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Outline
Conflict & negotiation Types of conflict Conflict process Managing conflict Conflict resolution
A good manager doesn't try to eliminate conflict; he tries to keep it from wasting the energies of his people. If you're the boss and your people fight you openly when they think that you are wrong - that's healthy.
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
Background
The case is about conflict between two employees of an Off-Site team in Impression Corporation and the dilemma of their manager
Impression Corp. introduced flexible timing and work location 2.5 years ago People communicate extensively over intranet chat room, email, phone, voice mail with face-to-face meeting at least once in 2 weeks Employees wanted such an arrangement and it helped to increase their productivity. Helped in providing more in-promptu responses to client proposal
Characters
Peer work together share a long history of conflict it aggravated since they started working offsite Allison Team member, honest hard working worker, quite emotional
Penelope (Penny) Team member, slightly authoritative Couple of years junior to Allison
History of Conflicts Between Allison and Penny It started even when people used to work from site (office building)
Allison once complained to Craig that Penny has blamed her in front of the client Craig intervened and Penny accepted her mistake Craig thought the relationship between them was good since then
Their joint work won accolades and awards!
Both currently working together on Pnobscott campaign project Penny first and later on Allison took the option more than a year ago Penny is on-site more frequently than Allison
Craig Allison
All 3 of us should meet face to face.
Wednesday, Apr 22
Penny
Craig
1. Spoke about the project 2. Penny : we can talk later together. There had been some tension but me and Allison are working it out.
Friday, Apr 24
Craig: We are doing the best work we have ever done. But I am totally disconnected from the people I manage even though I am more connected to them than I have ever been. Managing 20 people working at diff. times and from diff. location is difficult Both of them know of many examples how flexi time/location have helped employees to maintain work-life balance and in turn increases their effectiveness and productivity Craig questioned the utility of flexi-time/location option which was proposed by Maggies HR team
Monday Meeting
Address immediate issue between Allison & Penny
Craig take primary responsibility and let people vent out instead of scrutinizing and suggesting Setup 1:1 with each of them
As things are going out of control some stricter policy is required, at least for the time being, at the cost of employees e.g. Employees should be available between 11AM - 2 PM
But, should management style change depending on if you are managing on-site, off-site, some combination of them?
Not sure but alternative work programs require much more extra commitment from manager and employees
People need to overcommunicate
It requires to develop agreement between people and accept the shared accountability of miscommunication
Craig is slightly arbitrary too many emails and voice-mails even when he is seeing there is miscommunication led conflict in the team He (and possibly other management) should undergo training on how to manage an off-site team HR steps in ! No clear leadership/hierarchy defined Preferential treatment towards Penny
Flexi time/location : Policy and Governance The program appears to be defined in an adhoc manner without clear guidelines such as minimum/mandatory period to be spent in office No assessment process to identify eligible candidates It is good to be employee focused but too much of that may hurt shared organization goal
What is conflictnormally? `A disagreement between people that may be the result of different: Ideas Perspective Priorities Preferences Beliefs Values Goals Organizational structures
Conflict Involves
Emotions: What you feel is important Perceptions: What you see at stake Behaviors: How you act with others
4. Unresolved prior conflicts: `We always have a problem with SGS lab about the final report. 5. Over dependency of one party: `We will have to wait till the budget is made
Conflict defined:
Is a process that begins when one party perceives that another party has negatively affected, or is about to negatively affect, something that the first party cares about. Is that point in an ongoing activity when an interaction crosses over to become an inter party conflict.
Conflict defined:
Encompasses a wide range of conflicts that people experience in organizations
Incompatibility of goals Differences over interpretations of facts Disagreements based on behavioral expectations.
Human Relations View of Conflict: The belief that conflict is a natural and inevitable outcome in any group. Interactionist View of Conflict:
The belief that conflict is not only a positive force in a group but that it is absolutely necessary for a group to perform effectively.
Organizational Conflict:
Conflict is inevitable given the wide range of goals for the different stakeholder in the organization.
Lack of conflict signals that management emphasizes conformity and stifles innovation.
Conflict is good for organizational performance although excessive conflict causes managers to spend too much time achieving their own ends.
Types of Conflict
Functional Conflict
Functional (or constructive) conflict Results in positive benefits to individuals, the group, or the organization. Likely effects
Important problems surface so they can be addressed. Causes careful consideration of decisions. Causes reconsideration of decisions. Increases information available for decision making. Provides opportunities for creativity.
Dysfunctional Conflict
Dysfunctional (or destructive) conflict
Works to the disadvantage of individuals, the group, or the organization. Likely effects
Diverts energies. Harms group cohesion. Promotes interpersonal hostilities. Encourages stereotyping Creates overall negative environment for workers.
Type of Conflict
Task Conflict Conflicts over content and goals of the work. Relationship Conflict Conflict based on interpersonal relationships is dysfunctional Process Conflict Conflict over how work gets done - low levels of this conflict are functional
Levels of Conflict
Macro Organisational Inter-group Interpersonal Intraindivid ual Micro
OHT 12.10
Figure 12.3
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition Pearson Education Limited 2005
Goal Conflict
Arises when a Goal has both positive and negative features or two or more competing goals
Approach-approach conflict- Two or more positive but mutually exclusive goals Approach-avoidance conflict Motivated to approach a goal and the same time avoid it Avoidance-avoidance conflict Avoid two or more negative but mutually exclusive goals
Interpersonal Conflict
Occurs between two or more individuals who are in opposition to one another.
Personal differences Everyone has a unique background because of different values, socialization etc.
Information deficiency two people in conflict are using different information or that one or both have misinformation. Role incompatibility Managers have highly interdependent functions & tasks but their individual roles may be incompatible Environmental stress
Thank you