The document discusses various aspects of conflict including its inevitability, different types, and approaches to resolution. It describes Fisher and Ury's method of principled negotiation which separates people from problems and focuses on interests, options, and criteria. The document also outlines five conflict handling styles including avoidance, competition, accommodation, compromise, and collaboration. Effective conflict management can strengthen relationships and lead to creative solutions.

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• Understand conflict and importance of
communication in the process of
handling conflict.
• Explain different kinds of conflict.
• Understand Fisher and Ury’s approach
to conflict negotiation.
• Discuss communication strategies for
conflict resolution.
• Discuss the five conflict handling
styles.

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• Are conflicts inevitable?
• What kinds of conflicts make you the
most uncomfortable?
• When have you managed a conflict to
produce positive change?

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Myatt, M. (2012, February 22). 5 keys of dealing with workplace
conflict. Forbes.com. Retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2012/02/22/5-
keys-to-dealing-with-workplace-conflict/
5 Keys of Dealing with Workplace Conflict

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5 Keys
• 1. Define Acceptable Behavior
• 2. Hit Conflict Head-on
• 3. Understanding the WIIFM Factor
• 4. The Importance Factor
• 5. View Conflict as Opportunity

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• Conflict is inevitable in groups and organizations.
• Mutual agreement is possible in any conflict
situation if people are willing to negotiate in
authentic ways.
• Conflict can be uncomfortable, but is not
necessarily unhealthy or bad.
• The question is, How can we manage conflict and
produce positive change?
• Communication plays a central role in handling
conflict.

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• Intrapersonal
o Discord that occurs within an individual
o Involves dynamics of personality
• Interpersonal
o Disputes that arise between individuals
o This is the conflict type addressed in Chapter 9
• Societal
o Clashes between societies and nations
o Ex.: Israeli-Palestinian conflict

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Conflict is a felt struggle between two or more
interdependent individuals over perceived
incompatible differences in beliefs, values, and
goals, or over differences in desires for
control, status, and connectedness.

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• Struggle
o Opposing forces coming together
• Interdependence
o Leaders and followers need each other.
o How much influence do I want? How much am I willing to
accept?
• Feelings
o Emotional arousal within both parties
o Array of emotions including anger, sadness, or disconnection
• Differences
o Differences in beliefs, values, goals, or in desire for control,
status, and connectedness

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Content and Relationship Dimension
of Messages
• Content
o Objective, observable aspects
o What the message is about
o Ex.: “Please stop texting at work”
• Relationship
o Indicates how the two parties are affiliated
o Determines how the content dimension should be
interpreted

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Content Conflicts
• Center on differences in beliefs and values, or
goals
• Belief conflicts occur when others’ viewpoints
are incompatible with our own.
o Ex.: PETA
• Value conflicts occur when others’ values are
incompatible with our own. Ex.: Should a first-
year college student own a car?
• Goal conflicts occur where individuals have
different goals.

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• Procedural Conflict
o When individuals differ on how to reach a
goal
• Substantive Conflict
o When individuals differ on what the goal
should be

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• Also known as “personality clashes”
• Center on issues of esteem, control, or affiliation
• Esteem is one of the major human needs:
o We desire to have an effect on our surroundings and to be
seen as worthy of respect.
o When our esteem needs aren’t met, we experience relational
conflict.
o At the same time, others want their own esteem needs
satisfied.
o If either party feels they are receiving insufficient validation, a
clash develops.

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• Control issues are common in interpersonal
conflict.
o Each of us desires to have an impact on others.
o Having control increases our feeling of potency and
minimizes feelings of helplessness.
o When we see others hindering us or limiting our control,
conflict often results.
o Each of us seeks different levels of control.
o Control needs may vary from one time to another.
o Ex.: conflict over what a college sophomore is going to do
over Spring Break

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• Affiliation is the need to feel included in our relationships, to
be liked and to receive affection (Schutz, 1966).
o If our needs for closeness are not satisfied in our relationships,
we experience feelings of conflict.
o We each vary in our need for affiliation.
o When others behave in ways that are incompatible with our
own desires for warmth and affection, feelings of conflict
emerge.
o Ex.: football coach and one of his players
• Relational issues are often bound to content issues during
conflict.

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• Principled negotiation emphasizes
deciding issues on their merits rather
than through competitive haggling or
excessive accommodation.
• Four principles focus on basic elements
of negotiation: people, interests, options,
and criteria.

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• Conflicts have a people factor and a problem
factor that need to be separated.
• This is not easy, because they are entangled.
• By separating them we are able to recognize
the other’s uniqueness and needs.
• It enables us to be attentive to our relationships
and work together to mutually confront the
problem.

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• Positions represent our stand or perspective in
a particular conflict.
• Interests represent what is behind our positions.
• Interests often relate to basic human concerns
such as belonging, recognition, control,
economic well-being, etc.
• Concentrating on interests helps opposing
parties address the “real” conflict.
• Ex.: class attendance policy

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• Humans naturally see conflict as an either-or
proposition; we either win or lose.
• This principle frames conflict as a win-win.
• Parties need to brainstorm and search hard
for creative solutions to conflict.
• Where do parties’ interests overlap?
• By being sensitive to others’ interests we can
make it easier for them to be satisfied.

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• Objective criteria help parties view conflict with an
unbiased lens.
• Objective criteria can take many forms:
o Precedent
o Professional standards
o What a court would decide
o Moral standards
o Tradition
o Scientific judgment
• Ex.: salary negotiation

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Managing Conflict: Differentiation
Differentiation defines the conflict & requires
individuals to explain their positions.
•Focuses on individuals’ differences rather than
on similarities
•Occurs in the early phases of conflict
•Differentiation is useful because it:
o Focuses the conflict
o Gives credence to both parties’ interest
o Depersonalizes the conflict

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Fractionation is a technique of breaking down
large conflicts into smaller, more manageable
pieces.
Helpful because:
•It reduces the conflict by paring it down to a
smaller, less-complex conflict.
•It gives focus to the conflict.
•It facilitates a better working relationship
between participants in the conflict.

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Managing Conflict: Face Saving
• Consists of messages that individuals
express to each other to maintain their
positive self-images during a conflict.
• Allows a person to acknowledge the other’s
point of view without offending them.
• Makes conflicts less threatening and helps
participants feel they have handled
themselves appropriately.

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Kilmann & Thomas Conflict Styles
• A conflict style is a patterned response that people use
when approaching conflict.
• Conflict styles vary along two dimensions: assertiveness
and cooperativeness.
o Assertiveness refers to attempts to satisfy one’s own
concerns
o Cooperativeness represents attempts to satisfy the
concerns of others
• The Thomas-Kilmann model identifies five conflict styles.
• A person’s individual style is usually a combination of
these five different styles.

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Avoidance Style
• This style is low on both cooperativeness and
assertiveness.
• Advantages of the style:
o When an issue is trivial
o When potential damage from the conflict would be too
great
o Can provide a cooling-off period
• Disadvantages of the style:
o Usually counterproductive, leads to stress and further
conflict
o Static approach, does nothing to solve problems

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Competition Style
• This style is high on assertiveness but low on
cooperativeness.
• Essentially a win-lose approach
• Advantages of the style:
o Useful when quick, decisive action is needed
o Can generate creativity
o Challenges participants to make their best efforts
• Disadvantages of the style:
o Results in a winner and a loser
o May create an unstable situation and hostile communication
o Is essentially disconfirming, failing to recognize the needs of others

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Accommodation Style
• This style is high on cooperativeness and low on
assertiveness.
• Individuals confront problems by deferring to others.
• Advantages of the style:
o Allows people to move away from uncomfortable feelings aroused by
conflict
o Can work when the issue is more important to one party than another or
if harmony in the relationship is the most important goal
• Disadvantages of the style:
o In effect it is a lose-win strategy
o The accommodator sacrifices his or her own values and goals to
maintain smooth relationships
o Need for harmony may override the need to find an optimal solution

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Compromise Style
• This style is moderate on both cooperativeness
and assertiveness.
• Advantages of the style:
o Requires attending to one’s goals as well as others’
o Works best when other styles have failed or aren’t suitable
o Can force an equal power balance between parties
• Disadvantages of the style:
o Doesn’t go far enough in resolving conflict
o Can become as easy way out
o Neither side may be completely satisfied

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Collaboration Style
• This style is high in both assertiveness and cooperativeness.
• Ideal style because it confronts conflict and then uses it to
produce positive outcomes
• Advantages of the style:
o Both sides win
o Communication is satisfying
o Relationships are strengthened
o Negotiated solutions are more cost-effective in the long run
• Disadvantages of the style:
o Demands energy, hard work, and shared control
o Takes time to identify areas of agreement and select
mutually satisfying solutions

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Case Study:
Office Space
• How would you describe the conflict that has arisen between
the members of the web programming department?
• Is the conflict a relational conflict? If so, what type of relational
conflict? Is there a content dimension to this conflict?
• Using Fisher and Ury’s Method of Principled Negotiation, how
would you separate the people from the problem? What do you
think is really, really going on in this conflict?
• Using the Kilmann and Thomas conflict styles, how would you
characterize Sanjay’s conflict style? What about Bradley? Do
Rosa and Kris have a style as well?
• How could Martin use “fractionation” and “face saving” in
attempting to resolve this conflict?

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Summary
• Interpersonal conflict is inevitable.
• If managed in appropriate ways, conflict can be constructive.
• Conflict occurs on two levels: content and relationship.
• One approach to resolving conflict is the Method of Principled Negotiation,
which focuses on people, interests, options, and criteria.
• Three practical communication approaches to resolving conflict are
differentiation, fractionation, and face-saving.
• Finally, researchers have found that people approach conflict using five
styles: avoidance, competition, accommodation, compromise, and
collaboration.
• Managing conflict effectively leads to stronger relationships among
participants and more creative solutions to problems.

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