CONFLICT
MANAGEMENT
CONFLICT DEFINITION
.Clash, fight, battle, struggle
.A striking or dashing together; violent
collision; as, a conflict of elements or
waves.
.A strife for the mastery; hostile contest.
.To strike or dash together; to meet in
violent
collision; to collide.
.To contend; to engage in strife or
opposition
CONFLICT DEFINITION
.Conflict has been defined as "an
expressed
struggle between at least two
interdependent parties who perceive
incompatible goals, scarce resources,
and
interference from the other party in
achieving their goals. (Borchers, T.)
CONFLICT THEORY
.Conflict in management is a warning to
the
organization that something is amiss, &
it
should stimulate search for new
solutions
through problem solving, the
clarification of
the objectives, the establishment of
group
norms, & determination of group
boundaries.
.However, eliminating conflict is not
necessary (Tomey, 2005)
SOURCES OF CONFLICT
.Cultural differences may contribute to
differing attitudes, values, beliefs, &
behaviors
.Individual involved do not have the
same
facts
.Individual define the problem differently
.Varying goals and objective
.Contrasting procedural strategies for
accomplishing goals
.Variations in personal value system
.Communication barrier
SOURCES OF CONFLICT…(CONT.)
.The organization is complex
.Due to numerous organizational level
.Due to numerous specialties
.Conflict increases as the degree of
association
increases
.Or when some parties are dependent on
others
.Competition for scarce resources
.Ambiguous jurisdiction
.If there is a need for consensus
TYPES OF CONFLICT
.Based on structure:
.1. VERTICAL CONFLICT
.Differences between manager and staff
or
between superiors and subordinates
.These are often related to inadequate
communication, opposing interests and
the
lack of shared perceptions and attitude
.2. HORIZONTAL CONFLICT
.Is a line- staff conflict,
.It is commonly a struggle between
domains
related to activities, expertise and
authority
and is often related to interdepartmental
stripe
STAGES OF CONFLICT
Latent conflict – antecedent conditions
predict conflict behavior
.Perceived conflict – cognitive awareness
of
stressful situation .When the conflict is small and
.Felt conflict – feelings and attitude are relationships are at stake
present and affect the conflict .When you're counting to ten to cool off
.Manifest conflict – overt behavior result .When more important issues are
from pressing and you
three earlier stages feel you don't have time to deal with this
particular one
.When you have no power and you see
MODEL FOR MANAGING CONFLICT no chance of getting your concerns met
Model for Managing Conflict .When the cost of dealing with the
(Tomey, M.) conflict is higher than the benefit of the
1. Determine the basis of the resolution
conflict .When you are too emotionally involved
2. Analyze the sources of the and others
conflict around you can solve the conflict more
3. Consider alternative approaches successfully
to conflict management .When more information is needed
4. Choose the most appropriate
approach
5. Implement the conflict management DRAWBACKS OF AVOIDING
strategy .Important decisions may be made by
6. Evaluate Results default
.Postponing may make matters worse
Resolving IP Conflict (Fisher, R.) .Creates lose-lose situation through
1. Contracting unassertive and uncooperative means
2. Problem Definition and Diagnosis .Withdrawing from a conflict does not
3. Problem Solving resolve it
4. Closure .Causes anger and drains energy
needed for more constructive purposes
APPROACHES TO MANAGING
CONFLICT OR CONFLICT 2. ACCOMMODATING
RESOLUTION .I lose, you win
.Symbol: Teddy Bear
NO WINNERS, NO LOSERS
SYMBOL:TURTLE ACCOMMODATING
1. AVOIDING .Is allowing the other party to satisfy
their concerns while neglecting your
AVOIDING own.
.Means not paying attention to the .Cooperative but unassertive
conflict and not taking any action to .Self-sacrificing- the opposite of
resolve it. competing
.The conflict is not simply addressed .The person neglects her own needs to
.Fundamental premise: This isn't the meet the goals of the other party
right time or place to address this .Fundamental premise: Working toward
issue a common purpose is more important
.Strategic philosophy: Avoids conflict than any of the peripheral concerns; the
by withdrawing, sidestepping, or trauma of
postponing confronting differences may damage
fragile relationships
WHEN TO USE AVOIDING .Strategic philosophy: Appease others by
downplaying conflict, thus protecting the
relationship
WHEN TO USE ACCOMMODATING
. When an issue is not as important to
you as it is to the other person
.When you realize you are wrong
.When you are willing to let others learn
by mistake
.When you know you cannot win
.When it is not the right time and you
would prefer to simply build credit for
the future
.When harmony is extremely important
.When what the parties have in common
is a good deal more important than their
differences
DRAWBACKS OF ACCOMMODATING
. One's own ideas don't get attention
.Credibility and influence can be lost
.May smoothen some minor problems
but the
real problem is still there
3. COMPETING
.I win, you lose
.Symbol: Shark
3. COMPETING
or forcing - using formal authority or
other power
that you possess to satisfy your
concerns without
regard to the concerns of the party that
you are in conflict with.
.Is a power oriented mode that is
assertive but
uncooperative.
.One is aggressive and pursue her own
goals at
another’s expense
.Fundamental premise: Associates
"winning" a conflict with competition
.Strategic philosophy: When goals are
extremely
important, one must sometimes use
power to win
WHEN TO USE COMPETING
. When you know you are right
.When time is short and a quick decision
is needed
.When a strong personality is trying to
steamroller you and you don't want to
be taken advantage of
.When you need to stand up for your
rights
.When a quick or popular decision is
needed, when the person is very
knowledgeable about situation and able
to make a sound decision
DRAWBACKS OF COMPETING
.Can escalate conflict
.Losers may retaliate
.Create win-lose results
4. COMPROMISING
.You bend, I bend
.Symbol: Fox
COMPROMISING
.attempting to resolve a conflict by
identifying a
solution that is partially satisfactory to
both
parties, but completely satisfactory to
neither.
.It addresses a problem more effectively
than
avoidance but less than collaboration
.Compromisers are willing to yield less
than
accommodates but more than
competitors as
they seek expedient, mutually
acceptable answers
.Fundamental premise: Winning
something while
losing a little is OK
.Strategic philosophy: Both ends are
placed
against the middle in an attempt to
serve the
"common good" while ensuring each
person can
maintain something of their original
position
WHEN TO USE
COMPROMISING
.When people of equal status are equally
committed to goals
.When time can be saved by reaching
intermediate settlements on individual
parts
of complex issues
.When goals are moderately important
DRAWBACKS OF COMPROMISING
.Because both parties feel that they
sacrifice
something, they are partially satisfied
.Lose-lose atmosphere results
.Important values and long-term
objectives can
be derailed in the process
.May not work if initial demands are too
great
.Can spawn cynicism, especially if
there's no
commitment to honor the compromise
solutions
5. COLLABORATING
.I win, you win
.Symbol: Owl
COLLABORATING
. is cooperating with the other party to
understand their
concerns and expressing your own
concerns in an effort to
find a mutually and completely
satisfactory solution.
.Is a win-win strategy
.It contributes to effective problem
solving because both parties try to find
mutually satisfying solutions
.Problems are identified alternatives
explored until
difficulties are resolved
.Generally it is more effective method of
conflict
resolution
.Fundamental premise: Teamwork and
cooperation help everyone achieve their
goals while also maintaining
relationships
.Strategic philosophy: The process of
working through differences will lead to
creative solutions that will satisfy both
parties' concerns
WHEN TO USE COLLABORATING
. When there is a high level of trust
.When you don't want to have full
responsibility
.When you want others to also have
"ownership" of solutions
.When the people involved are willing to
change their thinking as more
information is
found and new options are suggested
.When you need to work through
animosity
and hard feelings
DRAWBACKS OF COLLABORATING
. The process takes lots of time and
energy
.Some may take advantage of other
people's
trust and openness
ON THE USE OF STRATEGIES
.Each of us tends to use one or two of
the five
strategies more than the other
.People predominantly use collaborating
when
in interpersonal conflict situations
.Matching Strategies to Situations
MATCHING STRATEGIES TO
SITUATIONS
.There are a few key variables that
define
conflict management situations and
determine
which conflict management strategies
are likely
to be effective.
.Time pressure is an important variable
.Issue importance - the extent to which
important priorities, principles or values
are
involved in the conflict.
.Relationship importance - how
important it is
that you maintain a close, mutually
supportive
relationship with the other party.
.Relative power - how much power you
have
compared to how much power other
party has.
DEESCALATION-OF-CONFLICT TACTICS
.Listening
.Showing tact and concern for others
.Appealing to deescalation
.Goodwill posture
.Airing feelings
.Negative inquiry
.metacommunication
.Responding to all levels of
communication
.Fractionalization
.Position paper
.Problem solving
.Establishing outside criteria
HELPFUL STRATEGIES FOR
MEDIATING INTERPERSONAL
CONFLICT
.Do not blame anyone for the problem
.Focus on the issue not the personalities
.Protect each party’s self-respect
.Facilitate open and complete discussion
of
the issue
.Give equal time to each party
.Encouraging the expression of both
positive
& negative feelings
CONT…
.Encouraging each party to listen
actively and
try to understand the other person’s
point
view
.Help develop alternative solution
.Summarize key points and plans
.Later follow-up on the plans and give
positive reinforcement as appropriate
.Facilitate further problem solving as
necessary
STEPS TO RESOLVE CONFLICT: (BY
PATRICK J. MCKENNA AND DAVID
MAISTER)
.1. Describe the conflict and the
nonproductive
behavior you are observing
.2. Ask each person to comment on the
causes of the disagreement
.3. Have each person summarize what
the other person said
.4. Ask each person, in turn, to identify
points of
agreement and disagreement
.5. Invite your colleagues to suggest
ways to proceed
ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND
CLIMATE AND DEVELOPMENT
ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
.Is the customary way of thinking and
behaving that is shared by all members
of
the organization and must be learned by
new
comers before they can be accepted
into the
agency.
.Values – provide a sense of direction,
guideaction, help set priorities
.Rituals – day to day routines that show
employer how they are to behave
.Norms – rules to follow
.Cultural Network – informal means of
communication manager must be able
to utilize this to understand what is
going on and to get things done
CULTURE AND MANAGER
.Social
. .Are workers properly motivated
.Do they have problems with co-workers
.Do they have personal problems
Technical
.Skills – to demand of work
.Is there a problem
.Is the work itself un/clear to the worker
.Is there enough training provided
Managerial
.Is manager effective
.Is there proper dispersal of authority
and
accountability
ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE
.It is the human environment within
which an
organizations employees do their work
.It refer to the set of characteristics an
attributes that distinguished one
organization
from other organization
.Emotional state shared by members of
an organization.
.Eg. Formal, Relaxed, Cautious,
Accepting and
Trusting
.Climate set by managers affects
workers behavior
.Example
.Strict – workers feel nervous so they
can’t perform well
.Too formal – workers are inhibited to
share or voice out problem
.Relaxed – workers feel comfortable so
they work
well, don’t feel ashamed
.Climate set by nurse affect patient
behavior
.Example – unconcerned – patient feel
neglected –
negative effect on recovery
.Example of climate set by a nurse to
the profession
.1. Challenging
.2. Participation in DM
.3. Climate that rewards or recognized
the effort of
employees
CLIMATE ARE THE FOLLOWING
.1. Structure – extent to which
employees feels
bounded by rules, regulations, and red
tape
.2. Individual responsibility – in which
employee
feels independent and autonomous
.3. Rewards – in which employees feel
that a good
job is properly rewarded
.4. Challenge – employee view job as
challenging
.5. Warmth and Support – employee
feels /perceive
good fellowship/friendliness
.6. Tolerance of conflict – employee feels
that
different opinions are tolerated
DETERMINANT OF ORGANIZATIONAL
CLIMATE
.1. Managerial Values – The values lead
to action
that influence decision. Values have a
significant
influence on whether the organization is
formal or
informal, autocratic or participative,
andimpersonal or friendly
.2. Leadership Style – leaders who have
confidence in their subordinates and
want them to be involved in
organizational decisions
.3. Economic conditions – when
economic is growing the managers is
adventuresome and willing to take risk –
economic is down budget to tight decide
more conservatively
.4. Organizational structure – fixed
reporting
schedule and rigid rules – bureaucratic,
make the organization more cold and
impersonal
.5. Characteristics of members –
personalities of the members affect the
climate. Participative in social activities
make the climate friendly
.6. Unionization – The presence or
absence of a
labor union has a pervasive influence. If
with union – formal and antagonistic
.7. Organizational Size – Large
organizations tend to be more rigid,
bureaucratic and structured than
smaller ones. Easy to established a
climate of
creativity, innovation and cohesiveness
in small
company than large company
.8. Nature of work – the type of job or
industry
contribute to the uniqueness of the
organizational
climate. Eg. Newspaper company vs.
textbook
publisher, OR unit vs. Ward
TYPICAL ELEMENTS THAT
CONTRIBUTE TO A FAVORABLE
CLIMATE
.1. Quality of leadership
.2. Amount of trust
.3. Communication, upward and
downward
.4. Feeling of useful work
.5. Responsibility
.6. Fair rewards
.7. Reasonable job pressures
.8. Opportunity
.9. Reasonable control, structure and
bureaucracy
.10. Employee involvement;
participation
MANAGER SHOULD PROVIDE A (+)
CLIMATE
.1. include the workers goals in mission,
goals
and objectives of an organization
.2. Establish trust and openness
.3. Provide opportunities for growth and
development, seminar and retreats
ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
.It is an intervention strategy that uses
group
processes to focus on the whole culture
of an
organization in order to bring about
planned
change.
.A strategy aimed at helping
organization
become self-correcting, self-renewing
systems of people who are receptive to
evidence that change is required and
able to
respond with innovative, integrates
programs
and arrangements.
DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE OF AN
ORGANIZATION
.Birth - concerned with survival. Eg. In
School, accept student w/o emphasis on
the
type of students being accepted
.Youth – concerned with gaining stability
and
reputation. Eg. In school, demand
students
with good grades
.Maturity – concerned with upgrading
standard and contributing to society. Eg.
In
School, main concern is to produce
graduate
the school be proud of and or graduates
that
can be movers of society
WHY OD NECESSARY?
.2 main causes:
.Many well-designed training program
failed
because the job environment provided
inadequate support
.To help organization respond to change
more
uniformly and capably
CHARACTERISTICS OF OD
.1. Systems Orientation
.OD programs are concerned with the
interaction of various parts of the
organization as they affect each other
.2. Humanistic Value
.OD programs ensure that new
organization
will be responsive to human needs
.3. Use of change agent
.the role is to stimulate, facilitate and
coordinate
change
.4. Problem Solving
.Is emphasized in a way that employees
are
learning from their experience, so they
can solve
new problem in the future
.5. Feedback
.This encourages them to understand together as a team for improved group
how they functioning
are seen by others and take self- .6. Inter-group Development of larger
correcting groups is
action undertaken after the small group teams
.7. Evaluation and follow-up
.6. Contingency Orientation .The consultant helps the organization
.Is emphasized making OD flexible and evaluate
pragmatic, the results of OD and develop additional
adapting actions to fit particular needs programs in areas where additional
.7. Experiential Learning results are
.Participants learn by experience in the needed
training
environment the kinds of human
problems they
face in the job
.8. Interventions at many levels are
structured
activities designed to help individual or
group
improve their work effectively

THE OD PROCESS
.1. Initial Diagnosis
.The consultant meets with the top
management to determine the nature of
the
firm’s problem
.2. Data Collection
.The consultant make a survey to
develop
information regarding the organizational
climate and behavioral problem
.3. Data Feedback and Confrontation
.Work groups are assigned to work on
the data
collected, to mediate among themselves
on the
areas of disagreement and establish
priorities for
change
.4. Action Planning and Problem Solving
.The data are used to develop specific
recommendation for change. This
include person
responsible and target date of
completion
.5. Team Building
.The group encourage to examine how
they work