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What is conflict?

 Conflict occurs whenever:
 Disagreements exist in a social situation over
issues of substance.
 Emotional antagonisms cause frictions between
individuals or groups.

What is conflict?

 Types of conflict.
 Substantive conflict.
 A fundamental disagreement over ends or goals to be
pursued and the means for their accomplishment.
 Emotional conflict.
 Interpersonal difficulties that arise over feelings of
anger, mistrust, dislike, fear, resentment, etc.

What is conflict?

 Levels of conflict.
 Intrapersonal conflicts.
 Actual or perceived pressures from incompatible
goals or expectations.
 Approach-approach conflict.
 Avoidance-avoidance conflict.
 Approach-avoidance conflict.

What is conflict?

 Levels of conflict — cont.
 Interpersonal conflict.
 Occurs between two or more individuals who are in
opposition to one another.

Sources:
 Personal Difference
 Information Deficiency
 Role incompatibility
 Environmental stress

Analyzing Interpersonal conflict- Johari
window
Person who knows Person who does not
knows About others
About others

Person who Open Self
Hidden Self
knows
About himself

Person who Blind Self Undiscovered Self
knows does
not About
himself

 Intergroup conflict.
 Occurs among members of different teams or groups.
 Sources:
 Competition for resources
 Task interdependence

 Jurisdiction ambiguity
 Status struggle

What is conflict?
 Levels of conflict — cont.
 Interorganizational conflict.
 Occurs in the competition and rivalry that characterize
firms operating in the same markets.
 Occurs between unions and organizations employing
their members.
 Occurs between government regulatory agencies and
organizations subject to their surveillance.
 Occurs between organizations and suppliers of raw
materials.

 Intraorganizational conflicts
 Hierarchial conflict
 Functional conflict
 Line staff conflict
 Formal informal conflict

What is conflict?
 Functional (or constructive) conflict.
 Results in positive benefits to individuals, the
group, or the organization.
 Likely effects.
 Surfaces important problems so they can be
addressed.
 Causes careful consideration of decisions.
 Causes reconsideration of decisions.
 Increases information available for decision making.
 Provides opportunities for creativity.

What is conflict?

 Dysfunctional (or destructive) conflict.
 Works to the disadvantage of individuals, the
group, or the organization.
 Likely effects:
 Diverts energies.
 Harms group cohesion.
 Promotes interpersonal hostilities.
 Creates overall negative environment for workers.

How can conflict be
managed successfully?
 Causes of conflict.
 Vertical conflict.
 Occurs between hierarchical levels.
 Horizontal conflict.
 Occurs between persons or groups at the same
hierarchical level.
 Line-staff conflict.
 Involves disagreements over who has authority and
control over specific matters.

How can conflict be
 Causes of conflict — cont.
 Role conflicts.
 Occur when the communication of task expectations
proves inadequate or upsetting.
 Work-flow interdependencies.
 Occur when people or units are required to cooperate
to meet challenging goals.

How can conflict be
 Domain ambiguities.
 Occur when individuals or groups are placed in
ambiguous situations where it is difficult to determine
who is responsible for what.
 Resource scarcity.
 When resources are scarce, working relationships are
likely to suffer.

How can conflict be
 Power or value asymmetries.
 Occur when interdependent people or groups differ
substantially from one another in status and influence
or in values.

What is conflict?

 Culture and conflict.
 Conflict is likely to be high when:
 Persons from short-term cultures work with persons
from long-term cultures.
 Persons from individualistic cultures work with
persons from collectivistic cultures.
 Persons from high power distance cultures work with
persons from low power distance cultures.

How can conflict be
 Stages of conflict.
 Conflict antecedents .
 Set the conditions for conflict.
 Perceived conflict.
 Substantive or emotional differences are sensed.
 Felt conflict.
 Tension creates motivation to act.
Conflict handling intentions- competing , collaborating,
compromising, voiding, Accomodating
 Manifest conflict.
 Conflict resolution or suppression.
 Conflict aftermath.

How can conflict be
 Conflict resolution.
 A situation in which the underlying reasons for a
given destructive conflict are eliminated.
 Effective resolution begins with a diagnosis of the
stage to which conflict has developed and
recognition of the cause(s) of the conflict.

How can conflict be
 1. Avoidance
This method indicates absence of any action. This also
includes withdrawal and suppression.
Strengths: This is perhaps the easiest method to adopt. At
times, avoidance until more information is available or until
an analysis of the problem has been made, is the most
productive approach.

Weaknesses: This method does not bring about effective
resolution. By following this method, one can only
temporarily get out of conflict, as conflict is not eliminated.

How can conflict be
 2. Authoratitive command or Imposing a Solution
This method forces the conflicting parties to accept a solution which is devised by
the higher-ups in the hierarchy. This becomes possible by virtue of formal
positional hierarchy and authority that exist in organizations.
Strengths: This strategy is very effective in organizations, since members
recognize and accept authority of superiors. This approach is good in emergencies
when quick decision is needed.

Weaknesses: This method fails to treat the cause of conflict. This strategy does
not necessarily bring about agreement. This is highly a short-lived and temporary
approach, and the conflict is bound to reappear later, in other forms during other
situations.

How can conflict be
 3. Defusion
This strategy involves postponement of or delaying the decisions with a
view to cool down the intensity and thus avoid escalation or open
hostility. This approach involves focusing on unnecessary issues, thereby
avoiding the main problem for sometime.
Strengths: Helps to avoid the conflict temporarily. Allows the manager to
buy sometime to think of a permanent solution at a later time.
Weaknesses: The major cause of the conflict is not confronted and this
leaves anxiety about the future among the conflicting parties, thereby
leading to dissatisfaction among the involved groups.

How can conflict be
 4. Accommodation or smoothing.
 Unassertive and cooperative.
 Letting the other’s wishes rule.
 Smoothing over differences to maintain superficial harmony.

Strengths: This method is best suited when preserving harmony and avoiding
disruptions are especially important. This method serves as a stop-gap strategy to let
people cool down and regain perspective. This strategy is most appropriate when the
conflict is concerned with non-work issues. When conflicts arise due to issues like
moral values, beliefs, etc.,
Weaknesses: Differences or key points of conflict are not confronted and thus they remain
under the surface. This method, therefore, is a temporary measure.

How can conflict be
 5. Using Representatives
This approach helps to contain the conflict. In order to decide an issue, it is
always better to meet the representatives of the opposing groups rather than
dealing with the groups per se. This is mainly because the representatives know
the problems well and can argue the points of view of the group more precisely.

Strengths: The major strength of this approach is that one may be able to get a
better picture about the problems by involving representatives rather than the
groups concerned.
Weaknesses: Representatives are not totally free to engage in compromise.
Selection of a proper representative for each group is very important. Personal
influence of the representatives could lead to negative consequences.

How can conflict be

6. Altering Structural Variables
This approach changes structural variables. It includes transferring and
exchanging group members and expanding the group or organization’s
boundaries. Structuring the interaction between the groups can be
effective in resolving conflicts. Many a times, decreasing the amount of
direct interaction between the groups early in the conflict helps to prevent
the conflict form escalating.

Strengths: It can be permanent

Weaknesses: This approach is often expensive. It forces the organization
to be designed for specific individuals and thus requires continual
adjustment as people join or leave the organization.

How can conflict be
 7. Negotiation
This approach requires each party to give up something of value.
Negotiation is an approach where both sides walk towards each other to
reach a mutually acceptable position.
 Strengths: There is no clear loser in this approach. This method is
effective when there are several acceptable alternatives that both groups
are willing to consider.
Weaknesses: There is no clear winner. This method is effective only
when both the groups are relatively of equal power. Otherwise, this
approach becomes a power-oriented one, and is influenced heavily by the
relative strength of the parties.

How can conflict be
 8. Problem Solving / Confrontation / Collaboration
This method seeks resolution through face-to-face confrontation of the
conflicting parties. The conflicting parties seek mutual problem
definition, assessment of the problem, and the solution. In this approach,
there is an open expression of feelings ad well as exchange of task-related
information.
Strengths: This method is effective in dealing with conflicts stemming
from semantic misunderstandings. This method brings to surface the
doubts and misperceptions.

 Weaknesses: This method is time-consuming. This method is not
effective for many non-communicative conflicts, especially those based
on different value systems.

How can conflict be
 9. Reducing Task Inter-dependence
Reducing task interdependence between groups and assigning clear work
responsibilities to each group is one of the ways of redesigning
organizations. This is an effective method to resolve inter-group conflicts.
Strengths: This approach is effective when the work can be clearly
divided into distinct segments or projects.
Weaknesses: This strategy could sometimes result in duplication of work
and also in wastage of resources. Again, creativity is curtailed, as work
areas are restricted and thus the responsibility to create new ideas also
gets restricted.

 10. Expansion of Resources
One of the ways to manage conflicts, arising out of
competition for limited resources, is to expand or increase the
availability of scarce resources.
Strengths: This method facilitates each conflicting party to be
victorious.
Weaknesses: Resources rarely exist in such quantities that
they can be expanded so easily.

How can conflict be
 11. Altering the Human Variable
This method helps to change the attitudes and behaviour of
one or more of the conflicting parties. This includes use of
education, sensitivity and awareness training, and human
relations training.
Strengths: Results can be substantial and permanent. This
method has the potential to alleviate the source of conflict.
Weaknesses: It is most difficult to achieve. This approach is
also slow and costly.

 12. Establishing Rules and Procedures

This approach calls for establishing, in advance, a set of
formalized rules and procedures that will specify how group
members are to interact with each other.

Strengths: This approach is most simple and least costly.

Weaknesses: Rules and Procedures minimize the information
flow between departments or work groups.

How can conflict be
 The issue of “who wins?”
 Lose-lose conflict.
 Occurs when nobody gets what he or she wants.
 Avoidance, accommodation or smoothing, and
compromise are forms of lose-lose conflict.
 Win-lose conflict.
 One part achieves its desires at the expense and to the
exclusion of the other party’s desires.
 Competition and authoritative command are forms of
win-lose conflict.

How can conflict be
 The issue of “who wins?” — cont.
 Win-win conflict.
 Both parties achieve their desires.
 Collaboration or problem solving are forms of win-
win conflict.

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Conflict

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