B'A Business Studies

1
B.A Business Studies

• Management of Change
• Lecture 5
• Managing Conflict
• Conflict Management

2
By the end of this session you should

• Be able to define Conflict
• Be able to distinguish between traditionalist
  interactionist viewpoints on the relationship
  between conflict organisational effectiveness
• Be able to describe the main structural sources
  of conflict likely to be encountered in
  organisations

3
By the end of this session you should

• Be able to outline ways in which managers may
  intervene to stimulate or to resolve
  organisational conflict
• Describe your own preferred styles of behaviour
  for handling conflict
• Identify the most appropriate behavioural
  strategy for handling conflcit in a range of
  situations

4
Conflict - definitions

• That behaviour by organisation members which is
  expended in opposition to other members. J.D
  Thompson
• The process which begins when one party
  perceives that another has frustrated, or is
  about to frustrate, some concern of his. K.W
  Thomas
• Conflict is the behaviour that occurs between
  organisational groups when participants identify
  with one group perceive that other groups may
  block their groups goal achievment or
  expectations. K.W Thomas
• Conflict exists whenever incompatible activities
  occur. M. Deutsch

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Conflict - definitions

• Keywords
• PERCEPTION
• BLOCKING
• INCOMPATIBLE ACTIVITIES

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Conflict Organisational Effectiveness

• Two Viewpoints
• TRADITIONALIST conflict is bad. If there is a
  disagreement, it should be referred up the
  hierarchy to someone who has the authority to
  resolve the issue. Overt conflict indicates a
  failure in the chain of command.
• INTERACTIONIST a culture which excludes
  conflict is dysfunctional. Within limits,
  conflict is functional to the organisation.
  Managers need to maintain a healthy level of
  conflict. Thus management of conflict may
  involve its stimulation as well as its resolution

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Conflict Organisational Effectiveness
Organisational Effectiveness
High
A Complacency Zone
C Pathological Conflict Zone
B Managed Conflict Zone
Low
Low
High
Level of Conflict
8
Conflict Organisational Effectiveness
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Structural Sources of Conflict

• Task Dependence
• One way vs mutual task dependence
• Level of horizontal differentiation
• May lead to distorted communications
• Low formalisation
• Dependence on shared resources
• Differing evaluation criteria
• E.g. sales vs production

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Conflict Stimulation Techniques

• Create competition
• Manipulate communications
• E.g inject ambiguity or threat
• Reduce resources
• Increase horizontal differentiation
• Increase hetrogeneity within groups
• E.g by bringing in outsiders

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Conflict Resolution Techniques

• Reframing
• Create superordinate goals
• Engage in mutual problem solving
• Expand Resources
• Formal authority
• Arbitration mechanisms
• Redesign incentive reward systems
• Merge conflicting units
• Increase interaction

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Conflict Management ReframingAdpated from
Taft, S.H. Integration as a Method for Conflict
Resolution
Marketing Department
Production Department
Production wont get the product out fast enough
to meet customer orders
Marketing doesnt understand our pressures. We
cant respond to every customers whims

• Content Reframing Up What do you think is best
  for our company as a whole?
• Content Reframing Down What would be the best
  possible situation for marketing? For
  production?
• Process Reframing Up What is a better way for
  your 2 departments to manage the demands (or
  pressures) each of you put on the other?
• Process Reframing Down How do each of you
  communicate your needs to the other?

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Model of Interpersonal Conflict-Handling Styles

• Forcing Collaborating
• Compromising
• Avoiding Accomodating

Assertive
Persons desire to satisfy own concerns
Unassertive
Cooperative
Uncooperative
Persons desire to satisfy others concerns