WORKPLACE CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND MANAGEMENT

Frederick Pokoo-Aikins MSc. AMC, CIA, CISA, ACFE

Overview

Objectives of this session What is conflict? Desirability of conflict Sources of conflict Types and categories of conflict Impact of conflict Conflict management

Objectives
Understand conflict and recognize how your own attitudes and actions impact on others Identify the sources of conflict Discuss the types and categories of conflict Develop coping strategies for dealing with difficult people and difficult situations

What is conflict?

Conflict is an expressed struggle between at least two interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals, scare resources, and interference from others in achieving their goals (Wilmot and Hocker, 1998) Conflicts exist whenever incompatible activities occur.

Desirability of conflict

Conflict helps eliminate or reduce the likelihood of groupthink. A moderate level of conflict across tasks within a group resulted in increased group performance while conflict among personalities resulted in lower group performance (Peterson and Behfar, 2003) Conflict of ideas

Dooley and Fryxell (1999) found that conflict of ideas at the early stage of decision making (idea formulation) was desirable.

Sources of conflict

Different goals and time horizons:

different groups have differing goals. Production focuses on efficiency; Marketing on sales.

Overlapping authority:
two or more managers claim authority for the same activities. Leads to conflict between the managers and workers.

Task Interdependencies:
one

member of a group fails to finish a task that another depends on. This makes the worker that is waiting fall

Sources of conflict

Incompatible Evaluation or reward system:

workers

are evaluated for one thing, but are told to do something different. Groups rewarded for low cost but firm needs higher service.
managers

Scarce Resources:

can conflict over allocation of resources. When all resources are scarce, managers can fight over allocations.
some

Status inconsistencies:

groups have higher status than others. Leads to managers feeling others are favored.

Types of conflict

Interpersonal Conflict: between individuals based on differing goals or values. Intra-group Conflict: occurs within a group or team. Intergroup Conflict: occurs between 2 or more teams or groups. Managers play a key role in resolution of this conflict. Inter-organizational Conflict: occurs across organizations. Managers in one firm may feel another is not

Categories of conflict

Categories
Issue based conflict Personality based conflict

Impact of conflict - Negative

Mission incomplete Destroys morale Polarizes groups Deepens differences in values Produces irresponsible and regrettable behavior

Impact of conflict - Positive

Opens issue of importance Increases the involvement of individuals Causes authentic communications to occur Results in a solution of the problem Releases pent-up emotion, anxiety, and stress

Figure 16.1

Conflict and organisational performance

Level of Organizational Performance
High B

Low Low Low

A Level of Conflict

C High

Toward Conflict Management

Conflict management is defined as the opportunity to improve situations and strengthen relationships (BCS, 2004). proactive conflict management collaborative conflict management

Toward Conflict Management

Blake and Moutons Conflict Grid

Source: Reproduced by permission from Robert R. Blake and Jane Syngley Mouton. The Fifth Achievement. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 6(4), 1970..

Toward Conflict Management

Blake and Mouton (1970) proposed a grid that shows various conflict approaches. The 1,1 style is the hands-off approach, also called avoidance. The 1,9 position, also called accommodation, is excessively personoriented.

Toward Conflict Management

The 5,5 position represents a willingness to compromise. The 9,1 is the bullheaded approach, also called competing. The optimum style for reducing conflict is the 9,9 approach, also called collaboration.

Toward Conflict Management Practical Tips

Walker and Harris (1995) offer the following practical tips for implementing the 9,9 style. Encouraging behavior occurs when a team member:

1. Avoids feelings or perceptions that imply the other person is wrong or needs to change. 2. Communicates a desire to work together to explore a problem or seek a solution. 3. Exhibits behavior that is spontaneous and destruction-free.

Toward Conflict Management Practical Tips

4. Identifies with another team members problems, shares feelings, and accepts the team members reaction. 5. Treats other team members with respect and trust. 6. Investigates issues rather than taking sides on them.

The same principles can be applied to negotiating with others outside your team, or with a supplier or customer.

Resolving conflicts
Functional

Conflict Resolution: handle conflict by compromise or collaboration between parties.

Compromise: each party concerned about their goal accomplishment and is willing to engage in give and take to reach a reasonable solution. Collaboration: parties try to handle conflict without making concessions by coming up with a new way to resolve differences. Managers also need to address individual sources of conflict.

Managing individual conflicts

Increase
Can

conflict

awareness of the source of

conflict source can be found and corrected?

Increase
Older

diversity awareness and skills

workers may resent younger workers, or experience cultural differences.

Practice

Job Rotation & Temporary assignments

Provides

face.

a good view of what others

Conflict solutions
Alter
If

the source of conflict:

due to overlapping authority, managers fix the problem to change the source.

Negotiation:
Parties

use when parties have equal power.

try and find a common ground by considering various alternatives. Distributive negotiation: parties see there is a fixed resource base.

For them to gain, the other must lose.

Integrative

negotiation: parties can increase total resources by coming up with a new solution.

SelfExploring You and Your Interactions with Others

What do you see as the challenges you face as you interact with others? What do you think are your strengths? List three of your friends. Are they like you or are they different? (Remember to focus on a pattern, not a single behavior) What people do you have the most difficulty interacting successfully with?

SelfExploring You and Your Interactions with Others

Can you see where some of your traits might cause some of the problems? List some of your tendencies that could jeopardize your interactions with others. What can you change? What will be the biggest obstacles to this new behavior?

Three things to avoid when confronting a difficult person:

Overreacting Complaining Lecturing

The end!!!

Questions?