Conflict
- triggered by political power between individuals/groups
- conflict frame: lens to view situation from
Two types of conflict (Amason et al 1995)
- Cognitive: concrete issues to be dealt at intellectual level
- Affective: subjective matters to be dealt at emotional level
Individual conflict
-frustration when personal goals pathway is blocked
- role conflict: clash between the demands of roles and an individual’s values/beliefs.
Group conflict
- collective/organized conflict
Institutionalized conflict:
1. Lateral conflict: gain for one group, loss for another.
- workplace mediation intervention: senior managers should intervene to assist with the resolution of conflict
2. Hierarchical arrangement of occupational groups: degree of conflict with the level above them
Emergent conflict:
- two social forces collide.
- managers vs subordinates
Unitary perspective - fox 1974
- management: only source of authority/power, same direction, united by common goals
- conflict = abnormal
- poor communication and lack of openness
Pluralistic perspective 1950s-1970s
- natural and beneficial
- conflict stems from pursuing own interests
- compromise
- conflict leads to discussion of interests
Interactionist perspective
- current school of thought
- adoption of minimum conflict
- leads to creativity
Sources of conflict: communication
- Semantic difficulties: arises from selective perception, inadequate information
- Inadequacy of information: too much/little information
- Selective perception: filter information, incorrect/distorted/ambiguous = hostility
- Differences in training
Sources of conflict: structure
- Size and specialization: larger = conflict, diversity, other groups = competition.
- Ambiguity
- Leadership: participative leadership = opens conversation = stimulates conflict in a good way
- Rewards: unfair
- Interdependency: trust/autonomy/collaboration
- Changes to structure and processes: negative perceptions of events after change, downsizing (guilt/anger etc)
Sources of conflict: personal factors
- personality and value systems
- authoritarian + dogmatic = conflict within themselves
- women more likely to be victims
Use of conflict
- cues: low rate of turnover, shortage of new ideas etc.
- constructive: stimulate creativity, quality, motivation, bond
- dialectic method: pros and cons
Conflict resolution approach - Kenneth thomas 1976
- distinguished approaches based upon:
1. Assertive/unassertive in pursuing own concerns
2. Cooperative/uncooperative in satisfying concerns of others.
The five approaches: Competing
- assertive and uncooperative
- attempt to overwhelm opponent by using authority/power
- win-lose
The five approaches: avoiding
- unassertive and cooperative
- avoiding to prevent over demonstration of disagreement
- withdrawal and suppression
The five approaches: compromising
- mid range on both dimensions
- each party gives something up
- win-lose
The five approaches: accommodating
- unassertive and cooperative
- putting his/her interest below opponents interest
- self-sacrificing behavior
The five approaches: collaboration
- assertive and cooperative
- mutual problem solving
- win-win
- clarification of differences and solutions
Factors: culture
- Collaborative: active cooperation during conflict
- Dominating: active confrontation
- Avoidant: passive withdrawal
Factors: situational
- adaptation of different styles to different situations
- predisposition to dealing with certain situations
Factors: superordinate goals
- creating common goals to resolve conflict
Factors: formal negotiation
- offers/counter-offers/concessions etc to find mutual acceptable resolution of the conflict.
- compromise/modification/maximum benefit
Strategies: - social processes and relationships
- representatives of a group
Outcome: - accuracy of the diagnosis
Negotiation - Richard, Walton and Rober 1965
Distributive bargaining:
- zero-sum condition
- win-lose situation
- competition, avoidance, compromising, accommodating
Integrative bargaining:
- settlements
- win-win
- collaboration
Conflict stimulation: techniques
- Communication: withholding/inconsistent information
- Restructuring a company: changing groups/rules/regulations to increase/create interdependence between previously independent units.
- Bridging in outsiders: adding people who differ
- Devil’s advocate: person assigned role of critic
- Dialectic method: debating, pros/cons
- Leadership styles: non-traditional viewpoints
Bullying
- social/work exclusion, shaming, violence
