MANAGING CONFLICT:

THIRD PARTY
INTERVENTIONS FOR
MANAGERS
AQSA HAFEEZ
SHERAZ MARWAT
KAMRAT BUTT
MUHAMMAD AYUB AHMAD
INTRODUCTION:

• Managers have to intervene as a third party in organizational

conflicts
• Some conflicts are simple but some are complex
• This paper provides a framework to check the steps and
competencies that a manager needs to intervene into a
conflict
AROUSAL OF A CONFLICT

• Conflicts arises from interactions and communication

between two protagonists that are in a relationship (either
short term or long term) with a level of interpersonal trust
varying from very high to very low
SHAPING OF A CONFLICT

Protagonists View: Manager’s View:

• Protagonists respective concerns • Manager’s personal and managerial
either emotional or content characteristics

• Nature of their interests on stake • Biases

• Degree of motivation to settle • Manager’s own interests
the conflict • Conflict intervention capacities
• Relation and level of trust with
protagonists
ERRORS MADE BY MANAGERS

• Unnecessary intervention
• Preventing employees to take responsibility
• Wasting time on simple conflicts
• Inappropriate intervention
• Unnecessary avoidance to intervene where needed
STEPS INVOLVED IN DECISION
PROCESS

• First Step: Making the intervention decision

• Second Step: Outlining different approaches
• Third Step: Making the relevant choices
• Fourth Step: Identification of key variables to consider for
decision process
MAKING THE INTERVENTION
DECISION

• Either manager should intervene in the conflict or not

• If Advisable, which type of intervention is suitable
• Whether manager should intervene or an independent
person should
• In what way an independent person should intervene if
manager is not intervening
OUTLINING THE APPROACHES
1- Exercising No/Little control over Outcomes and conflict
management process
• Non-intervention
• Providing Impetus
2- Exercising High control over Outcomes and conflict management
process
• Autocratic
• Arbitration
• Facilitative Bargaining
• Collaborative Problem solving
EXERCISING NO/LITTLE CONTROL
OVER OUTCOMES AND CONFLICT
MANAGEMENT PROCESS

• Non-intervention: No control over conflict management

process and outcomes. No emphasis on emotional as well as
content issues
• Providing Impetus: Low Control over conflict management
process and outcomes. Low emphasis on emotional and
content issues.
EXERCISING HIGH CONTROL OVER
OUTCOMES AND CONFLICT
MANAGEMENT PROCESS
• Autocratic: High control over conflict management process
and outcomes. High emphasis on content issues and low on
emotional issues (Solution can be separating both
protagonists through structural changes or transferring one
or both)
• High control over outcomes but medium over conflict
management process. High emphasis on content issues and
low on emotional issues.
• Facilitative Bargaining: High control over conflict
management process and low on outcomes. High emphasis
on content issues and low on emotional issues.
• Collaborative Problem Solving: Medium control over conflict
management process and low on outcomes. High emphasis
on emotional issues and low on content issues.
KEY VARIABLES IN STEPS IN THE
DECISION PROCESS
KEY VARIABLES IN STEPS IN THE
DECISION PROCESS
WAYS OF INTERVENING WITH PROCESS
CENTERED APPROACHES
KEY VARIABLES IN STEPS IN THE
DECISION PROCESS

• Is Intervention appropriate?
• Choice of relevant Intervention Approach
• Managerial Use of approaches
• Helpful ways of intervening with process – Centered
Approaches
PITFALLS IN THIRD PARTY
INTERVENTIONS

• Pitfalls related to disputant expectations and strategies

• Pitfalls related to managerial roles when acting as Third party
• Pitfalls related to manager’
CONCLUSION