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 CHAPTER 13: ORGANIZATIONAL POWER, POLITICS, AND PERSUASION

CHAPTER 13

ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT AND NEGOTIATION

CHAPTER OUTLINE

I.                   THE CONFLICET PROCESS 

A.    Conflict is a process in which one party perceives that its interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another party.

B.     Conflict perceptions and emotions. 

1.      Task-related versus socioemotional conflict. 

a.       Task-related conflict occurs when people disagree about task issues, such as goals, key decision areas, procedures, and the appropriate choice for action.

b.      Socioemotional -  conflict differences are viewed as personal attacks rather than attempts to resolve an issue. 

C.     Manifest conflict is when conflict perceptions and emotions evolve in the decisions and overt behaviors of one party toward the other. 

D.    Conflict outcomes result in negative outcomes for the organization. 

E.     Constructive controversy helps people to learn about other points of view, which encourages them to re-examine their basic assumptions about a problem and its possible solution. 

II.                SOURCES OF CONFLICT IN ORGANIZATIONS

A.    Incompatible goals occur when one employee or department’s personal or work goals seem to interfere with another person or department’s goals. 

B.     Differentiation conflict that occurs by different values and beliefs due to unique backgrounds, experiences, or training. 

C.     Task interdependence exists when team members must share common inputs to their individual tasks, need to interact in the process of executing their work, or receive outcomes (such as rewards) that are partly determined by the performance of others.

1.      Three levels of task interdependence are;

a.       pooled interdependence

b.      sequential interdependence

c.       reciprocal interdependence

D.    Scarce resources generate conflict because scarcity motivates people to compete with others who also need those resources to achieve their objectives. 

E.     Ambiguous rules or the complete lack of rules breed conflict. 

F.      Communication problems due to the lack of opportunity, ability, or motivation to communicate effectively. 

III.             INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STYLES

A.    Five management styles: 

1.      Collaborating tries to find a mutually beneficial solution for both parties through problem solving.

2.      Avoiding tries to smooth over or avoid conflict situations altogether. 

3.      Competing tries to win the conflict at the other’s expense. 

4.      Accommodating involves giving in completely to the other side’s wishes, or at least cooperating with little or no attention to your own interests. 

5.      Compromising tries to reach a middle ground with the other party. 

B.     Choosing the best conflict management style – ideally we use different styles under different conditions, but most of us have a preferred conflict management style. 

C.     Cultural and gender differences in conflict management styles. 

IV.             STRUCTURAL APPROACHES TO CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

A.    Emphasizing superordinate goals are common objectives held by conflicting parties that are more important than the departmental or individual goals on which the conflict is based. 

B.     Reducing differentiation to minimize dysfunctional conflict. 

C.     Improving communication and understanding – this can range from casual gatherings among employees who rarely meet otherwise, to formal processes where differences are identified and discussed. 

1.      Socializing over a game of ping-pong or football.

2.      Teambuilding activities.

3.      Dialogue meetings. 

D.    Reducing task interdependence by dividing the shared resource so that each party has exclusive use of part of it. 

E.     Clarifying rules and procedures in the distribution of resources, such as when students can use the laser printer or for how long they can borrow library books. 

V.                RESOLVING CONFLICT THROUGH NEGOTIATION

A.    Negotiation occurs whenever two or more conflicting parties attempt to resolve their divergent goals by redefining the terms of their interdependence. 

B.     Bargaining zone model of negotiations  

1.   Three main negotiating points:

a.       Initial offer point is the team’s opening offer to other party.

b.      Target point is the teams realistic goal or expectation for a final agreement.

c.       Resistance point is the point beyond which the team will not make further concessions. 

C.     Situational influences on negotiations 

1.      Location

2.      Physical setting

3.      Time passage and deadlines

4.      Audience characteristics

D.    Negotiator behaviors 

1.      Planning and goal setting

2.      Gathering information

3.      Communicating effectively

4.      Making concessions 

VI.             THIRD-PARTY CONFLICT RESOLUTION 

A.    Third-party conflict resolution is any attempt by a relatively neutral person to help the parties resolve their differences. 

B.     Procedural fairness is particularly important when the third party makes a binding decision to resolve the dispute.

C.     Types of third-party intervention 

1.      Arbitration is the final stage of grievances by unionized employees, and is becoming more common in nonunion conflicts. Arbitrators have control over the final decision, but low control over the process.

2.      Inquisition – inquisitors control all discussion about the conflict and choose the form of conflict resolution.

3.      Mediation – mediators have control over the intervention process. 

D.    Choosing the best third-party intervention strategy – the answer depends on the situation. 

1.      Alternative dispute resolution combines third-party dispute resolution in an orderly sequence.