Robbins & Judge

Organizational Behavior
14th Edition

Conflict
Conflict and
and Negotiation
Negotiation
Kelli J. Schutte
William Jewell College

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publishing as Prentice Hall

14-1

Conflict
Conflict &
& Negotiation
Negotiation
Week 10
Robbins & Judge

Organizational Behavior
14th Edition

Kelli J. Schutte
William Jewell College

Chapter
Chapter Learning
Learning Objectives
Objectives
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
Define conflict.
Differentiate between the traditional, human relations, and
interactionist views of conflict.
Outline the conflict process.
Define negotiation.
Contrast distributive and integrative bargaining.
Apply the five steps in the negotiation process.
Show how individual differences influence negotiations.
Assess the roles and functions of third-party negotiations.
Describe cultural differences in negotiations.

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Conflict
Conflict Defined
Defined
A process that begins when one party perceives that
another party has negatively affected, or is about to
negatively affect, something that the first party cares
about
That point in an ongoing activity when an interaction
crosses over to become an interparty conflict

Encompasses a wide range of conflicts that people

experience in organizations
Incompatibility of goals
Differences over interpretations of facts
Disagreements based on behavioral expectations

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Transitions
Transitions in
in Conflict
Conflict Thought
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
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Continued
Continued Transitions
Transitions in
in Conflict
Conflict
Thought
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

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Forms
Forms of
of Interactionist
Interactionist Conflict
Conflict

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Types
Types of
of Interactionist
Interactionist Conflict
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
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The
The Conflict
Conflict Process
Process
We will focus on each step in a moment

E X H I B I T 14-1
E X H I B I T 14-1

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Stage
Stage I:I: Potential
Potential Opposition
Opposition or
or
Incompatibility
Incompatibility

Communication

Semantic difficulties, misunderstandings, over communication

and noise

Structure

Size and specialization of jobs

Jurisdictional clarity/ambiguity
Member/goal incompatibility
Leadership styles (close or participative)
Reward systems (win-lose)
Dependence/interdependence of groups

Personal Variables
Differing individual value systems
Personality types
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Stage
Stage II:
II: Cognition
Cognition and
and
Personalization
Personalization
Important stage for two reasons:
1. Conflict is defined
Perceived Conflict
Awareness by one or more parties of the existence of
conditions that create opportunities for conflict to arise

2. Emotions are expressed that have a strong impact on the

eventual outcome
Felt Conflict
Emotional involvement in a conflict creating anxiety,
tenseness, frustration, or hostility

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Stage
Stage III:
III: Intentions
Intentions
Intentions
Decisions to act in a given way
Note: behavior does not always accurately reflect intent

Dimensions of conflict-handling intentions:

Cooperativeness
Attempting to satisfy
the other partys
concerns

Assertiveness
Attempting to satisfy
ones own concerns
Source: K. Thomas, Conflict and Negotiation Processes in Organizations, in M.D. Dunnette and L.M. Hough (eds.), Handbook of Industrial and
Organizational Psychology, 2nd ed., vol. 3 (Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press, 1992), p. 668. With permission.

E X H I B I T 14-2
E X H I B I T 14-2

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Stage
Stage IV:
IV: Behavior
Behavior
Conflict Management
The use of resolution and stimulation techniques to achieve
the desired level of conflict

Conflict-Intensity Continuum

Source: Based on S.P. Robbins, Managing Organizational Conflict: A Nontraditional Approach (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1974), pp. 93
97; and F. Glasi, The Process of Conflict Escalation and the Roles of Third Parties, in G.B.J. Bomers and R. Peterson (eds.), Conflict Management
and Industrial Relations (Boston: Kluwer-Nijhoff, 1982), pp. 11940.

E X H I B I T 14-3
E X H I B I T 14-3

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Conflict
Conflict Resolution
Resolution Techniques
Techniques

Problem solving
Superordinate goals
Expansion of resources
Avoidance
Smoothing
Compromise
Authoritative command
Altering the human
variable
Altering the structural
variables
Communication

Bringing in outsiders
Restructuring the
organization
Appointing a devils
advocate

Source: Based on S. P. Robbins, Managing Organizational Conflict: A Nontraditional Approach (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1974), pp.
5989

E X H I B I T 14-4
E X H I B I T 14-4

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Stage
Stage V:
V: Outcomes
Outcomes
Functional
Increased group
performance
Improved quality of
decisions
Stimulation of creativity
and innovation
Encouragement of interest
and curiosity
Provision of a medium for
problem solving
Creation of an environment
for self-evaluation and
change

Dysfunctional
Development of discontent
Reduced group
effectiveness
Retarded communication
Reduced group
cohesiveness
Infighting among group
members overcomes group
goals

Creating Functional
Conflict
Reward dissent and punish
conflict avoiders

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Negotiation
Negotiation
Negotiation (Bargaining)
A process in which two or more parties exchange goods or
services and attempt to agree on the exchange rate for them

Two General Approaches:

Distributive Bargaining
Negotiation that seeks to divide up a fixed amount of
resources; a win-lose situation

Integrative Bargaining
Negotiation that seeks one or more settlements that can create
a win-win solution

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Distributive
Distributive versus
versus Integrative
Integrative
Bargaining
Bargaining

Bargaining Characteristic

Distributive
Bargaining

Integrative Bargaining

Goal

Get all the pie you can

Expand the pie

Motivation

Win-Lose

Win-Win

Focus

Positions

Interests

Information Sharing

Low

High

Duration of Relationships

Short-Term

Long-Term

Source: Based on R. J. Lewicki and J. A.

Litterer, Negotiation (Homewood, IL: Irwin,
1985), p. 280.

Integrative

Distributive
E X H I B I T 14-5
E X H I B I T 14-5

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The
The Negotiation
Negotiation Process
Process
BATNA
The Best Alternative
To a Negotiated
Agreement
The lowest acceptable
value (outcome) to an
individual for a
negotiated agreement

The Bottom Line

for negotiations
E X H I B I T 14-7
E X H I B I T 14-7

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Individual
Individual Differences
Differences in
in Negotiation
Negotiation
Effectiveness
Effectiveness

Personality Traits

Extroverts and agreeable people weaker at distributive

negotiation disagreeable introvert is best
Intelligence is a weak indicator of effectiveness

Mood and Emotion

Ability to show anger helps in distributive bargaining
Positive moods and emotions help integrative bargaining

Gender
Men and women negotiate the same way, but may
experience different outcomes
Women and men take on gender stereotypes in negotiations:
tender and tough
Women are less likely to negotiate
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Third-Party
Third-Party Negotiations
Negotiations
Four Basic Third-Party Roles
Mediator
A neutral third party who facilitates a negotiated solution by using
reasoning, persuasion, and suggestions for alternatives

Arbitrator
A third party to a negotiation who has the authority to dictate an
agreement.

Conciliator
A trusted third party who provides an informal communication
link between the negotiator and the opponent

Consultant
An impartial third party, skilled in conflict management, who
attempts to facilitate creative problem solving through
communication and analysis
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Global
Global Implications
Implications
Conflict and Culture
Japanese and U.S. managers view conflict differently
U.S. managers are more likely to use competing tactics while
Japanese managers are likely to use compromise and
avoidance

Cultural Differences in Negotiations

Multiple cross-cultural studies on negotiation styles, for
instance:
American negotiators are more likely than Japanese bargainers
to make a first offer
North Americans use facts to persuade, Arabs use emotion, and
Russians use asserted ideals
Brazilians say no more often than Americans or Japanese

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Summary
Summary and
and Managerial
Managerial
Implications
Implications
Conflict can be
constructive or
destructive
Reduce excessive conflict
by using:

Competition
Collaboration
Avoidance
Accommodation
Compromise

Integrative negotiation is
a better long-term
method
E X H I B I T 14-8
E X H I B I T 14-8

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14-22