CONFLICT and RESOLUTION

NATURE OF CONFLICT

CONFLICT is a process resulting in the perceptions of two parties that they are working in opposition to each other in ways that result in feelings of discomfort and/or animosity

• We should take note that the parties involved in a conflict may be individuals, groups, and/or organization
• Although it's considered harmful, it can also have some benefits

Common Forms of Conflicts

• Task Conflict - conflict regarding to goals and content of work
• Process Conflict - occurs when the parties agree on the goals and content of work, but disagree on how to achieve the goals and actually do the work

Common Forms of Conflicts

• Relationship Conflict - occurs when the parties have interpersonal issues
• Legal Conflict - arises when there are differences in perceptions

Causes of Conflict

• Interpersonal - conflict between two or more individuals
• Inter-group - conflict between two or more organizational groups
• Between Organization and Environment - arises between one organization and another called interorganizational conflict
• Task Interdependence - the greater the interdependence between departments, the greater the likelihood that conflict ill occur

Task Interdependence

• Pooled Interdependence - lowest level; results in the least amount of conflict
• Sequential Interdependence - output of one becomes the input for another; creates moderate level of interdependence and somewhat higher potential for conflict
• Reciprocal Interdependence - exist when activities flow both ways between units; highest potential for conflict

Reactions to Conflict

• The most common reactions to conflict are avoidance, accommodations, competition, collaboration and compromise

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Reactions to Conflict

• Avoidance - occurs when an interaction is relatively unimportant to either party's goals, and the goals are incompatible
• Accommodation - occurs when the goals are compatible, but the interactions are not considered important to overall goal attainment

Reactions to Conflict

• Competition - occurs when the goals are incompatible, and the interactions are important to each party's meeting its goals.
• Collaboration - occurs when the interaction between the groups is very important to goal attainment, and the goals are compatible

MANAGING CONFLICT

• Too little or too much conflict is unhealthy
• Managers must know how to maintain a healthy level of conflict

STIMULATING CONFLICT (TOO LITTLE CONFLICT)

• Conflict Stimulation - the creation and constrcutive  
• Too little conflict may suggest stagnancy (against growth principle of every organiazation).
• Promotes innovation and creativity inside the organization

Methods to stimulate conflict

• Altering locations of groups and forcing more resource sharing
• Providing training programs to make employees aware of issues about group decision making and group interaction
• Managers may adopt the role of "devil's advocate"

CONFLICT RESOLUTION (TOO MUCH CONFLIT)

• Conflict Resolution - the extinguishment of the destructive use of conflicts that disrupt the organization
• Too much ocnflict absorbs time and effort that could be used more productively.
• Promotes stability and harmony in the work place

Conflict resolution for people (source)

• Alter the membership of that person from one group to another

Some Conflict Resolution for goals of the Group

If conflict is due to:

• Difference in goals
• Perception of the difficulty f goal attainment
• The importance of the goals to the conflicting parties

Then the manager can move the parties into one of the five types of reaction (Avoidance, Accommodation, Competition, Collabnoration and Compromise), depending on the nature of the parties.

USING STRUCTURE TO MANAGE CONFLICT

Managers can also use elements of oranizaiotnal strcuture to resolve cinflict.

Common Methods:

• Managerial Heirarchy
• Rules and Procedure
• Liaison Roles
• Task Forces

The Managerial Heirarchy

A manager is place in charge of people, groups or departments in conflict.

Rules and Procedures

Routine conflict can bemanaged by rules and procedures of an organization

Liaison Roles

Liaisons are people who act as a point of contact for two different entities. They not necessarily be the manager

Task Forces

• A group composed of representatives from each conflicting entities in dealing with a project. Once the project is done, the group is dissolved.

USING INTERPERSONAL TECHNIQUES TO MANAGE CONFLICT

Techniques that focus on interpersonal processes can alo beusedto resolve conflicts

Some of these are:

• Team Building
• Survey Feedback
• Third-Party Peacemaking

Team building

Team building activities are intended to enhance the effectiveness and satisfaction of members in group/team. This also lessens conflicts.

Survey Feedback

In survey feedback, questionnaires are answered to measure perceptions and attitudes of each employees. Everyone which the survey is about receives the result.

Third-Party Peacemaking

A third person, usually a trained external facilitator, uses variety of medation of negotiation techniques to resolve conflicts of entities.

NEGOTIATION IN ORGANIZATIONS

• Conflicts are sometimes negotiated in advance
• Negotiation - the process in which two or more parites reach agreement on an issue even though they have different preferences regardingthat issue.

Approaches to Negotiation

Different kinds:

• Individual Differences
• Situational Characteristics
• Game Theory
• Cognitive Approaches

Individual Differences

• People have different demographic characteristics (gender, ages, race and etc.) and personality variables (risk propensity, locus of control, self-esteem and etc).
• The assumption in this approach is that using the right person to do the negotiationg.

Situational Characteristics

• Situational Characteristics - are the context within which negotiation thakes place such as types of communication used, the potential outcome of the negotiation , the relative power of the parties (both positional and personal), time frame of negotiation, number of people represnting each side, and the presence of other parties.
• USing the right elements of situation is the key to successful negotiation.

Game Theory

• Game Theory was developed by economists using mathematical models to predict the outcome of negotiation situations.
• Each alternatives and outcome are analyze with their respective probabilities and numerical outcomes.
• A predictive model of how negotiation should ne conducted.

Cognitive Approaches

• This recognizes that negotiatior often departs from perfect rationality during negotiation; It tries to predict how and when negotiatiors will make these departures.
• A decision analytic approach focuses on providing advice to negotiatiors.

WIN-WIN Negotiation

• A specific model meant to be use in carrying out difficult negotiations
• Treats negotiation as not a game where there are losers and winners but an opportunity for both sides to be winners, to get what parties want from the agreement
• Aims that parties become committed in fulfilling their end of the bargain and to return to each other for future agreements
• Assumes that both parties work together to find ways to satisfy both parties at the same time

PRAM Model

Is a four-step approach of WIN-WIN Negotiation. ALso known as Plans, Relationship, Agreements, and Maintenance Model.

PLANNING

In this step, negotiatior set his own goals, anticipates the goals of the other, determine areas of probable agreements and develop strategies for reconciling areas of probable disagreements.

Relationships

• Requires negotiatior to plan activities that promotes positive personal relationships, cultivate a sense of mutual trust and allow relationship to develop fully before discussing business.
• Trust is probably the most important key to successful negotiations.

Agreements

Requires the negotiator to confirm the other party's goals, verify areas of agreements, propose and consider positive solutions to areas odf disagreements, and jointly resolve any remaining differences.

Maintenance

• This step entails each parties complete their ends of the agreement, keeping in contact with one another, and reaffirming trust between the parties.
• The assumption is that both parties want to keep the relationship going for future mutual benefits.