METHODIST UNIVERSITY GHANA

METHODIST UNIVERSITY COLLEGE GHANA

FACULTY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Department of OF
DEPARTMENT Human Resource
HUMAN RESOURCE Management
& MANAGEMENT STUDIES Studies

MHRM 404

Conflict Management in Organizations

INSTRUCTOR:
E. NARTEY TETTEH
 Week 5 Agenda

❖ Recap of Previous Week’s Lecture

❖ Topic 4: Conflict Styles and Strategic Conflict Interation

▪ Exercise: Assessing your conflict management style

❖ Term Paper Discussions

❖ Next Week Agenda

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 Conflict Management Styles

❖ Everyone uses a variety of styles in conflict situations.

❖ The choice of a style depends on a number of factors or

dimensions.

❖ These styles are

• Avoiding
• Accommodation/Obliging
• Competition/Dominating
• Compromising
• Collaboration/Integrating

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DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE & MANAGEMENT STUDIES
 Conflict Management Styles

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 Dimensions Along Which Styles Vary

1. Assertiveness − degree of focus on own goals

2. Cooperativeness − degree of focus on other’s goals

− degree to which information about the party’s position or

3. Disclosiveness preference is disclosed to the other party.

4. Empowerment − degree to which one grants the other party some control or power.

5. Activeness − degree of one’s involvement with one’s own conflict issues.

− degree of movement the party is willing to make to work with the

6. Flexibility other party in the conflict.

FACULTY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE & MANAGEMENT STUDIES
 Conflict Management Styles

❖ This might take the form of diplomatically sidestepping

an issue, postponing an issue until a better time, or
simply withdrawing from a threatening situation.

❖ It is an obvious way to reduce conflict in the short run,

but does not permanently eliminate conflict.
Avoiding
❖ Appropriate under the following circumstances:
▪ when an issue is trivial, or more important issues are pressing
▪ to let people cool down and regain perspective
▪ when gathering information supersedes immediate decision
▪ when others can resolve the conflict more effectively, etc.

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DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE & MANAGEMENT STUDIES
 Conflict Management Styles

❖ Where parties seek to appease their

opponents; willing to place their opponent’s
interest above their own.

❖ Appropriate in the following situations:

Accommodation ▪ when you find you are wrong and to allow a better
/ Obliging position to be heard, to learn, and to show your
reasonableness.
▪ when issues are more important to others than
yourself.
▪ to build social credits for later issues.
▪ when harmony and stability are especially
important, etc.

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DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE & MANAGEMENT STUDIES
 Conflict Management Styles
❖ This is where one party seeks to achieve
certain goals or further personal interest,
regardless of the impact on the parties to the
conflict.

❖ Involves confrontational, aggressive, and “must

Competing /
win at any cost” attitude.
Dominating
❖ Appropriate
▪ when conflict involves “survival of the fittest”.
▪ when quick, decisive actions has to be taken.
▪ where unpopular actions need implementing.
▪ when your opinion is the most ethically or
professionally correct; etc.
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DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE & MANAGEMENT STUDIES
 Conflict Management Styles
❖ Each party gives up something in an attempt to
find mutually acceptable solutions to the conflict
that partially satisfy both sides.

❖ Not appropriate when unethical issues are the

cause of the conflict.
Compromising
❖ Appropriate
▪ when goals are important, but not worth the effort of
potential disruption of more assertive approaches
▪ when opponents with equal power are committed to
mutual exclusive goals
▪ to achieve temporary settlements to complex issues
▪ to arrive at expedient solutions under time pressure
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 Conflict Management Styles
❖ Involves an attempt to work with the other
person to find some solution which fully satisfies
the concerns of both persons.

❖ Here, the behaviour of the parties is aimed at

solving the problem rather than accommodating
Collaboration / various points of view.
Integration
❖ Appropriate to find an integrative solution:
▪ when both sets of concerns are too important to be
compromised.
▪ when your objective is to learn and to gain commitment by
incorporating concerns into a consensus.
▪ to work through feelings that have interfered with a
relationship.
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 Assertiveness and Conflict Management
❖ Assertiveness involves standing up for your rights
and expressing your thoughts and feelings in a
direct, appropriate way that does not violate the
rights of others.

❖ People who exhibit assertive behaviour skills are

Assertiveness able to handle their conflicts with greater ease and
assurance while maintaining good interpersonal
relations.

❖ Assertiveness is necessary when you sense

someone is taking advantage of you, ignoring your
needs, or disregarding your viewpoint.
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 Assertiveness and Conflict Management

❖ Aggressive behaviour involves expressing your

thoughts and feelings and defending your rights in a
way that violates the rights of others.

❖ Aggressive people may interrupt, talk fast, ignore

others and use sarcasm or other forms of verbal
Aggressiveness abuse to maintain control.

❖ Aggressive behaviour escalates conflict because it

causes the receiver to behave defensively and
bring out the worst in him/her.

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DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE & MANAGEMENT STUDIES
 Assertiveness and Conflict Management

❖ Non-assertive behaviour involves ignoring

things that bother you in order to avoid conflict.
❖ It is also known as acquiescent / passive /
submissive behaviour.
Non- ❖ Non-assertive people often give in to the
Assertiveness demands of others, and their passive approach
makes them less likely to make their needs
known.
❖ Non-assertive/passive behaviour is not an
effective way of managing conflict.

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 Assertiveness and Conflict Management

1. Decide to be more assertive.

2. Start by taking small steps.

Developing 3. Practice assertive non-verbals.

Assertive Skills
4. Listen and ask questions.

5. Praise and criticise appropriately.

6. Learn to accept mistakes.

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 Shifting Styles During Conflict Episodes

❖ It is common for parties to change styles as conflict unfolds.

❖ Factors that determine style choice and change include the

following:

1. The party’s goals in the immediate situation.

2. The longer-term consequences on a style.
3. The situation – time, trust, etc.
4. The ethical implications of selecting a style.

❖ These changes may be strategically planned or in response to the

other party. In some other cases, they may be aware of their shift.

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Cultural, Gender and Racial Influences on Conflict Styles
Cultural Influences
❖ Appropriate styles differ depending on whether a culture employs a
confrontational, harmony or regulative model of conflict management.
▪ Confrontational model emphasises competition and collaborative over the other styles.

▪ Harmony model emphasises avoiding, accommodating, and compromising over other styles.

▪ Parties using a regulative model would be predisposed either to avoiding or to competing in initial stages of
the conflict and then to refer the conflict to some authority who resolves the conflict.
▪

❖ Individual differences may affect style preference with a culture.

❖ Local conditions and particular situations can also override the general
tendencies of a culture
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Cultural, Gender and Racial Influences on Conflict Styles

Gender Influences
❖ Earlier studies suggest that men and women differ in conflict behaviours.

❖ However, recent studies suggest that there are few differences in conflict
behaviour between the genders.

❖ Yet, there are differences in how the genders are expected to think and act, and
these expectations may influence how effective styles are.
➢ E.g., women are perceived to value relationships than men. So, under a competitive style,
women are judged negatively more than men.

➢ When men behave assertively, they are not judged negatively as women because that is
what society expects from them.

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DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE & MANAGEMENT STUDIES
Cultural, Gender and Racial Influences on Conflict Styles
Racial and Ethnic Influences
❖ Some differences have been identified but they are not strongly supported.

❖ Identification with racial and ethnic groups and with the larger culture are associated
with selection of collaborating and compromising styles for ethnic and racial groups in
the U.S.

❖ Generally, Americans and Europeans are perceived to prefer individualism while Asia,
Latin America and Africa are said to be collectivist in orientation.
➢ E.g., Asian-Americans are said to have the tendency to prefer the accommodation and avoiding
styles than European-Americans. They also prefer third party interventions.
➢ African-Americans (especially women) tend to be emotionally expressive in conflicts and are
interested in getting conflicts out in the open.

❖ Are there ethnic differences related to conflict styles in Ghana?

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 NEXT WEEK

Managing and Resolving Organizational Conflict

Case Discussion
The Psychological Evaluation Unit

FACULTY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE & MANAGEMENT STUDIES