1. UNDERSTANDING CONFLICT
Sessions 21/22/23
UNDERSTANDING CONFLICT

2. What is Conflict?
When one party perceives that another party has negatively affected, or
is about to negatively affect, CONFLICT starts!
Conflict may happen due to;
- Incompatibility of goals
- Differences over explanations of facts
- Disagreements based on behavioral
expectations
- Individual vs. Individual(s) or vs. Organization

3. Dysfunctional Conflict
Forms of Conflict
Functional Conflict
Conflict that supports the goals of the group and improves its performance.
When Level of Conflict is neither too low nor too high, but maintained at optimum.
Dysfunctional Conflict
Conflict that hampers Grp. performance
When Level of Conflict is too low or high
When it originates from bad relationship

4. Types of Conflict Task Conflict [~Arjuna in Mahabharata]
Conflicts over content and goals of the work
Low-to-moderate - FUNCTIONAL
Process Conflict [~Satyam---]
Conflict over how work gets done
Low levels - FUNCTIONAL
Relationship Conflict [~Mamata--]
Conflict based on interpersonal relationships
Almost always - DYSFUNCTIONAL

5. The Conflict Process – its 5 Stages
Stage I Stage II Stage III Stage IV Stage V
Conflict
Handling
Styles and
Intentions:
============
- Avoiding
- Accommodating
- Competing
- Cooperating
- Collaborating
Outcomes:
=========
- Enhanced
Team
Performance 
- Deteriorated 
Cognition
& Person-
alization:
========
- Perceived
Conflict
- Felt
Potential
Causes:
========
- Commn.
-Structure
- Personal
variables
Expressed
Or Overt
Behavior :
========
- Conflicting
Parties’
Behavior
- Others’
Reactions

6. Dimensions of Conflict-handling Intentions
COMPETING (emergencies)
- “Win-Lose” Strategy
- Assertive & Uncooperative
COLLABORATING (integrative)
- “Win-Win” Strategy
- Assertive & Cooperative
COMPROMISING (mod. priorities)
- “Win-some Lose-some” Strategy
- No clear winner or loser & give-up
ACCOMMODATING
- “Lose-Win” Strategy (if U’re wrong)
- Unassertive & Cooperative
AVOIDING (trivial issues)
- Withdrawal from the situation
- Unassertive & Uncooperative

7. Orientations for Handling Conflicts
1. What is Your Underlying Conflict Handling Style
- Self-awareness, Your basic/preferred style.
2. Be judicious in Selecting the Conflicts that you want to handle
- Select that important conflict which you can handle
3. Evaluate the Conflict Players
- Identifying Functional Players and their personalities & interests
4. Assess the Source of the Conflict
- Cause Analysis: Communication, Structural or Personal Differences
- Communication Diff.: Semantic Issues, Noise, Channel or No comm.
- Structural: Promotions, Pay-hikes, Additional Staff, Office Space
- Personal: Background, Education, Experience & Personal Issues
5. Know Your Options & Intentions
- Competition, Collaboration, Compromise, Accommodation, Avoidance

8. Understand Your Conflict Management Style
EXERCISE

9. Understand Your Conflict Management Style
CMS
Serial #
Competing
Collaborating
Compromising
Avoiding
Accommodating 01 02 03 04 05 01 B A 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14

10. 15 A B 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Total Competing Collaborating
Avoiding Compromising
Accommodating
CMS

11. What is Negotiation?
A process in which two or more parties exchange goods or services and attempt to agree on the exchange rates and terms among them.
Negotiation may happen through:
Distributive Bargaining (~zero sum, win-Lose, fixed pie, competitive)
e.g. most labor union settlements, and buying/selling instances)
Integrative Bargaining (~synergistic, win-win, >>pie, collaborative)
e.g. when an orgn. promotes self-employment while down-sizing
Third Party Negotiation:
- e.g. Mediator Arbitrator (~ID Act), Conciliator (~Deepak Paikh for Ambanis), Consultants (~US Lobbyists).
Should the bidding be ‘anchored’ High in an Auction?
No, it’s a myth not true in auctions (ref. e-bay)
On the contrary, starting low generated higher final prices!

12. The Negotiation Process – its 5 Steps
Preparation and Planning:
- Gather Data, Define your Resistance Point, estimate your BATNA, Develop your Strategy, Plan for the ‘Meeting’
Define Ground Rules / Exchange Initial Positions:
Players, Procedure, Location, Date/Time, Boundaries, ‘Impasse?’
Clarification and Justification:
Explain, amplify, clarify, bolster and justify your original demands
Should be educational and evidential, not confrontational.
Bargaining and Problem-Solving (i.e. Objection Handling):
Give-and-take to reach an agreement;
Crux of negotiation process, each party making concessions
Closure and Implementation:
Seal the deal, i.e. formalize the agreement;
Draw the Implementation Process, Hammer out Specifics.
Shake Hands and Close with a Smile 

13. More Negotiation Nuggets
Personality Traits:
Agreeable & Extroverted People are poor in Distributive bargaining
They may be Ok for Integrative bargaining
IQ helps positively; and finally, bargaining can be learnt.
Moods and Emotions vis-à-vis Culture:
Higher Status & Exhibited anger helps in Distributive Bargaining
But Lower status and show of anger is likely to hurt badly.
Against anger, the Chinese ‘up’ their negotiation tactics but the Americans ‘down’ their tactics in Distributive Bargaining.
East Asians tend to react negatively to any show of anger
Brazilians are more informal, says ‘No’ and touches physically many times; Americans and Japanese are formal, less reactive.
Gender Differences in Negotiations:
Men found to negotiate somewhat better outcome that women
Women found less effective in opening a negotiation process