31 Conflict Management

Prof. Geeta Bansal

1. Module 1:Meaning of conflict

2. Learning Outcome

3. Introduction : Transition in thought of conflict

4. Conflict Management process

5. Sources of Conflict

6. Conflict Management

7. Summary

2. LEARNING OUTCOMES

After studying this lesson, you will be able to :
Understand The Meaning Of Conflict, The Transition In The Thought Of Conflict Differentiate Between Functional And Dysfunctional Conflict Outline The Process Of Conflict
Examine The Various Sources Of Conflict Patterns And Understand Level Of Conflict Deliberate Upon The Conflict Management Strategies
Appreciate The Importance Of Negotiation In Conflict Resolution.

3. INTRODUCTION

According to Gray and Starke – “Conflict is behavior by a person or group that is purposely designed to inhibit the attainment of goals by another person or group. This ‘purposeful inhibition’ may be active or passive.”

TRANSITION IN THE VIEWS ON CONFLICT

There has been a steady transition in the views on conflict over a period of time with the traditional thinkers to the human relations to the interactionist giving their viewpoint. See figure 1 below.

The Traditional Viewpoint says that all conflict is harmful and bad , should be avoided.

The Human Relations Viewpoint is of the belief that conflict is a natural and inevitable outcome in any group and thus should be handled with care.

The Interactionist Viewpoint feels that the conflict is not only a positive force in a group but it is absolutely necessary for a group to perform effectively to achieve the goals.

THE TRADITIONAL VIEWPOINT

• All conflict is harmful and bad ,should be avoided

THE HUMAN RELATIONS VIEWPOINT

• The belief that conflict is a natural and inevitable outcome in any group,should be handled with care

THE INTERACTIONIST VIEW

• The belief that conflict is not only a positive force in a group but it is absolutely necessary for a group to perform effectively to achieve the goals

Figure 1: Transition in the Views on Conflict

4. THE CONFLICT MANAGEMENT PROCESS

The process of conflict encompasses the following steps which are discussed in detail below.

Stage I: Potential Opposition or Incompatibility

Communication

Structure

Personal variables

Stage II: Cognition and Personalization

Stage III: Intentions

Dimensions of Conflict – Handling Intentions; assertiveness and cooperativeness. Stage IV: Behavior (a dynamic process of interaction)

Conflict Intensity Continuum

Conflict Management Techniques

Resolution

Stimulation

Stage V: Outcomes

Functional vs. Dysfunctional

Stage I: Potential Opposition or Incompatibility

This occurs due to Communication gaps between the parties, groups’ individuals or the organization and its members.

It could also be due to the structural inefficiencies where the reporting relationships or the span of management or span of control is not in order and leads to conflicting situations.

And the most important is the Personal variables , that is the differences in individual personalities, values attitudes, thinking, approach towards life ,level of motivation, learning and un learning abilities, etc play a very significant role in giving rise to conflicting situations in the organizations.

Stage II: Cognition and Personalization

Cognition and Personalization is how a person feels and thinks about the conflict. It manifests itself in affective conflict emotional conflict and Perceived Conflict

Affective Conflict: It occurs when competing emotions accompanying the incompatible goals and results in increased stress, decreased productivity or decreased satisfaction for the individual.

Emotional Conflict: Emotional conflict is the presence in the subconscious of different and opposing emotions relating to a situation that has recently taken place or is in the process of being unfolded, accompanied at times by a physical discomfort and in particular by tension headaches.

Perceived Conflict: This is a situation where it becomes aware that one is In conflict with another party.

It can block out some conflict.

Stage III: Dimensions of Conflict – Handling Intentions

Responding to conflict involves making a series of choices with solving the problem as the goal. Therefore, it becomes necessary to use a combination of assertive and non-aggressive tools to be successful.

The specific approach taken should depend on the situation. Related to the third stage of the conflict process: Intentions

Assertiveness – the degree to which the individual want to satisfy his or her own concerns Cooperativeness – the degree to which the individual wants to satisfy the concerns of the other party.

As can be seen from the figure 2 below,

If The Person Is High On Assertiveness And Low On Cooperativeness, He Will Compete,

If He Is Low On Assertiveness And High On Cooperativeness, He Will Tend To Accommodate. On The Other Hand If He Is High On Both Cooperativeness And Assertiveness, He Will Go In

For Collaboration With The Other Party.

If He Is Low On Both Cooperativeness And Assertiveness, He Will Go In For Avoiding The Situation.

If He Wants To Follow A Middle Path Between Assertiveness And Cooperativeness, He Will Compromise In The Given Situation.

Figure 2: Continuum of conflict handling dimensions on assertiveness or cooperativeness.

Conflict Resolution Strategies

The key to managing conflict well is choosing and executing the strategy that best fits a particular situation.

1. Collaborating; I Win, U Win

Fundamental premise;

Teamwork and cooperation help everyone achieve their goals while maintaining relationships.

Strategic philosophy:

Leads to creative solutions that will satisfy both parties.

When to Use;

When there is a high level of trust,

When you don’t want to have full responsibility,

When you want others to also have ownership of solutions, When people involved are willing to change their thinking, You need to work through animosity and hard feelings.

The Drawbacks

The process takes a lot of time and energy.

Some may take advantage of others trust and openness.

2. Compromising You Bend, I Bend

Fundamental premise;

Winning something while losing a little is ok

Strategic philosophy;

Attempt to serve the common good of both parties.

When to use

When people of equal status are equally committed to goals When time can be saved by reaching intermediate settlements When goals are moderately important

Drawbacks

Important values and long term objectives can be derailed in the process May not work if initial demands are too great

Can spawn cynicism, especially if there is no commitment to honor the compromise solutions.

3. Accommodating; I Lose, U Win.

Fundamental Premise;

Working toward a common purpose is more important than any of the peripheral concerns The trauma of confronting differences may damage fragile relationships

Strategic philosophy

Appease others by downplaying conflict, thus protecting the relationship.

When to Use;

When an issue is not as important to you it is to the other person,

When you know you can’t win, When it’s not the right time

When harmony is extremely important

When what the parties have in common is more important than differences.

Drawbacks

Credibility and influence can be lost.

One’s own ideas do not get attention

4. Competing; I Win, U Lose

Fundamental Premise;

Associates winning a conflict with competition

Strategic philosophy

When goals are extremely important, one must use power to win.

When to use:

When you know you are right When quick decision is needed

When a strong personality is trying to steam roller you. When you need to stand up for your rights

Drawbacks

Can escalate conflict Users may retaliate

5. Avoiding; No Winners No Losers

Fundamental premise

This is not the right time or place to address this issue

Strategic philosophy

Avoid conflicts by withdrawing side stepping or postponing

When to use

When the conflict is small and the relationships are at stake When more important issues are pressing you

When you see no chance of getting your concerns met When you are emotionally involved

Important decisions may be made by default Postponing may make matters worse

Stage IV: Behavior (a dynamic process of interaction)

Depending upon the Conflict Intensity Continuum of assertiveness and cooperativeness, various Conflict resolution strategies are adopted depending upon the individual of course. That is whether he is interested in competing, compromising, avoiding, and collaborating or accommodating.

Stage V OUTCOMES OF CONFLICT

Any conflict that is functional or constructive adds to the efficiency and outcome is called functional conflict. On the other hand if the conflict is destructive and leads to the disruption in the smooth functioning of the organization is called Dysfunctional Conflict.The outcomes of conflict can be seen clearly in the figure 3 below.

Figure 3 : Outcomes Of Conflict

Outcomes of Functional Conflict

Forces People To Articulate Views And Positions, Leading To Greater Clarity Makes It Easier To See Organizational Values And Priorities

Serves As Safety Valve To Blow Off Steam And Still Maintain Relationships Increase In Group Cohesiveness

Creativity From Finding New Ways To Look At Situations

Blocks Achievement Of Organizational Goals Reduces Productivity, Morale Job Satisfaction

Can Cause Heightened Anxiety, Absenteeism, Turnover

Every conflict will call for an individual assessment of the situation to determine the appropriate combination. Keep in mind that true assertiveness allows you to meet your own needs while respecting rights of others.

5. SOURCES OF CONFLICT

Organizational Conflict

Sources of Organizational Conflict : Prominent among the sources of conflict in organizations are :

1. Line and Staff Competition: The growth of highly specialized, creative, well educated staff poses unique problems for line managers. Faced with a growing dependence on staff, line managers must adjust to a reduction in organizational power and prestige. Conflict in most organizations persists between line and staff because it is virtually impossible to define precisely the responsibility and authority relationships between the two.

2. Organization-Individual Disagreements: From one perspective, the conflict between the organization and the individual centers around the individual’s failure to fulfill the organization’s expectations regarding productivity or compliance with rules. From another, the conflict is often seen as resulting from excessive organizational demands. Such conflict may be overt or hidden from view, depending on the perception each side has of the power of the other.

3. Overlapping Responsibilities: Organizations constantly change in response to personnel turnover, expansion-or contraction, the adoption of new policies, changes in external environment, and so forth. As a result, it is impossible to establish job responsibilities once and for all. When a change occurs, one person reaches out to assume more responsibility, another retrenches and still another tentatively assumes responsibility for certain functions without knowing definitely who should be performing them. Thus, the stage is set for conflict.

4. Functional Interdependence: Conflicts between an organization’s functional units, such as sales, accounting and manufacturing are commonplace. The sales department is at odds with manufacturing because quality is too low or prices are too high to meet the competition. Although departments are separated on the basis of function, they can never function as completely autonomous units. They must somehow resist the constant urge to view the organization in terms of their narrow self-interests.

5. Personality Clashes: Individual differences in such personal qualities as values, attitudes, abilities and personality traits are often the cause of conflict. Two managers may learn to despise each other thoroughly for reasons totally unrelated to their work, but their performance on the job may suffer because of it.

6. CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

The Management within an organization should function in such a way so as to maximize the coordination of human resources and work system and to minimize conflict.

There may be two approaches for managing organizational conflict:

(1) Preventive Measures

(2) Curative Measures.

In the preventive measures, management tries to create an environment where dysfunctional conflicts do not take place at all. Conflict is not primarily a result of individual neurotic traits but arises under given conditions even when people involved are well adjusted. Since situation variable- induce conflict, it is possible to modify situations so as to avoid conflict. The development of effective leadership, participate decision-making, effective two-way communication with proper emphasis on upward communication, improvement in interpersonal relationship, provision for facilities and opportunities to develop informal groups may be some of the ways on which management would pay special attention.

The curative measures include the resolution of conflicts whey they take place and become dysfunctional in the organization.

Such preventive and· curative attempts may be made in the following ways.

By establishing common goals: Most of the conflicts assume that incompatible goals are necessary antecedent for the development of conflict. It means that the existence of super ordinate goals-common goals-will reduce the occurrence of dysfunctional conflicts.

By Changing Structural Arrangement: In some cases, the change in organization structure or some part of it can reduce dysfunctional conflicts.

By Reduction in Interdependence: The basic reason in the inter-group conflict is interdependence among them. As such less such inter-dependence, less will the amount of conflict among them. Thompson distinguished three types of interdependence; pooled, sequential, and reciprocal.

In the pooled interdependence, the various division of the organization are relatively self-contained and independent.

In sequential interdependence, there is high degree of interdependence between two or more departments, which might be using the product of others in a particular sequence.

The units are most interdependent when the interdependence is reciprocal, that is the output of various .units becomes input for others.

According to conflict model, the degree of conflict is high in the cases of latter two relationships, that is, more the interdependence more the chances for conflict. In organizations, such interdependence cannot altogether be avoided, however, instead of separating units organizationally, they can be separated physically. Physically separating the conflicting groups has the distinct advantage of preventing more damage from being done and of presenting the creation of further rationale for fighting. The physical separation, however, is not a permanent measure for managing conflict.

Reduction in shared resources : When two or more units are required to share resources, particularly scarce – ones, the potential for conflict increases. The management of conflict suggests reducing such sharing. One technique for reducing such sharing is the increase in such resources so that each unit is independent using them. However, since resources are scarce; it is not always possible to do so. As such, measures may be adopted for their optimum allocation.

Exchange of personnel: Personnel of the conflicting groups may be exchanged for a specified period as a way to reducing and managing conflict. An exchange of people is very, similar to role reversal, which is aimed at greater understanding between people by forcing each to present and defend – the others positions. In a, research, study, it was found that the exchange of people programme was effective at reducing conflict and speeding agreement. It was successful even though it was mandatory, involved the less influential members of the organization and was of relatively short duration.

Creation of special integrators : To resolve – conflict, organization may create provisions for the appointment of special integrators who may manage the interdependence of various groups, so that unresolved matters can be solved through them.

Reference to superior’s authority: Conflicts may be resolved through the hierarchy. If resolution cannot be attained by two organization members, they may take the issue to a common superior who resolves the conflict by making a decision Such a decision is usually accepted by organizational members because of the recognized superior authority of high ranking individual. Such a decision, may not necessarily bring agreement but it will usually be accepted;

7. SUMMARY

Conflict is a form of interaction among parties that differ in interests, perceptions, and preferences. Conflict begins when one party perceives that the other has negatively affected, or is about to negatively affect, something that he or she cares about. The traditional viewpoint says that all conflict is harmful and bad, should be avoided. The human relations school believes that conflict is a natural and inevitable outcome in any group, should be handled with care. The interactionist viewpoint feels conflict is not only a positive force in a group but it is absolutely necessary for a group to perform effectively to achieve the goals. The Conflict Process encompasses five stages;

Stage I: Potential Opposition or Incompatibility Arising out of Communication, Structure, Personal variables,

Stage II: Cognition and Personalization,

Stage III: Intentions, Dimensions of Conflict – Handling Intentions

Stage IV: Behavior adopts Conflict Management Techniques

Stage V: Outcomes; constructive vs. Destructive

Depending upon the Conflict Intensity Continuum of assertiveness and cooperativeness, various Conflict resolution strategies are adopted depending upon the individual, whether he is interested in competing, compromising, avoiding, collaborating or accommodating.

Conflict can be prevented by emphasizing on the organizational goals, structuring the tasks, Promoting communication, avoiding win lose situations separating conflicting groups, Applying rules and regulations, limiting the group interaction, establishing integration roles. The Outcomes of Dysfunctional Conflict are that it blocks achievement of organizational goals reduces productivity, morale job satisfaction, can cause heightened anxiety, absenteeism, and turnover, and reduces productivity, morale job satisfaction. The Outcomes of Functional Conflict are that it forces people to articulate views and positions, leading to greater clarity makes it easier to see organizational values and priorities, serves as safety valve to blow off steam and still maintain relationships, increase in group cohesiveness, and creativity from finding new ways to look at situations.

There may be two approaches for managing organizational conflict: Preventive Measures and Curative Measures. In the preventive measures, management tries to create an environment where dysfunctional conflicts do not take place and the curative measures include the resolution of conflicts whey they take place and become dysfunctional in the organization. Such preventive and· curative attempts may be made by establishing common goals, by Changing Structural Arrangement by Reduction in Interdependence, Reduction in shared resources ,Exchange of personnel, Creation of special integrators , Reference to superior’s authority.

Learn More:

Ashwathappa, Organization Behaviour. Tata McGraw Hill Khanka, S.S, Organizational Behaviour, S.Chand &Co. New Delhi.
McShane, S.L., Glinow, M A V., Sharma,R ,R. Organizational Behaviour, Tata McGraw Hill
A.G Jagpo and Victor H. Vroom, “Hierarchical Level and leadership style” Organizational Behaviour and Human Performance No. 18 (1977).
Fred E. Fiedler, “A Theory of Leadership Effectiveness”. McGraw Hill, New York (1967).
Grey and Starke, Organizational Behaviour – Concepts and Applications. Merrill, 1998, p. 64.
Nelson, Quick and Khendelwal, ORGB, Cengage learning.
Stephen P. Robbins, Organizational Behavior Concepts, Prentice Hall, India
Gary Dessler, Organization Theories, Prentice Hall, India
L.M. Prasad, Management Process and Organizational, Sultan Chand & Sons.