Conflict Management

Binod Kumar Bista/Pramod Niroula

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020
BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020
 DEFINITION OF CONFLICT
 Negative ?

 Harmful ?

BKB/NASC/Professional Course on Management and

Development/2020
 Conflict: Transitions Thought

 Traditional View of Conflict(Dysfunctional)

 The belief that all conflict is harmful and must be
avoided
 Prevalent view in the 1930s-1940s
 Human Relations(Humanistic) View of Conflict
 The belief that conflict is a natural and inevitable
outcome in any group
 Focuses on productive conflict resolution
BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020
 Conflict: Transitions Thought

 Modern(Interactionistic) View of Conflict

A “positive force” that is necessary for a
group effectiveness, self critical & creative.

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020

 Conflict: Definition

A process in which a perception of one party

being negatively affected
On an issue of importance to the perceiver

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020

 CONFLICT PROCESS
FIVE STAGES
I. POTENTIAL OPPOSITION OR INCOMPATIBILITY
II. COGNITION & PERSONALIZATION
III. INTENTION
IV. BEHAVIOR
V. OUTCOMES

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020

 STAGE I: POTENTIAL
OPPOSITION/INCOMPATIBILITY

Conditions
 Ambiguous Communication.
 Structure in terms of size, degree of specialization, role
clarity & centralization of authority, degree of
dependence between groups.
 Personal variables.
{This stage indicates presence of conditions that create
opportunities for conflict to arise.}

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020

 Stage II: PERCEPTION & AWARENESS

 PERCEIVED CONFLICT
awareness by one or more parties of the existence of
conditions that create opportunities for conflict to
arise. Not personalized.
 FELT CONFLICT
getting emotionally involved in a conflict creating
anxiety, frustration or hostility.
{This is the stage where conflict issues get defined &
parties decide what the conflict is all about. It also
brings forth the emotional linkages to the issue.}

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020

 Stage III: INTENTIONS

Conflict Handling Intentions


COMPETING: Desire to satisfy one’s interest
regardless of impact of other party to the conflict.

COLLABORATING: Desire to satisfy fully concerns of
all parties.

AVOIDING: Desire to withdraw or suppress a
conflict.
 ACCOMODATING: willingness to place

opponent’s interests above own.

 COMPROMISING: Willingness to give up

something.

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020

 Conflict Management

Competing Collaborating
(Problem Solver)
Tough Battler
Assertiveness

Compromising
Maneuvering Consilator

Avoiding Accommodating
(Impersonal Complier) (Friendly Helper)

Cooperativeness
BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020
 Stage IV: BEHAVIOUR

 Minor Disagreement or misunderstanding

 Overt questioning or challenging of others
 Legitimate verbal attacks
 Threats & ultimatums
 Aggressive physical attacks

BKB/NASC/Professional Course on Management and

Development/2020
 Conflict Management
 It is the use of resolution, prevention, and stimulation
techniques to achieve the desired level of conflict.

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020

 Conflict Resolution Techniques

 Problem solving
 Expansion of resources
 Avoidance
 Smoothing
 Compromise
 Authoritative command
 Altering the human variable
 Altering the structural
variables
BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020
 Conflict Prevention
Techniques
 Reducing Interdependence
 Integrator/ Liaison group
 Job rotation
 Sensitivity while formulating policies and
making decisions
 Appealing to higher authority

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020

 Conflict Stimulation
Techniques

 Bringing in outsiders
 Communication
 Restructuring the organization
 Appointing a devil’s advocate

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020

 Negotiation

 “Negotiation is the process of resolving

conflict of interest through discussion and
bargaining”.
 It is, therefore, an interactive

communication process that may take place

whenever we want something from
someone else or another person wants
something from us."
BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020
 It is such a common activity that most
people do it at some point every day, to
sort out differences with other people, or
to get what they want. Negotiation,
therefore, really covers every area of life.

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020

Using the Elements

Communication

Relationship

Interests

Options

If “No” Legitimacy If “Yes”

Alternatives Commitment

Copyright © 2008 CMPartners. All rights reserved

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020
 CIRCLE OF VALUE

EXPLORE INTEREST, DEVELOP

OPTIONS FOR JOINT GAIN, USE
OBJECTIVE STANDARD TO
ESTABLISH LEGITIMACY
 Explore INTERESTS Not
Positions/Demands
• The core concerns, aspirations,
wants, needs, hopes, fears, motives,
goals, etc. of each party
• Our interests drive our behavior
• They are the foundation of the
demands and positions that surface
in a negotiation

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020

The Orange Example
A mother of two children has one orange left in her fruit bowl.
Both children are implicitly claiming the orange for themselves:

“Mom, I absolutely want this orange!”

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020
What should the mother do?

 Should she flip a coin?

 Should she cut the orange into two equal pieces?
 Should she let her children fight over the orange?
BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020
 ?
“Why do each of you absolutely want this
orange?”

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020

Daughter: Son:

The daughter would like to bake a cake. Therefore

she only needs the skin of the orange to add some
flavor.
The son is thirsty and would like to squeeze the orange for
a glass of fresh juice. To do so he does not need the skin
of the orange.

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020

 Develop OPTIONS for Joint
Gain
• Options for joint gain
• Possible outcomes of the negotiation
• What either party might agree to
• Creative options come from deep
exploration of the parties’ interests
• Inquiry and sharing of information are
key tools
• It promotes better solutions
BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020
 Possible OPTIONS for Orange
story
 To cut the Orange in half.
 One to take all the fruit, and for the other to

take all the peel.

 To take the orange, squeeze a glass of orange

juice, sell it, and then go buy two more

oranges

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020

 Use Objective Standards
to Establish LEGITIMACY
• Objective criteria, benchmarks,
principles, laws, regulations,
standards, practices, traditions,
researched evidence, etc.
• Convey a sense of fairness
• Each party can have separate
sources of legitimacy

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020

WHEN WE ARE IN THE CIRCLE, OUR
INQUIRY SKILLS BECOME VERY
IMPORTANT THEN THAT OF OUR
ADVOCACY.

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020

 BATNA

 BATNA is the acronym for Best Alternative

To a Negotiated Agreement.
 Your BATNA is the choice you can make if

you conclude that negotiating with a particular

party is not likely to yield a favorable result.
 You can walk away from a negotiation if your

BATNA is better than the likely outcome of

that negotiation.

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020

 BATNAs are not always readily apparent.
 Fisher and Ury outline a simple process for
determining your BATNA:
 develop a list of actions you might conceivably take
if no agreement is reached;
 improve some of the more promising ideas and
convert them into practical options; and
 select, tentatively, the one option that seems best.

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020

 Case Workout…
SN Exploration Areas Yours Theirs (Estimate) Theirs Actual

1. Interests  ………..  ………..  ………..

 ………..  ………..  ………..
 ………..  ………..  ………..

2. Options  ………..  ………..  ………..

 ………..  ………..  ………..
 ………..  ………..  ………..

3. Points of  ………..  ………..  ………..

Legitimacy  ………..  ………..  ………..
 ………..  ………..  ………..

4. Alternatives  ………..  ………..  ………..

(BATNA)
While you are in circle,
please be aware about
your Emotion.

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020

Thank You for Your Active Participation
BKB/NASC/9851156111/binod. bista@nasc.org.np/binodb1@live.com

BKB/PN/NASC/Advanced Course on Management and Development/2020