CHAPTER FIVE

5.1.MANAGEMENT OF
ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT
• 5.1 Definition and Nature of Conflict
 The word ,conflict is defined here as: The behavior of
an individual or group which purposely sets out to
block or inhibit another individual or group from
achieving its goals.
 Conflict is processes that begin when one party
perceives that another party has negatively affected
or is about to negatively affect something that the
first party cares about.
 Conflict may be the pursuit by two different persons
or goals that are incompatible, so that gains by one
person must come about at the expense of the other.
• 5.2. Types of conflict
• Conflict may be classified on the basis of its
Sources
Consequence
Organizational levels (individual, group, etc.)
• 1. according to Sources of Conflict
• The classification of conflict is often made on the basis of the
antecedent conditions that lead to conflict.
 Affective Conflict: This occurs when two interacting social
entities, while trying to solve a problem together, become aware
that their feelings and emotions regarding some or all the issues
are incompatible.
 Substantive Conflict: This occurs when two or more
organizational members disagree on their task or content issues.
 Conflict of Interest: This is defined as an inconsistency between
two parties in their preferences for the allocation of a scarce
resource.
 Conflict of Values: This occurs when two social entities differ in
their values or ideologies on certain issue.
 Goal Conflict: This occurs when a preferred outcome or an end-
state of two social entities is inconsistent.
• 2. According to level
• On this basis intra-organizational conflict may
be classified as
intrapersonal
interpersonal
intra-group
intergroup
• I. Intra-personal conflict( Approach +ve,Avoidance
+ve)
• Intra-personal conflicts arise within individuals due to
frustration, goals, and roles.
• Types of intrapersonal conflict
• There are three types of intrapersonal conflict.
Following is a discussion of these three types:
A. Approach–approach conflict=both positive
alternatives
B. Avoidance–avoidance conflict=Both negative
alternatives
C. Approach–avoidance conflict =positive and
negative alternatives
• II. Inter-personal conflict: occurs between two
individuals or between an individual and a group.
• III. Intra-group conflict: is the conflicts that occur
between group members.
• IV. Inter-group conflict: occurs between two or
more groups in an organization - work groups, social
groups, etc.
• 3. According to Consequences of Conflict
• Conflict outcomes may be either
functional
dysfunctional
• A. Functional outcomes( Leads to right way)
• Generally, conflict is constructive when it:
Stimulates creativity and innovation,
improves the quality of decisions,
encourages interest among group members,
provides the medium through which problems can
aired and tensions released,
Fosters environment of self-evaluation and change.
• B. Dysfunctional out comes( Leads to destruction)
• Uncontrolled opposition breeds discontent, which acts to
dissolve commonalities, and eventually leads to the
destruction of the group.
• Among the more undesirable consequence are:
Reduction in group cohesiveness
Delay in decision making which need to be done
urgently
Hostility and aggression development,
increase employee turnover,
Decrease employee satisfaction,
Increases inefficiencies of work units.
• 5.3. Nature of conflict in an organization
• 5.3.1 Perspectives on conflict
• Three perspectives:
Traditional ( Unitary)view.
Human relations(Pluralist) view
Interactionist(Radicalist) view.
• 1. The Traditional/Unitarist View
• The early approach to conflict assumed that conflict
was bad.
• Conflict, then, was to be avoided.
• 2. The Human Relations/Pluralist View
• Argued that conflict was a natural occurrence in all
groups and organizations.
• the human relations school advocated acceptance of
conflict..
• 3. The Interactionist/Radicalist View
• the interactions approach encourages conflict on the
grounds
• 5.4 Cause of Conflict in Organizations
• Descriptions of some of the most common
organizational causes of conflict may be:
1. Competition for resources
2. Task interdependence
3. Jurisdictional ambiguity
4. Status struggles:
5. Organizational Change
6. Personality Clashes
7. Differences in Value Sets
8. Perceptual Differences
9. Work Flow Relationship
• 5.5 The conflict process – stages of conflict
• The conflict process can be thought of as
progressing through five stages:
potential opposition,
cognition and personalization,
intention,
behavior,
outcomes.
• Stage I: Potential Opposition or
Incompatibility
 The first step in the conflict process is the
presence of conditions that create
opportunities for conflict to arise.
 They need not lead directly to conflict,
 but one of these conditions is necessary if
conflict is to arise. three general categories:
 communication,
 structure, and
 personal variables.
• Stage II: Cognition and Personalization
 The antecedent conditions can lead to conflict only when one
or more of the parties are affected by, and cognizant of, the
conflict.
 However, because a conflict is perceived does not mean it is
personalized. You may be aware that you and a co-worker are
in disagreement.
 It is at the level where conflict is felt, when individuals
become emotionally involved, that parties experience anxiety,
tension, frustration, or hostility.
 Perceived conflict: is Awareness by one or more parties of the
existence of conditions that create opportunity for conflict to
arise. Felt conflict: Emotional involvement in a conflict that
creates anxiety, tenseness, frustration, or hostility.
• Stage III: Intentions
 Intentions intervene between people’s perceptions and
emotions and their overt behavior.
 They are decisions to act in a given way.
 Using two dimensions cooperativeness (the degree to which
one party attempts to satisfy the other party’s concerns) and
assertiveness (the degree to which one party attempts to
satisfy his or her own concerns) we can identify
Five conflict-handling intentions( Focused)
 Competing (assertive and uncooperative),
 Collaborating (assertive and cooperative),
 Avoiding (unassertive and uncooperative),
 Accommodating (unassertive and cooperative), and
 Compromising (midrange on both assertiveness and
cooperativeness).
• Avoidance
• The avoiding style is uncooperative and unassertive. People exhibiting this
style seek to avoid conflict altogether by denying that it is there.
• Accommodation
• The accommodating style is cooperative and unassertive. In this style, the
person gives in to what the other side wants, even if it means giving up
one’s personal goals.
• Compromise
• is a middle-ground style, in which individuals have some desire to express
their own concerns and get their way but still respect the other person’s
goals.
• In a compromise, each person sacrifices something valuable to them.
• Competition
• People exhibiting a competing style want to reach their goal or get their
solution adopted regardless of what others say or how they feel.
• Collaboration
• The collaborating style is high on both assertiveness and cooperation. The
objective is to find a win–win solution.
• Stage IV: Behavior
• when a member engages in action that frustrates the
attainment of another's goals or prevents the furthering of the
other's interests.
• Overt conflict covers a full range of behaviors, from subtle,
indirect, and highly controlled forms of interference to direct,
aggressive, violent, and uncontrolled struggle.
• Stage IV is also where most conflict-handling behaviors are
initiated.
• Stage V: Outcomes
• The interplay between the overt conflict behavior and conflict-
handling behaviors results in consequences.
 Functional Outcomes
 Dysfunctional Outcomes
 5.6 Conflict Management Strategies
A viable strategy for conflict management begins with
 an analysis of the conflict situation
 strategy options.
A. Analysis of Conflict Situation

Managers can analyze a conflict situation by identifying the following:

• Conflicting parties: The conflict may arise between individuals, groups, or
departments.
• Source of conflict: The conflict may arise from factors such as differences in
value sets, perception differences, scarcity of resources, workflow relationship,
etc. Analyzing this requires trying to view each Situation through the eyes of
the parties involved.
• Severity of conflict: The situation may be at a stage where the manager must
deal with it immediately; or the conflict may be at a moderate level of
intensity. If the goals of the workgroup are threatened or sabotage is occurring,
the manager must take action immediately. If individuals or groups are simply
in disagreement, a less immediate response is required.
• B) Conflict Resolution
• Conflict Resolution Techniques
• Problem solving: Interested parties confront the issue
and cooperatively identify the problem, generate and
weigh alternate solutions and select a solution.
• Super ordinate goal: It’s a technique used to create a
shared goal that cannot be attained without the
cooperation of each of the conflicting parties.
• Expansion of Resources:When a conflict is caused by
the scarcity of a resource – say, funding, Promotions,
and desirable work or working conditions, etc- the
expansion of resource can create a win-win Situation.
Unfortunately, it is often not possible in practice.
• Avoidance: This strategy calls for a party to withdraw or
ignore the conflict. The manager passively withdraws or
ignores the problem.
• Smoothing: an obliging person neglects his/her own concern
to satisfy the concern of the other party. This strategy involves
playing down differences while emphasizing commonalties
• Compromise: In this strategy, the parties‟ reach a mutually
acceptable solution in which each gets only part of what he or
she wanted.
• Altering the Human Variable: This strategy calls for using
the behavioral change techniques Such as human resources
training to alter attitudes and behaviors that cause conflict.
• Altering the Structural Variable: Conflict is resolved
through changing the formal organizational Structure and the
interaction patterns of conflicting parties through job redesign,
transfers, and the like…
• Authoritative Command / Impose a Solution: Finally, if all
fails, it may be necessary to impose a solution.
• Resolving conflict through negotiation or third-party
intervention: Although the conflict handling styles just
discussed can be used for all types of conflict, they primarily
targets interpersonal conflict.
• Briefly, there are three types of third- party interventions.
 Consultation-this is the process where mandated
representatives of group in a conflict situation meet
together in order to resolve their differences and to reach
agreement.
 Mediation-A trusted third party facilitates the negotiating
process and suggests alternatives.
 Arbitration: The arbitrator is delegated the authority to
render a judgment or otherwise resolve the dispute.
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