Interpersonal Conflict

Objectives
Understand why conflict occurs
Explore the impact of conflict
Examine conflict management styles
Identify our personal conflict management
styles
Consider the appropriateness of conflict
styles
Examine a model for managing the conflict
process

Definition
Conflict occurs when parties disagree over
substantive issues or when emotional antagonisms
create friction between them.
Substantive Conflict
involves fundamental
disagreement over ends or goals to be pursued and
the means for their accomplishment
Emotional Conflict
involves interpersonal
difficulties that arise over feelings of anger,
mistrust, dislike, fear, resentment and the like.

Levels of Conflict in Organizations

Interorganizationl
Intergroup
Intragroup
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal

Levels of Conflict
Intrapersonal Conflict Occurs within the individual
because of actual or perceived pressures from
incompatible goals or expectations.
Interpersonal Conflict Occurs between two or more
individuals in opposition to each other.
Intergroup Conflict Occurs amongst groups in an
organization.
Interorganizational Conflict Occurs between
organizations.

Basic Forms of Conflict

FORM

CORE MEANING

Goal conflict

Incompatible preferences

Cognitive conflict

Incompatible thoughts

Affective conflict

Incompatible feelings

Procedural conflict

Incompatible views on process

6

Role Episode Model

Role Senders

Focal Person

* Role
* Role
expectations
messages
* Perceptions * Role
of focal
pressures
persons
behaviors
* Evaluations

* Perception
* Response
of messages * Coping
and
efforts
pressures
* Compliance
* Role
conflict
* Role
ambiguity

Source: Based on Kahn, R.L. et al. Organizational Stress: Studies in Role Conflict
and Ambiguity. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1964, 26.
7

Role is a cluster of tasks and behaviours that

others expect a person to perform in doing a job.
A role set is the group of role senders that
directly affect the focal person. A role set might
include the employees manager, other team
members, close friends, immediate family
members, and important clients or customers
served

Types of Role Conflict

Intrasender role conflict
Intersender role conflict
Interrole conflict
Person- role conflict

Why Conflict Occurs

Worker needs/values
Personality
Job assignments
Scarce resources
Job design
Organizational structure
Culture differences

Interpersonal Conflict
Exists when two or more people have
incompatible goals and one or both
believe that the behavior of the
other prevents their own goal
attainment

Other Persons
Behavior

Persons
Experienced
Frustration

Persons
Conceptualization
of Conflict

Conflict
style

Conflict
resolution

The
Conflict
Process

Conflict
aftermath

Figure 14-3: Pondys Model of

Organizational Conflict

Copyright 2007 Prentice Hall

13

Pondys Model of Organizational

Conflict
Conflict is a process that consists of five
sequential stages
Stage 1: Latent conflict: no outright conflict
exists, but there is a potential for conflict
because of several latent factors
Sources of conflict include:
Interdependence
Difference in goals and priorities
Bureaucratic factors
Incompatible performance criteria
Competition for scarce resources

Copyright 2007 Prentice Hall

14

Pondys Model of Organizational

Conflict (cont.)
Stage 2: Perceived conflict: subunits become
aware of conflict and begin to analyze it
Conflict escalates as groups battle over the cause of
conflict

Stage 3: Felt conflict: subunits respond

emotionally to each other, and attitudes polarize
into us-versus-them
Cooperation between units decreases
What began as a small problem escalates into huge
conflict

Copyright 2007 Prentice Hall

15

Pondys Model of Organizational

Conflict (cont.)

Stage 4: Manifest conflict: subunits try to get

back at each other
Fighting and open aggression
Passive aggression doing nothing
Organizational effectiveness suffers

Stage 5: Conflict aftermath: conflict is

resolved in some way
If sources of conflict are not resolved, the dispute will
arise again
Conflict aftermath

Copyright 2007 Prentice Hall

16

Potential Negative Effects

Decreased performance
Dissatisfaction
Aggression
Anxiety
Wasted time
Wasted energy
Reduced efficiency

Potential Positive Effects

Identifies issues of importance to
others
Resolution of underlying problems
Enhancement of group development
Intergroup conflict can increase
within-group cohesion
Facilitation of needed organizational
change

Conflict Management Styles

Assertive

Competing
Uncooperative

Collaborating

Compromising

Avoiding

Cooperative

Accommodating
Unassertive

Conflict Management Styles

Compromising
Competing
Collaborating
Avoiding
Accommodating

Conflict Behavior Styles

Fox - Compromising
For the common good Moderately
concerned with relationships and goals
Point out to the other person that if you
both will make a few concessions, the
conflict can be resolved quickly
Point out that if the disagreement is to
be resolved, some sacrifices must be
made by both of you

Compromising
Appropriate when . . .
Goals are important but not worth the effort or
potential disruption of more assertive modes
Opponents with equal power are committed to
mutually exclusive goals
It is desirable to achieve temporary settlements
to complex issues
Time pressures necessitate expedient solutions
Collaboration or competition is unsuccessful

Conflict Behavior Styles

Shark - Competing
Try to overpower opponents by forcing them to
accept their solutions
Not concerned with needs of others
Do not care about how others perceive them
Believe in winning and losing
Pursue your goals regardless of the other
persons concerns
Make the first move, gain control, and maximize
chances of obtaining your demands
Prolong discussion until the other person gives in
to your approach for handling the problem

Competing
Appropriate when . . .
Quick, decisive action is vital (e.g., emergencies)
Unpopular actions on important issues must be
implemented (e.g., cost cutting, enforcing
unpopular rules, discipline)
You know you are right regarding issues vital to
the organizations welfare
People will take advantage of noncompetitive
behavior

Conflict Behavior Styles

Owl - Collaborating
Value their own goals and relationships
View conflicts as problems to be solved
See conflicts as improving relationships by
reducing tension
Determine where each of you stands; identify
options available to meet both parties needs
Suggest combining your ideas with the other
persons ideas to make an even more workable
idea
Express concern for the differences between
you; let the other person know you want a
resolution that satisfies both of you

Collaborating
Appropriate when . . .
An integrative solution must be found because
both sets of concerns are too important to be
compromised
Your objective is to learn
Insights from people with different perspectives
should be merged
Commitment can be gained by incorporating
concerns into a consensus
It is desirable to work through feelings that have
interfered with a relationship

Conflict Behavior Styles

Turtle - Avoiding
Avoid conflict as all costs
Give up their personal goals & relationships
Downplay the seriousness of the problem:
Lets not waste time with the matter.
Tell the other person that the problem does not
concern you
Explain that there is no point in trying to
resolve a conflict between two people with such
basically different personalities
Easier to withdraw than face conflict

Avoiding
Appropriate when . . .
An issue is trivial or more important issues are
pressing
You perceive no chance of satisfying your concerns
Potential disruption outweighs the benefits of
resolution
People must cool down to regain perspective
Gathering information supersedes immediate
decision
Others can resolve the conflict more effectively
Issues seem tangential or symptomatic of other
issues

Conflict Behavior Styles

Teddy Bear-Accommodating
Relationships most important, goals of little
importance
Want to be accepted and liked by other people
Believe conflict should be avoided in favor of
harmony
Fearful that conflict will hurt someone
Offer to handle the problem any way the other
person wants
Go along with whatever the other person requests,
rather than get into the difficulties of direct
confrontation

Accommodating

Appropriate when . . .
You find you are wrong
You wish to allow a better position to be heard
You wish to learn
You wish to show your reasonableness
Issues are more important to others than to you
You wish to satisfy others
You need to maintain cooperation
It is desirable to build social credits for later issues
You are outmatched and losing (minimizes loss)
It is desirable to allow others to develop by learning from
mistakes

Negotiation
Process of making joint decisions
when the parties involved have
different preferences

Negotiation
Distributive Negotiation

focuses on
positions staked out or declared by the parties
involved who are each trying to claim certain
positions of the available pie.
Win-lose
Often over Economic issues
Guarded communications, limited expressions of
trust, use of threats, distorted statements and
demands
Forcing and compromising conflict handling style

Integrative Negotiation

focuses on the
merits of the issues, and the parties involved try
to enlarge the available pie rather than stake
claims to certain portions of it
Joint problem solving to achieve results benefiting
both parties
Identify mutual problems, identify and assess
alternatives, openly express preferences and
jointly reach a mutually acceptable solution
Strongly motivated to solve the problem

Integrative process
Separate the people from the problem dont
attack one other address issues
Focus on interests, not positions negotiation
positions
Invent options for mutual gains
Insist on using objective criteria

Bargaining Zone

the zone between one

partys minimum reservation point and the other
partys maximum reservation point in a negotiating
situation.

Distributive
Integrative

STRATEGY OF PERSON A

Slide 10.10
Matrix of Negotiated Outcomes
Outcome:
Outcome:
Great for Person A Mediocre for Person A
Terrible for Person B Mediocre for Person B
Outcome:
Good for Person A
Good for Person B

Outcome:
Terrible for Person A
Great for Person B

Integrative

Distributive

STRATEGY OF PERSON B
Source: Adapted from Anderson, T. Step into my parlor: A survey of strategies and
techniques for effective negotiation. Business Horizons, May-June 1992, 75.
36

Negotiation
Competitive Negotiation
Cooperative Negotiation

Competitive Negotiation
Seek to dominate the OP
Regard OP as an adversary
Prefer to start with tough, often unreasonable demands
Be inflexible
Use pre- mediated emotional appeals
Demand major concessions, while conceding little
Withhold information intentionally, bluff
Make statements, rather than ask questions
Be coercive, use power to obtain compliance, threaten
No interest in OP needs
Think in terms of win- lose
Consider lose- lose if cannot beat the opponent

Cooperative Negotiation
Interact with the Op as equals
Regard parties as associates rather than adversaries
Prefer to start with more reasonable or realistic
demands
Be more flexible
Be more rational, less use of emotion
Reciprocate in concession making
Be willing to share information, more open and trusting
Focus more on long term gains