CONFLICT

MANAGEMENT
“Conflict is the beginning of consciousness”
- M. Esther Harding

Dr. Jossil Nazareth

1st Semester MHA
202803022
 Definition
Sources of Organizational Conflict
TABLE
Types of Conflict
OF Loci of Conflict
CONTEN Sources of Conflict
TS The Conflict Process
Conflict Management Techniques
Applications
 A DEFINITION OF
CONFLICT

• “ 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.”

Anderzej A. Huczynski, David A. Buchanan – Organisational Behaviour (Eighth Edition)

by Pearson Education Ltd (2001)
PERSPECTIVES OF CONFLICT
Traditional
view:
Violent,
destructive
and
irrational.

I
vie ntera
ic t w: cti
con
fl cri Viabl onist
d ti e
a ge cre cal a , self
n ati nd -
Ma ve.

Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Neharika Vohra:

Organizational Behavior, Eighteenth edition by Pearson
SOURCES OF • Goal incompatibility and differentiation
ORGANISATIO • Interdependence
NAL • Uncertainty and resource scarcity
• Reward systems
CONFLICT

Dean Tjosvold, Alfred S.H. Wong, and Nancy Yi Feng Chen: Constructively Managing Conflicts
in Organisations
 TYPES OF CONFLICTS

Relationship
Task Conflict: Conflict: Process Conflict:
Conflict over Conflict over Conflict over how
content and goals interpersonal work gets done.
relationships.

Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Neharika Vohra: Organizational Behavior, Eighteenth edition
by Pearson
FUNCTIONAL AND NON-
FUNCTIONAL CONFLICT

• Functional conflict supports the goals of

the group, improves its performance, and
is thus a constructive form of conflict.
• For example, a debate among
members of a work team about
productivity.
• Conflict that hinders group performance
is destructive or dysfunctional conflict.
• For example, a highly personal
struggle for control in a team that
distract from task at hand.
Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Neharika Vohra: Organizational Behavior, Eighteenth
edition by Pearson
THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN FUNCTIONAL AND
DYSFUNCTIONAL CONFLICT

•If there is insufficient conflict the unit

or group may not perform at its best;
however, too much conflict and its
performance deteriorates.
•Performance improvements occur
through conflict, exposing weaknesses
in organizational decision-making and
design, which prompts changes in the
company.

Anderzej A. Huczynski, David A. Buchanan – Organisational Behaviour (Eighth Edition) by

Pearson Education Ltd (2001)
LOCI OF CONFLICT
• Dyadic: Between two
people.
• Intragroup: Within a
group or team.
• Intergroup: Between
different groups or
teams.

Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Neharika Vohra: Organizational Behavior, Eighteenth edition by
Pearson
 Stage I: Potential Stage II:
Opposition or Cognition and

THE Incompatibility Personalization

CONFLIC
T Stage III:
Intentions
Stage IV:
Behaviour
PROCESS
Stage V:
Outcome

Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Neharika Vohra: Organizational Behavior, Eighteenth

edition by Pearson
STAGE I: POTENTIAL OPPOSITION OR
INCOMPATIBILITY
• Communication: The potential
for conflict has been found to
increase with too little or too
much communication.
• Structure: The larger the group
and the more specialized its
activities, the greater the
likelihood of conflict.
• Personal variables: Personality,
emotions and values.

Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Neharika Vohra: Organizational Behavior, Eighteenth edition by
Pearson
 Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Neharika Vohra: Organizational Behavior, Eighteenth edition
• If the conditions cited in the previous stage
negatively affect something one party cares
about, then the potential for opposition or

by Pearson
incompatibility becomes actualized in the
second stage.

• Stage II is important because it’s where

conflict issues tend to be defined, where the
parties decide what the conflict is about.
 Perceived Conflict: Awareness
by one or more parties of the
existence of conditions that
create opportunities for conflict
to arise.

STAGE II:
COGNITION Felt Conflict: Emotional
involvement in a conflict that
creates anxiety, tenseness,
AND frustration, or hostility.

PERSONALIZA Negative emotions:

Oversimplify issues, lose trust,

TION
negative interpretations.

Emotions play a major role in

shaping perceptions.
Positive emotions: Increased
tendency to see potential
relationships among elements
of a problem, broader view,
develop innovative solutions.

Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Neharika Vohra: Organizational Behavior, Eighteenth

edition by Pearson
 STAGE III:
INTENTIONS
• Intentions intervene between people’s
perceptions and emotions, and their overt
behavior. They are decisions to act in a given
way.
• Conflict-handling intentions fall along two
dimensions:
• Assertiveness: The degree to which one
party attempts to satisfy their own
concerns.
• Cooperativeness: The degree to which
one party attempts to satisfy the other
party’s concerns.

Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Neharika Vohra: Organizational Behavior, Eighteenth edition by
Pearson
 STAGE III: INTENTIONS
Kenneth Thomas (1976) described five
conflict-handling intentions:
• Competing: A desire to satisfy one’s
interests, regardless of the impact on the
other party to the conflict.
• Collaborating: The parties to a conflict
each desire to satisfy fully the concerns
of all parties.
• Avoiding: The desire to withdraw from or
suppress a conflict.
• Accommodating: The willingness of one
party in a conflict to place the
opponent’s interests above his or her
own.
• Compromising: A situation in which each
party to a conflict is willing to give up
something to resolve the conflict.
Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Neharika Vohra: Organizational Behavior, Eighteenth edition by Pearson
 COMPETING

USE: DON’T USE:

• An emergency is looming and there’s no room • Support and cooperation of others is
for debate needed
• The issue is trivial or you’re sure you are right • It’s used routinely, because others will start
• Principles are at stake and must not be to take offense
compromised • The self-respect of other parties will be
diminished

Anderzej A. Huczynski, David A. Buchanan – Organisational

Behaviour (Eighth Edition) by Pearson Education Ltd (2001)
 AVOIDING

USE: DON’T USE:

• The issue and the relationship are both • A long-term solution is needed
unimportant • You are responsible for resolving the conflict
• The conflict is too high, and parties need to • Negative feelings are likely to linger
cool off

Anderzej A. Huczynski, David A. Buchanan – Organisational

Behaviour (Eighth Edition) by Pearson Education Ltd (2001)
 COMPROMISING

USE: DON’T USE:

• The goals are clearly incompatible
• The parties have equal power
• A quick solution is needed
• Working together is important, but time does
not allow for true collaboration
• Finding a solution is better than a stalemate
• Finding the most creative solution is
essential
• When there is an imbalance of power
• When the problem is complex
• When long-term solutions are needed

Anderzej A. Huczynski, David A. Buchanan – Organisational

Behaviour (Eighth Edition) by Pearson Education Ltd (2001)
 ACCOMODATING

USE: DON’T USE:

• Keeping others happy is the most important • You’re sure you’re correct
goal • If others are unethical or wrong in
• You really don’t care about the issue their proposal
• Your knowledge is limited
• You have no real power

Anderzej A. Huczynski, David A. Buchanan – Organisational

Behaviour (Eighth Edition) by Pearson Education Ltd (2001)
 COLLABORATING

USE: DON’T USE:

• Reasonable hope exists to meet all concerns • There is no time
• Time and energy are available to deal with the • There is no hope that both parties can
conflict be completely satisfied
• The issue and the people are both important • When others are not interested in the
outcome

Anderzej A. Huczynski, David A. Buchanan – Organisational

Behaviour (Eighth Edition) by Pearson Education Ltd (2001)
STAGE IV:
BEHAVIOU
R

• The behavior stage includes statements, actions, and reactions made by

conflicting parties, usually as overt attempts to implement their own
intentions.
• Conflicts that reach the upper range of the continuum are mostly
dysfunctional; whereas functional conflicts are confined to the lower range.
 CONFLICT RESOLUTION
TECHNIQUES
Superordinate goals:
Expansion of
Problem Solving: Creating a shared goal
resources: For
Identify the problem that can’t be attained
example, money,
and resolve it through without the
promotion,
open discussion. cooperation of each of
opportunities.
the conflicting parties.

Smoothing: Playing Compromise: Each

Avoidance:
down differences party to the conflict
Withdrawing from or
while emphasizing give up something of
suppressing conflict.
common interests. value.

Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Neharika Vohra: Organizational Behavior, Eighteenth

edition by Pearson
 CONFLICT RESOLUTION
TECHNIQUES

Altering the structural

Authoritative command: variables: Changing the
Letting management use Altering the human formal organization
its formal authority to variable: Using HR structure and the
resolve the conflict and training to alter attitudes interaction patterns of
then communicating its and behaviours that cause conflicting parties through
desires to the parties conflict. job redesign, transfers,
involved. creation of coordinating
positions, etc.

Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Neharika Vohra: Organizational Behavior,

Eighteenth edition by Pearson
 • Communication: Using ambiguous or
threatening messages to increase
conflict levels.
CONFLICT • Bringing in outsiders
• Restructuring the organization:
STIMULATIO Realigning work groups, altering rules
N and regulations, making structural
changes to disrupt the status quo.
TECHNIQUES • Appointing a devil’s advocate:
Designating a critic to purposely argue
against the majority positions held by
the group.

Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Neharika Vohra: Organizational Behavior,

Eighteenth edition by Pearson
 STAGE V:
OUTCOME
S

Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Neharika Vohra: Organizational Behavior,

Eighteenth edition by Pearson
Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Neharika Vohra: Organizational Behavior, Eighteenth edition by Pearson

STAGE V:
OUTCOMES
• All forms of conflict --- even the functional
varieties --- appear to reduce group member
satisfaction and trust.
• When active discussions turn into open conflicts
between members, information sharing
between members decreases significantly.
• At the extreme, conflict can bring group
functioning to a halt and threaten the group’s
survival.
 Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Neharika Vohra:
Organizational Behavior, Eighteenth edition by Pearson

MANAGING FUNCTIONAL CONFLICT

1. Recognizing when there is a conflict.
2. Have opposing groups pick parts of the solution that are most important to
them, then focus on how each side can get its top needs satisfied.
3. Discuss differences of opinion openly to be able to manage conflicts
successfully when it arrives.
4. Emphasize shared interests in resolving conflicts to not let groups get
entrenched in their points of view and take the conflicts personally.
CONFLICT
FRAMES
OF
REFEREN
CE
 Conflicts may arise among:
• Doctors
• Staff
• Between doctors and nurses
APPLICATION • Between doctors and staff
S IN HEALTH • Between nurses and staff
& • The health care team
HEALTHCARE • Between healthcare professionals and
management
INDUSTRY • Between healthcare professionals or team
and patient or patient’s family
• Public health care professionals
• Teaching faculty members
Conflict Management in Healthcare, January 2019
Journal of Nepal Health Research Council 16(41):481-482
THANK YOU