Organizational Behavior Ch.11
resistance point
point beyond which the team will make no further concessions
conflict outcomes
positive -better decisions -responsive organization -team cohesion Negative -stress/morale -turnover -politics -lower performance -distorted information
The stronger the level of debate, and the more the issue is tied to our self concept
the higher the chance that the constructive conflict will evolve into relationship conflict
personality clashes
the party refers to these and other interpersonal incompatibilities rather than legit differences of opinion regarding tasks or decisions
create value
to discover tother ways to achieve mutually satisfactory outcomes for both parties
claim view
to get the best possible outcomes for themselves
strategies for creating value
Gather information=info is cornerstone of effective value creation Discover priorities through offers-make multi-issue offers rather than discussing one issue at a time bc signals which ones are most important to them
situational influences on negotiations
the effectiveness of negotiating depends on environment in which negotiations occur such as location, physical setting, audience characteristics
avoiding
-conflict has become too emotionally charged -cost of trying to resolve the conflict outweighs the benefits Problems: doesn't usually resolve the conflict, may increase other party's frustration
problem solving
-interests are not perfectly opposing (not pure win lose) -parties have trust, openness, and time to share info -the issues are complex Problems: sharing info that other party might use to its advantage
yielding
-other party has substantially more power -issue is much less important to you than the other party -the value and logic of your position is not clear Problem: increases other party's expectations in future conflict episodes
compromising
-parties have equal power -time pressure to resolve the conflict -parties lack trust/openness for problem solving Problems: suboptimal solution when mutual gains are possible
forcing
-you have a deep conviction about your position -dispute requires a quick solution -the other party would take advantage of more cooperative strategies Problems: highest risk of relationship conflict and may damage long-term relations, reducing future problem solving
six main conditions that cause conflict
1. incompatible goals 2. differentiation 3. interdependence 4. scarce resources 5. ambiguous rules 6. communication problems
reducing differentiation
Reduce differences reduces dysfunctional conflict, as people develop common experiences they become more motivated to coordinate activities and resolve their disputes (SAP began organizing and intermingling people from two dfferent groups
third party conflict resolution
any attempt by a relatively neutral person to keep conflict parties resolve their differences arbitration, inquisition and mediation
arbitration
arbitrators have high control over the final decision but low control over the process, (listening to arguments from disputing employees and making a binding decision) is applied as final stage of grievances by unionized employees in many countries
if perceived differentiation is high
attempts to manage conflict through dialogue might escalate rather than reduce the relationship conflict
Positive Consequences of Conflict
better decision making -tests logic of arguments -questions assumptions more responsive to changing environment stronger team cohesion (conflict between the team and outside opponents)
cohesive team
conflict is suppressed when the conflict occurs within a highly cohesive team
manifest conflict
conflict style decisions overt behaviors
clarifying rules and procedures
conflicts arise from ambiguities can be minimized by establishing rules and procedures
inquisition
control all discussion about conflict, have high decision control because choose an action that will resolve the conflict but have high process control because they choose which info to examine and how to examine
Reducing interdependence
create buffers:any mechanism that loosens the coupling between two or more people or work units use integrators: employees who coordinate the activities of work units toward the completion of a common task (human buffers) reduce the frequency of direct interaction among work units that have diverse goals and perspectives combine jobs: both a form of job enrichment and a way to reduce task interdependence--pooled form of task interdependence
differentiation
differences among people and work units regarding their training, values, beliefs, and experiences . produces tension between employees from two companies brought together by merger
physical setting
distance between parties and formality of setting can influence orientation towards each other and disputed issues--people face to face are more likely to develop a win-lose orientation toward the conflict situation
communication problems
due to lack of opportunity, ability, or motivation to communicate effectively--when two parties lack the opportunity to communicate they tend to rely more on stereotypes to understand the other party -some people lack the skills to communicate in a diplomatic, non confrontational manner -relationship conflict is uncomfortable so people are less motivated to communicate with others in a disagreement
interdependence
extent to which employees must share materials, info, expertise to perform job--sharing resources, exchanging work clients and receiving outcomes -lowest risk conflict when working with pooled interdependence. highest risk conflict occurs in reciprocal interdependence situations
relationship conflict
focuses on the adversity rather than the issue as the source of conflict.
scarce resource
generates conflict because each person or unit requiring the same resource necessarily undermines others who also need that resource to fulfill their goals--labor strikes because financial resources
emphasizing superordinate goals
goals that the conflicting employees or departments value and whose attainment requires the join resources and effort of those parties. high order aspirations such as organization's -potentially reduce the problem of differentiation because establish shared social identity feeling
improving communication and mutual understanding
in johari window process you disclose more about yourself so that others have a better understanding of your behavior and why you act the way you do and through meaningful interaction
sources of conflict
incompatible goals differentiation interdependence scarce resources ambiguous rules poor communication
increasing resources
increase amount of resources reduces conflict caused by resource scarcity
cultural differences
influence the preferred conflict handling style -collectivist culture are more motivated to maintain good relations -low collectivism resolve conflict through avoidance or problem solving
bargaining zone model of negotiations
initial, target, and resistance
location
it is easier to negotiate on your own turf--many negotiators agree to neutral territory
conflict perceptions and emotions lead to
mainfest conflict
manifest conflict
may range from subtle nonverbal behaviors to warlike aggression
mediation
mediators have high control over intervention process but parties make final decision about how to resolve so have no control over conflict resolution decision
optimal conflict perspective
most effective when employees experience some level of conflict but become less effective with high levels of conflict
audience characteristics
most negotiators have audiences and tend to act differently when audience observes and tend to be more competitive, less willing to make concessions and more likely to engage in assertive tactics "hard-line" behavior shows audience negotiator is working in their interests
assertiveness
motivation to satisfy ones own interests
cooperativeness
motivation to satisfy other parties interests
ambiguous rules
occurs because uncertainty increases the risk that one party intends to interfere with the other party's goals. encourages political tactics and employees enter a free for all battle to win decisions
constructive conflict
occurs when people focus their discussion around the issue while showing respect for people with other points of view-different positions are thus encouraged so ideas can be clarified, redesigned and tested for logical soundness
negotiation
occurs whenever two or more conflicting parties attempt to resolve their divergent goals by redefining the terms of their interdependence
strategies for claiming value
prepare and set goals know your BATNA--best alternative to a negotiated agreement, estimates your power in negotiation because represents the estimated cost of walking away from relationship manage time-more power apply time pressure through "exploding offer"--limited time offers are frequently found in consumer sales which motivate the other party to accept and lose opp to discover BATNA manage first offers and concessions-negotiators who make first offer have the advantage in creating a position around which subsequent negotiations are anchored
Conflict
process in which one party perceives that its interest are being opposed or negatively affected by another party; ultimately based on perception that the other party is going to do so. Conflict exists whenever one party believes that another might obstruct its efforts
Mary Parker Follett
suggested there are different conflict handling styles high=forcing and problem solving (win win) med=compromising low=avoiding and yielding
structural approaches and causes of conflcit
superordinate goals, reducing differentiation, improving communication, and understanding, reducing task interdependence, increasing resources, and clarifying rules and procedures
initial offer point
team's opening offer to the other party
target point
team's realistic goal or expectation for a final agreement
men
tend to be more competitive and take short term orientation to the relationship low collectivism cultures-men are more likely to use forcing approach
win lose orientation
the belief that conflicting parties are drawing from a fixed pie, so the more one party receives the less the other party will receive
win win orientation
the belief that conflicting parties will find a mutually beneficial solution to their disagreement
build a relationship
trust is critical for solving problems so do it by discovering common backgrounds and interests also increases by developing a shared understanding of the negotiation process
Negative consequences of conflict
uses otherwise productive time less info sharing higher stress, dissatisfaction, and turnover increases organizational politics wastes resources weakens team cohesion (conflict among team members)
supportive team norms
various team norms can hold relationship conflict at bay during constructive debate when encouraging openness, discourage negative emotions towards team members,
incompatible goals
when goals of one person interfere with another's goal
emotional intelligence
when team members have high levels of emotional intelligence relationship conflict is less likely because able to control their emotions during a debate--reduces risk of escalating perceptions of hostility
women
women tend to pay more attention to the relationship and ten to adopt a compromising or occasionally problem solving style in business settings more willing to compromise to save relationship more likely to use avoiding style