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Conflict and Negotiation in the Workplace
Conflict arises in any situation where your concerns or desires differ from another person’s.
Managing Conflict
Be constructive or destructive
Be stimulating or unnerving
Produce higher quality results or stifle a project
Lead to original thinking or cause destructive power struggles
Conflict can...
Taps creativity and problem solving
Generates new solutions
Increases involvement
Improves communication
Releases pent-up emotion
Builds cohesiveness
Helps individuals and teams grow
Constructive Conflict
Positive View (cont.) “Two heads are better than one”
If the differences are seen as enriching, rather than as in opposition to each other, the “two heads” will indeed be likely to come up with a better solution than either one alone
Represents a richer set of experiences and because they can bring to bear on the problem a greater variety of insights
Many problems can be seen clearly, wholly, and in perspective only if the individuals who see different aspect can come together and pool their information
Reduces productivity
Diverts energy
Destroys morale
Polarizes groups
Deepens differences
Spawns additional conflict
Produces regrettable behavior (acting-out)
Deconstructive Conflict
Views of Conflict (cont.) Balanced View
Conflict may sometimes be desirable and other times destructive
Some conflicts can be avoided and reduced, others have to be resolved and properly managed
Sensitive to both negative outcomes (loss of skilled employees, stress, and even violence) to positive outcome (creative alternatives, increased motivation and commitment, high quality of work, and personal satisfaction)
Conflict and Performance
Level of Conflict
Org
aniz
atio
nal
Ou
tco
mes
Low High
Neg.
Pos.
Conflict and Unit Performance (cont’d)
Task vs. Socioemotional ConflictTask-related conflict
Conflict is aimed at issue, not parties Helps recognize problems, identify
solutions, and understand the issues better Potentially healthy and valuable
Socioemotional conflict Conflict viewed as a personal attack Introduces perceptual biases Distorts information processing
Toward Effective Management of Differences Because the presence of differences can
complicate the manager’s job, it is of utmost importance that he understand them fully and that he learn to handle them effectively
Manager’s ability to deal effectively with differences depend on: His ability to diagnose and to understand
differences His awareness of, and ability to select
appropriately form, a variety of behaviors
DifferentiationDifferentiation
Task Task InterdependenceInterdependence
• Different values/beliefs• Explains cross-cultural and
generational conflict
• Conflict increases with interdependence
• Higher risk that parties interfere with each other
IncompatibleIncompatibleGoalsGoals
• One party’s goals perceived to interfere with other’s goals
more
Sources of Conflict
Ambiguous RulesAmbiguous Rules
Communication Communication ProblemsProblems
• Creates uncertainty, threatens goals• Without rules, people rely on politics
• Increases stereotyping • Reduces motivation to communicate• Escalates conflict when arrogant
Scarce Scarce ResourcesResources
• Motivates competition for the resource
Sources of Conflict (con’t)
Interpersonal Conflict Management:
Win-Win Orientation – A person’s belief that the parties will find a mutually beneficial solution to their conflict
Win-lose Orientation- a person’s belief that the conflicting parties are drawing from a fixed pie, so his or her gain is the other person’s loss
Interpersonal Approaches of approaching the other party in conflict situation
Each approach can be placed in a two dimensional grid
Cooperativeness:
• Attempting to satisfy the other party’s concerns.
Assertiveness:
• Attempting to satisfy one’s own concerns.
Cooperativeness:
• Attempting to satisfy the other party’s concerns.
Assertiveness:
• Attempting to satisfy one’s own concerns.
Uncooperative Cooperative
Unassertive
Assertive
Two basic aspects of all conflict handling modes
Uncooperative Cooperative
Unassertive
Assertive
Compromising
Avoiding Accommodating
Competing Collaborating
Choosing the Best Conflict Management Style
Most people have a preferred conflict management style, but use different styles under different conditions
Skill of conflict management – apply the right style for the situation
Interpersonal Conflict Management Styles (cont.)
Avoiding –Withdraw from or suppress a conflict “Hiding the head in the sand” response Reflects an aversion to tension and frustration and
may involve a decision to let a conflict work itself out
Illustrated by the following statements I usually don’t take positions that will create
controversy I shy away from topics that are sources of
disputes with my friends That’s okay. It wasn’t important anyway. Let’s
leave well enough alone
Uncooperative Cooperative
Unassertive
Assertive
Avoiding
“I’ll think about it tomorrow”
Useful for:•Issues of low importance•Reducing tensions•Buying time•Low power
Interpersonal Conflict Management Styles (cont.)
Competing –Satisfy one’s interest regardless of the impact on the other party
Strongest win-lose orientation Suggested by the following statements
I insist that my position be accepted during a disagreement
I usually hold on to my solution to a problem after the controversy starts
Uncooperative Cooperative
Unassertive
AssertiveCompeting“My way or the highway”
Useful for:•Quick action•Unpopular decisions•Vital issues•Protection•when fostering intimate or supportive relationships is not critical
Interpersonal Conflict Management Styles (cont.)
Accommodation – Involves giving in completely to the other side’s wishes, or at least cooperating with little or no attention to your own interests
Usually are favorably evaluated by others, but perceived as weak and submissive
Illustrated by the following statements If it makes other people happy, I am all for it I like to smooth over disagreements by
making them appear less important
Uncooperative Cooperative
Unassertive
Assertive
Accommodating
“It would be my pleasure”
Useful for:•Creating good will•Keeping the peace•when maintaining the relationship outweighs other considerations
Advantage: Accommodating maintains relationships
Disadvantage: Giving in may not be productive, your may be taken advantage of
Interpersonal Conflict Management Styles (cont.) Compromising – Trying to reach a middle
ground with the other party Based on give and take, involves a series of
concessions You attempt to satisfice rather than maximize
your outcomes and hopes that the same occurs for the other party
Does not always result in the most creative response to conflict
Not as useful for resolving conflicts that stem from power asymmetry, because the weaker party may have little to offer the stronger party
Illustrated by the following statements After failing in getting my way, I
usually find it necessary to seek a fair combination of gains and losses for both of us
I give in to others if they are willing to meet me halfway
Uncooperative Cooperative
Unassertive
AssertiveCompromising
“Let’s make a deal”
Useful for:•Moderate importance•Time constraints•Temporary solutions•Equal power & strong commitment
Interpersonal Conflict Management Styles (cont.)
Collaborating – Collaboration is trying to find a mutually beneficial solution for both parties through problem solving
An individual who use this style tends to See conflict as natural, helpful, and even
leading to more creative solution if handled properly
Recognize that when conflict is resolved to the satisfaction of all, commitment to solution is likely
Interpersonal Conflict Management Styles (cont.) Collaboration (cont.)
Statements consistent with this style include I tell the other person my ideas,
actively seek out the other person’s ideas, and search for mutually beneficial solution
I try to dig into an issue to find a solution good for all of us
Uncooperative Cooperative
Unassertive
Assertive
Collaborating
“Two heads are better than one”
Useful for:when peer conflict is involved when trying to gain commitment through consensus building •Integrating solutions•Learning•Merging perspectives
Advantage: both sides get what they want and negative feelings eliminated
Disadvantage: takes a great deal of time and effort
All five styles and their variations are equally available responses to conflict
The fact that a person prefers a given style does not mean he or she will not use other styles
Indeed, this model assumes that we use each style at one point or another
Nevertheless, our dominant style reflects our particular beliefs about conflict, our preferences and comfort zone
Secondary choices constitute backups preferences when we find it necessary to abandon our preference, creating a response hierarchy
It is important to emphasize that we have the ability to change our dominant style and our response hierarchy
If a person genuinely desires to have a more constructive approach to conflict management, change is entirely possible and it is a personal option
To change our style, we must become aware of the available options and then undertake a conscious program of building skills where we need them
Structural Approaches to Conflict Management Emphasizing Superordinate Goals –
Common objectives held by conflict parties that are more important than their conflicting departmental or individual goals
Useful where conflict is caused by goal incompatibility
By increasing commitment to corporate wide goals, employees feel less conflict with co-workers regarding competing individual or departmental level goals
Structural Approaches to Conflict Management (cont.) Reducing Differentiation
Alter or remove conditions that create these differences in the first place
Differentiation is mainly based on unique experiences and values – not just the symbol of differences
Japanese companies move people around to different jobs, departments, and regions so that they eventually develop common experiences with other senior decision makers in the organization
Structural Approaches to Conflict Management (cont.) Improving communication and
Understanding Direct communication Dialogue meetings – A process of
conversation among team members in which they learn about each other’s mental models and assumptions, and eventually form a common model for thinking within the team
Intergroup mirroring – a structured conflict management intervention in which the parties discuss their perceptions of each other and look for ways to improve their relationship by correcting misperceptions
Structural Approaches to Conflict Management (cont.) Reducing task Interdependence
If cost effective – might occur by dividing the shared resource so that each party has exclusive part of it
Introduce buffers between people Buffers might take the form of resources
such as adding more inventory between people who perform sequential tasks
Human buffers in organizations – who intervene between highly interdependent people or work units
Structural Approaches to Conflict Management (cont.)
Increasing Resources Clarifying Rules and Procedures
One way to clarify rules is to establish a schedule for sharing scare resources
Negotiation in Conflict Management
What is Negotiation?“A decision-making process among
interdependent parties who do not share identical preferences”
It is an attempt to reach a satisfactory exchange among or between the parties
Your PositionsYour Positions
InitialInitial TargetTarget
InitialInitialTargetTarget
Opponent’s PositionsOpponent’s Positions
Area ofPotential
Agreement
Bargaining Zone ModelResistanceResistance
ResistanceResistance
Situational Influences on Negotiation
Location
Physical Setting
Time Passage and Deadlines
Audience
Effective Negotiator Behaviors
Preparation and Goal Setting
Gathering Information
Communicating Effectively
Making Concessions
Bargaining Strategies
Distributive versus Integrative Bargaining
Bargaining Strategies (cont.) Integrative bargaining is preferable to
distributive bargaining –builds long term relationships and facilitates working together in the future
Conditions necessary for this integrative bargaining Include parties open with information and
candid about their concerns Sensitivity to each other’s needs, ability to
trust and willingness to maintain flexibility
Third-Party Involvement
Any attempt by a relatively neutral person to help the parties resolve their differences
Types of Third-Party Intervention Mediation – A neutral third party who facilities
a negotiated solution by using reasoning, persuasion, and suggestions for alternatives
In labor disputes, international relations, and marital counseling
What Do Mediators do? Almost anything that aids the process or
atmosphere of negotiation can be helpful The mediator might also intervene in the content of
the negotiation, highlighting points of agreement, pointing new options, or encouraging concessions
Types of Third-Party Intervention (cont.)
Mediation (cont.) Best for everyday disputes between
two employees as gives employee more responsibility for resolving their own disputes
Most effective under moderate level of conflict
The mediator must be perceived as neutral and non-coercive
Types of Third-Party Intervention (cont.) Arbitration – The process of arbitration
occurs when a third party is given the authority to dictate the terms of settlement of a conflict When employee cannot resolve their
differences Seems to work best because the
predetermined rules of evidence and other process create a higher sense of procedural fairness
Types of Third-Party Intervention (cont.) Consultation – An impartial third party, skilled in
conflict management, who attempts to facilitate creative problem solving through communication and analysis
Consultant’s role is not to settle the issues but, rather, to improve relations between the conflicting parties so that they can reach a settlement themselves
Instead of putting forward specific solutions, the consultant tries to help the parties learn to understand and work with each other
Has a longer-term focus: to build new and positive perceptions and attitudes between the conflicting parties