Conflict Management Chapter Eleven: Managing Conflict

11-2 Is Conflict Costly? General Motors Corporation lost more than $2.2 billion trying to win a labor struggle with the UAW in the late-1990s. Since 1990, GM has experienced 24 strikes, slowdowns, showdowns, and walkouts. GM, incidentally, has the highest cost structure of any domestic auto maker.

11-3 Is Conflict Costly? Industrial psychologists estimate that workplace conflict may have a price tag as high as $30 billion yearly in the United States alone. Worldwide, the cost may be three-to-five times that high. Workplace conflict can exact a toll that is both physical as well as psychological, and productivity suffers as a result.

11-4 Is Conflict Inevitable? “Conflict in any endeavor that requires the input of two or more people is a real possibility. As the scope of a project increases, the likelihood of differences in opinion and approach increases as a function of the number tasks involved and amount of time spent by staff resolving the project.” Jeanne Gulbranson, President, Key Performance Int’l.

11-5 Is All Conflict Bad? Not all conflict within an organization is unhealthy, but conflict between and among people within an organization can quickly become counter-productive, divisive, and destructive if not properly managed.

11-6 A Definition of Conflict Not all experts can agree on one definition of what conflict is, but most agree that while opposition, incompatibility, and interaction are important ingredients in conflict, a perception of conflict is essential. In other words, if no one thinks a conflict exists, there probably isn’t one.

11-7 What Is Conflict? Conflict is a process that begins when someone perceives that someone else has negatively affected, or is about to negatively affect, something that the first person cares about. Conflict, in practical terms, exists when people disagree to the point that they can no longer cooperate.

11-8 Three Views of Conflict  The Traditional View.  The Human Relations View.  The Interactionist View.

11-9 The Traditional View  Assumed that all conflict was bad.  Conflict was used synonymously with words such as violence, destruction, and irrationality.  Conflict was assumed to be the result of poor communication, a lack of openness and trust between workers and management.

11-10 The Human Relations View  A popular view from the 1940s to the 1970s.  This view assumed that conflict was a natural occurrence in all groups and organizations.  Since conflict was inevitable, labor psychologists argued in favor of accepting or embracing it. It cannot be eliminated and may even be beneficial.

11-11 The Interactionist View  Emerged from the social science literature of the 1980s and 1990s.  This view actually encourages conflict. A harmonious, peaceful, tranquil, and cooperative group may become static, apathetic, and unresponsive to a need for change and innovation.

11-12 Sources of Conflict in Organizations  Limited resources.  Values, goals, and priorities.  Poorly defined responsibilities.  Change in the the environment, the marketplace, society, or the economy.  Human drives for success, competition.

11-13 Sensing Conflict  Visualize conflict by asking who, what, when, how, where, and why?  Give feedback to others.  Get feedback from others.  Define expectations.  Review performance regularly.

11-14 Some Benefits of Dealing with Conflict  Stronger relationships.  Increased self-respect.  Personal growth and development.  Improved efficiency and effectiveness.  More creative, non-traditional thinking.  Greater synergy and teamwork.

11-15 Styles of Conflict Management High Low High Competing Avoiding Collaborating Accommodating Compromising Assertiveness Cooperativeness

11-16 Styles of Conflict Management  Competing: people who are assertive and uncooperative.  Collaborating: people who are assertive but cooperative.  Avoiding: people who are both unassertive and uncooperative.  Accommodating: people who are unassertive but cooperative.

11-17 Styles of Conflict Management  Compromising: people who are at the midpoint on both assertiveness and cooperativeness. Compromise occurs when each party to a conflict demonstrates a willingness to give up something in order to promote a solution.

11-18 So, What Should You Do?  Listen, listen, and then listen some more.  Separate the people from the problem.  Focus on interests, not positions.  Recognize and accept the feelings of the individuals involved.

11-19 So, What Should You Do?  Keep your own emotions in neutral.  Track the conflict to its source.  Communicate continually and honestly.  Get people together on the small stuff first.

11-20 So, What Should You Do?  Devise options for mutual gain.  Define success in terms of gains rather than losses.  Follow up to ensure success.  Know when to cut your losses.

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