Chapter 13

Conflict and Negotiation

1. Describe the nature of conflicts in organizations.
Learning Outcomes

2. Explain the role structural and personal factors play in

causing conflict in organizations.

3. Discuss the nature of group conflict in organizations.

4. Describe the factors that influence conflict between

individuals in organizations.

5. Describe effective and ineffective techniques for managing

conflict.

6. Identify five styles of conflict management.

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1 Learning Outcome

Describe the nature of conflicts in

organizations.

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Conflict
any situation in which incompatible

goals, attitudes, emotions, or behaviors

lead to disagreement or opposition

between two or more parties

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Importance of Conflict Management
Skills
“As managers we spend
about 21% of our time
dealing with conflict.”

• Conflict management skills predict

managerial success
• Emotional intelligence is critical
indicator of manager’s ability to deal
with conflict
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Emotional Intelligence

• the power to control one’s emotions

• perceive emotions in others
• adapt to change
• manage adversity

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Consequences of Conflict

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 Nature of Organizational
Conflict
Functional Conflict – a healthy,
constructive disagreement between
two or more people

Dysfunctional Conflict – an
unhealthy, destructive
disagreement between two or more
people

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Diagnosing Conflict
• Examine the issue
• Examine the context
• Examine the parties

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 Questions to Use When
Diagnosing Conflict
Yes No
Are the parties approaching the conflict from a hostile
standpoint?
Is the outcome likely to be a negative one for the
organization?
Do the potential losses of the parties exceed any potential
gains?
Is energy being diverted from goal accomplishment?

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2 Learning Outcome

Explain the role structural and

personal factors play in causing
conflict in organizations.

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Causes of Conflict in Organizations

Structural Factors Personal Factors

• Specialization • Skills and abilities
• Interdependence • Personalities
• Common resources • Perceptions
• Goal differences • Values and ethics
• Authority relationships • Emotions
• Status inconsistencies • Communication barriers
• Jurisdictional ambiguities • Cultural differences

CONFLICT!
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 Beyond the Book:
Looking for Trouble

A South Carolina woman on probation signed

a court document with instructions as to what
body part the judge could kiss. The judge
rewarded her with an additional 90 days of
probation.

The lesson: considering the consequences of your

words can avoid needless conflict and negative
consequences.

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3 Learning Outcome

Discuss the nature of group

conflict in organizations.

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 Forms of Conflict in Organizations
Interorganizational Conflict – conflict that
occurs between two or more
organizations
Intergroup Conflict – conflict that occurs
between groups or teams in an
organization
Intragroup Conflict – conflict that occurs
within groups or teams

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 Beyond the Book:
AT&T vs. Verizon
• Verizon advertisements compare their national
3G network coverage with that of AT&T.
• AT&T sued Verizon in federal court, claiming
that the ads are misleading and requesting that
the Verizon ads be pulled. The judge decided
against AT&T.
• AT&T also responded with an anti-Verizon ad
that highlights the iPhone.

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4 Learning Outcome

Describe the factors that influence

conflict between individuals in
organizations.

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Forms of Conflict in Organizations
Interpersonal Conflict – conflict that
occurs between two or more individuals

Intrapersonal Conflict – conflict that

occurs within an individual

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Types of
Intrapersonal Conflict
Interrole Conflict – a person’s experience of
conflict among the multiple roles in his/her life
Intrarole Conflict – conflict that occurs within a
single role, when a person receives conflicting
messages from role senders about how to
perform a certain role
Person–role Conflict – conflict that occurs when
an individual is expected to perform behaviors
in a certain role that conflict with his/her
personal values

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An Organizational Member’s Role Set

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 [Resolving Intrapersonal
Conflict]
• Find out as much as possible
about the values of the
organization.
• Role analysis – ask the various
role senders what they expect.
• Political skills – effective
politicians can negotiate role
expectations when conflicts
occur.

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Managing Interpersonal Conflict
• Understand power networks
• Recognize defense mechanisms
• Develop strategies to deal with
difficult people

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Power Relationships in Organizations

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Aggressive Defense Mechanisms
Fixation – an individual keeps up a
dysfunctional behavior that obviously will
not solve the conflict
Displacement – an individual directs his or
her anger toward someone who is not the
source of the conflict
Negativism – a person responds with
pessimism to any attempt at solving a
problem
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Compromise Defense Mechanisms
Compensation – an individual attempts to
make up for a negative situation by devoting
himself/herself to another pursuit with
increased vigor
Identification – an individual patterns his or her
behavior after another’s
Rationalization – a compromise mechanism
characterized by trying to justify one’s
behavior by constructing bogus reasons for it
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Withdrawal Defense Mechanisms
Flight/Withdrawal – entails physically
escaping a conflict (flight) or psychologically
escaping (withdrawal)
Conversion – emotional conflicts are
expressed in physical symptoms
Fantasy – provides an escape from a conflict
through daydreaming

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5 Learning Outcome

Describe effective and ineffective

techniques for managing conflict.

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Win–Lose vs. Win–Win Strategies

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 Ineffective Techniques for
Dealing with Conflict
Nonaction

Character
Assassination Secrecy
Conflict
Due Process
Nonaction Administrative
Orbiting

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 Beyond the Book:
What Would You Do?
Trying to capitalize on rising real estate prices, your
organization purchased a large cache of mortgage backed
securities. Thanks to the housing crisis and the global
recession, these are now worthless, and your company is
near bankruptcy. Senior management is divided on how to
proceed. One group wants to eliminate 25% of lower level
employees. Another group wants to reduce salaries across
the board by 20%.

How would you resolve this strategic conflict?

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 Effective Techniques for
Dealing with Conflict
Superordinate Goals

Confronting Expanding
and Resources
Negotiating Conflict

Changing Changing
Structure Personnel

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Negotiation

a joint process of finding a mutually

acceptable solution to a complex

conflict

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 Negotiation

• A joint process of finding a mutually

acceptable solution to a complex conflict

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Approaches to Negotiation

Distributive Bargaining –
the goals of the parties are in
conflict, and each party seeks to
maximize its resources

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Approaches to Negotiation

Integrative Negotiation –
focuses on the merits of the
issues and seeks a win–win
solution

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6 Learning Outcome

Identify five styles of conflict

management.

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 Conflict Management Styles

Avoiding – deliberate decision to take no

action on a conflict or to stay out of a conflict

Accommodating – concern that the other

party’s goals be met but relatively
unconcerned with getting own way

Competing – satisfying own interests; willing to

do so at other party’s expense

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 Conflict Management Styles

Compromising – each party gives up

something to reach a solution

Collaborating – arriving at a solution

agreeable to all through open and thorough
discussion

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Conflict Management Styles

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Using the Five Styles

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Using the Five Styles

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 1. This chapter defined conflict as “any
situation in which incompatible
goals, attitudes, emotions, or
behaviors lead to disagreement
or opposition between two or more
parties.” Does the interaction
in this film sequence show this
definition in action? Give examples
from the sequence.
Welcome Home
Roscoe Jenkins 2. Does this film sequence show
functional or dysfunctional conflict?
Give some examples from the
sequence.

3. Which conflict management style

best fits the behavior shown in this
film sequence? Give some examples
from the sequence.

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