MGMT 3600 Ch. 11

What are ways to reduce interdependence?

Create buffers Create integrators Combine jobs

Reducing Differentiation

Differences regarding training, values, beliefs, and experiences can be minimized

Employees in engineering and marketing often disagree with each other in how to achieve a target mainly because they have unique backgrounds, experiences, and training. The most apparent source of conflict here is

Differentiation

Mediation

negotiation to resolve differences conducted by some impartial party

Concessions should be clearly labeled as such and have the expectation that the other party will

reciprocate

There's more conflict during mergers and acquisitions because

rules are ambiguous

Negotiators tend to act more assertively and competitively if

there's an audience

Negotiation

two or more conflicting parties attempt to resolve their divergent goals by redefining the terms of their interdependence

Negotiators make more _________ as the deadline gets closer, because they're trying to reach an agreement

concessions

is the process in which one party perceives that its interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another party.

conflict

Why do managers tend to rely on the inquisition approach to intervene in workplace disputes?

consistent with the decision-oriented nature of managerial jobs gives managers control over the conflict process and outcome and tends to resolve disputes efficiently.

Which of the following factors leads to relationship conflicts in teams?

Low levels of communication

Integrators

employees who coordinate the activities of work units toward the completion of a shared task or project.

In a negotiation, the integrative approach is also called

win-win

Scarce Resources

The amount of resources available is limited

Integrative approach to negotiation

-Understand the other's position and interests, share and receive information in balanced manner. -Firm on limits/bottom line but creative in how you achieve your goals, win-win as much as possible.

Level of interdependence from lowest to highest

Complete, Pooled, Sequential, Reciprocal

Avoiding

Conflict has become too emotionally charged Cost of trying to resolve the conflict outweighs the benefits

Communication Problems

Conflict often occurs due to the lack of opportunity, ability, or motivation to communicate effectively

What's the issue with avoiding?

Doesn't usually resolve the conflict May increase other party's frustration

What are the structural approaches to conflict management?

Emphasizing superordinate goals Reducing differentiation Improving communication and mutual understanding Reducing interdependence Increasing resources Clarifying rules and procedures

True or False: Arbitration has a high level of process control but a low level of decision control.

False: Arbitration is characterized by a high level of decision control and a low level of process control.

True or False: Constructive conflicts tend to escalate into relationship conflict among employees in highly cohesive teams.

False: Relationship conflict is suppressed when the conflict occurs within a highly cohesive team.

True or false: The five interpersonal conflict management styles are distinguished by the level of interdependence between the conflicting parties.

False: The five interpersonal conflict management styles are distinguished by the degree of assertiveness and cooperativeness of the parties involved.

True or false: Women tend to receive better treatment in a negotiation than men

False: They are more likely to be deceived by the other party

True or false: Workplace conflict can keep a company avoidant of the external environment

False: it can keep a company responsive to the external environment

People who have a win-lose orientation, use which conflict-handling style?

Forcing

Negotiation Processes

Gather information Manage time Manage Concessions Build the relationship

What's the issue with forcing?

Highest risk of relationship conflict May damage long-term relations, reducing future problem solving

Clarifying Rules and Procedures

If two departments are fighting over the use of a new laboratory, a schedule might be established that allocates the lab exclusively to each team at certain times of the day or week.

What's the issue with yielding?

Increases other party's expectations in future conflict episodes

The Bargaining Zone Model contains three main points:

Initial, Target, and Resistance

Problem-Solving

Interests are not perfectly opposing (i.e., not pure win-lose) Parties have trust, openness, and time to share information Issues are complex

How is conflict dysfunctional?

It consumes personal energy and distracts employees from their work.

Which theorist saw benefits with conflict?

John Dewey

Which of the following statements is true of the relationship conflicts in a highly cohesive team?

Relationship conflict is suppressed when the conflict occurs.

Yielding

Other party has substantially more power Issue is much less important to you than to the other party The value and logic of your position isn't as clear

Compromising

Parties have equal power Time pressure to resolve the conflict Parties lack trust/openness for problem solving

Increasing Resources

Resource scarcity is a source of conflict, so increasing the amount of resources available would have the opposite effect

What's the issue of problem-solving?

Sharing information that the other party might use to his or her advantage

What's the issue with compromising?

Suboptimal solution where mutual gains are possible

What is true about women negotiators?

Tend to accept offers just above their resistance point Value interpersonal relations in the negotiation

Distributive approach to negotiation

The negotiator believes those involved in the conflict must distribute portions from a fixed pie; win-lose orientation

True or False: Conflict is a process in which one party perceives that its interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another party.

True

True or False: Constructive conflict tests the logic of arguments and encourages participants to re-examine their basic assumptions.

True

True or False: Workplace conflict can energize employees and make a company more effective

True

Forcing

You have a deep conviction about your position (e.g., believe other person's behavior is unethical) Dispute requires a quick solution Other party would take advantage of more cooperative strategies

Inquisition

a period of prolonged and intensive questioning or investigation.

Relationship Conflict

a type of conflict in which people focus on characteristics of other individuals, rather than on the issues, as the source of conflict

An important part of using dialogue to reduce conflict is for the other parties involved to:

avoid emotional responses throughout the process remain open-minded

In approaching a negotiation, skilled negotiators begin by

adopting a cautious problem-solving style.

Third Party Conflict Resolution

any attempt by a relatively neutral person to help the parties resolve their differences

Buffer

any mechanism that loosens the coupling between two or more people or work units

Giving all salespeople 10% commission of their sales is an example of reducing conflict by:

clarifying procedures for allocating budget resources

Relationship conflict is dysfunctional because it threatens all of the following except

decreasing stereotypes

Win-lose approach is also known as

forcing

It's important to listen and observe the other negotiations to

gather information

Improving Communication and Mutual Understanding

give the conflicting parties more opportunities to communicate and understand each other

Effective negotiators focus on

goals and needs

Superordinate Goals

goals that the conflicting employees or departments value and whose attainment requires the joint resources and effort of those parties

are employees who coordinate the activities of differentiated work units toward the completion of a common task.

integrators

Reducing task ________ can reduce conflict

interdependence

According to the literature on organizational conflict, constructive conflict

is a positive application of conflict in organizations.

Discovering priorities can be best accomplished by

listening to counteroffers

For everyday disputes between two employees, managers should use _____ as a third-party intervention.

mediation

Ambiguous Rules

occurs because uncertainty increases the risk that one party intends to interfere with the other party's goals

Task Conflict

occurs when people focus their discussion around the issue while showing respect for people with other points of view

Using cross-functional teams to develop products reduces conflict by

reducing differentiation

Arbitration

settling a dispute by agreeing to accept the decision of an impartial outsider

Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA)

the best outcome you might achieve through some other course of action if you abandon the current negotiation

The yielding conflict management style should be used if

the issue is much less important to you than to the other party.

The bargaining zone model states that

the negotiation process moves each party along a continuum in opposite directions with an area of potential overlap

When negotiating it's important to build a relationship by

using emotional intelligence finding a common hobby or sport adding team members similar to those on the other team