Session 6

Topics:
Organizational conflict, power & politics
Organizational conflict

The clash that occurs when the goal-directed behavior of one group
blocks or thwarts the goals of another.
Managing Conflict: Conflict Resolution Strategies

• (1) changing an organization’s structure to reduce or eliminate the

cause of the conflict, or
• (2) trying to change the attitudes of individuals or replacing the
individuals themselves.
Acting at the Level of Structure

Altering the level of differentiation and integration to change task

relationships is one way to resolve conflict.
Change in organization structure
Integrating mechanisms
Conflict handling styles
Acting at the Level of Attitudes and Individuals

• Attitudinal structuring
• Third-party negotiator
• Exchange and rotation of people between subunits
• Transferring employees to other parts of the organization, promoting
them, or firing
Organizational Power
• Organizational power is the ability of A to cause B to do something
that B would not otherwise have done.

Sources of Power?
Organizational Politics
• “activities taken within organizations to acquire, develop, and use power and
other resources to obtain one’s preferred outcomes in a situation in which
there is uncertainty or disagreement about choices.”
• Tactics for Playing Politics
BECOMING INDISPENSABLE/NONSUBSTITUTABLE
ASSOCIATING WITH POWERFUL MANAGERS
BUILDING AND MANAGING COALITIONS
ABILITY TO MANIPULATE DECISION MAKING
CONTROLLING THE AGENDA
BRINGING IN AN OUTSIDE EXPERT
The Costs and Benefits of Organizational Politics