UPM-CALC/SEM-/2022-2023/CEL2105/CM 7

CEL2105
SPOKEN INTERACTION FOR THE WORKPLACE
SEMESTER 2, 2022/2023
CLASS MATERIAL 7 (WEEK 8)

TYPES OF CONFLICTS

Although conflict is seen as destructive and should be avoided by the traditional view, the
interactionist view believes that conflict is a natural part of organizational life and beneficial to
the workplace. It is important to manage the conflict and not let it becomes out of control.
Understanding the causes and different types of conflict will become a helpful tool in choosing
the best way to approach conflict.

Activity 1
List five major causes of conflict in the workplace.

1. ___________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________________________

Activity 2
Complete the table below on the types of conflicts.

Types of conflicts Definition

Intrapersonal (a) __________________________________________

(b) __________________ Conflict that occurs between individuals who interact and
have incompatible goals, styles, or values.

(c) __________________ Conflict that happens within a team when members

disagree over team goals, activities, processes, or
leadership.

Intergroup (d) __________________________________________

___________________________________________

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Activity 3
Identify the type of conflict for each situation below.

1.
The board of directors of Megah Holding have decided to launch a set of products
on behalf of their company, although they received dissenting opinions from several
members.

Type of conflict: _______________

2.
Alice is planning to earn her MBA but at the same time, she has been offered a
position that requires her to emigrate to a different country.

Type of conflict: _______________

3.
Fiona’s manager wants to oversee her work, as he believes that it is a necessary
part of his job. However, Fiona, on the other hand, believes that the manager has
a lack of trust towards her.

Type of conflict: _______________

4.
As a training manager, Adam has been given the task of finding a trainer for his
company’s training program. However, he is unsure about what kind of person to
hire as he has not been given guidelines about what is expected.

Type of conflict: _______________

5.
The marketing team at FashionGlamz is promoting the launching of a new product.
They have created a timeline and informed the customers of the launch date.
However, despite their best efforts, the web developers who are responsible for
designing and implementing the new functionality on the website are behind the
schedule. The web developers are frustrated because of unrealistic deadlines and
the marketing department is frustrated about delaying the launch.

Type of conflict: _______________

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TYPES OF NEGOTIATORS

One of the common ways for people to resolve problems and deal with conflicts is through
negotiation. There are four types of negotiators: competitors, collaborators, compromisers and
accommodators. By identifying the types of negotiators, they are dealing with, they can tailor
their communication strategy to make them feel more comfortable, understood, and in control.

Activity 4
Describe the types of negotiators below and list their characteristics.

1. Competitors

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

2. Collaborators

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

3. Compromisers

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

4. Accommodators

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

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Activity 5
Match the situations below with a suitable type of negotiator.

No. Situation Type of Negotiator

1 Josh needs a quick decision for a negotiation and

is defending an unpopular opinion.

2 Ahmad often sacrifices the fulfilment of his own

needs in order to satisfy the needs of another
person or a group, uses negotiations to build
stronger relationships and avoids a disruption.

3 Jovy is interested in exploring a disagreement to

gain a new perspective, finding an integrative
solution and building commitment to a solution by
including other points of view and concerns.

4 Lisa will address an issue instead of avoiding it,

but she will not negotiate in depth. She is
interested in compromising during a negotiation
when each party has equal power and is strongly
committed to their idea, and when competition
and/or collaboration has failed.