Conflict Management

What do we mean by conflict ?

• Conflict is the opposition or

antagonistic attitude to an issue.
• The process in which one party
perceives that its interests are
being opposed by another party.
 Conflict in Organisations

A disagreement between two or

more persons or work groups
resulting from an incompatibility of
goals, resources, expectations,
perceptions, or values.
 A Conflict may be either…..
• Constructive / • Destructive /
Positive Dysfunctional
– Generally around – About a
an issue personality clash
– Communication is – Noise and anger
intact in place of
communication
– Alternative views
add depth and – Stands are frozen
richness
 Conflict in Organisations : Pros &
Cons
• Stimulates critical• Interferes with normal
analysis functioning
•
• Precursor to change Encourages
emotions, not reason
• Clears the air
• Attention focused
• Conflict between away from org. goals
groups generates toward personal goals
cooperation within • No place in crisis
groups organisations
 Some Causes of Conflict
• Incompatible personalities or value systems
• Overlapping responsibilities
• Competition for limited resources
• Inadequate communication
• Unclear organisational policies
• Unreasonable deadlines
• Inter-dependence
Types of Organisational Conflict
• Role conflict : disagreements
about role requirements
(expectations)
• Inter-personal conflict : between
two or more people
• Inter-group conflict : between
groups eg departments, sections,
work teams etc
 Forms of Role Conflict

• Inter-sender conflict

• Intra-sender conflict

• Inter-role conflict

• Person-role conflict
 Inter-sender Role Conflict

When a supervisor expects a

subordinate to behave in ways that
are in disagreement with the
requirements of the job, the reward
system, or with the expectations of
others.
 Intra-sender Role Conflict

When one role sender (eg.

Supervisor) sends two or more
contradictory sets of expectations.
Inter-role & Person-role Conflict

• Inter-role : When the demands or

expectations associated with two or
more roles conflict.

• Person-role : When the expectations

of a role are incompatible with the
unique qualities of the individual
occupying the role.
 Inter-personal Conflict
• Over scarce resources ( eg
budgets, facilities)
• Over goals (objectives, values)

• Over means ( policies, procedures,

tactics)
• Over facts (communication,
information flow, perception)
 Inter-unit Conflicts : Causes
• Task inter-dependencies
– For information, service, performance
needed to accomplish unit goals
– Usually occur when demand is increasing,
supply is decreasing, roles are unclear
• Task dependencies
– The relatively independent unit may be
prone to not co-operate
– Power differentials between units can
contribute
 Inter-unit Conflicts : Causes
• Inconsistent rewards & performance
criteria between units/departments eg
sales & manufacturing
• Differentiation between units ( in
structure, process, leading to different
sub-cultures). This may effect
– Goal orientation
– Time orientation
– Formality of structure
– Supervisory styles
 Sources of Conflict in
Organisations

Communication problems Incompatilbe goals

Different values
Ambiguous rules Sources of Conflict & beliefs

Task interdependence
Scarce resources
Conflict Resolution Strategies
• Passive resolution

• Win-lose resolution

• Integrative resolution
 Passive Resolution
– Both parties are very rigid
– Conflict situation is about to change
– Smooth over by being supportive,
concerned, reassuring
– Withdraw by avoiding situation, take no
stand
– Smoothing over is a more sensitive
approach, whereas withdrawal adds to
frustration of individuals involved in
conflict
 Win-lose Resolution
• Some situations are such that one
party’s gain is another’s loss
• Force settlement by taking sides
• Losers are likely to engage in non-
productive behaviours
– Filter communication to winner
– Make non-committal statements
– Fail to identify with goals of organisation

• Thus energy, creativity, & intelligence

of losers is lost
 Win-lose Resolution
• Resort to rules : more impersonal, may
ignore some viable options

• Use voting : democratic but time-

consuming, may not give ‘best’ solution

• Seek compromise : both give a little,

may be preferable to win-lose

• Get help from impartial expert : referees,

bargaining, negotiation
 Integrative Resolution
• Mutual problem solving; collaboration;
win-win

• Change spatial arrangements to

remove ‘we-they’ distinction

• Reduce group size for easy discussion

• Train group leaders in problem solving

 Integrative Resolution
• Develop sensitivity amongst all; train in
reflective listening

• Share information equally

• Deal with problems immediately

• Insist on consensus of both parties

 Minimising Conflict
• Emphasise superordinate goals

• Reduce differentiation

• Improve communication

• Reduce task inter-dependence

• Increase resources

• Clarify rules & procedures