chapter 10 conflict & negotiation

Process conflict

- constructive/functional

avoiding *conflict handling style*

*preferred style when* - conflict too emotionally charged - cost of trying to resolve conflict too high *problems with this style* - doesn't solve problem - may increase problem

problem solving *conflict handling style* *"win-win orientation"*

*preferred style when* - interest are not perfectly opposing - parties have trust, openness, & time - issues are complex *problems with this style* - sharing info that the other party might use to his/her advantage

yielding *conflict handling style*

*preferred style when* - other party has much more power - issues is less important to you - value/logic of your position is not clear *problems with this style* - increases other party's expectations in future conflict episodes

compromising *conflict handling style*

*preferred style when* - parties have equal power - time pressure to resolve the conflict - parties lack trust/ openness for problem solving *problems with this style* - suboptimal solution where mutual gains are possible

forcing *conflict handling style* *"win-lose orientation"*

*preferred style when* - you have deep conversation about your position (ethical considerations) - dispute requires quick solution - other party would take advantage of more cooperative strategies *problems with this style* - highest risk of relationship conflict - may damage long term relations, reduce future trust

reasons why conflict can be dysfunctional

- (*stressful*) consumes personal energy and distracts employees from their work. - higher turnover - lower customer service - reduced information sharing & other forms of coordination with each other - fuels organizational politics, such as motivating employees to find ways to undermine the credibility of their opponent - undermine team cohesion and performance

3 strategies or conditions potentially minimize the level of relationship conflict during task conflict episodes

- *Emotional intelligence & emotional stability:* able to regulate their emotions during debate, which reduces the risk of escalating - *Cohesive team:* working together for a long time, get to know each other, & develop mutual trust - *Supportive team norms:* encourage openness; team members learn to appreciate honest dialogue without personally reacting to any emotional display

task conflict "constructive"

- *constructive/ Functional??* - parties focus on the issue, respect ppl with other point of views - Try to understand logic/assumptions of each - participants calmly reexamine their assumptions & beliefs w/o having hostile emotions triggered by their drive to defend their self-concept.

ambiguous rules vs communication problems *structural sources of conflict*

- *creates uncertainty, political behavior:* - reduces motivation to communicate; poor communication skills escalate conflict

interdependence vs scarce resources *structural sources of conflict*

- *more likely to interfere with each other:* highest risk of conflict tends to occur in reciprocal interdependence situations; most immediate risk - *motivates competition for the resource:* occur because there aren't enough financial and other resources for employees and company owners (labor strikes)

incompatible goals vs differentiation *structural sources of conflict*

- *one party's goals perceived to interfere with other's goals:* production department strives for cost efficiency by scheduling long production runs whereas the sales team emphasizes customer service - *different values/beliefs/ personalities, etc:* Younger vs older employees; diff needs, diff expectations, & diff workplace practices

model of the conflict process

- *sources of conflict* incompatible goals, differentiation, interdependence, scarce resources, ambiguous rules, poor communication (conflict perceptions & emotions) - *manifest conflict* conflict handling style, decisions, overt behaviors - *conflict outcomes* - *positive* better decisions, responsive firm, team cohesion; *negative* lower performance, more stress/ turnover, less coordination, more politics, less team cohesion

types of conflict

- Task - relationship - process

model of the conflict process

- a series of episodes that potentially cycle into conflict escalation - doesn't take much to start this conflict cycle—just an inappropriate comment, misunderstanding, or an action that lacks diplomacy - These behaviors cause the other party to perceive that conflict exists, - Even if the first party did not intend to demonstrate conflict, the second party's response may create that perception.

positive consequences of conflict

- better decision making: - *tests logic of arguments* - *questions assumptions* - more responsive to changing environment - stronger team cohesion (conflict btwn the team & outside opponents)

benefits of conflict *organizations are most effective when employees experience some level of conflict, but become less effective with high levels of conflict*

- conflict energizes people to debate issues & evaluate alternatives more thoroughly - test each other's way of thinking to better understand the underlying issues that need to be addressed - encourages participants to reexamine their basic assumptions about the problem and its possible solution - prevents teams from making inferior decisions; potentially helps them develop more sound & creative solutions - prevent organizations from becoming nonresponsive to their external environment - *external challenge* that potentially increases cohesion within the team

Relationship conflict *dysfunctional*

- focus on personal characteristics (not issues) as the source of conflict - try to undermine each other's worth/competence - accompanied by strong negative emotions - "personality clashes" & other interpersonal incompatibilities rather than legitimate differences of opinion - threaten self-esteem & oppose self-enhancement and self-verification processes - trigger defense mechanisms & competitive orientation

conflict handling styles

- forcing (1) - avoiding (2) - problem solving (3) - yielding (4) - compromising (middle ground)

conflict...

- initially experts believed all conflict had to be avoided or quickly resolved - it was recognized that conflict is inevitable & managers need to learn to live with it - conflict have both positive & negative outcomes & organizations could suffer from too much or too little conflict

negative consequences of conflict

- lower performance - higher stress, dissatisfication, & turnover - less info sharing & coordination - increased organizational politics - wasted resources - weakened team cohesion (conflict among team members)

Research on conflict types

- relationship & process conflict are *negatively* related to group performance - *task conflict not directly related to group performance*; however can be helpful for decision making groups - Task & relationship conflict *highly* related - Task & relationship are *highly* related to counterproductive workplace behavior - all 3 are *negatively* related to trust, team potency, satisfication, commitment, identification, & OCBs - *"in sum, the weight of the evidence continues to suggest that conflict is generally to be considered a con"* (O'Neill, Allen, Hastings)

win-lose orientation forcing

belief that conflicting parties are drawing from a fixed pie, so the more one party receives, the less the other party will receive.

conflict

occurs when one party *percieves* that its interest are being *opposed* or negatively *affected* by another party

win win orientation problem solving

people using this style believe the resources at stake are expandable rather than fixed if the parties work together to find a creative solution.