CONFLICT

MANAGEMENT
Concept of conflict
Newstrom defines it as any situation in
which two or more parties feel
themselves in opposition. It is an
interpersonal process that arises from
disagreements over the goals or the
methods to accomplish goals.

Thomas defined it as process that

begins when one party perceives that
another party has negatively affected
something that the first party cares
about.
Features of conflict
Conflict arises because of incompatibility
of two or more factors, it may be goals,
interests, methods of working, policy
differences, scarcity of resources,
unaware about confliction situation, etc.
Conflict occurs when an individual is
unable to choose among the available
courses of actions.
Conflict is a dynamic process as it
indicates a series of events, each conflict
is made up of series of interlocking
episodes.
 Conflict must be perceived and
expressed by the parties to it. If no one
is aware of a conflict, it is generally
agreed that conflict does not exist even
though there may be incompatibility in
some aspect.
 THREE VIEWS

1. TRADITIONAL: The belief that all conflict

have negative impact, it must be avoided.
2. HUMAN RELATIONS: The belief that
conflict is a natural and inevitable group
outcome.
3. INTERACTIONIST: The belief that conflict is
not only a positive force in a group but
absolutely necessary for its effective
performance.
POSITIVE Vs NEGATIVE CONFLICT
FUNCTIONAL: Supports the goals of the
group and improves its performance
DYSFUNCTIONAL: Hinders group

performance combined
THE PARADOX

Conflict contributes to group

performance but most groups try to
eliminate it
CONFLICT PROCESS
As mentioned earlier conflict is a process
which progresses through different
stages as pointed out by PONDY. These
are Latent conflict, perceived conflict, felt
conflict, manifest conflict, and conflict
aftermath.
A conflict also takes into account the
outcome of the previous conflict, if any,
that might have occurred between them.
This aspect is important as various
stages of a new conflict are likely to be
governed by the previous conflict
episode.
Latent conflict
This is the stage in which the conflict has
not taken a shape, therefore it is not
apparent. It may occur in sub-conscious
mind. Some of the antecedents which
makes conditions for conflict are:
- competition for scarce resources.
- communication barriers causing
inadequate and distorted information.
- divergence among departmental goals
and methods of work.
- role ambiguities i.e., no clarity about
who will do what or who is responsible
for output.
Perceived conflict

Parties to the conflict may perceive about

incompatibility of the antecedents of
conflict though sometimes this
perception may be wrong. Perceived
conflict occurs because of the
misunderstanding of the parties due to
lack of communication.
Felt conflict
In early stage party perceives only
incompatibility, but at this stage it feel
that they have some conflict among
themselves. In perceived conflict stage,
person may have serious differences
with others but this may not make him
tense or anxious. In this stage, it is the
personalization of differences that
causes conflict. For example the
inconsistency in demands of the
organization and individual needs may
create internalisation of conflict situation.
Manifest conflict
At this stage both parties openly show
conflictful behaviour such as open
aggression, sabotage, apathy, flight, etc.
depending on the issues involved in the
conflict and the stand that parties may
take.
Conflict Aftermath
At this stage, attempts are made to
resolve the conflict through conflict
resolution mechanism. Either the conflict
may be suppressed or resolved
amicably. If the conflict is merely
suppressed, the latent conditions may be
aggravated and exploded in a more
serious form. If it resolved, a basis for
cooperative behaviour is established
between the parties.
 CONFLICT & UNIT PERFORMANCE
B

HIGH

PERF
ORMA
NCE

A C

LOW CONFLICT
 At point A, where conflict is rare,
individuals do not search for new ideas,
org. is slow to adopt changes, people
usually try to avoid conflict though they
know it is useful for organization.
At point C, where conflict level is higher,
performance suffers due to lack of
coordination and cooperation.
At point B, conflict is sufficient enough to
think creatively, act enthusiastically and
attain goals efficiently.
 UNIT PERFORMANCE
SITUATION
LEVEL OF TYPE OF OUTCOME
INTERNAL PERFORMANCE
CONFLICT CONFICT CHARACTERISTICS OUTCOME
A Low or none Dysfunctional Apathetic Low
(UDASEEN)
Stagnant
(NISHKRIYE)
Non responsive to
change

B Optimal Functional Viable (CAN BE PUT High

IN BEHAVIOR)
Self-critical
Innovative
C High Dysfunctional Disruptive Low
(SABOTAGE)
Chaotic
(UNORGANIZED)
Uncooperative
 TYPES OF CONFLICT
1. INDIVUDUAL CONFLICT:
- Intra-individual conflict : conflict of a
person with himself. (antardwand) when
he is not able to satisfy his personal
needs while fulfilling organizational needs.

- Interpersonal conflict: conflict

between two persons who hold polarized
point of views. Reasons could be
personality differences, perceptions,
power and status differences, scarce
resources.
2. GROUP CONFLICT:
- Inter-group conflict : conflict between
two groups. Every group is in partial
conflict with every other group it interacts
with. Most of the departments in the
organization compete for allocation of
scarce resources and power. Other
reasons could be task interdependence,
reward plan tied to group performance,
etc. In case of winning, negative
sentiments against rival group, but in case
a group loses, it increases tension and
conflict among groups.
- Intra-group conflict : conflict between
two individuals with in a group. In case of
winning situation, all members show we
feelings, superiority complex develops in
members and high morale. In case a
group is a loser, members indulge in
mutual blaming, shouldering responsibility
on each other, group lose cohesion, low
morale.
3. ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT:
- Individuals in an organization have
many conflicting organizational pressures
operating on them. The following
examples indicate the sources of potential
conflict. The boss wants more
production; subordinates want more
consideration; customer wants faster
deliveries at low cost; peers request
schedule delay; consultants suggest
change; subordinates resist change; the
rule book provides a formula; the staff
says it will not work.
The conflict can be between two
managers at same level in hierarchy
(vertical conflict) or between top level
and lower level management( vertical
conflict), line-staff conflict( labour and
supervisor),
CONFLICT RESOLUTION STYLES
Avoiding ( withdrawal)

Conflict handling mode that involves

ignoring or suppressing a conflict in the
hope that it will either go away or not
become too disruptive. This strategy is
associated with behaviors such as with
drawl, indifference, evasion, apathy, flight,
reliance upon fate and isolation. They mat
detach themselves from the conflict
believing that this is more mature than
childish arguments. He takes no position on
the issues involved, and may even be
hesitant to talk on it. Result is that conflict is
not resolved nor it is eliminated but
postponed.
Accommodating (smoothing)
A conflict handling mode that focuses on
solving conflicts by allowing the desire of
the other party to prevail. The emphasis
is on the common interests of the group
and a de-emphasis on their differences.
This style imply the belief by the
individual or groups that others will cut
off their relationship if he or she
expresses self-oriented concerns.
Smoothing is a more sensitive approach
than withdrawal. It can be used when a
temporary solution is needed at that
time.
Compromising ( lose-lose)

A conflict handling mode that aims to

solve conflict issues by having each
party give up some desired outcomes in
order to get other desired outcomes.
There is no distinct winner or loser
because each party is expected to give
up something of value for a concession.
It is commonly used where the conflict
involves differences in goals, attitudes or
values. It is effective when the goal can
be divided( resource sharing, task
assigned). Emphasis is on compromise
and bargaining.
Collaboration ( win-win )
This strategy strives to resolve conflicts
by devising solutions that allow both
parties to achieve their desired
outcomes. It demands a complete
rethinking of the conflict situation. Parties
openly share information, attempt to
develop empathy, consider full range of
alternatives and try to solve the problem
rather than merely trying to
accommodate different points of view.
Questions of who is right or who will win
are avoided. Both parties will see a
cooperative mood, show flexibility and
honesty in decision making.