EXAM 2 Chapter 3, 10, 11

Is conflict always bad?

A moderate amount of conflict can actually be a healthy (and necessary) part of organizational life. Lack of conflict may be an indicator that individuals do not care about their jobs enough to bring up differences. If conflict is too low, then performance is low. If conflict is too high, then performance also tends to be low. Task conflict can be good in the early stages of decision making, because it stimulates creativity. It can interfere with complex tasks in the long run. Personal conflicts, such as personal attacks, are never healthy because they cause stress and distress.

Task Interdependence

Accomplishment of your goal requires reliance on others to perform their tasks. EX. You're tasked with creating advertising for your product, you're dependent on the creative team to design the words and layout, the photographer or videographer to create the visuals, the media buyer to purchase the advertising space, and so on

Three key factors to understanding what kind of attributions we make

- Consensus - Distinctiveness - Consistency

Core self evaluations

- Neuroticism - Locus of control - Self efficacy - Self esteem

Interpersonal conflict

Arises among individuals such as coworkers, a manager and an employee, or CEOs and their staff. Important source of stress. Competition could be a key reason behind interpersonal conflict. Can also rise due to personality or values differences.

Intrapersonal conflict

Arises within a person. Can arise because of differences in roles. For example, when you're uncertain about what is expected or wanted, or you have a sense of being inadequate to perform a task.

Competing

Assertive and uncooperative. A management style involving a stance of high assertiveness with low cooperation. Want to reach their goal or get their solution adopted regardless of what others say or how they feel. Interested in getting the outcome they want as opposed to keeping the other party happy, and they push for the deal they are interested in making. May lead to poor relationships with others if one is always seeking to maximize their own outcomes at the expense of others' well-being. Effective if one has strong moral objections to the alternatives

Collaborating

Assertiveness and cooperation. A situation in which the parties to a conflict each desire to satisfy fully the concerns of all parties This is a strategy to use for achieving the best outcome from conflict—both sides argue for their position, supporting it with facts and rationale while listening attentively to the other side. Has the potential to be highly effective in many different situations.

Personality Differences

By understanding some fundamental differences among the way people think and act, we can better understand how others see the world. EX. Type A individuals have been found to have more conflicts with their coworkers than Type B individuals.

Ways to manage conflict

Change the structure Change the composition of the team Create a common opposing force Consider majority rule Problem solve

Conflict Handling Styles

Competing Collaborating Avoiding Accommodating Compromising

Positive outcomes of conflict

Consideration of a broader range of ideas, resulting in a better, stronger idea Surfacing of assumptions that may be inaccurate Increased participation and creativity Clarification of individual views that build learning

Accommodating

Cooperative and unassertive. In this style, the person gives in to what the other side wants, even if it means giving up one's personal goals. People who use this style may fear speaking up for themselves or they may place a higher value on the relationship.

Consensus

Do other people behave the same way? If they do, the behavior has high consensus.

Distinctiveness

Does this person behave the same way across different situations? If they don't, the behavior has high distinctiveness.

Consistency

Does this person behave this way in different occasions in the same situation? If they do, the behavior has high consistency.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

EI SN TF JP

Ways to Stimulate Conflict

Encourage people to raise issues and disagree with you or the status quo without fear of reprisal Assign a devil's advocate to stimulate alternative viewpoints. Create a competition among teams, offering a bonus to the team that comes up with the best solution to a problem Build some ambiguity into the process

EI

Extraversion & Introversion

Create a common opposing force

Focusing attention on a common enemy such as the competition. EX. Two software groups may be vying against each other for marketing dollars, each wanting to maximize advertising money devoted to their product. But, by focusing attention on a competitor company, the groups may decide to work together to enhance the marketing effectiveness for the company as a whole.

Consider majority rule

Group members take a vote, and the idea with the most votes is the one that gets implemented. Can work if the participants feel that the procedure is fair.

Organizational structure

If matrix structure is used as its organizational form, it will have decisional conflict built in, because the structure specifies that each manager report to two bosses.

Change the structure

If the conflict is at an intergroup level (between two departments) a structural solution could be to have those two departments report to the same executive, who could align their previously incompatible goals. When problems originate from a matrix structure in which an individual reports to multiple people, clearly defining the zone of authority for each manager may be useful.

Negative outcomes of conflict

Increased stress and anxiety among individuals, which decreases productivity and satisfaction Feelings of being defeated and demeaned, which lowers individuals morale and may increase turnover A climate of mistrust, which hinders the teamwork and cooperation necessary to get work done

Problem solve

Individuals or groups in conflict are asked to focus on the problem, not on each other, and to uncover the root cause of the problem.

JP

Judgement & Perceptions

How are effective teams characterized?

Low but increasing levels of process conflict (how do we get things done?) Low levels of relationship conflict with a rise toward the end of the project (personal disagreements among team members) Moderate levels of task conflict in the middle of the task time line.

Conflict Handling Styles: Bosses vs Employees

Managers prefer forcing, while their subordinates are more likely to engage in avoiding, accommodating, or compromising

Compromising

Medium assertive and cooperative. Middle-ground style, in which individuals have some desire to express their own concerns and get their way but still respect the other person's goals.

What is the role of mood?

Negotiators in positive moods tend to be more cooperative and less likely to engage in conflict as well as even come to agreements that are more advantageous to all parties

Big 5 Personality Traits

Openness Conscientiousness (best predictor of performance) Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism

6 Causes of Conflict

Organizational structure Limited resources Task interdependence Incompatible goals Personality differences Communication problems

Causes of Conflict

Organizational structure Limited resources Task interdependence Incompatible goals Personality differences Communication problems

False consensus error

People overestimate how similar they are to others.

Positive and Negative Affectivity

Positive affective people experience positive moods more frequently. Negative affective people experience negative moods with greater frequency.

Conflict

Process that involves people disagreeing

Limited resources

Resources such as money, time, and equipment are often scare. When a group of employees have access to such resources while others do not, conflict may arise among employees or between employees and management. One source of conflict many companies have to live with.

SN

Sensing & Intuition

Change the composition of the team

Separating the personalities that were at odds. In instances in which conflict is attributed to the widely different styles, values, and preferences of a small number of members, replacing some of these members may resolve the problem. Consider a physical layout solution. When antagonists are seated directly across from each other, the amount of conflict increases. However, when they are seated side by side, the conflict tends to decrease.

Intergroup conflict

Takes place among different groups. Types of groups may include different departments or divisions in a company.

Person-job fit

The degree to which a person's skill, knowledge, abilities, and other characteristics match the job demands.

Person-organization fit

The degree to which a person's values, personality, goals, and other characteristics match those of the organization.

in-group bias

The tendency for individuals to favor the group to which they belong. Intergroup conflict is often made even worse due to individual tendency for in group bias. "us versus them" mentality.

TF

Thinking & Feeling

Avoiding

Uncooperative and unassertive. Seek to avoid conflict altogether by denying that it is there. Prone to postponing any decisions in which a conflict may arise. "I don't really care if we work this out," or "I don't think there's any problem." Personality traits such as the need for affiliation.

Communication Problems

When communicating, focusing on behavior and its effects, rather than the person is one strategy that may prevent well-intentioned feedback from creating conflict. EX. Hershey Company was talking with Cadbury Schweppes about a possible merger. No information about this deal was shared with Hershey's major stakeholder, the Hershey Trust. When CEO of the Hershey Trust discovered that talks were underway without anyone consulting the Trust, tensions between the major stakeholders began to rise. As Hershey continued to underperform, steps were taken in what is now called the "Sunday night massacre," in which several board members were forced to resign and Richard Lenny, Hershey's then CEO, retired

Incompatible Goals

When two parties think that their goals are mutually exclusive. Often arise because of the different ways department managers are compensated

External attribution

a behavior is due to the situation. High Consensus High Distinctiveness Low Consistency

Proactive personality

a person's inclination to fix what is perceived as wrong, change the status quo, and use initiative to solve problems.

Self-efficacy

belief that one can perform a specific task successfully.

Internal attribution

believing a behavior is due to an internal characteristic. Low Consensus Low Distinctiveness High Consistency

Attribution

casual explanation we give for an observed behavior.

Instrumental values

deal with views on acceptable modes of conduct.

Self-esteem

degree to which a person has overall positive feelings about oneself.

Terminal values

end states people desire in life.

Stereotypes

generalizations based on group characteristics.

Conflict management

resolving disagreements effectively

Values

stable life goals that people have. They reflect what is most important to them.

Self-enhancement bias

tendency to overestimate their performance and capabilities and see themselves in a more positive light than others see them.

Self-effacement bias

tendency to underestimate performance and capabilities and see events in a way that puts oneself in a more negative light.

Locus of control

the degree to which people feel accountable for their own behaviors.

Self-monitoring

the extent to which a person is capable of altering his or her actions and appearance in social situations.

Perception

the process with which individuals detect and interpret environmental stimuli.

Personality

the relatively stable feelings, thoughts, and behavioral patters a person has.

External locus of control

those with a high external locus of control feel that things happen to them because of other people, luck, or a powerful being.

Internal locus of control

those with a high internal locus of control believe they control their own destiny and what happens to them is their own doing.

Selective perception

we pay selective attention to parts of the environment while ignoring other parts

Self-fulfilling prophecy

when people automatically behave as if an established stereotype is accurate, leading to reactive behavior from the other party that confirms the stereotype.

Overqualification

when the employees has more skills, education, and experience than the job requires.