Conflict

Conflict and
and Negotiation
Negotiation
Conflict
Conflict Defined
Defined
 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
– That point in an ongoing activity when an interaction
“crosses over” to become an interparty conflict
 Encompasses a wide range of conflicts that people
experience in organizations
– Incompatibility of goals
– Differences over interpretations of facts
– Disagreements based on behavioral expectations

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Transitions
Transitions in
in Conflict
Conflict Thought
Thought
 Traditional View of Conflict
– The belief that all conflict is harmful and must be avoided
– Prevalent view in the 1930s-1940s

 Conflict resulted from:

– Poor communication
– Lack of openness
– Failure to respond to employee needs

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Continued
Continued Transitions
Transitions in
in Conflict
Conflict Thought
Thought
 Human Relations View of Conflict
– The belief that conflict is a natural and inevitable outcome in
any group
– Prevalent from the late 1940s through mid-1970s
 Interactionist 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
– Current view

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Forms
Forms of
of Interactionist
Interactionist Conflict
Conflict

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Types
Types of
of Interactionist
Interactionist Conflict
Conflict
 Task Conflict
– Conflicts over content and goals of the work
– Low-to-moderate levels of this type are
FUNCTIONAL

 Relationship Conflict
– Conflict based on interpersonal relationships
– Almost always DYSFUNCTIONAL

 Process Conflict
– Conflict over how work gets done
– Low levels of this type are FUNCTIONAL
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The
The Conflict
Conflict Process
Process
 We will focus on each step in a moment…

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Stage
StageI:I:Potential
PotentialOpposition
Oppositionor
orIncompatibility
Incompatibility
 Communication
– Semantic difficulties, misunderstandings.
 Structure
– Size and specialization of jobs
– Jurisdictional clarity/ambiguity
– Member/goal incompatibility
– Leadership styles (close or participative)
– Reward systems (win-lose)
– Dependence/interdependence of groups
 Personal Variables
– Differing individual value systems
– Personality types
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Stage
Stage II:
II: Cognition
Cognition and
and Personalization
Personalization
 Important stage for two reasons:
1. Conflict is defined
• Perceived Conflict
– Awareness by one or more parties of the existence of
conditions that create opportunities for conflict to arise

2. Emotions are expressed that have a strong impact on the

eventual outcome
• Felt Conflict
– Emotional involvement in a conflict creating anxiety,
tenseness, frustration, or hostility

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Stage
Stage III:
III: Intentions
Intentions

 Dimensions of conflict-handling intentions:

– Cooperativeness
• Attempting to satisfy
the other party’s
concerns
– Assertiveness
• Attempting to satisfy
one’s own concerns

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Stage
Stage IV:
IV: Behavior
Behavior
 Conflict Management
– The use of resolution and stimulation techniques to achieve
the desired level of conflict
 Conflict-Intensity Continuum

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Conflict
Conflict Resolution
Resolution Techniques
Techniques
– Problem solving – Bringing in outsiders
– Superordinate goals – Restructuring the
– Expansion of resources organization
– Avoidance – Appointing a devil’s
– advocate
Smoothing
– Compromise
– Authoritative command
– Altering the human
variable
– Altering the structural
variables
– Communication

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Stage
Stage V:
V: Outcomes
Outcomes
 Functional  Dysfunctional
– Increased group – Development of discontent
performance
– Reduced group
– Improved quality of effectiveness
decisions
– Retarded communication
– Stimulation of creativity
and innovation – Reduced group
cohesiveness
– Encouragement of interest
and curiosity – Infighting among group
members overcomes group
– Provision of a medium for goals
problem-solving
 Creating Functional
– Creation of an environment
for self-evaluation and Conflict
change – Reward dissent and punish
conflict avoiders

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Negotiation
Negotiation
 Negotiation (Bargaining)
– A process in which two or more parties exchange goods or
services and attempt to agree on the exchange rate for them
 Two General Approaches:
– Distributive Bargaining
• Negotiation that seeks to divide up a fixed amount of
resources; a win-lose situation
– Integrative Bargaining
• Negotiation that seeks one or more settlements that can create
a win-win solution

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Distributive
Distributive versus
versus Integrative
Integrative Bargaining
Bargaining

Bargaining Characteristic Distributive

Integrative Bargaining
Bargaining
Goal Get all the pie you Expand the pie
can
Motivation Win-Lose Win-Win
Focus Positions Interests
Information Sharing Low High
Duration of Relationships Short-Term Long-Term

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Bargaining
Bargaining Tactics
Tactics and
and the
the Bargaining
Bargaining Zone
Zone
 Distributive Tactics  Integrative Tactics
– Make an aggressive – Bargain in teams
first offer – Put more issues on the
– Reveal a deadline table
– Don’t compromise

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The
The Negotiation
Negotiation Process
Process

 BATNA
– The Best Alternative
To a Negotiated
Agreement
– The lowest acceptable
value (outcome) to an
individual for a
negotiated agreement

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Individual
IndividualDifferences
Differencesin
inNegotiation
NegotiationEffectiveness
Effectiveness
 Personality Traits
– Extroverts and agreeable people weaker at distributive
negotiation – disagreeable introvert is best

 Mood and Emotion

– Ability to show anger helps in distributive bargaining
– Positive moods and emotions help integrative bargaining

 Gender
– Men and women negotiate the same way, but may
experience different outcomes

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Third-Party
Third-Party Negotiations
Negotiations
 Four Basic Third-Party Roles
– Mediator
• A neutral third party who facilitates a negotiated solution by using
reasoning, persuasion, and suggestions for alternatives
– Arbitrator
• A third party to a negotiation who has the authority to dictate an
agreement.
– Conciliator
• A trusted third party who provides an informal communication
link between the negotiator and the opponent
– Consultant
• An impartial third party, skilled in conflict management, who
attempts to facilitate creative problem solving through
communication and analysis

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 Global
Global Implications
Implications
 Conflict and Culture
– Japanese and U.S. managers view conflict differently
– U.S. managers more likely to use competing tactics while
Japanese managers are likely to use compromise and
avoidance
 Cultural Differences in Negotiations
– Multiple cross-cultural studies on negotiation styles, for
instance:
• American negotiators are more likely than Japanese bargainers
to make a first offer
• North Americans use facts to persuade, Arabs use emotion, and
Russians used asserted ideals
• Brazilians say “no” more often than Americans or Japanese

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Summary
Summary and
and Managerial
Managerial Implications
Implications
 Conflict can be
constructive or
destructive
 Reduce excessive conflict
by using:
– Competition
– Collaboration
– Avoidance
– Accommodation
– Compromise
 Integrative negotiation is
a better long-term
method

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