Understanding and Resolving
Conflict
Mark Smallwood
Brigham Young University
Agenda
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What is conflict?
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What is conflict’s role in business?
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Different views of conflict
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Kinds of conflict
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Stages of conflict resolution
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Methods of conflict resolution
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Group Exercise
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Review
What is Conflict?
A process that begins when one party perceives that another party has negatively affected, or
is about to negatively affect, something that the first party cares about.
A Few Questions
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Is conflict bad for business?
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What kind of conflict is seen in our
business?
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Does this conflict help or hurt our
performance?
Conflicts About Conflict’s Role
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Different Views
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Traditional View
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Human Relations View
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Interactionist View
Different Views
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Traditional View
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Conflict is bad!
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Same as violence, destruction, irrationality
Different Views
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Human Relations View
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It’s going to happen, so cope with it!
Different Views
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Interactionist View
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Functional conflict is good for business and
even encouraged
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Functional vs. dysfunctional conflict
Kinds of Conflict
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Task Conflict
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Low to moderate levels can be acceptable
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Process Conflict
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Low levels can be acceptable
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Relationship Conflict
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Almost always dysfunctional
The Conflict Process
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Four Stages
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Potential opposition
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Cognition and personalization
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Behavior
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Outcomes
The Conflict Process
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Stage 1
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Potential Opposition
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Factors are present that can lead to conflict
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Communication
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Structure
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Personal Variables
The Conflict Process
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Stage 2
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Cognition and Personalization
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Awareness of conditions in stage 1
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The conditions cause some sort of frustration
The Conflict Process
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Stage 3
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Behavior
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An action is done that frustrates another person’s
interests
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The conflict becomes known to the differing parties
and to others
The Conflict Process
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Stage 4
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Outcomes
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Functional Outcomes
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Dysfunctional Outcomes
Conflict Resolution
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Even in the interactionist view of conflict, conflict can become dysfunctional.
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At this point, someone may need to step in and help resolve the conflict.
Methods for Resolving Conflict
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Passive conflict resolution
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Win-win
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Structured problem solving
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Confronting conflict
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Choosing a winner
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Selecting a better alternative
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Preventing Conflict
Methods for Resolving Conflict
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Passive conflict resolution
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Just ignore the conflict
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Win-win
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Satisfy both side’s needs
Methods for Resolving Conflict
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Structured problem solving
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Gather data about the problem
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Have a third party observer analyze the data
and make an argument for one side
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Mediation
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Confronting conflict
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Listen the problem and help the parties resolve
it
Methods for Resolving Conflict
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Choosing a winner
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Choose the winner, then deal with the negative
feelings between the two parties
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Selecting a better alternative
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Choose an idea neither of the parties considered
Methods for Resolving Conflict
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Preventing conflict
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“Skilled leaders use different techniques to
create an environment that is relatively free of
conflict…” (Foster)
Shea & Gould Law Firm
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“At its peak, the firm had 350 lawyers and played a leading role in New York politics,
banking, real estate and sports”
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Closed its doors after not being able to resolve a conflict about the firms future
Let’s Try These Out!
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Split up in groups of three people
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Choose a conflict that could be faced in this organization
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Discuss how it would be handled using each of the methods listed previously
Let’s Try These Out!
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Describe your conflict
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What method would be best for handling your chosen situation?
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Would that method be best for all situations in this organization?
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What does everyone else think?
Summary
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Conflict can be good for a business
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When it isn’t good, the conflict must be resolved
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Different methods exist to resolve conflict
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No one method is best for any conflict