HRM 370

Md Kamrul Hasan
Lecturer, Department of Management
School of Business and Economics
Pos.
Organizational
Outcomes

Neg.
Low High
Level of Conflict
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 Personal Differences: Conflicts stem from
personal values and needs. E.g. quality vs.
quantity
 Informational Deficiencies: Conflicts evolve
from misinformation and misunderstanding
 Role Incompatibility: From the perception that
assigned goals and responsibilities compete
with those of others. E.g. underperformer
 Environmentally Induced Stress: Results from
the stressful events of the organizational
environment.

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 Source/reason of Conflict Focus/Topic of Conflict

1. Personal differences A. Perceptions and expectations

e.g. personal values and needs

2. Informational deficiency B. Misinformation and

e.g. Manager vs. subordinate, misrepresentation
marketing unit vs. production unit
3. Role incompatibility C. Goals and responsibilities
e.g. underperformers

4. Environmental stress D. Resource scarcity and uncertainty

e.g. toxic work culture, sales jobs,
volatility

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 Assertive
Confident / forceful
Forcing Collaborating
ASSERTIVENESS

Compromising

Avoiding Accommodating

Unassertive
Uncooperative Cooperative
COOPERATIVENESS

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1. Forcing – You feel justified, but the
other party feels defeated
2. Avoiding – Problems don’t get resolved
3. Compromising – Participants seek
convenience and practical solution, not
effective solutions
4. Accommodating – Other person can take
advantage of you
5. Collaborating – Problem likely to
be resolved

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 Use Avoiding when issues are SMALL or
time and resources are limited
 Accommodating for keeping harmony,
using small favor to get larger favors in
future
 Forcing in case of Emergencies, when only
one right way exists, prevent others from
taking advantage

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 Compromising: late in conflict, when partial
win is better than none for both parties
 Collaborating: for important issues when
time is not a problem, where organizational
support exists, when win-win solution is
possible

Of all the approaches, collaboration is the best.

However, it is the difficult to implement.

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1. Establish superior goals
2. Separate the people from the problem
3. Focus on interests, not positions
4. Invent options for mutual gains
5. Use objective criteria for evaluating
alternatives
6. Define success in terms of real gains,
not imaginary losses

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1. Problem Identification
2. Solution Generation
3. Action Plan Formulation and Agreement
4. Implementation and Follow-Up

First 2 phases most difficult to implement

effectively

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Initiator Responder
 Maintain personal  Show genuine interest
ownership of problem and concern
 Describe problem in  Seek additional
terms of behaviors, information by asking
consequences and questions
feelings  Agree with some aspect
 Avoid drawing of the complaint
conclusions and
attributing motives
 Encourage two-way

discussion

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Initiator Responder
 Focus on “shared  Ask for suggestions

aims/team spirits” as of acceptable

the basis for alternatives
requesting change

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Problem Identification Solution Generation
 Propose a problem-  Focus on interests, not

solving approach for positions

resolving conflict  Make sure everyone
 Maintain a neutral understands solution;
posture regarding the establish follow-up
disputants procedures
 Serve as facilitator,

not judge
 Insure discussion

fairness

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 Build trust and share information
 Ask questions
 Provide information
 Make multiple offers simultaneously
 Construct emergency contracts and leverage
differences
 Use team-on-team negotiation
 Avoid majority rule
 Beware of coalitions

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Diagnosis Selection Implementation Outcome

Source/reason
of Conflict
Conflict Collaborative
Management Problem Dispute
Approach Solving Resolution

Situational
Considerations

Personal
Preferences