Conflict and

problem solving
Dr. W.A. Pallangyo
Read the following
1. Conflict and conflict behaviour in the legal sector.
2. Distinction between functional and dysfunctional
conflicts.
3. Different levels and types of conflict in the legal
profession.

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
4. Analysis of conflict episodes and the linkages
among them.
5. The role of latent conflict in an episode and its
sources in an organization.
6. Conflict management models.
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7. Use of various techniques to reduce and increase
conflict.
 Introduction
Conflict
• Opposition.
• Incompatible behaviour.
• Antagonistic interaction.
• Block another party from reaching her or his goals.

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Range of conflict behaviour

Doubt or questioning Eradication of opponent

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Introduction (Cont.)
• Key elements
• Interdependence with another party
• Perception of incompatible goals
• Conflict events
• Disagreements
• Debates
• Disputes

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
• Preventing someone from reaching valued goals.
• Conflict is not always bad for an organization.
• we do not need to reduce all conflict.
• Is an inevitable part of organization life.
• It is needed for growth and survival of organizations.
• Conflict management includes increasing and decreasing
conflict. 4
• Conflict is one of major management responsibilities.
Antecedent Conditions for conflict
• Scarce Resources.
• Conflicting attitude/Divergent personal
values
• Ambiguous jurisdiction/Poorly defined

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goals
• Communication barriers.
• Need for consensus/Lack of
cooperation/trust
• Unresolved prior conflicts. 5

• Knowledge of self and others.

Effects of conflict in organizations
• Stress.
• Absenteeism.
• Staff turnover.

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• De-motivation.
• Non-productivity.

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Functional and Dysfunctional
Conflict
1. Functional conflict: works toward the goals
of an organization or group.

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
2. Dysfunctional conflict: blocks an
organization or group from reaching its goals.

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Levels and Types of Conflict
Level of conflict Type of conflict

Organization Within and between

organizations

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Group Within and between
groups

Individual Within and between 8

individuals
Levels and Types of Conflict
1. Intraorganization conflict
• Conflict that occurs within an organization.
• At interfaces of organization functions.
• Can occur along the vertical and horizontal dimensions of
the organization.

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
Vertical conflict: between managers and subordinates
Horizontal conflict: between departments and work
groups
2. Intragroup conflict
• Conflict among members of a group
• Early stages of group development 9
• Ways of doing tasks or reaching group's goals
Levels and Types of Conflict----
3. Intergroup conflict: between two or more groups
4. Interorganization conflict
• Between two or more organizations
• Not competition
• Examples: suppliers and distributors, especially

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
with the close links
5. Intrapersonal conflict
• Occurs within an individual
Threat to a person’s values
Feeling of unfair treatment
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Multiple and contradictory sources of
socialization
 Conflict Episodes
Latent conflict

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
Perceived conflict Felt conflict

Manifest conflict

Conflict reduction
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Conflict aftermath
Conflict Management Model

Organizational Product or Fast-changing

culture service environment

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Perceived conflict requirements

Desired conflict level 12

 Conflict Management
Model
Dysfunctionally
high conflict
Dysfunctionally Normal
low conflict

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
Increase Decrease
conflict conflict

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Text book Figure 11.2
Conflict Management
Model----
• Symptoms of dysfunctionally low conflict:
Few new ideas
Poor decisions from lack of innovation and
information
Stagnation

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Business as usual
• Symptoms of dysfunctionally high conflict:
Low trust
Information distortion
Tension/antagonism
Stress 14
Sabotage of organization’s product or service
Reducing Conflict
• Overview
• Lose-lose methods: parties to the
conflict episode do not get what they
want

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
• Win-lose methods: one party a clear
winner; other party a clear loser
• Win-win methods: each party to the
conflict episode gets what he or she
wants 15
Reducing Conflict (cont.)
• Lose-lose methods
• Avoidance
• Withdraw, stay away
• Does not permanently reduce conflict

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
• Compromise
• Bargain, negotiate
• Each loses something valued
• Smoothing: find similarities 16
Reducing Conflict (Cont.)
• Win-lose methods
• Dominance
• Overwhelm other party

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
• Overwhelms an avoidance
orientation
• Authoritative command: decision
by person in authority
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• Majority rule: voting
Reducing Conflict (Cont.)
• Win-win methods
• Problem solving: find root causes
• Integration: meet interests and

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desires of all parties
• Superordinate goal: desired by all
but not reachable alone
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Reducing Conflict (Cont.)
• Summary
• Lose-lose methods:
compromise

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• Win-lose methods: dominance
• Win-win methods: problem
solving
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Reflection

•Which method
is the best?

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Why?
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Steps to resolve conflicts
• Assure privacy
• Empathize than sympathize
• Listen actively
• Maintain equity
• Focus on issue, not on personality
• Avoid blame
• Identify key theme
• Re-state key theme frequently
• Encourage feedback
• Identify alternate solutions
• Give your positive feedback
• Agree on an action plan Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
 How to prevent conflicts
• Frequent meeting of your team
• Allow your team to express openly
• Sharing objectives

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
• Having a clear and detailed job description
• Distributing task fairly
• Never criticize team members publicly
• Always be fair and just with your team
• Being a role model 22
Conclusion
Conflict is unavoidable
• Complexity of organizational relationship
• Interaction among workers
• Dependence of workers on one another
• Conflict is a healthy sign not a negative process

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
• It reflects dynamics
• Poorly managed conflicts
• Unfavorable with counter productive results
• Problems and negative attitude
• Well managed conflicts
• Stimulate competition
• Identify legitimate differences 23
• Powerful source of motivation
Problem Solving

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
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 Objectives
• Learn how to state and clarify a
problem
• Develop a procedure for problem

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solving
• Learn the traps
in problem solving
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Reflection!
A missing
wallet/purse in

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
Paris
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Six Criteria for Effective Decisions
1. Focuses on what is important.
2. Logical and consistent.
3. Acknowledges objective and subjective
factors, blend analytical and intuitive

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
thinking.
4. Do not gather too much information.
5. Try to reach consensus.
6. Straightforward, reliable, easy to use,
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flexible solutions.
Problem Solving Model

P roblem
O bjectives

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
A lternatives
C onsequences
T radeoffs 28
 Problem Solving Steps
1. State the problem carefully.
 Acknowledge complexities
 Avoid assumptions and prejudices

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
2. Specify the objectives.
3. Create imaginative alternatives.
4. Understand the consequences of the
alternative.
5. Wrestle with your tradeoffs 29
 Problem Solving Steps---
• Clarify uncertainties
• Think about your risk tolerance
and the risks of each alternative

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
• Consider linked decisions
• Each alternative opens or closes
future options 30
What’s the best solution?
A good solution
to a well-posed Is a
problem….

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
almost
always
a smarter An excellent
choice solution to a
than.. poorly posed
problem 31
 Define the Problem
• What triggers the problem?
• State the problem
• Question the constraints of the problem
statement

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
• Identify the essential elements
• How does this impact other decisions?
• What is the scope of the problem?
• Gain insights from others
• Restate problem, if necessary 32
 What Objectives Do
• Help determine what information
to seek
• Explain your choices to others

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
• Determine the importance of,
time and effort devoted to the
problem
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 How to identify objectives
• Write down the concerns you hope to address:
• Wish list
• Worst possible outcome
• Impact on others

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
• Insights from others
• What’s a good alternative but unfeasible?
• What is bad about the worst alternatives?

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How to identify objectives
• Convert the concerns into concise
objectives
• Separate the ends from the means

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
• Clarify what you mean by each
objective
• Test your objectives

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 Alternatives
• Use your objects and ask HOW?
• Challenge constraints to your
alternatives

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
• Set high aspirations
• Think through your alternatives before
consulting others
• Learn from past experience
• Then ask others for suggestions 36
How to generate alternatives
• Brainstorming
• Just list alternatives, don’t evaluate
• Never stop looking for alternatives

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
• Look for win-win alternatives
• Stop when you’ve thought through
alternatives
• One solution would satisfy you
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• But still have a range of alternatives
 Consequences
• List the consequences of each alternative
• Assess the future consequences of each
alternative
• Create a free-form description of the

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
consequences
• Eliminate any clearly inferior alternatives
• Organize descriptions of remaining
alternatives into a table …….
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 Consequences
• Try to develop a common scale to
measure consequences
• Use qualitative and quantitative data

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
• Use experts if necessary
• Use scales that reflect appropriate
levels of precision

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 Tradeoffs
• Eliminate alternatives clearly
dominated by others
• Then swaps between alternatives

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
using measures
• Value incremental improvements
• Make consistent tradeoffs
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Stop and think
• Decision making for Lawyers can
be irrational involving aspects of
bounded rationality and judgment

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
heuristics, information availability,
driven biases, anchoring,
judgmental overconfidence and
instances of bounded awareness
in strategic settings. Discuss. 41
 Review
• A model for problem solving

• The actions in each of the steps

Dr. W.A.Pallangyo
• Common Traps in problem solving

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