CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

• To come into collision or

disagreement; be contradictory, at
variance, or in opposition; clash;

DEFINITION • The account of one eyewitness

conflicted with that of the other. My
OF class conflicts with my going to the
CONFLICT concert.

• To fight or contend; do battle.

• Fight, battle, or struggle, especially a
prolonged struggle; strife.
 • Controversy; quarrel: conflicts
between parties.

DEFINITION • Discord of action, feeling, or effect;

OF antagonism or opposition, as of
interests or principles: a conflict of
CONFLICT ideas.

• A striking together; collision.

 • Incompatibility or interference, as of
one idea, desire, event, or activity with
another:
DEFINITION • A conflict in the schedule.
• Psychiatry. a mental struggle arising
OF from opposing demands or impulses.
CONFLICT • A battle, contest or opposing forces
existing between primitive desires and
moral, religious or ethical ideas
 • The TRADITIONAL VIEW
on organizational conflict
suggests that every type of
VIEWS OF conflict – functional and
CONFLICT dysfunctional – is negative,
harmful and destructive,
and must be avoided.
 • The HUMAN RELATIONS
VIEW suggests that
conflict is an inevitable
VIEWS OF part, which should be
CONFLICT accepted. It further says
that some types of conflict
may improve a group’s
performance.
 • The INTERACTIONIST
VIEW on organizational
conflict suggests that a
minimum level of conflict
is actually beneficial for
VIEWS OF the organization and its
groups. It makes the
CONFLICT individuals more effective
and self-critical, and it
makes the group more
adaptable, responsive and
flexible to change.
1. POOR COMMUNICATION:
different communication styles
can lead to misunderstandings
SOURCES
between employees or between OF
employee and manager. Lack
of communication drives CONFLICT
conflict ‘underground’.
2. DIFFERENT VALUES: any
workplace is made up of
individuals who see the world
SOURCES
differently. Conflict occurs OF
when there is a lack of
acceptance and understanding CONFLICT
of these differences.
 3. DIFFERING
INTERESTS: conflict
occurs when individual
SOURCES workers ‘fight’ for their
OF personal goals,
ignoring organizational
CONFLICT goals and
organizational well-
being.
 4. SCARCE RESOURCES:
too often, employees feel
they have to compete
for available resources
SOURCES in order to do their job.
OF In a resource scarce
environment, this
CONFLICT causes conflicts –
despite awareness of
how scarce resources
may be.
 5. PERSONALITY
CLASHES: all work
environments are made
SOURCES up of differing
personalities. Unless
OF colleagues understand
and accept each other’s
CONFLICT approach to work and
problem-solving,
conflict will occur.
 POOR PERFORMANCE: when one or
more individuals within a work unit
are not performing - not working up to
potential – and this is not addressed,
conflict is inevitable.

SOURCES
OF Ambiguous jurisdiction

CONFLICT
Unresolved prior conflicts
 9. The need for consensus
SOURCES
10. Conflicting attitude
OF
CONFLICT 11. Knowledge of self and
others
 Poorly defined goals

Divergent personal values

General
Causes Lack of cooperation/trust
of
Conflicts Competition of scarce
resources

Unclear roles/lack of job

description
 Not being a role model

How Take credit, no recognition

to Be judgmental
Create
Send written messages
Conflict
Subordinate should come to
see me
 Make yourself inaccessible to
your team

How Individual vs Team approach

to Telling them? Consulting

them? Or deciding with
them?
Create
Come tomorrow
Conflict
Introduce change without
consultation or discussion
 WHY CONFLICT ARISE
TYPE A TYPE B
PERSONALITY PERSONALITY
• Must get things finished • Do not mind leaving
• Never late for appointments things unfinished for a
• Excessively competitive while
• Can't listen to • Calm and unhurried about
conversations, interrupt, appointments
finish others sentences • Not excessively
competitive
• Can listen and let the
other person finish
speaking
 WHY CONFLICT ARISE
TYPE A TYPE B
PERSONALITY PERSONALITY
• Always in a hurry • Never in a hurry
• Do not like to wait even when busy
• Very busy at full speed • Can wait calmly
• Trying to do more than • Easy going
one thing at a time
• Can take one thing
at a time
 WHY CONFLICT ARISE
TYPE A TYPE B
PERSONALITY PERSONALITY
• Want everything to be • Do not mind things
perfect not quite perfect
• Pressurized speech • Slow and deliberate
• Do everything fast speech
• Hold feelings in • Do things slowly
• Can express feelings
 WHY CONFLICT ARISE
TYPE A TYPE B
PERSONALITY PERSONALITY
• Not satisfied with • Quite satisfied with
work/life work/life
• Few social • Many social
activities/interests activities/interests
• If in employment, will • If in employment, will
often take work home limit working to work
hours
 Stress

Absenteeism

Effects of
Conflict in Staff turnover
Organizations
De-motivation

Non-productivity
 Frequent meeting of your
team

Allow your team to express

How to openly

Prevent
Conflict Sharing objectives

Having a clear and detailed

job description
 o Distributing task fairly
How to o Never criticize team
members publicly
Prevent o Always be fair and just
with your team
Conflict o Being a role model
 Assure Assure privacy

Steps to Empathize Empathize than sympathize

Resolve
Conflict Listen Listen actively

Maintain Maintain equity

 Focus Focus on issue, not on
on personality

Steps to Avoid Avoid blame

Resolve
Conflict Identify Identify key theme

Restate Restate key theme frequently

 Encourage Encourage feedback

Steps to Identify Identify alternate solutions

Resolve
Conflicts Give Give your positive feedback

Agree on Agree on an action plan

CONFLICT-HANDLING STYLES
APPROACH - (2) ACCOMMODATING
SUPPORTING
OBJECTIVE YOUR POSTURE LIKELY OUTCOME
RAIONALE

Don’t “How can I help Maintaining Other person

you feel good
upset the harmonious is likely to
about this
relationships
other encounter?” My take
should be our
person position isn’t so advantage.
important that it top priority.
is worth risking
bad feelings
CONFLICT-HANDLING STYLES
APPROACH - (3) COMPETING
YOUR SUPPORTING LIKELY
OBJECTIVE
POSTURE RATIONALE OUTCOME
Get your “I know what’s It is better to You feel
way right” Don’t risk causing a vindicated, but
question my few hard other party feels
judgment or feelings than to defeated and
authority.” abandon an possibly
issue you are humiliated.
committed to.
CONFLICT-HANDLING STYLES
APPROACH - (4) AVOIDING
YOUR SUPPORTING LIKELY
OBJECTIVE
POSTURE RATIONALE OUTCOME
Avoid having “I’m neutral to Disagreements Interpersonal
to deal with this issue.” Let are inherently problems don’t get
conflict me think about bad because they resolved, causing
it.” “That’s create tension. long-term
someone else’s frustration
problem.” manifested in
many ways.
CONFLICT-HANDLING STYLES
APPROACH - (5) COMPROMISING
YOUR SUPPORTING LIKELY
OBJECTIVE
POSTURE RATIONALE OUTCOME
Reach an “Let’s search for Prolonged The participants
agreement a solution we conflicts alienate become
quickly can both live people from their conditioned to seek
with so we can work and expedient rather
get on our engender bitter than effective
work.” feelings. solutions.
CONFLICT-HANDLING STYLES
APPROACH - (1) COLLABORATING
SUPPORTING
OBJECTIVE YOUR POSTURE LIKELY OUTCOME
RATIONALE
“This is my The positions of both The problem is
Solve the
parties are equally
position, what is most likely to be
problem important (though
yours?” “I am resolved. Also, both
not necessarily
together committed to equally valid). Equal parties are
finding the best emphasis should be committed to the
possible placed on the solution and
solution.” “What quality, outcome and satisfied that they
fairness of the
do the facts have been treated
decision-making
 STEPS IN
COLLABORATIVE PROCESS
SHARE SHARE PERSPECTIVES

Use your communication skills to understand the other’s

Use perception of the situation, their needs, and desires
 STEPS IN
COLLABORATIVE PROCESS
Define Define the Issues

Clarify Clarify the topics for discussion

 STEPS IN
COLLABORATIVE PROCESS
Identify Identify the Interests

* Go beyond the stated positions or solutions to figure out what the

Go parties really need to have satisfied in order to reach agreement

Look * Look for the common ground between all parties

 • Brainstorm and generate ideas,
Brainstor looking at the problem from all
angles and considering as many
m different ideas as possible

• Develop a Fair Standard or

Objective Criteria for Deciding
• * Using an agreed upon criteria,
Develop combine and reduce options
• * Strive to "expand the pie" and
create agreements for mutual gain.
 Steps in Collaborative Process

Evaluate Evaluate Options and Reach Agreement

 Conflict is unavoidable
• Complexity of organizational relationship
• Interaction among workers
• Dependence of workers on one another
 Conflict is a healthy sign not a negative process
 It reflects dynamics

Conclusion
 Poorly managed conflicts
• Unfavorable with counterproductive results
• Problems and negative attitude

 Well managed conflicts

• Stimulate competition
• Identify legitimate differences
• Powerful source of motivation

Conclusion
 A specific statement of the offending

How behavior.

An acknowledgement that it was

Should harmful.

Our assumption of responsibility for

an both the behavior and the harm done.

Apology An admission of regret.

Be Done Our commitment to not repeat the

behavior.