Lecture Organizational behavior - Chap 10: Introducing organizational behavior

Chapter 10
Conflict and Negotiation

Don’t neglect the power of 
“yes”


Chapter 10 Study
Questions






What is the nature of conflict in organizations?
How can conflict be managed?
What is the nature of negotiation in
organizations?
What are alternative strategies for negotiation?

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons,

10-2


What is the nature of
conflict in organizations?


Conflicts occur whenever disagreements exist in a

social setting or when emotional antagonisms
create friction between individuals or groups.
• Substantive
 A fundamental disagreement over ends or goals to be
pursued, and the means for their
 accomplishment.

• Emotional

 Interpersonal difficulties that arise over feelings of
anger, mistrust, dislike, fear, resentment, and the like.

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons,

10-3


What is the nature of
conflict in organizations?

"If I had a formula for bypassing trouble, I would not pass
it round. Trouble creates a capacity to handle it.
I don't embrace trouble; that's as bad as treating it as an
enemy.
…But I do say meet it as a friend, for you'll see a lot of it and 
had better be on speaking terms with it."

—Oliver Wendell Holmes

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons,

10-4


Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons,

10-5


What is the nature of
conflict in organizations?



Functional conflict

• Results in constructive, positive benefits

to individuals, the team, or the
organization.


Dysfunctional conflict
• Destructive to an individual or team.

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons,

10-6

Figure 10.1 Functional and 
Dysfunctional Conflict

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons,

10-7


What is the nature of
conflict in organizations?


Potential benefits of functional conflict
• Brings important problems to the surface so

they can be addressed.
• Causes decisions to be carefully
considered.
• Increases amount of information used for
decision making.
• Provides opportunities for creativity.

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons,

10-8


What is the nature of
conflict in organizations?
Potential outcomes of dysfunctional conflict

• Diverts energies.
• Hurts group cohesion;
• Promotes interpersonal hostilities.
• Creates a negative environment.
• Can decrease performance and job

satisfaction.
• Can contribute to absenteeism and
job turnover.
Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

10-9


What is the nature of
conflict in organizations?



Culture and conflict

• Culture and cultural differences must be considered for

their conflict potential.
• Sensitivity and respect when working across cultures can
often tap the performance advantages of both diversity
and constructive conflict.

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons,

10-


How can conflict be
managed?



Conflict resolution

• Situation in which the underlying reasons for a

given destructive conflict are eliminated.

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons,

10-


Stages of Conflict

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley &

1-12


Figure 10.2 Structural differentiation as a
potential source of conflict among functional
teams

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons,

10-13


How can conflict be
managed ?



Conflict antecedents
• Establish the conditions from which conflicts are
likely to emerge.

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons,

10-


How can conflict be
managed?

Perceived conflict

• When the antecedents become the basis for substantive

or emotional differences between people or groups.

Felt conflict
• Conflict experienced as tension that motivates the

person to take action to reduce feelings of discomfort.

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons,

10-


How can conflict be
managed?



Manifest conflict

 Expressed openly in behavior.

Conflict aftermath 
 Removing or correcting antecedents.

Conflict suppression
 No change in antecedent conditions occurs even though the
manifest conflict behaviors may be temporarily controlled.

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons,

10-


How can conflict be

managed?
Causes of conflict
• Vertical conflict

 Occurs between levels and commonly involves
supervisor-subordinate and team-leader
disagreements over resources, goals, deadlines, or
performance results.
• Horizontal conflict

 Occurs between persons or group working at the
same hierarchical level.
• Line­staff conflict

 Involves disagreements between line and staff
personnel over who has authority and control over
decisions
on matters
10Copyright © 2014
John Wiley
& Sons, such as budgets, technology,


How can conflict be
managed?


Role ambiguity conflicts
• Occur when the communication of task expectations is

unclear or upsetting in some way.


Task and workflow interdependencies
• Occur when people or units are required to cooperate

to meet challenging goals.


Domain ambiguities
• Occur

when individuals or teams lack adequate

task direction or goals and misunderstand such
things as customer jurisdiction or scope authority.
Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons,

10-


How can conflict be
managed?


Resource scarcity
• When resources are scarce, working

relationships are likely to suffer.


Power or value asymmetries
• Occur when interdependent people or teams

differ substantially from one another in status
and influence or in values.

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons,

10-


How can conflict be
managed?
Indirect strategies:


Managed interdependence
 Decoupling, or taking action to eliminate or reduce
the required contact between conflicting parties.
• Buffering is another approach that can be used when

the inputs of one team are the outputs of another.

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons,

10-


How can conflict be

managed?


Appeal to common goals
• Focusing the attention of potentially conflicting

individuals and teams on one mutually
desirable conclusion.

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons,

10-


How can conflict be
managed?


Upward referral
• Problems are moved from the level of conflicting

individual or teams and referred up the hierarchy for
more senior managers to address.


Altering scripts and myths
• Superficial management managed by scripts, or

behavioral routines, that become part of the
organization’s culture.

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons,

10-


Figure 10.3 Direct conflict
management strategies.

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

10-23




How can conflict be
managed?
Lose­lose conflict
• Nobody gets what he or she wants;

underlying reasons for remain
unresolved. Strategies include:
 Avoidance.
 Accommodation- playing down differences.
 Compromise- giving up something valued.

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

10-

How can conflict be
managed?


Win­Lose conflict
• One party achieves its desires at the
expense and to the exclusion of the other
party’s desires.
 Competition - achieve domination through
force, superior skill, or domination.
 Authoritative command – formal authority
used to end conflict.

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons,

10-