflict creating stress, anxiety,

tenseness, frustration, hostility

17

‘Two dimensions of conflict handling intentions

• Co-operativeness - how much you

want to satisfy the other party’s

concerns

• Assertiveness - how much you want to

satisfy your own concerns

18

ANTECEDENTS TO INTERGROUP CONFLICTS

• Competition for resources

• Task Interdependence

• Jurisdictional Ambiguity

• Status Struggles

19

STRATEGIES TO REDUCE INTERGROUP CONFLICT

• Avoidance - ignore or impose solutionUtility - trivial conflict/ quick action required

• Defusion - deactivate / cool off / underplay conflictUtility - Need for stop – gap solution

- groups have mutually important goal

• Containment - conflict allowed to surface, but issues for discussion spelled outUtility - discussions fail and groups are of equal power

• Confrontation - all issues brought out in open, in attempt to reach mutually acceptable solution.Utility - when there is minimum level of trust

- time is not critical

- when groups need to co-operate to get the job done

20

STRUCTURAL CONFLICT - TYPES

• HIERARCHICAL CONFLICT – unifying goals

-importance of equity

• FUNCTIONAL CONFLICT – co-ordination

• LINE – STAFF CONFLICT - tell and sell

- hold staff accountable

• FORMAL – INFORMAL CONFLICT

Basic incongruence between needs and characteristics

of adult and requirements of formal organisation