Dr. Paul W. Mulvey Alumni Distinguished Professor Conflict Management Dr. Paul W. Mulvey Alumni Distinguished Professor

Conflict Management Conflict Defined Sources of Conflict Personality, Culture, & Conflict Strategies for Managing Conflict Framing National Conflict: ACA Obamacare, Immigration International Conflict 2

Quick Assignment Review Assignments: 1. Complete and Score the “Strategies for Managing Conflict” 2.Have a co-worker complete the survey for you (they answer the questions about you, not themselves), compare primary and secondary strategies they noted versus yours.

Quick Assignment Review STUDY QUESTIONS What are your primary and secondary conflict management strategies? Have a co-worker complete the survey…are your perceptions consistent with their perception? Think of a specific conflict with an employee, manager, or co-worker. What do you think was the source of the conflict?

Conflict Management What is conflict? What conflict do you experience? Why manage conflict? Intra-team Task or relationship oriented Intra-Organizational What are the symptoms of conflict? 5

Emerging View: Task V. Relationship Conflict Task conflict Focuses on the issue (task), not other’s competence Debate clarifies/tests logic Relationship conflict Tries to undermine opponent’s worth/competence Relies on status, assertive behavior Threatens self-concept, reduces trust

Separating Task from Relationship Conflict Problem: Relationship conflict often develops during task conflict. Minimize relationship conflict through: Emotional intelligence and emotional stability Cohesive team Supportive team norms

Is Conflict Good or Bad? Negative Outcomes Positive Outcomes Lower performance Higher stress, dissatisfaction, and turnover Less information sharing and coordination Increased organizational politics Wasted resources Weakened team cohesion Better decision making by testing logic of arguments, questioning assumptions More responsive to the changing environment Stronger team cohesion (conflict between the team and outside opponents)

The Conflict Process

Organizational Outcomes Conflict and Outcomes High Low Organizational Outcomes Jehn (1995) Results show that whether conflict was beneficial depended on the type of conflict and the structure of the group in terms of task type, task interdependence, and group norms. Relationship and task conflicts were negatively associated with individuals' satisfaction, liking of other group members, and intent to remain in the group. In groups performing very routine tasks, disagreements about the task were detrimental to group functioning. In contrast, in groups performing non-routine tasks, disagreements about the tasks did not have a detrimental effect, and in some cases, such disagreements were actually beneficial. Contrary to expectations, norms encouraging open discussion of conflict were not always advantageous. The results suggest that while such norms were associated with an increase in the number and intensity of relationship conflicts, they did not increase members' ability to deal with the conflicts constructively. Low High Level of Task Conflict 10

Conflict: Source & Focus Source of Conflict Focus Issues People Personal Differences Informational Deficiency Role Incompatibility Environmental Stress Culture Relationship Conflict and Task conflict Relationship How much friction is there among members in your work unit? How much are personality conflicts evident in your work unit? How much tension is there among members in your work unit? How much emotional conflict is there among members in your work unit? Task How often do people in your work unit disagree about opinions regarding the work being done? How frequently are there conflicts about ideas in your work unit? How much conflict about the work you do is there in your work unit? To what extent are there differences of opinion in your work unit? Focus Perceptions and Expectations (e.g., “I thought you said you were an expert on…) Misinformation and Misrepresentation (e.g., “I didn’t get that e-mail that you ‘say’ you sent to me”) Goals and Responsibilities (e.g., “I can’t write a good summary report without good research”) Resource Scarcity and Uncertainty (e.g., “We don’t have enough time left to design and make a great figure for the report”) Cultural Differences (e.g., “They don’t get to the point and they want to revisit issues already covered”)

Does culture affect conflict? Hofstede’s Cultural Differences Power Distance Individualism v. Collectivism Masculinity v. Femininity Uncertainty Avoidance Long Term Orientation Indulgence v. Restraint What dimensions are most problematic for conflict? Pass out Hofestede dimensions

Conflict Management Strategies High Yielding, Obliging Problem or Accommodating Solving, Integrating or Collaborating Compromising Dominating Low Avoiding Forcing or Competing Agreeableness or Cooperation Low High Assertiveness 13

Conflict: Rules of Engagement Work with more rather than less information Focus on facts Develop multiple alternatives to enrich level of debate Share commonly agreed-upon goals Inject humor in the decision process Maintain a balanced power structure Resolve issues without forcing consensus. Eisenhardt, et al. (1997). How management teams can have a good fight. Harvard Business Review (July-August), 77-85

When Should You Use Each Conflict Management Strategy? Dominating, Forcing, or Competing.  Compromising Yielding, Obliging or Accommodating Problem Solving, Integrating or Collaborating Avoiding In a small group list situations that would benefit from each approach Hand out Conflict management strategies

Conflict Management / Negotiation Guidelines1 Separating People From Issues Three problems Different Perceptions Emotions – Amygdilia “Hijack” Communication Active listening Focus on interests, not positions Generate options Use objective criteria 1Fisher, Ury, and Patton (2011). Getting to Yes.

If we have time and interest… Framing

Nortel Corporate Presentation Framing The manner in which we process new information is related to our deeply held worldviews and assumptions © 2004 Nortel

Nortel Corporate Presentation Framing Is how we process information People are not blank slates We use mental shortcuts to make sense of the world Incoming information provides cues that connect to the picture/stories in our heads Once these pictures/stories are evoked, we stop processing © 2004 Nortel

Nortel Corporate Presentation Inquiry vs. Advocacy View conflict management & decision making as a process, not an event. Balance the inquiry method with the advocacy method Garvin & Roberto (2001). What you don’t know about making decisions. Harvard Business Review. © 2004 Nortel

Nortel Corporate Presentation What is the difference between advocacy and inquiry? Advocates: View it as a contest Lobby Strive to persuade others Defend their position Selectively share only advantageous info Downplay their own weaknesses Inquirers: Ask questions Present balanced arguments Remain open to alternatives, thus have more options Concede weaknesses Accept constructive criticism © 2004 Nortel

Empirical Study Losada, M., & Heaphy, E. (2004). Nortel Corporate Presentation Empirical Study Losada, M., & Heaphy, E. (2004). Observed 60 business teams High Performance (n = 15) Medium Performance (n = 26) Low Performance (n = 19) Coded all speech acts Positive-Negative Inquiry-Advocacy Self-Other Created a nonlinear dynamics model of observed interactions + ? © 2004 Nortel

Nortel Corporate Presentation Dynamics of Business Teams Emotional Space Losada, M., & Heaphy, E. (2004). The role of positivity and connectivity in the performance of business teams: A nonlinear dynamics model. American Behavioral Scientist, 47(6), 740–765. Inquiry / Advocacy © 2004 Nortel

Questions?

Further Reading Eisenhardt, et al. (1997). How management teams can have a good fight. Harvard Business Review (July-August), 77-85. Fisher, Ury, and Patton (2011). Getting to Yes. Gallo, A. (2017). How people with different conflict management styles can work together, Harvard Business Review, July, online. Lewicki, R.J., Saunders, B. and Minton, D.M. (2016). Essentials of Negotiation