Conflict and

Negotiation
Lecture 3
Dr. P. David Jawahar
What is Conflict?
Conflict – any situation in which incompatible goals, attitudes, emotions, or behaviours
lead to disagreement or opposition for two or more parties
But, not all conflicts are bad!
Functional Conflict – a healthy, constructive disagreement between two or more
people
Dysfunctional Conflict – an unhealthy, destructive disagreement between two or more
people
HowPositive
do weConsequences
know the difference? Negative Consequences
• Leads to new ideas • Diverts energy from work
• Stimulates creativity • Threatens psychological well-being
• Motivates change • Wastes resources
• Promotes organisational vitality • Creates a negative climate
• Helps individuals/groups establish identities • Breaks down group cohesion
• Serves as a safety valve to indicate problems • Can increase hostility/aggressive behaviour

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR

Causes of Conflicts
Structural Factors Personal Factors

• Specialization • Skills and abilities

• Interdependence • Personalities

• Common resources • Perceptions

CONFLICTS
• Goal differences • Values and ethics

• Authority relationships • Emotions

• Status inconsistencies • Communication barriers

• Jurisdictional ambiguities • Cultural differences

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR

Cultural Differences and Conflict
Hofstede has identified five dimensions of culture. They are
1. Individualism/Collectivism
2. Power distance
3. Uncertainty avoidance
4. Masculinity/feminity
5. Long term/short term orientation
When organisational participants are from differing cultures, conflict is bound to
occur

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR

Forms of Conflicts in organisations
Interorganisational Conflicts – occurs between two or more organisations

Intergroup Conflicts – occurs between teams or groups in an organisation

Intragroup Conflicts – occurs within groups or teams

Interpersonal Conflicts – occurs between two or more individuals

Intrapersonal Conflicts – occurs within an individual

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR

Intrapersonal Conflicts and Resolution
Interrole Conflict – a person’s experience of conflict among the multiple roles in his
or her life
Intrarole Conflict – occurs within a single role, such as when an individual receives
conflicting messages from role senders about how to perform a certain role
Person-Role Conflict – occurs when an individual is expected to perform behaviours
in a certain role that conflict with his or her personal values
Resolution
•Find out about the values of an organisation before one joins that organisation
(person – role conflict)
•To avoid Intrarole/Interrole conflicts do role analysis. Role analysis clarifies role
expectations from concerned parties
•Political skills can also help

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR
Interpersonal conflicts – Defense Mechanisms
Defense Mechanism Manifestation

Aggressive • Fixation
• Displacement
• Negativism

Compromise • Compensation
• Identification
• Rationalization

Withdrawal • Flight or withdrawal

• Conversion
• Fantasy

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR

Conflict management strategies and techniques
Ineffective Techniques Effective Techniques

• Non-action • Superordinate goals

• Secrecy • Expanding resources

• Administrative orbiting • Changing personnel

• Due process non-action • Changing structure

• Character assassination • Confronting and negotiating

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR

Negotiation

PRINCIPLES APPROACHES

Distributive Bargaining – in
which the goals of the parties are in
conflict, and each party seeks to
maximize it’s resources

Integrative Negotiation – it
focuses on the merits of the issues
and seeks a win-win solution

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR

Conflict Management Styles

You 13.2

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR

Creating a Conflict-Positive Organisation
•Value diversity and confront differences

•Seek mutual benefits and unite behind cooperative goals

•Empower employees to feel confident and skillful

•Take stock to reward success and learn from mistakes

DR. P. DAVID JAWAHAR