Topic 13 Seminar 1

1. Introduction to Management 2
Seminar 1 Conflict
Stage 2 Session 7

2. Overview
• To examine their own conflict styles developing the Thomas and Kilman
Instrument
• Apply them to a particular situation
• Discuss implications for managerial effectiveness
2

3. Learning Outcomes of this lecture
• Become more aware of your own conflict style:
– To recognize the conflict styles of others
– To better able to assess conflict situations
– Practice using different conflict modes

4. Conflict is …a reminder
Any situation…
where your concerns…
or desires…
differ from another person’s
MDP | 4

5. Conflicts
• Get into small groups
• Discuss a conflictual situation you are having
• What is causing it?
• What are the underlying issues?
• What have you done to try and resolve it?
• 15 minutes and we will ask to share responses

6. Cost of conflict
• Over 65% of performance problems result from strained relationships rather
than skill or motivation problems
• The amount of managerial time spent dealing with conflict was 30% in 1976
and 42% in 1996
• Amount of time wasted during conflict can be as high as 50% of gross salary,
defending, avoiding & venting
• Chronic unresolved conflict is a decisive factor in 50% of people leaving, and
90% of involuntary terminations
• Projected costs should include estimates of wasted time, reduced decision
quality, loss of skilled employees, restructuring, sabotage, lowered motivation,
lost work time, and health costs, loss of innovation & initiative.
•20% of Fortune 500 executives’ time is spent on litigation related
activities

8. Revisit our lecture: Five modes for handling conflict
Two basic aspects of all conflict-handling modes
Cooperativeness
Assertiveness

9. The Five Conflict Handling Modes
ASSERTIVENESS
COMPETING COLLABORATING
COMPROMISING
AVOIDING ACCOMMODATING
COOPERATIVENESS
high
low high

10. Your responses
• Please take the responses you completed for the Instrument
• Now complete the answer framework to identify your style
• When ready share this with your partner
• Be ready to share in plenary
• We will plot all responses on a flip chart to see the whole group
• Any conclusions?

11. Accommodating
• “It would be my pleasure”!
• Showing reasonableness
• Developing performance
• Creating Good Will
• Keeping “Peace”
• Retreating
• Low Importance
• High on Cooperativeness and Low on Assertiveness

12. Avoiding
• “I’ll think about it tomorrow”!
• Issues of low importance
• Reducing tensions
• Buying time
• Low power
• Allowing others
• Symptomatic problems
• Low Assertiveness and Low Cooperativeness

13. Collaborating
• “Two heads are better than one”!
• Integrating Solutions
• Learning
• Merging Perspectives
• Gaining Commitment
• Improving Relationships
• High Assertiveness and High Cooperativeness

14. Competing
• “My way or the highway”!
• Quick Action
• Unpopular decisions
• Vital issues
• Protection
• High Assertiveness and Low
Cooperativeness

15. Compromising
• “Let’s make a deal”!
• Moderate importance
• Equal Power – Strong Commitment
• Temporary solutions
• Time constraints
• Backup
• Moderate Assertiveness and Moderate
Cooperativeness

16. Team task
• Concisely describe a conflict situation (who, what, sources of
conflict, stage, symptoms, etc.) you are experiencing
• Describe the dynamics of the situation that enabled the conflict to
emerge and prevented it from resolution (history, norms,
stakeholders, crises, etc.)
• Identify what efforts toward resolution were attempted (what
worked and didn’t, why?)
• What would you now recommend (do what, with whom, your
rationale)

17. End of Lecture
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© Pearson College 2013