Conflict

Management
Process of Conflict
 Latent-grounds for conflict exist among individuals
in interdep. relationships
 Perceived-one or more of parts. Realize their
situation (incomp. & interdep.)
 Felt-personalize perceived conflict by focusing on
conflict issue & planning response strategies
 Manifest-participants enact conflict through
communication
 Aftermath-short & long term effects on individual,
relationship, & organization
Transitions in Conflict
Thought
 Traditional View of Conflict
 The belief that all conflict is harmful and must be avoided
 Prevalent view in the 1930s-1940s

 Conflict resulted from:

 Poor communication
 Lack of openness
 Failure to respond to employee needs
Continued Transitions in
Conflict Thought
 Human Relations View of Conflict
 The belief that conflict is a natural and inevitable
outcome in any group
 Prevalent from the late 1940s through mid-1970s
 Interactionist View of Conflict
 The belief that conflict is not only a positive force in a
group but that it is absolutely necessary for a group to
perform effectively
 Current view
Forms of Interactionist
Conflict
 Functional Conflict
 Conflict that supports the goals of the group and improves
its performance
 Dysfunctional Conflict
 Conflict that hinders group performance
Types of Interactionist
Conflict
 Task Conflict
 Conflicts over content and goals of the work
 Low-to-moderate levels of this type are
FUNCTIONAL
 Relationship Conflict
 Conflict based on interpersonal relationships
 Almost always DYSFUNCTIONAL
 Process Conflict
 Conflict over how work gets done
 Low levels of this type are FUNCTIONAL
Primary Levels of Conflict
Within Organizations

 Intrapersonal (within an individual)

 Interpersonal (between individuals)

 Group Level Conflict

 Intragroup (within a group)

 Intergroup (between groups)

Basic Types of Intrapersonal Conflict

 Approach–approach conflict
 An individual must choose among alternatives, each of
which is expected to have a positive outcome

 Avoidance–avoidance conflict
 An individual must choose among alternatives, each of
which is expected to have a negative outcome

 Approach–avoidance conflict
 An individual must decide whether to do something that has
both positive and negative outcomes
Role Episode Model

Role Senders Focal Person

* Role * Role * Perception * Response
expectations messages of messages * Coping
* Perceptions * Role and efforts
of focal pressures pressures * Compliance
person’s * Role
behaviors conflict
* Evaluations * 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.
Types of Role Conflict

 Intrasender role conflict

 Different messages and pressures from a single
member of the role set are incompatible

 Intersender role conflict

 Messages and pressures from one role sender
oppose those from one or more other senders
Types of Role Conflict

 Interrole conflict
 Role pressures associated with membership in
one group are incompatible with those
stemming from membership in other groups
 Person–role conflict
 Role requirements are incompatible with the
focal person’s own attitudes, values, or views
of acceptable behavior
Behaviors for Coping with
Role Ambiguity

 Initiating aggressive action

 Withdrawing

 Approaching the role sender or

senders to attempt joint problem
solving

Chapter 9: Managing Intepersonal Conflict and Negotiation 12

Negotiation

 Negotiation
 Parties to a conflict try to come up with a solution
acceptable to themselves by considering various
alternative ways to allocate resources to each other
Distributive Negotiation

 Distributive negotiation
 Parties perceive that they have a “fixed pie” of resources
that they need to divide
 Take a competitive adversarial stance
 See no need to interact in the future
 Do not care if their interpersonal relationship is damaged
by their competitive negotiation
Integrative Bargaining

 Integrative bargaining
 Parties perceive that they might be able to increase the
resource pie by trying to come up with a creative solution
to the conflict
 View the conflict as a win-win situation in which both
parties can gain
 Handled through collaboration or compromise
Distributive versus
Integrative Bargaining
Bargaining Characteristic Distributive
Integrative Bargaining
Bargaining
Goal Get all the pie you Expand the pie
can
Motivation Win-Lose Win-Win
Focus Positions Interests
Information Sharing Low High
Duration of Relationships Short-Term Long-Term
Sources of Interpersonal Power

 Reward power
 An individual’s ability to influence others’ behaviors by
rewarding them

 Coercive power
 An individual’s ability to influence others’ behaviors by
punishing them

 Legitimate power
 A manager’s ability to influence subordinates’ behavior
because of the manager’s formal position in the
organization
Sources of Interpersonal Power

 Expert power
 An individual’s ability to influence others’ behaviors
because of recognized competencies, talents, or
specialized knowledge

 Referent power
 An individual’s ability to influence others’ behaviors as a
result of being respected, admired, or liked
What is Leadership?
 The ability to influence, motivate, and enable others to
contribute to the effectiveness and success of the
organizations of which they are members.
 Robert House (2004)
 The ability to influence a group toward the
achievement of a vision or set of goals.
 Robbins & Judge (2008)
 The Evolution of
Leadership Research
1900: Traits approaches

1950: Behavioral theories

1990s

1960: Contingency theories

Trait Approaches
to Leadership

 Leadership traits: distinctive physical or psychological

characteristics
 Of successful leaders or distinguished leaders from
followers
 Physical: height, weight
 Social: interpersonal skills, status
 Intelligence – ability, judgement, knowledge
 Background characteristics-education, social status
 Personality: self-confidence, intelligence
BEHAVIORAL APPROACHES:
OHIO STATE STUDIES
 LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORS:
 1. Initiating structure:
 The extent to which a leader is likely to
define and structure his or her role and those
of subordinates.
 2. Consideration:
 The extent to which a leader is likely to build
job relationships characterized by mutual
trust, respect for subordinates' ideas, and
regard for their feelings.
 Effective leaders achieve both.
BEHAVIORAL APPROACHES:
MICHIGAN STUDIES
 LEADERSHIP TYPES:
 1. Production Oriented Leaders:
 Focus on the technical or task aspects of the job
 See people as a means to goal accomplishment
 2. Employee Oriented Leaders:
 Emphasize interpersonal relations
 Take a personal interest in subordinate needs
 Accept individual differences
 Effectiveness is associated with employee
oriented leadership behaviors.
 Blake/Mouton Leadership Grid
9 1,9 Country Club Management 9,9 Team Management
High
Thoughtful attention to needs of Work accomplishment is from
8 people for satisfying relationships committed people; interdependence
leads to a comfortable, friendly through a “common stake” in
Concern for People

7 organization atmosphere & organization purpose leads to

work tempo. relationships of trust & respect.
6 5,5 Middle of the Road Management
Adequate organization
5 performance is possible through
balancing the necessity to get out
work with maintaining morale of
4 people at a satisfactory level.
9,1 Authority-Compliance
3 1,1 Impoverished Management Efficiency in operations results
Exertion of minimum effort
from arranging conditions of
to get required work done is
2 work in such a way that
Low appropriate to sustain
human elements interfere to a
organization membership.
minimum degree.
1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Low Concern for Results High
Fiedler Leadership
Model
 Effectiveness depends on the match between the
leader’s style and the situation
 Leader’s style measured with the LPC
 Relationship oriented
 Task Oriented
 Style is fixed

25
Fiedler Contingency
Dimensions
 Dimensions define the key situational factors that
determine leadership effectiveness:
 Leader-member relations (good or poor)
 Task structure (high or low)
 Position power (strong or weak)

26
Findings from the Fiedler Model

27
 SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP

S3 S2
Relationship Participating Selling
Behavior
(Supportive) S4 S1
Delegating Telling

Low Task Behavior High

(Guidance)
R4 R3 R2 R1 Unready
Ready Able & Willing
(Confident)
Able but
Unwilling
Unable but Willing
(Confident)
Unable &
Unwilling
28
(Insecure) (Insecure)
Leader–Member Exchange
Theory
Path-Goal Theory and Leader-
Participation Model

Path-Goal Theory
 A leader's behavior is acceptable to subordinates insofar as
they view it as a source of either immediate or future
satisfaction.
 Directive vs. supportive leadership

Leader-Participation Model (Vroom and Yetton)

 Provides a set of rules to determine the form and amount
of participative decision making in different
situations. There are now 12 contingency variables in the
latest revision of this model.
 This model is often too complicated for managers/leaders
to actually put into place in organizations.
Leadership Styles
 Coercive
 Demands immediate compliance
 “Do what I tell you”
 Negative affect on climate
 Authoritative
 Mobilizes people toward a vision
 “Come with me”
 Strongest positive affect on climate
 Democratic
 Forges consensus through participation
 “What do you think?”
 Positive affect on climate
31
Leadership Styles
 Pace Setting
 Setshigh standards for performance
 “Do as I do, now”
 Negative affect on climate
 Affiliative
 Creates harmony and builds emotional bonds
 “People come first”
 Positive affect on climate
 Coaching
 Develops people for the future
 “Try this”
 Positive affect on climate
32
Organizational Change Management

 What is Organizational Change?

 It is generally considered to be an organization-wide

change, as opposed to smaller changes such as adding
a new person. (See first slide of this section for examples)

 It includes the management of changes to the

organizational culture, business processes, physical
environment, job design / responsibilities, staff skills
/ knowledge and policies / procedures.

 When the change is fundamental and radical, one

might call it organizational transformation
Organizational Change Management
 What provokes Organizational Change? Examples:

 Management adopts a strategy to accomplish some overall

goal
 May be provoked by some major outside driving force, e.g.,
substantial cuts in funding
 An Organization may wish to evolve to a different level in
their life cycle, e.g. from traditional government to e-
government
 Transition to a new chief executive can provoke
organization-wide change when his or her new and unique
personality pervades the entire organization
 Forms of Change

 Incremental Change / Evolutionary Change

 Continual improvement that takes place within
already accepted frameworks, value systems, or
organizational structure that is necessary for
survival and success.
 Radical Change / Revolutionary Change
 Rapid change in strategy, structure, technology, or
people.
 Radical change alters accepted frameworks, value
systems, or organizational structure.
 Obstacles to Change
66% of change initiatives fail to achieve desired business outcomes

0% 40% 80%
Staff Resistance 76%
Communication
Breakdown 72%

Insufficient time
devoted to training
44%

Staff turnover 36%

Costs exceeds budget 32%

36
Reactions to Change

 Denial
 Resistance
 Exploration
 Commitment

“People fear the uncertainties of change. The slightest

suggestion that things won’t stay the same can cause
panic…but the real problem isn’t the change…it’s the
person’s reaction to that change.” Dr.
Alan Zimmerman
 The Cycle of Transition

Denial Commitment

teamwork
Inform, satisfaction
it will be over soon Reward and
Communicate this won’t happen clear focus and plan Motivate
and Motivate apathy cooperation
numbness balance
minimize the change clear vision of the future
ignore

Resistance
sense of loss of control
Listen,
concerned with competency
Share
future contribution unclear
and Understand
lack of focus or direction
can’t sleep at night
anger/fights
withdrawal from the team
blaming
ZIGZAG
Exploration
seeing possibilities Facilitate,
exploring alternatives
Problem Solve
feeling “ I can make it”
and Motivate
high creativity and energy
too many new ideas
lack of focus
indecisiveness
have too much to do
start “being” in the future

Adapted from Managing Change at Work by Cynthia Scott and Dennis Jaffe