Transcript Chapter 7: Managing Conflict

Chapter 7: Managing Conflict
Why can’t we all just get along?
Objectives

Diagnose the focus and source of
conflict
 Select the appropriate conflictmanagement strategy
 Resolve interpersonal confrontations
using the collaborative approach
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Conflict and Performance
Organizational
Outcomes
Pos.
Neg.
Low
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High
Level of Conflict
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Summary Model of Conflict
Management
Diagnosis
Selection
Source/Type
of Conflict
Conflict
Management
Approach
Situational
Considerations
Personal
Preferences
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Implementation
Collaborative
Problem
Solving
Outcome
Dispute
Resolution
Diagnosing Conflict

Conflict focus
 People-focused: “In-your-face”
confrontations – high emotions fueled
by moral indignation
 Issue-focused: Rational resource
allocation negotiations
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Diagnosing Conflict
Conflict Source
Personal
differences
Informational
deficiency
Role
incompatibility
Environmental
stress
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Conflict Focus
Perceptions and
expectations
Misinformation and
misrepresentation
Goals and
responsibilities
Resource scarcity
and uncertainty
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Conflict Management
Approaches
Assertive
Collaborating
Forcing
Compromising
Avoiding
Accommodating
Unassertive
Uncooperative
Cooperative
COOPERATIVENESS
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Likely Outcomes for
Conflict Approaches
Forcing – You feel vindicated, but the
other party feels defeated
 Avoiding – Problems don’t get resolved
 Compromising – Participants seek
expedient, not effective, solutions
 Accommodating – Other person can
take advantage of you
 Collaborating – Problem likely to be
resolved

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When to Use Conflict
Management Techniques

Avoiding: small issue, limited
time/resources
 Accommodating: keeping harmony,
using small favor to get larger one
 Forcing: emergencies, when only one
right way exists, prevent others from
taking advantage
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When to Use Conflict
Management Techniques


Compromising: late in conflict, when
partial win is better than none for both
parties
Collaborating: for important issues when
time is not a problem, where
organizational support exists, when
win-win solution is possible
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Framework for Collaborative
Problem Solving

Establish superordinate goals
 Separate the people from the problem
 Focus on interests, not positions
 Invent options for mutual gains
 Use objective criteria for evaluating
alternatives
 Define success in terms of real gains,
not imaginary losses
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Four Phases of Collaborative
Problem Solving
Problem Identification
2. Solution Generation
3. Action Plan Formulation and
Agreement
4. Implementation and Follow-Up
1.

First two phases most difficult to
implement effectively
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Phase 1:
Problem Identification
Initiator
 Maintain personal
ownership of problem
 Describe problem in
terms of behaviors,
consequences and
feelings
 Avoid drawing
conclusions and
attributing motives
 Encourage two-way
discussion
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Responder
 Show genuine interest
and concern
 Seek additional
information by asking
questions
 Agree with some aspect
of the complaint
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Phase 2:
Solution Generation
Initiator
 Focus on
commonalities as the
basis for requesting
change
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Responder
 Ask for suggestions
of acceptable
alternatives
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Mediator’s Role
Problem Identification
 Propose a problemsolving approach for
resolving conflict
 Maintain a neutral
posture regarding the
disputants
 Serve as facilitator, not
judge
 Insure discussion
fairness
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Solution Generation
 Focus on interests, not
positions
 Make sure everyone
understands solution;
establish follow-up
procedures
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Rules for Collaborative
Negotiation

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Avoid the fixed-pie fallacy
Build trust and share information
Ask questions
Provide information
Make multiple offers simultaneously
Avoid sequential discussion of issues
Construct contingency contracts and
leverage differences
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Rules for Collaborative
Negotiations

Be wary of intuition
 Search for postsettlement settlements
 Use team-on-team negotiation
 Avoid majority rule
 Beware of coalitions
 Appeal to norms of justice – equity,
equality and need
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