CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

By Madhuri Bind

DEFINITION OF CONFLICT

Conflict is generally defined as hampering others effort by the blockage.

TRANSITIONS IN CONFLICT THOUGHT

Traditional View of Conflict: The belief that all conflict is harmful and must be avoided.

Causes: Poor communication

Lack of openness
Failure to respond to employee needs

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.

Behavioral View of Conflict : Behavioral view point asserts that conflict is a natural and inevitable process in organization behavior and has both functional and dysfunctional consequences.

Functional Conflict Conflict that supports the goals of the group and improves its performance. Dysfunctional Conflict Conflict that hinders group performance.

SOURCES OF CONFLICT
Robbins classifies conditions or sources of conflicts into three general categories: Communication Structure Personal variables

Communication
Semantic

problems, Insufficient exchange of information, Misunderstandings and Noise. Communication gaps hamper collaboration and foster misunderstanding.

Structure

Size, Amount of specialization of jobs, Standardization in the tasks, Member/goal incompatibility, Leadership styles (close or participative), Reward systems (win-lose), Dependence/interdependence of groups leads to conflicts.

Personal variables

These include the personality characteristics and the value system which lead to individual differences and are sources of conflict.

THE CONFLICT PROCESS

CLASSIFICATION OF CONFLICT
INTERNALISED ( INTRA-PERSONAL) 1. Frustration Aggression Displaced aggression Regression Fixation Withdrawal 2. Role conflict Intra-sender Inter-sender Inter role Person-role Role - overload 3. Goal conflict Approach approach Approach-avoidance Avoidance-avoidance ORGANIZATIONAL 1. Institutionalized Individual Vs individual Individual Vs organization Hierarchial Functional Line Vs staff 2. Emergent Individual Vs informal group Formal informal Status Politics

INTERNALISED ( INTRA-PERSONAL)

Frustration: Frustration occurs when an individual is blocked from attaining a goal because of certain barriers.

Role conflict

Intra-sender: Intra-sender conflict originates in the sender who gives conflicting instructions or expects conflicting or mutually exclusive behavioral responses. Inter-sender: Inter- sender conflicts arises when an individual receives conflicting messages from two or more sources.

Inter role: Inter-role conflicts occur when an individual belongs to more than one group. Person-role: Demands placed by an employee's job/role that are incompatible with his or her personality or skills.

Role overload: If the individual cannot meet the expectations placed on her/ him, she or he will experience role overload.

Goal Conflict

Approach approach conflict emerges if the individual is required to choose one out of two mutually exclusive, attractive goals. Approach avoidance conflict involves both positive and negative feelings, simultaneously associated with the attractive and repulsive features of the goal. Avoidance avoidance conflict involves a choice between two mutually exclusive, painful negative goals.

ORGANIZATIONAL

Institutionalized conflict Emergent Conflict

INSTITUTIONALIZED CONFLICT

Individual vs individual conflict is common at work. Individual vs organizational conflict Hierarchical conflict is the outcome of hierarchy-based incapability. Functional conflict is arises from organizational framework. Line staff conflict

EMERGENT CONFLICT

Individual vs informal group conflict Formal informal conflict Status conflict Political conflict

APPROACHES TO CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

Avoidance Smoothing Compromise Hierarchical decision making Appeal procedure System restructuring Altering human variables Problem-solving Bargaining

Avoidance

Conflict can be reduced by avoiding it altogether. This involves efforts on the part of the conflicting parties either to withdraw or distinguish the inconsistency. By withdrawing one party enables the other to win that is becoming the sole occupant of the goal. Moreover, conflict can also be managed by redefining the goals through mutual withdrawal and establishing other non-over lapping goals.

When withdrawal is not feasible, attempts may be made to distinguish the inconsistency of goals by withholding information related to them. Sometimes, subordinates withhold or suppress unpleasant information to avoid conflict with their superiors. This technique merely facilitates the avoidance of conflict rather than its resolution.

Smoothing

In this technique, differences between parties are disguised while similarities are highlighted. It enables the conflicting parties to realize that they are not very much apart from each other. This shared view point enhances the possibility of working together towards a commonly held goal. Smoothing only provides a temporary solution and conflict may recur, with the re-emergence of differences in the course of time

Compromise

This technique forms a commonly used method to benefit all the parties in a conflict in one way or the other. Either the goal object is divided among the competing parties or one party provides something else to the other in exchange for the desired outcome. This method may involve offers and counter-offers and proves effective in arriving at a mutually satisfying solution, where the competing parties are of nearly equal strength. It is influenced heavily by the relative strength of the parties.

Hierarchical decision making

In addition to compromise, appeal for hierarchical decision-making can be made by the parties in conflict. An appeal to chance- such as tossing a coin can be made to resolve conflict by compelling the loser party to withdraw from the situation. An appeal to positional authority or authoritative command can also be used to resolve conflict. Thus, a common superior can be requested to use his authority to resolve conflict through a proper decision.

Appeal procedure

Appeal procedure has been evolved to overcome the short comings of hierarchical decision. Thus, if the aggrieved individual feels that his problems have not been resolved adequately by the immediate superior, he may appeal to a higher manager or a special grievance committee or an independent arbitrator. However, this technique causes fear of retaliation by the immediate superior, who has been bypassed.

System restructuring

Role conflict can be resolved by clarifying demands and segregating roles in different positions and people. Individuals belonging to interdependent departments can be rotated from time to time to check narrow loyalties and misunderstanding stemming from perceptual distortions. A matrix organization can be used effectively to resolve a conflict through confrontation involving conflict recognition and conciliation rather than smoothing.

Altering human variables

Perceptions, attitudes, values and beliefs can be changed to mitigate he source of conflict. Among the measure used to change human variables are a series of HR training programme launched in organizational settings. Sensitivity training is frequently used to develop empathy and interpersonal skills among participants. This technique facilities management of conflicts effectively. However, it is the most difficult technique besides being slow and costly.

Problem-solving

This technique seeks to resolve conflicts through face to face confrontation and embodies measures to accomplish the common interests of the parties in conflicts. The conflicting parties are required to come together to resolve the problem instead of accommodating each others divergent viewpoints.

Attempts are made to identify areas of common interests by sharing and communicating relevant information. This technique enables the parties to deal effectively with doubts and misunderstandings that appear in mutual discussion processes. Both parties tend to adequately analyze the problem and develop empathy in the view points of others in the course of time.

Bargaining

Distributive Bargaining: Negotiation that seeks to divide up a fixed amount of resources; a win-lose situation. Integrative Bargaining: Negotiation that seeks one or more settlements that can create a win-win solution

Distributive Versus Integrative Bargaining