Managing conflict

Depending in the situations, managers may need to

resolve or stimulate conflict.
Conflict resolution occurs when a manager resolves a
conflict that has become serious or harmful.
Conflict needs to be resolved:
- When conflict has become disruptive,
- Too much time and efforts are spent on conflict that
could be used more productively,
- It focuses on internal goals of the group rather than on
organizational goals.


Different approaches to reduce or resolve
conflicts.
Main objective is to minimize the destructive
impact of conflict.
Change the factor that cause conflict.
- Examples are :
- increase resource available.
- reorganize to reduce interdependence,
- redesign reward system,
- take steps to improve communication systems

- Use an appropriate techniques for enhancing
coordination.
- Techniques for coordination includes:
- making use of managerial hierarchy,
- relying on rules and regulations,
- Enlisting liaison persons, forming task forces,
- Integrating departments.




Appeal to super-ordinate goal.
Superordinate goals are major common goals that require
the support and effort of all parties.
Managers can focus employee attention on higher level-
superordinate, goals as a way of elimination lower level
conflict.
Examples are ensuring the survival of the organization
and beating highly visible competition.
When labor union make wage concession to ensure
survival of the company, they are responding to
superordinate goal.
Success of appeals to superordinate goals depend son
identifying goals that are sufficiently important to all
parties.



Managers should try to match the personalities and
work habits of employees to avoid conflict between
individuals.
Example: two valuable subordinates, one chain
smoker and the other a vehement anti-smoker,
should probably not be required to work together
in an enclosed space.
If conflict does arise between two incompatible
persons, a manger might seek an equitable transfer
for one or both of them to other units.
Use an interpersonal conflict handling mode.
In a conflict situation, individuals exhibits
behavior that represent tow basic dimensions:
assertiveness vs. submissiveness and cooperation
vs. non-cooperation.
Assertiveness submissiveness refers to the
degree of activity and energy exhibited in ones
goal oriented behavior.
Cooperation vs. non-cooperation is the degree of
concern and activity or energy exhibited for
satisfying the concern of the other person.
Representing these two basic dimensions
graphically, five behavioral alternatives of conflict
resolution are generated.


Managers have five major interpersonal modes that they can use to attempt to resolve
conflicts in which they are involved.
Avoidance. It involves ignoring or suppressing a conflict in the hope that it will either go
away or not become too disruptive.
A person who is unassertive and at the same time non-cooperative tends to avoid the
conflict by side-stepping or postponing the conflict.
Managers who are uncomfortable dealing with conflict choose to avoid the conflict and
hope that it will go away.
In fact, withdrawal is one of the defense mechanisms used by individuals in dealing with
conflicts.
Avoidance may be effective in the short run fro some kind o f interpersonal
disagreement, but it does little to resolve long run or chronic conflict.
Avoidance is appropriate :
when a person has low stakes in a given situation.
When he finds it extremely difficult to control or deal with the situation.
When he is less confident to deal with the situation due to lack of required authority and
resources.
When he does not give importance to his relationships with thoese people involved in
the conflict situation.

Competition.
It is a behavioral response characterized by assertiveness and
aggressiveness with little or no concern for cooperating with the other
person.
It is power oriented mode where power or force is employed to win over for
ones right or defend oneself.
To win a conflict at the expense of other party.
One party wins and the other party loses.
Example:
Attempting to convince another that your conclusion is correct and his is
mistaken.
It is employed when:
A person feels that he has a considerable amount of authority and power.
One is characterized by feelings of superiority and has high concern fro
ends and low concern for means.
The other party is considered to be in a weaker position.
One has high stakes in a given situation.
The other party is untrustworthy.
One has a high degree of power support within or outside the
organization.
There is a sense of urgency or critically demanding an immediate solution.

Accommodation.
It focuses on solving conflict by allowing the desires of the other
party to prevail.
It is the willingness of one party in a conflict to place the
opponents interest above his own.
In order to maintain relationship, one party is willing to be self-
sacrificing.
Example: willing to sacrifice your goal so that the other partys goal
can be attained.


Compromise.
This style indicates intermediate concern for self and others. It is a
middle ground situation.
It aims to solve conflict issue by having each party to give up some
desired outcomes in order to get other desired outcomes.
It is a middle range position between two extremes.
It is a situation in which each party to a conflict is willing to give
up something to make a mutually acceptable decision.
With compromise, each party wins some major issues and loses
others.
There is no clear winner or loser.
Partly win and partly lose.
It offers both parties the chance to be in a better position after
the conflict is resolved.
Example: Willingness to accept a raise of 100 Take
per hour rather than TK. 200 to acknowledge
partial agreement with a specific viewpoint and to
take partial blame fro an infarction.
Collaboration.
it is a behavioral alternative wherein the concern of both the
parties is to cooperate in integrative ways to fully satisfy their
respective goals or expectations.
Two parties are mutually supportive and at the same time assertive
of their concerns.
It strives to resolve conflict by devising solutions that allow both
parties to achieve their desired outcome.
It is a situation in which the parties to a conflict each desires to
satisfy fully the concern of all parties.
Both parties win, no one is loser.
It involves creativity in developing solutions that suit the needs of
both parties in the conflict.
To find an integrative solution when both sets of
concerns are too important to be compromised.

People tend to collaborate when:
They have trust in each other and believe that being
mutually supportive they can attain their individual
objectives better than competing or acting independently.
They have high stake in a given situation.
The issue or problem is critical to both.
objective is to learn.
To gain commitment by incorporating concerns into a
consensus.
To work through feelings which have interfered with a
relationship.


Situations in which to use the five conflict-handling
modes.
Competing.
- When quick and decisive action is vital, that is
emergencies.
- On important issues where unpopular actions need
implementation, for example, cost cutting.
- On issues vital to company welfare when you know
you are right.
- Against people who take advantage of
noncompetitive behavior.
Competition VS conflict.
Competition and conflict are not the same thing.
Groups strive for same goal.
Little or no antagonism towards one another,
Behave according to rules and procedures.
Conflict.
Goals become extremely important, the goal of one
group may jeopardize the others,
Open antagonism among groups,
Groups violate rules and regulations.

Confrontation approach to conflict resolution- also
called interpersonal problem solving consists of
bringing the parties together to confront the conflict.
Parties discuss the nature of their conflict and attempt to
reach an agreement or a solution. Confrontation requires
a reasonable degree of maturity on the part the
participants and the manger must structure the situation
carefully.
Collaborating.
To find an integrative solution when both sets of
concerns are too important to be compromised.
When your objective is to learn.
To gain commitment by incorporating concerns into a
consensus.
To work through feelings which have interfered with a
relationship.

Compromising.
This style indicates intermediate concern for self and
others.
When goals are important but not worth the efforts or
potential disruption of more assertive modes.
When opponents with equal power are committed to
mutually exclusive goals.
To achieve temporary settlement to complex issues.
To arrive at expedient solution under time pressure
As a backup when collaboration or competition is
unsuccessful.
Avoiding.
When an issue is trivial, or more important issues are
pressing.
When you perceive no chance of satisfying your concerns.
When potential disruptions outweigh the benefits of
resolution.
To let people cool down and regain perspective.
When others can resolve conflict more effectively.

Accommodating.
When you find you are wrong- to allow a better
position to be heard, to learn and to show your
reasonableness.
When issues are more important to others than
yourself- to satisfy others and maintain cooperation.
To build social credit for later issues.
To minimize loss when you are outmatched and losing.
When harmony and stability are especially important.
To allow subordinates to develop by learning from
mistakes.


Stimulating conflict
Since too little conflict can lead to apathy,
lethargy and low performance, managers
sometimes need to stimulate conflict.
Initiate conflict stimulation in a positive way
and with more cautious.
Conflict stimulation is the creation and
constructive use of conflict by a manager.
Use stimulation under the following conditions:
Work groups are stagnant,
Employees are content with status quo,

Employees are content with status quo,
Consensus among groups is easily reached,
Groups are not creative to challenge traditional
ideas.
Change within the organization is needed to
remain competitive.
Methods of stimulating conflict:
Altering the physical location of groups to
stimulate more interaction,
Forcing more resources,



In some situations, an organization may stimulate
conflict by placing individual employees or groups
in competitive situations.
Managers can establish sale contest, incentive
plans, or bonus or other competitive stimulus to
spark competition.
Adding people with more diverse backgrounds to a
group.


As long as the ground rules are equitable and all parties
perceive the contest as fair, the conflict created by the
competition is likely to be constructive because each
participant will work hard to win and thereby enhancing
some aspect of organizational performance.
Hire outsider to shake things up . Outsiders may new
employees, current employees assigned to an existing work
groups or consultant hired on a temporary basis.
Communicating more information that will prompt
organizational members to engage in constructive
dialogue about the potential need for change.
Encouraging internal competition.
Change the established procedures.
Changing established procedures, especially
procedures that have outlived their usefulness,
can also stimulate conflict.
Such actions cause people to reassess how they
perform their jobs and whether they perform
them correctly
Training program can be used to increase
employee awareness of potential problems in
group decision making and group interaction.
Appraise and analyze all possible alternatives.





Styles of interpersonal conflict

Integrating style. It indicates high concern for self and
others. It is also known a problem solving. It involves
collaboration between the parties
Obliging style. It indicates low concern for self and
high concern for others. It is also known as
accommodating. An obliging person neglects his own
concern to satisfy the concern of other party. He is like
a conflict absorber.

Dominating style. This style indicates high concern
for self and low for others. It is win-lose
orientation. Dominating person ignores the needs
and expectations of the other party. He wants to
win at any cost. A dominating boss wants to use his
position power to impose his will on the
subordinates and command his obedience.
Avoiding style. This style indicates low concern for
self and others. It is also known as suppression. It
has been associated with withdrawal, buck-passing,
sidestepping, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil
situations. An avoiding person fails to satisfy his
own concern as well as the concern of the other
party.