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1. UNIT FOUR
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT IN HEALTH
SECTOR
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2. CONFLICT MANAGEMENT IN THE HEALTH
SECTOR
Session Objectives
 After completion of this
session, students will be able
to:
 Define what is conflict
management
 Explain philosophies of
organizational conflict
 Describe when does conflict
occur 2

3. DISCUSSION POINTS
What is the definition of conflict
management
Which is better for organization?
a. Conflict prevention
b. Conflict management

4. DEFINITION
 “Conflict is the perception of differences of interests
among people” (Thompson 1998).
 Conflict is some form of friction or disagreement arising
within group when beliefs or actions of one or more
member of the group are either resisted by or
unacceptable to one or more members of another group.
 Conflict is “a type of behaviour which occurs when two
or more parties are in opposition or in battle as a result of
a perceived relative deprivation from the activities of or
interacting with another person or group” (Litterer 1966).
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5. DEFINITION…
Conflict is a process of social interaction involving a
struggle over claims to resources, power and status,
beliefs, and other preferences and desires.
The aims of the parties in conflict may extend from
simply attempting to gain acceptance of a preference,
or securing a resource advantage, to the extremes of
injuring or eliminating opponents. (Bisno 1988,
Coser 1968). 5

6. PHILOSOPHIES OF ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT
Robbins (1974) presented three philosophies
of organizational conflict:
1. The classicists’, or traditionalists’ philosophy
which was based on the assumption that conflict
is detrimental to an organization and, as such,
must be reduced or eliminated.
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7. PHILOSOPHIES OF OC..........
2. The behaviouralists’ philosophy, which can best be
described as;
v The recognition that conflict is inevitable in
organizations.
 Behavioralists accept the presence of conflict and
even occasionally advocate the enhancement of
conflict for increasing organizational effectiveness.
 But they have not actively created conditions that
generate conflict in organizations.
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8. PHILOSOPHIES OF OC…
3. The interactionist philosophy is characterized by the
following:
 Recognition of the absolute necessity of conflict;
 Explicit encouragement of opposition;
 Defining conflict management to include stimulation
as well as resolution methods; and
 Considering the management of conflict as a major
responsibility of all administrators.
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9. what are the Causes of Conflict
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10. THE CAUSES OF CONFLICT
vConflict arises for many reasons and can be characterized in
numerous ways.
1. The role of resource scarcity
 Organizational members desire several types of resources,
including power, money, information, advice and praise.
 However, resource scarcity dictates that the members of an
organization will not all be able to receive the level of resources
they desire.
 Therefore, conflict arises between organizational members
regarding the distribution of desired resources.

11. THE CAUSES OF CONFLICT…
2. Beneficial versus detrimental effect of
conflict
 Because differences between people are unavoidable,
conflicts will always exists in organizations and
groups.
 The question that must be addressed by successful
manager is how to handle the conflicts that they will
inevitably face.

12. THE CAUSES OF CONFLICT…
3. Jehn’s Typology of conflict
Conflict within an organization can be
characterized by type regardless of the level at
which it occurs Karen Jehn devised a typology that
includes three types of Conflicts.
1. Task content conflict: the first step, refers to
disagreements about the actual task being
performed by organization members .

13. THE CAUSES OF CONFLICT…
2. Emotional conflict: is an awareness of interpersonal
incompatibilities among those working together on a task.
 It involves negative emotions and dislike of the other people
involved in the conflict.
3. Administrative Conflict: defined as disagreement regarding the
manner in which a goal should be reached.
 Disagreements about individual responsibilities and duties are
examples of administrative conflict.

14. LEVELS OF CONFLICT
 It is useful to consider the level at which conflict
occurs, along with the type of conflict , when trying to
decide how to manage it.
 That is, Conflict, can occur with in;
i. An individual (intrapersonal Conflict).
ii. Between individuals ( interpersonal Conflicts).
iii. Within a group ( intra group Conflict ) &
iv. Between groups ( inter group Conflict).

15. LEVELS OF CONFLICT…
1. Individual level
 Individual conflict occurs when the focus of the dispute is the
individual.
 Intra personal conflict may occur for a variety of reasons.
 People are often faced with a choice b/n two options that may
vary in attractiveness.
 When two options are equally attractive, approach –
approach conflict occurs within the person.
 This conflict results from the person’s effort to differentiate
b/n the two alternatives.

16. LEVELS OF CONFLICT…
2. Group level
 Conflict at this level typically occurs because of in
compatible goals , ideas, feelings, beliefs a behaviors .
 This level of conflict is usually characterized by
Interdependence b/n the parties, where by the choice of
each party affects the out come of the other party.
 The choice that is optimal for one party may result in a poor
out come for the other, leading to conflict, this is the most
common level of conflict that comes to the surface in
organizations .

17. DISCUSSION POINT
 what is the functional and dysfunction Outcomes of
conflict
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18. OUTCOMES OF CONFLICT
 Functional Outcomes
 Conflict may stimulate innovation, creativity, and growth.
 Organizational decision making may be improved.
 Alternative solutions to a problem may be found.
 Individual and group performance may be enhanced.
 Individuals and groups may be forced to search for new approaches.
 Individuals and groups may be required to articulate and clarify
their positions.
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19. OUTCOMES…
 Dysfunctional Outcomes
 Conflict may cause job stress, burnout, and
dissatisfaction.
 Communication between individuals and groups
may be reduced.
 A climate of distrust and suspicion can be
developed.
 Relationships may be damaged.
 Job performance may be reduced.
 Resistance to change can increase.
 Organizational commitment and loyalty may be
affected.
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20. MANAGING CONFLICT
 Managing Conflict is a peaceful handling of conflict.
 It is clear that conflict is common and that for
organizational members to function productively; they
must manage conflict effectively.
 There are many strategies for managing Conflict,
including those that are planned as well as those
that emerge as Conflict is experienced .
 Some conflict management techniques apply to conflict
on all levels , while others are relevant for a limited
number of types and levels of conflict.

21. MANAGING CONFLICT
 Keneth Thomas has developed a two dimensional
model of conflict management techniques that
reflects a concern for both an individuals own
outcomes as well as an opponents outcome.
 Depending on these Two dimensions of concern a
negotiator might prefer one of five.

22. THE THOMAS-KILMANN CONFLICT MODEL
Avoiding
Concern for others (cooperation)
Competitor
Compromising
Accommodator
Collaborator
Concern
for
self
(assertiveness)
High
Lo
w
Low
High

23. THE THOMAS-KILMANN…
Here are the ways you could use the different styles
to handle the conflict:
1. Avoider:
Low concern for self and others
You keep your mouth shut and don’t express any
dissent (refuse to talk).
I lose – you lose.
The goal is to delay. 23

24. THE THOMAS-KILMANN…
2. Competitor:
 High concern for self and low concern for others
 You take a win-lose approach and fight to win your
own points as long as possible. ( I win – you lose)
 You would probably do this only if you believe the
cause is important and your position is correct.
 The goal is to win.
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25. THE THOMAS-KILMANN…
3. Accommodator:
 High concern for others and low concern for self.
 “It doesn’t matter. What ever you want”
 “What ever, I don’t want to fight”
 “I will agree with what ever you think is best”
 You win - I lose.
 You never give the boss any information that would be
upsetting, and you try to keep the boss pleased and happy.
 The goal is to yield.
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26. THE THOMAS-KILMANN…
4. Compromiser:
vMid concern for self and mid concern for others.
vMeet in the middle fairness.
vYou win some and lose some – I win some and lose
some.
vTo the boss you might state, “We could do this or we
could do this. . . .”
vThe goal is to” find a middle ground”
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27. THE THOMAS-KILMANN…
5. Collaborator:
 High concern for self and high concern for other.
 I want to make sure this work for both of us.
 You win - I win.
 You communicate your feelings as well as facts so that
there is a basis for understanding and working through
the conflict.
 The goal is to find win - win solution.

28. THE THOMAS-KILMANN…
The approach to be used in handling conflict
may be altered somewhat if you as a
supervisor perceive conflict between two
workers or between yourself and a worker.
The following statements suggest some of the
possibilities:
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29. THE THOMAS-KILMANN…
Avoider:
 You don’t get involved.
 You avoid issues that might give rise to conflict by
not discussing them with subordinates.
Competitor:
 You suppress conflict through the use of authority.
 You fear the disruptive effects of conflict on
organizational achievement, so you beat down
impending threats.
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30. THE THOMAS-KILMANN…
Accommodator:
 You smooth over conflict.
 You attempt to encourage people to relax and forget
about their troubles and suggest that some troubles
have a way of disappearing or resolving themselves.
 You encourage those involved to “count their
blessings” and be happy with what they already
have.
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31. THE THOMAS-KILMANN…
Compromiser:
 You split up parties in conflict and keep them
separated, talking with each party individually.
 You discuss their positions and blend their ideas
to reach a solution.
 You attempt to get acceptance of the compromise,
even if each party tends to be only moderately
satisfied with it.
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32. THE THOMAS-KILMANN…
Collaborator:
 You confront conflict directly and work it
through at the time it arises.
 Conflict is accepted so that the clash of ideas
and people can generate creative solutions to
problems.
 Those involved are brought together to work
through their differences.
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33. MEDIATION AND ARBITRATION
 Managing conflict through third party intervention.
 In many conflict situations, the disputants are unable to
resolve the conflict.
 A third party that is not directly involved in the conflict
can frequently intervene in one of several different
ways to help to resolve the conflict.
 There are many formal, institutional third parties that can
be turned to outside of any particular organization.

34. MEDIATION AND ARBITRATION...
 To the extent that conflict is disruptive in
organizations and hampers productivity;
managers can increase the effectiveness of their
organizations by intervening in conflict
situations.
 Of course, the time the manager spends trying
to resolve the disputes of other people is a cost
to the organization, which needs to be balanced
with the benefit derived from decreased conflict.

35. 35

36. QUIZ [10PTS]
1. Write causes of conflict [2pts]
2. Explain philosophies of conflict [3pts]
3. List advantage of conflict[2pts]
4. Explain ways (styles) of conflict
management[3pts]