Chapter Five

Organizational conflict

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 Organisational conflict

• Topics:
– Definition
– Causes of conflict
– Types of conflict
– Perspectives on conflict
– Conflict process
– Conflict management approaches

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 Organisational conflict

• Definition:
– Disagreement two or more interdependent parties who perceive
incompatible goals, scarce resources, and interference from
others in achieving that goal (Hocker & Wilmot, 1995).
– The interaction of interdependent people who perceive
opposition of goals, aims, and values, and who see the other
party as potentially interfering with the realization of these
goals (Putnam & Poole, 1987)

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 Organisational conflict

• Defined:

– Conflict management is the practice of

identifying and handling conflict in a
sensible, fair and efficient manner.

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 Causes of conflict
– Scarcity of resources (finance, equipment,
facilities, etc)
– Different attitudes, values or perceptions
– Disagreements about needs, goals, priorities and
interests
– Poor communication
– Poor or inadequate organizational structure
– Lack of teamwork
– Lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities

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 Types of conflict

• Conflict can be:

– Functional conflict , and

– Dysfunctional conflict

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 Functional and Dysfunctional Conflict

• Functional conflict: works toward the goals of

an organization or group
• Dysfunctional conflict: blocks an organization
or group from reaching its goals
– Dysfunctionally high conflict: what you typically
think about conflict
– Levels vary among groups

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 Functional and
Dysfunctional Conflict (Cont.)
• Dysfunctionally high conflict
– Tension, anxiety, stress
– Drives out low conflict tolerant people
– Reduced trust
– Poor decisions because of withheld or distorted
information
– Excessive management focus on the conflict

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 Functional and Dysfunctional Conflict (Cont.)

• Dysfunctionally low conflict

– Few new ideas
– Poor decisions from lack of innovation and
information
– Stagnation
– Business as usual

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 Levels and Types of Conflict

Level of conflict Type of conflict

Organization Within and between organizations

Group Within and between groups

Individual Within and between individuals

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 Levels and Types of Conflict (Cont.)

• Intraorganization conflict
– Conflict that occurs within an organization
– At interfaces of organization functions
– Can occur along the vertical and horizontal dimensions
of the organization
• Vertical conflict: between managers and subordinates
• Horizontal conflict: between departments and work groups

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 Levels and Types of Conflict (Cont.)

• Inter-organization conflict
– Between two or more organizations
– Not competition

– Examples: suppliers and distributors, especially

with the close links now possible

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 Levels and Types of Conflict (Cont.)

• Intragroup conflict
– Conflict among members of a group
– Early stages of group development
– Ways of doing tasks or reaching group's goals

• Intergroup conflict: between two or more

groups
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 Levels and Types of Conflict (Cont.)

• Interpersonal conflict
– Between two or more people
– Differences in views about what should be done

– Efforts to get more resources

– Differences in orientation to work and time in
different parts of an organization

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 Levels and Types of Conflict (Cont.)

• Intrapersonal conflict
– Occurs within an individual
• Threat to a person’s values
• Feeling of unfair treatment
• Multiple and contradictory sources of
socialization

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 Transitions in Conflict
Perspectives Thought
on conflict

• Traditional View – conflict is harmful and must

be avoided
• Human Relations View – conflict is a natural
and inevitable outcome in any group and need
not be negative
• Interactionist View – conflict is encouraged to
prevent group from becoming stable.

13-16
 Transitions in Conflict Thought
Traditional View of Conflict
The belief that all conflict is harmful and must be
avoided.

Causes:
Causes:
•• Poor
Poorcommunication
communication
•• Lack
Lackofofopenness
openness
•• Failure
Failureto
torespond
respondto
to
employee
employeeneeds
needs

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Transitions in Conflict Thought (cont’d)
Human Relations View of Conflict
The belief that conflict is a natural and inevitable
outcome in any group.

Interactionist View of Conflict

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

14–18
Conflict process

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 Stage I: Potential Opposition or Incompatibility
• Communication
– Semantic difficulties, misunderstandings, and “noise”
• Structure
– Size and specialization of jobs
– Jurisdictional clarity/ambiguity
– Member/goal incompatibility
– Leadership styles (close or participative)
– Reward systems (win-lose)
– Dependence/interdependence of groups
• Personal Variables
– Differing individual value systems
– Personality types
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Stage II: Cognition and Personalization
Perceived Conflict Felt Conflict
Awareness by one or more Emotional involvement in a
parties of the existence of conflict creating anxiety,
conditions that create tenseness, frustration, or
opportunities for conflict to hostility.
arise.

Conflict
ConflictDefinition
Definition

Negative
NegativeEmotions
Emotions Positive
PositiveFeelings
Feelings

14–21
 Stage III: Intentions
Intentions
Decisions to act in a given way.

Cooperativeness:
Cooperativeness:
•• Attempting
Attemptingto
tosatisfy
satisfythe
theother
otherparty’s
party’sconcerns.
concerns.
Assertiveness:
Assertiveness:
•• Attempting
Attemptingto
tosatisfy
satisfyone’s
one’sown
ownconcerns.
concerns.

14–22
Dimensions of Conflict-Handling Intentions

14–23
 Stage III: Intentions (cont’d)
Competing
A desire to satisfy one’s interests, regardless of the
impact on the other party to the conflict.

Collaborating
A situation in which the parties to a conflict each
desire to satisfy fully the concerns of all parties.

Avoiding
The desire to withdraw from or suppress a conflict.

14–24
 Stage III: Intentions (cont’d)
Accommodating
The willingness of one party in a conflict to place the
opponent’s interests above his or her own.

Compromising
A situation in which each party to a conflict is
willing to give up something.

14–25
 Stage IV: Behavior
Conflict Management
The use of resolution and stimulation techniques to
achieve the desired level of conflict.

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CONFLICT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

 CONFLICT RESOLUTION TECHNIQUES

 CONFLICT STIMULATION TECHNIQUES

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 CONFLICT RESOLUTION TECHNIQUES

• Attack the problem not the person:

– Define the problem
– Explore each person's perception of the problem
– Try to understand and respect each point of view without judging

• Concentrate on interests, not positions

– The position is the outcome you are interested in getting
– The interest is why you want that outcome
– Interests that are involved in conflicts are usually related to our basic
needs. When we focus on interests instead of positions we can start to
find solutions.

• Come up with options in which both sides can win (Win-Win options)

• Cooperate together to solve the problem fairly

– A fair solution respects the interests of both sides

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• PROBLEM SOLVING
– face to face meeting of conflicting parties for the purpose of
identifying the problem and resolving it through open
discussion.

• SUPERORDINATE GOALS
– creating a shared goal that can not be attained without the
cooperation of each of the conflicting parties.

• EXPANSION OF RESOURCES
– when a conflict is caused by scarcity of a resource – say.
money, promotion, opportunities, office space- expansion of
resources can create a win-win solution.
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• AVOIDANCE
– withdrawal from, or suppression of ,the conflict.

• SMOOTHING

– playing down differences while emphasizing common

interest between the conflicting parties.

• COMPROMISE
– each party to the conflict give up some thing of value.

• AUTHORITIVE COMMAND

– management uses its formal authority to resolve the

conflict and then communicate its desires to the parties
involved.
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• ALTERING HUMAN VARIABLE
USING BEHAVIORAL CHANGE TECHNIQUES SUCH AS
HUMAN RELATIONS TRAINING TO ALTER ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS
THAT CAUSE CONFLICT.

• ALTERING STRUCTURAL VARIABLE

CHANGING THE FORMAL ORGANISATION STRUCTURE
AND THE INTERACTION PATTERN OF CONFLICTING PARTIES THROUGH JOB
REDESIGN, TRANSFER, CREATION OF COORDINATING POSITIONS, AND THE
LIKE.

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 CONFLICT STIMULATION TECHNIQUES

• Stimulating conflict can provide several benefits to the

organization.
• They provide the organization a means to introduce radical
change.
• Management can drastically change the existing power
structure and attitudes.

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• COMMUNICATION
– using ambiguous or threatening messages to increase conflict
level.

• BRINGING IN OUTSIDER
– adding employees to a group whose backgrounds, values,
attitudes or managerial style differ from those of present
member.

• RESTRUCTURING ORGANISATION
– realigning work groups , altering rules and regulations,
increasing interdependence and making similar structural
changes to disrupt the status quo.
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 Stage V: Outcomes
• Functional Outcomes from Conflict
– Increased group performance
– Improved quality of decisions
– Stimulation of creativity and innovation
– Encouragement of interest and curiosity
– Provision of a medium for problem-solving
– Creation of an environment for self-evaluation and change
• Creating Functional Conflict
– Reward dissent and punish conflict avoiders.

14–34
 Stage V: Outcomes
• Dysfunctional Outcomes from Conflict
– Development of discontent
– Reduced group effectiveness
– Retarded communication
– Reduced group cohesiveness
– Infighting among group members overcomes
group goals

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 End of the chapter

• Next

–Power

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