2. 11 Managing Conflict Chapter
“Speaking without thinking is like shooting without aiming.”
~ Ancient Proverb

3. Chapter Objectives Handle unresolved anger in a constructive way.
Identify the source of conflict as it is occurring.
Understand what your natural conflict style is and know which strategy to adopt in a conflict situation.
Change your attitude toward conflict and treat it as a normal and potentially beneficial part of relationships.
Prevent conflict when appropriate.
Learn how to manage conflict personally and professionally.

4. What is Conflict? Conflict
Is a form of interaction among parties who differ in interests, perceptions, goals, values, or approaches to problems.
Arises when you begin to feel that the other person is interfering with your ability to attain a certain objective.
May involve individual or group disagreements, struggles, disputes, quarrels, or even physical fighting and wars.
Is a fact of life in organizations.
Conflict is any situation in which there are incompatible goals, cognitions, or emotions within or between individuals or groups that lead to opposition or antagonistic interaction.

5. Is Conflict Normal? Three perspectives on managing conflict:
Traditional view
Human Relations view
Integrationist View

6. Why is Conflict Management Important?
Conflict is a normal part of life.
Conflict is a given.
Conflict can either be positive or negative.
Conflict is constructive when it leads to better decisions, creativity, and innovative solutions to long-standing problems.
If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your own estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at
any moment.
Marcus Aurelius

7. Positive Conflict Conflict is viewed as positive when it results in:
Increased involvement
Increased cohesion
Increased innovation and creativity
Positive personal growth and change
Clarification of key issues
Values clarification
Positive conflict is functional and supports or benefits the organization or person’s main objectives.

8. Negative Conflict Conflict is viewed as negative when it results in:
Heightened emotionality
Personality clashes
Decreased communication
Unclear or opposing views on who is or should be responsible for what
“Unfinished business”
Negative conflict is dysfunctional and hinders the organization’s or the person’s performance or ability to attain goals or objectives.

9. Sources of Interpersonal Conflict
Limited resources
Differences in goals and objectives
Intragroup conflict–differences between members of one group.
Intergroup conflict– differences between competing subgroups of an organization.
Miscommunications
Differing attitudes, values, and perceptions
Style differences

10. Conflict-Handling Strategies

11. Conflict Management Strategies
Before selecting a strategy, work through answers to the following questions:
Is this relationship long term or passing?
Is the relationship substantive (it goes beyond business issues to more personal matters) or narrow?
Is the relationship more important to you than the matter under discussion?
How important is it to maintain a working or friendly relationship with those with whom you are in conflict?
What possible ramifications will surface after the dust settles?

12. Conflict Management Strategies (Continued)
Avoiding
Accommodating (smoothing)
Compromising
Competing (forcing)
Collaborating (integrating)

13. Gains and Losses Associated with Conflict Styles

14. Tips for Managing Conflict
Control your temper and emotional response
Understand the issues
Decide whether to engage
Search for a common goal or ground
Threaten to and/or bring in a third party
Be creative

15. Conflict Prevention Techniques
Organizational strategies/techniques:
Creating/Maintaining a culture of openness
Involving employees in decisions that affect them
Ensuring alignment of organizational systems
Offering team training and team building
Providing diversity training
Offering conflict management and negotiation training

16. Conflict Prevention Techniques (continued)
7-step model for resolving conflict on a team:
Determine the best place to deliver feedback
Set the context, disclose your humanity, and/or address what the other is thinking
Stick to the facts and state the impact
Seek understanding
Identify an action plan
Summarize decisions, next steps, and accountability
Thank the person

17. Conflict Prevention Techniques (continued)
Individual strategies/techniques:
Communication
Use “I” language – take responsibility for your communications.
Pay attention to nonverbal cues.
Communicate consequences if you have tried reasoning, clarifying the issue, and asserting the team’s needs but nothing has changed.

18. Conflict Prevention Techniques (continued)
Managing others’ expectations
Set limits to help manage your boss’s expectations and avoid a future conflict.
Knowing what to expect and being able to plan ahead can remove or reduce member guesswork, stress, and conflict.

19. Conflict Prevention Techniques (continued)
Focusing on others first
Anticipate the other’s disagreement or objection and explain how your proposal takes this issue into account.
When you are looking to change or improve organizational processes, consider first how others might benefit from the change.
Appeal to the other’s self interest.

20. Summary Conflict is inevitable. Not all conflict is dysfunctional.
Practicing conflict prevention techniques can help you eliminate or diffuse conflicts before they surface.
You can manage your response to conflict and improve your interaction with others by knowing:
Likely sources of conflict
Appropriate strategies for dealing with different types of conflict