Conflict Negotiation in Engineering Project Teams Advanced Interpersonal Effectiveness

Interpersonal Effectiveness Learning Objectives Understanding conflicts that affect the team process Ability to handle team conflicts Knowledge of negotiation Improved communication through deeper exposure to ways of listening

“Conflict is a form of interaction among parties that differ in interest, perceptions, and preferences.” (Osland, J.S., Kolb, D. A., & Rubin, I. M., 2001)

Exercise: Your Experience of Team Conflict Factual Situation Effects on Team Member(s) How was It Handled? Effects of Resolution on Team Member(s)

Why Conflict Management? Teams in engineering involve both interpersonal and technical competencies Members’ skills differ in both technical tasks and interpersonal relationship management These differences can result in conflict that impacts the successful completion of the project Projects often are endangered because of feuding team members!

Topics Covered in Intermediate Module Constructive vs. destructive conflict Types of intragroup conflict Conflict management styles Collaborative style XYZ Model

Summary of Intermediate No team can function without some level of conflict Being comfortable in dealing with conflict will increase the productivity/creativity of the team and lead to a better engineering product We discussed: Reality of conflict and the need to resolve it Intervening: conflict management styles (Collaborative) XYZ model of responding to conflicts

Summary (cont.) Handling special cases of conflict: Deadlock Failure Although conflict always involves emotions at some level, strategies for solving the situation require cognitive skills (diagnosis, problem solving, leadership) and some degree of risk taking Conflict Management is a transferable skill that can be used beyond the team setting: LEARN IT/USE IT/BENEFIT from IT!

“Team” Conflict Some conflicts escalate to the level where the successful functioning of the team is affected. This module starts to address ways of resolving those conflicts and learning from them.

Conventional Responses The following conventional responses could appear to address the conflict but may not be effective: Withdrawal, staying silent Denial Dominance Suppression Placate

How is the Conflict Manifested in the Team? Once you have identified a team conflict, determine how the conflict is manifested (and how it needs to be resolved): Attitudes: almost always poor Behaviors: unreliable, inconsistent Structural: team infrastructure is not working (meetings, communication frequency, jobs)

Exercise: Solutions to Conflict Take one of the conflicts that you listed before and ask yourself: Was it due to attitudes, behaviors, or structural? How did you handle the conflict? Who were the parties who developed the solution ? How did they contribute?

Interventions Intervention’s goal is to disrupt the conflict evidenced by unproductive attitudes, behaviors, and structure First attempts at conflict resolution should take place between team members (i.e., peers) Positive effects include: The project gets back on track and the team process is realigned for success Team members develop skills for handling project-threatening conflicts

Interventions As discussed previously, there are many appropriate techniques for peer-to-peer interventions that can be used to handle conflict including the XYZ model and collaborative conflict resolution. When these actions fail, deadlock may occur and third party intervention is necessary.

Third Party Intervention Deadlock is a special case of conflict: the team has come to a grinding HALT3 Ignoring the deadlock is NOT an option, so new intervention strategies are needed Negotiation (the subject of this module) Arbitration Ruling from a higher authority

Negotiation Definition: It is the process of finding an agreement that is satisfactory to all of the groups/individuals involved. It is used to ensure a “win-win” situation. Negotiation is best when it includes the members in conflict and peers who are stakeholders in the process Or, a third party may be called when ongoing conflict resolution/negotiation does not work among the team members .

Characteristics of a Successful Negotiation It should: Be timely and effective with the parties Produce an agreement that results in a resolution of the conflict and a revitalized team process Improve the relationships between the individuals, strengthening the team

Negotiation Skills When negotiating, all parties must4: Separate the team members from the issue Articulate own objectives and desired resolution of the issue Listen to everyone involved. Discuss the specifics of the issue Acknowledge other points-of-view

Negotiation Skills In “Principled” Negotiation2,a negotiator should: Help the parties develop objective criteria for solutions Separate the members from the issue – be tough on the issue not the members. Focus on the issue not the different viewpoints. Develop different solutions that are satisfactory to all. Think about the consequences of the decision among team members and outside the team. Do not just try to win. Work on finding an acceptable resolution for all involved.

Negotiation - Challenges Challenges that may impact the negotiation may include:5 A re-statement of confrontational positions Personal agendas that are not acknowledged Psychological and emotional makeup of team members, including their past conflict management styles Communication breakdown due to language barriers or misunderstanding or…

When Negotiation Fails A negotiation process may not lead to consensus within the time allowed Resolution of the problem is still required, so the team moves to another form of intervention (i.e., arbitration or external ruling) Remember: it’s okay to request instructor intervention if team facilitated interventions are not successful

Choosing to Continue Teamwork Conflict resolution and negotiation may fail The team must choose What team consequences to impose on the uncooperative member(s) How to continue project progress The terms of continuing to work as a team should be clear to all parties

Conflict Negotiation Summary Knowing how to identify team conflict ensures that mitigating actions can be taken immediately Conflict resolution strategies allow teams to overcome deadlock Negotiation is a preferred intervention so that team members become comfortable with these skills Negotiation failure does not mean the project is abandoned: the team must go on

Optional Slides: Practicing Negotiation Skills To be an effective ‘principled’ negotiator you need to be effective in the arena of communication. This section coaches you regarding pitfalls and practices for effective communication

Communication Most people worry about what they are going to say, but to be a effective negotiator…. Listening is more important than speaking How you listen has the power to affect how it turns out How are you listening? What you already know? What can be created?

Reactive Listening What is this this type of listening? What you know about the people and the process to date Allows pre-conceived notions to color interactions Test for reactive listening: Are you coming into the negotiation with a fixed viewpoint or one specific outcome you think must occur?

Proactive Listening What is this listening like? You need to listen the possibilities beyond the words being said What is offered in partial solution to the problem or in movement toward your position? Why would other members hold fast to certain positions and not offer compromises? What are your unshakeable positions and why are you holding to them?

Proactive Listening A new level of relationship/appreciation Can you discover something new about them or yourself you didn’t know before? A new possibility for the project Is there something about why you/they are together that inspires you/them? A new way of working together A new way that you can organize yourselves? What is possible that you or they didn’t come in with.

Exercise #1 Pair up One of you (A) picks a part of the project that you are really excited about which you will share with your partner The other partner (B) will listen from a “reactive” place For example, interact like you ‘already know’ about what they want to say (A) shares for two minutes, then stop and discuss what that was like (Make sure you do the exercise, do not bailout early) Then switch Group sharing on what you observed

Exercise #2 Pair up One of you (A) picks a part of the project that you are really excited about which you will share with your partner The other partner (B) will listen from a “proactive” place For example, what is possible that you didn’t know before or an appreciation of the other person (A) shares for two minutes, then stop and discuss what that was like (Make sure you do the exercise, do not bailout early) Then switch Group sharing on what you observed

Summary When conflicts escalate to the level of affecting the total team they … When a team cannot resolve it’s own issues, a negotiator can provide a role to resolve the conflict There are ways of listening that are powerful for discovering solutions

Conflict Resolution and Negotiation: References 1 Osland, J.S., Kolb, D.A., & Rubin, I. M. (2001) The Organizational Behavior Reader (7th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. 2 Osland, J.S., Kolb, D.A., & Rubin, I.M. (2001). Organizational Behavior (7th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. 4 http://nadabs.tripod.com/team/conflictguide.html 5 http://ecu3.msh.org/quality/ittools/itnegot.cfm