CHAPTER FOUR- MANAGEMENT

OF ORGANIZATIONAL
CONFLICT
Outline

5.1. Definition of Conflict

5.2. Functional Vs dysfunctional conflict
5.3. Nature of conflict in an organization
5.4. Cause of conflict in organizations
5.5. Conflict management strategies
5.1. Definition of conflict

 It is the process in which one party perceives that its interests

are being opposed or negatively affected by another party
 A process that begins when one party perceives that another
party has negatively affected, or is about to negatively affect,
something that the first party cares about

 Encompasses a wide range of conflicts that people experience

in organizations
• Incompatibility of goals
• Differences over interpretations of facts
• Disagreements based on behavioral expectations
5.2. Functional Vs dysfunctional conflict

 It is entirely appropriate to say there has been conflict over

the role of conflict in groups and organizations.
• Should conflict be managed or avoided?
1. Traditional View of Conflict
• The belief that all conflict is harmful and must be avoided
2. Inter-actionist View of Conflict
• The belief that conflict is not only a positive force in a group
but that it is absolutely necessary for a group to perform
effectively
• This view does not propose that all conflicts are good.
• Conflict can be both functional and dysfunctional.
Functional Vs dysfunctional conflict

 Dysfunctional Conflict
• Conflict can be dysfunctional if it paralyzes an organization,
leads to less than optimal performance, or, in the worst case,
leads to workplace violence.
• Represents conflict that hinders group performance

 Functional Conflict
• Conflict can be functional if it leads to constructive
discussions and improved ways of doing things and thereby
optimal performance.
• Represents conflict that supports the goals of the group and
improves its performance
 Functional Vs dysfunctional conflict

 Hence, conflict can be either constructive or destructive to the functioning of

a group or unit.
 The relationship between conflict and unit performance can be shown in
exhibit 5.1 below

Exh.5.1
Conflict
and Unit
Performance
 Functional Vs dysfunctional conflict

 As shown in Exhibit 5-1 ,

 Level of conflict and performance has an inverted U shape relation.
 Levels of conflict can be either too high or too low to be constructive.
• Either extreme hinders performance.
• If conflict is too low(it is dysfunctional), then performance is low.
• If conflict is too high(it is dysfunctional), then performance also tends to
be low
• An optimal level is one that prevents stagnation, stimulates creativity, allows
tensions to be released, and initiates the seeds of change without being
disruptive or preventing coordination
• The goal is to hold conflict levels in the middle of this range.
• Moderate level of conflict is not only healthy but also important
in any kind of organization.
5.3 Nature(types) of conflict in an
organization
 1) Inter organization conflict : conflict between or among
organizations
 2) Inter group conflict : conflict between or among different groups
within organization
 3) Intra group conflict : conflict among members of the same group
within organization
 4) Inter personal conflict : conflict between or among individuals
 5) Intra personal conflict : conflict within a person
• Intra personal conflict can arise due to :-
• 1.Role conflict: conflict due to mutually exclusive or contradicting
roles
• 2. Role ambiguity: conflict due to vague of role
• 3.Person role conflict: conflict due to incompatibility of personal value
and role requirement.
Nature(types) of conflict....(Cont’d)

 Still there are a lot of other classifications. For instance:

• Task Conflict
• Conflict over content and goals of the work
• Relationship Conflict
• Conflict based on interpersonal relationships
• Process Conflict
• Conflict over how work gets done.
5.4. Cause of conflict in organizations
 The causes of conflict in organization may be related to:
• Structural factors
• Goal Incompatibility- it leads each group to emphasis its own goal
• Task interdependence : particularly sequential interdependency
• Reward systems, create conflict when one member’s gain comes at
another’s expense
• Inadequate resource
• Personal variables
• Personality difference: particularly for intra group conflict
• Perception difference; emotions and values
• Communication problem
• Semantic difficulties, misunderstandings
5.5.Conflict Management Strategies
 Mostly, managers spent their time on managing conflict
 Conflict Management- primarily focus on:-
• The use of resolution and stimulation strategies/ techniques to achieve
the desired level of conflict
 All conflicts behavior exist somewhere along the continuum as depicted
below:
 Conflict management strategies/styles
 As in the diagram, conflict intensities escalate as they move upward
along the continuum until they become highly destructive eg. Strikes/riots
• Conflicts that reach the upper ranges of the continuum or too low are almost
always dysfunctional.

 Then, If a conflict is dysfunctional, what can the parties do to de-escalate

it? Or, conversely, what options exist if conflict is too low and needs to be
increased?

 This brings us the need for strategies/ techniques of conflict

management ( What are the major conflict resolution and stimulation
techniques?)
 Conflict management strategies/styles
 Despite the differences in terminologies used by different scholars
(Follet,1940; Black&Mouton,1964,Thomas,1976; Rahim & Bonoma,1979),
using two dimensions —cooperativeness(concern for others) and
assertiveness (concern for self), they suggest five styles conflict
management
• Cooperativeness
• Attempting to satisfy the other party’s concerns
• Assertiveness
• Attempting to satisfy one’s own concerns
 These basic five conflict management strategies/ styles are as
depicted in diagram below
 Conflict management strategies
 Dimensions of Conflict management styles

 Source: (Thomas,1976 as in cited by Robbins& Judge,2013)

Conflict management strategies/styles
 I) Collaboration(Integrating)
 A situation in which the parties to a conflict each desire to satisfy
fully the concerns of all parties
• handling conflict through mutual cooperation and discussion. It involves
highest level of cooperation between conflicting parties
 Use collaboration
• To find an integrative solution when both sets of concerns are too important to be
compromised
• One party alone cannot solve the problem.
• To merge insights from people with different perspectives
• To gain commitment by incorporating concerns into a consensus
• Resources possessed by different parties are needed to solve their common
problems
 Conflict management strategies/styles
 II) Accommodation(Obliging)
 The willingness of one party in a conflict to place the opponent’s
interests above his or her own
• One party scarify all its interest to the gain of other. Individual who
apply this strategy is usually has a high afflation need.
 Use accommodation
• When you find you’re wrong and to allow a better position to be heard
• To learn, and to show your reasonableness
• When issues are more important to others than to yourself and to satisfy others
and maintain cooperation
• To build social credits for later issues
• To minimize loss when outmatched and losing
• When harmony and stability are especially important
 Conflict management strategies/styles
 III) Competition(Dominating)
 A desire to satisfy one’s interests, regardless of the impact on the
other party to the conflict
• here you strive for your interest even at the expense of other. It
involves less cooperation and high assertiveness .
 Use competition
• When quick, decisive action is vital (in emergencies); on important issues
• Where unpopular actions need implementing (in cost cutting, enforcing
unpopular rules, discipline)
• On issues vital to the organization’s welfare
• When you know you’re right
• Against people who take advantage of noncompetitive behavior
 Conflict management strategies/styles
 IV)Avoidance
 The desire to withdraw from or suppress a conflict
• Take conflict as if it is a minor problem or not a problem at all. This
strategy is uncooperative and non assertive
 Use avoidance
• When an issue is trivial, or more important issues are pressing
• When you perceive no chance of satisfying your concerns
• When potential disruption outweighs the benefits of resolution
• To let people cool down and regain perspective
• When gathering information supersedes immediate decision
• When others can resolve the conflict effectively
• When issues seem tangential or symptomatic of other issues
 Conflict management strategies/styles
 V) Compromise
 A situation in which each party to a conflict is willing to give up
something
• It is a kind of give and take strategy. Here you strive for your interest
but still respect other.
 Use compromise
• When goals are important but not worth the effort of potential disruption of
more assertive approaches
• When opponents with equal power are committed to mutually exclusive goals
• To achieve temporary settlements to complex issues
• To arrive at expedient solutions under time pressure
• As a backup when collaboration or competition is unsuccessful
Conflict management strategies
 Other Conflict Management(Resolution techniques)
 Recall, the conflict resolution techniques may be cause driven:
• Altering structural variable- Changing the formal organization structure
and the interaction patterns of conflicting parties through job redesign,
transfers, creation of coordinating positions, and the like.
• Super-ordinate goals- Creating a shared goal that cannot be attained
without the cooperation of each of the conflicting parties.
• Expansion of resources- When a conflict is caused by the scarcity of a
resource, expansion of the resource can create a win-win solution.
• Altering the human variable- Using behavioral change techniques such as
human relations training to alter attitudes and behaviors that cause conflict.
• Authoritative command- Management uses its formal authority to resolve
the conflict and then communicates its desires to the parties involved.
Conflict management strategies
 Conflict-Stimulation techniques
 Communication- Using ambiguous or threatening messages to increase
conflict levels.

 Bringing in Outsiders- Adding employees to a group whose backgrounds,

values, attitudes, or managerial styles differ from those of present members.

 Restructuring the organization- Realigning work groups, altering rules and

regulations, increasing interdependence, and making similar structural
changes to disrupt the status quo.

 Appointing a devil’s advocate - Designating a critic to purposely argue

against the majority positions held by the group.
 NEGOTIATION
 A common way that parties deal with conflict is via
negotiation.

 Negotiation -is a process whereby two or more parties

work toward an agreement.

 There are five phases of negotiation:

 Negotiation Process

BATNA
The Best Alternative To a
Negotiated Agreement; the
lowest acceptable value
(outcome) to an individual for
a negotiated agreement
 Negotiation Process
 i) Investigation
 Information gathering stage in which one should be clear of:
• Goals to be achieved in negotiation; How to achieve ; Facts
and evidences to support claim and so on
 II) Determine Your BATNA
 One important part of the negotiation process is to determine
your BATNA, which is an acronym that stands for the “The Best
Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement.”
• BATNA is important to helping you decide whether to accept an offer
you receive during the negotiation.
• It is the lowest acceptable value (outcome) to an individual for a
negotiated agreement
 Negotiation Process
 iii) Presentation
 Involves presentation of claims, facts, evidences and so on
 When you have exchanged initial positions, both you and the other
party will explain, amplify, clarify, bolster, and justify your original
demands. This step needn’t be confrontational.
 iv) Bargaining- engaged in argument
 There are two general approaches/strategies to negotiation—
• Distributive bargaining : one party strives to its own interest (win-
lose approach).
• Negotiation that seeks to divide up a fixed amount of resources; a win-lose
situation
• Integrative bargaining (win- win approach)
• Negotiation that seeks one or more settlements that can create a win-win
solution
 Negotiation Process
 iv) Bargaining- cont’d

Bargaining Distributive Integrative

Characteristic Bargaining Bargaining

Goal Get as much of pie Expand the pie

as possible
Motivation Win-Lose Win-Win
Focus Positions Interests
Information Low High
Sharing

Duration of Short term Long term

relationships
 Negotiation Process
 V) Closure and Implementation
 The final step in the negotiation process is formalizing the agreement you
have worked out and developing any procedure necessary for
implementing and monitoring it.
END