Ch 11: Conflict And Negotiation In The Workplace

A process in which one party perceives that his or her interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another party

1. Uses otherwise productive time

2. Less information sharing

3. Higher stress, dissatisfaction, and turnover

4. Increases organizational politics

5. Wastes resources

6. Weakens team cohesion when conflict is among team members

1. Better decision making by testing logic of arguments and questioning assumptions

2. More responsive to changing environment

3. Stronger team cohesion when conflict is between team and outside opponents

1. Task-oriented conflict

2. Parties focus on the issue while maintaining respect for people having other points of view

3. Try to understand the logic and assumptions of each position

1. Socioemotional conflict

2. Parties focus on personal characteristics instead of the issue as source of conflict

3. Try to undermine each other's worth/competence

4. Accompanied by strong negative emotions (drive to defend)

1. Emotional intelligence

2. Cohesive team

3. Supportive team norms

Sources of Conflict----->

Conflict Perceptions and Emotions--------->

Manifest Conflict------>

Conflict Outcomes

**Manifest can cycle back to perceptions and emotions

1. Incompatible goals

2. Differentiation

3. Interdependence

4. Scarce Resources

5. Ambiguous rules

6. Poor communication

1. One party's goals perceived to interfere with other's goals

2. Structural source of conflict

1. Differences among people and work units regarding training, values/beliefs, and experiences

2. Explains cross-cultural and generational conflict

3. Structural source of conflict

1. The extent to which employees must share material, information, or expertise to perform jobs. Higher level increases risk of conflict

2. Parties more likely to interfere with each other

3. Structural source of conflict

1. Motivates competition for the resource

2. Structural source of conflict

1. Creates uncertainty, threatens goals

2. Without rules, people rely on politics

3. Structural source of conflict

1. Increases stereotyping

2. Reduces motivation to communicate

3. Escalates conflict when arrogant

4. Structural source of conflict

1. Problem solving

2. Forcing

3. Avoiding

4. Yielding

5. Compromising

Tries to find a solution that is beneficial for both parties; win-win orientation

High Assertiveness

High Cooperativeness

Tries to win the conflict at the other's expense; win-lose orientation

High Assertiveness

Low Cooperativeness

Tries to smooth over or avoid conflict situations altogether; lose-lose orientation

Low Assertiveness

Low Cooperativeness

Giving in completely to the other side's wishes; win-lose orientation

Low Assertiveness

Low Cooperativeness

1. Interests are not perfectly opposing

2. Parties have trust/openness

3. Issues are complex

Other party may use information to its advantage because it entails a large quantity of information sharing

1. Have a deep conviction about your position

2. Quick resolution required

3. Other party would take advantage of cooperation

Relationship conflict, long-term relations could be damaged

1. Conflict is emotionally-charged; relationship conflict

2. Conflict resolution cost is higher than benefits

1. Doesn't resolve conflict

2. Leads to frustration

1. Other party has much more power

2. Issue is much less important to you than other party

3. Value/logic of your position is imperfect

1. Increases other's expectations'

2. Imperfect solution

1. Parties have equal power

2. Quick solution is required

3. Parties lack trust/openness

Sub-optimal solutions where mutual gains are possible; with more time and/or more trust it can be escalated to problem solving

1. Emphasizing superordinate goals

2. Reducing differentiation

3. Improving communication and mutual understanding

4. Reducing task interdependence

5. Increasing resources

6. Clarifying rules and procedures

1. Emphasize common objective rather than conflicting subordinate goals of departments

2. Reduces goal incompatibility and differentiation

Macro level goals of the organization; strategic goals of the organization

Remove differences that generate conflict; move employees around to different jobs

1. Give conflicting parties more opportunity for communication

2. Relates to contact hypothesis

3. Warning: Apply communication/understanding after reducing differentiation

The proposition that we rely less on stereotypes to understand someone when we have more meaningful interaction with that person

1. Create buffers

2. Use integrators

3. Combine jobs

Any mechanism that loosens the coupling between two or more people or work units. This decoupling reduces the potential for conflict because it reduces the effect of one party on the other

Employees who coordinate the activities of work units toward the completion of a common task

Any attempt by a relatively neutral person to help conflicting parties resolve their differences

1. Arbitration

2. Inquisition

3. Mediation

High level of Process Control

Low Level of Outcome Control

Low Level of Process Control

High Level of Outcome Control

High Level of Process Control

High Level of Outcome Control

1. Managers prefer inquisitional strategy, but not usually best approach. Employers choice, but employees don't like

2. Mediation potentially offers highest satisfaction with process and outcomes

3. Use arbitration when mediation fails

Conflicting parties attempt to resolve their divergent goals by redefining the terms of their interdependence

Need to balance collaborative behaviors (create value) and competitive behaviors (claim value)

Area of potential agreement

Aiming for the best possible outcomes for yourself and your constituents

1. Prepare and set goals

2. Know your BATNA; cost ending negotiation; best outcome through another means

3. Manage time; avoid time pressure on you; avoid escalation of commitment effect

4. Manage first offers and concessions

Use problem solving to help both parties reach the best outcomes

1. Gather information

2. Discover priorities through offers and concessions; make multi-issue proposals

3. Build the relationship (trustworthiness); common backgrounds, manage first impressions, maintaining positive emotions, act reliably

1. Location

2. Physical setting

3. Audience