Conflicts and

Negotiation

Members: Balagapo, Guialel, Malabuyoc, Tabsing

Objectives
• At the end of the lesson, the students should be
able to:
• Analyze the causes of short- and long-term conflicts in
organizations and evaluate strategies for resolution.
• Apply negotiation techniques to achieve mutually
beneficial agreements in various organizational settings.
• Demonstrate an understanding of cultural differences in
negotiation and adapt bargaining strategies accordingly.
What is Conflict?
• the process by which individuals or groups react
to other entities that have frustrated, or are about
to frustrate, their plans, goals, beliefs, or activities
• situations in which the expectations or actual
goal-directed behaviors of one person or group
are blocked—or about to be blocked—by another
person or group
Types of Conflict
1. Goal Conflict
2. Cognitive conflict
3. Affective conflict
4. Behavioral conflict
Levels of Conflict
1. Intrapersonal conflict - conflict within one person
2. Interpersonal conflict - where two individuals
disagree on some matter.
3. Intergroup conflict - involves disagreements
between two opposing forces over goals or the
sharing of resources.
4. Interorganizational conflict - disputes between
two companies in the same industry
The Positive and Negative
Sides of Conflict
Positive
• lead to the search for new ideas and new
mechanisms as solutions to organizational
problems
• stimulate innovation and change
• facilitate employee motivation
• likely to have stabilizing and integrative functions
for the relationship
The Positive and Negative
Sides of Conflict
Negative
• take a heavy toll in terms of psychological well-
being
• major influence on stress
• can also affect the social climate of the group and
inhibit group cohesiveness
The Relationship Between
Conflict Intensity and Outcomes
Why Organizations Have So
Much Conflict?
1. Task Interdependencies
2. Status Inconsistencies
3. Jurisdictional Ambiguities
4. Communication Problems
5. Dependence on Common Resource Pool
6. Lack of Common Performance Standards
7. Individual differences
A Model of the Conflict
Process
A Model of the Conflict
Process
• most commonly accepted model of the conflict
process
• developed by Kenneth Thomas
• consists of four stages: (1) frustration, (2)
conceptualization, (3) behavior, and (4) outcome
Stage 1: Frustration
• conflict situations originate when an individual or
group feels frustration in the pursuit of important
goals
• may be caused by a wide variety of factors
• conflict can be traced to frustration over almost
anything a group or individual cares about.
Stage 2: Conceptualization
• parties to the conflict attempt to understand the
nature of the problem what they themselves want
as a resolution, what they think their opponents
want as a resolution, and various strategies they
feel each side may employ in resolving the
conflict.
• problem-solving and strategy phase
Stage 3: Behavior
• parties to a conflict attempt to implement their
resolution mode by competing or accommodating
in the hope of resolving problems
• A major task here is determining how best to
proceed strategically
Approaches to Conflict
Resolution
Stage 4: Outcome
• both sides determine the extent to which a
satisfactory resolution or outcome has been
achieved
• One unresolved conflict episode can easily set the
stage for a second episode
Common Strategies that
Seldom Work
1. Nonaction - doing nothing and ignoring the problem
2. Administrative Orbiting - managers will
acknowledge that a problem exists but then take
little serious action
3. Due Process Nonaction - to wear down the
dissatisfied employee while at the same time
claiming that resolution procedures are open and
available
4. Secrecy - a “what they don’t know won’t hurt
them” strategy
5. Character Assassination
Strategies for Preventing
Conflict
1. Emphasizing organization-wide goals and
effectiveness
2. Providing stable, well-structured tasks
3. Facilitating intergroup communication
4. Avoiding win-lose situations
Strategies for Reducing
Conflict
1. Physical separation
2. Use of rules and regulations
3. Limiting intergroup interaction
4. Use of integrators
5. Confrontation and negotiation
6. Third-party consultation
7. Rotation of members
8. Identification of interdependent tasks and
superordinate goals
9. Use of intergroup training
Strategies for Reducing
Conflict
What is Negotiation
• the process by which individuals or groups
attempt to realize their goals by bargaining with
another party who has at least some control over
goal attainment
• considerable skill in communication, decision-
making, and the use of power and politics is
required in order to succeed.
Stages of Negotiation
1. Non-task time
2. Information exchange
3. Influence and persuasion
4. Closing
Bargaining Strategies
The Negotiation Process
The Negotiation Process
Cultural Differences in
International Negotiations
Key Individual Characteristics
of Negotiators
Conclusion
Conflict is most likely to occur when the goals,
expectations, and/or behaviors of at least two parties
differ and when those differences are difficult to
avoid. Conflict itself is neither good nor bad,
productive nor destructive. The key to the outcome
of conflict is the manner in which it is managed.
Conclusion
Negotiation, as a key means of managing conflict, has
four distinct stages. However, the length,
importance, and norms for each stage can vary by
situation and especially by culture.