2. Module Learning Outcomes
Discuss strategies for managing conflict and negotiation in the workplace
11.1: Describe why conflict resolution, "crucial conversations," and other higher stakes
communication is necessary to study in organizations
11.2: Discuss the history of negotiating techniques within organizational behavior
4. Learning Outcomes: Conflict Management
11.1: Describe why conflict resolution, "crucial conversations," and other
higher stakes communication is necessary to study in organizations
11.1.1: Define conflict
11.1.2: Differentiate among types of conflict
11.1.3: Identify stages of the conflict process
11.1.4: Discuss the appropriate use of various conflict management styles
11.1.5: Identify organizational sources of conflict
5. What is conflict?
Conflict is perception: it only exists if the
person experiencing it feels that it is conflict
6. Positive and Negative Conflict
Benefits of Conflict
• High energy
• Task focus
• Cohesiveness within the group
• Discussion of issues
Disadvantages of Conflict
• Teams losing focus of common goals
• Winning eclipses any other goals of the group
• Distorted judgment
• Lack of cooperation
• Losing members lack motivation to continue
participation
11. Class Activity: Determine the best style of conflict
management
Match the best style of conflict management to the situation
1. Settling an argument where you
know you’re right
2. Your knowledge of the issue is
limited
3. The parties need to cool off
4. A quick solution is needed
5. Issue and people are both
important
A. Compromise
B. Compete
C. Accommodate
D. Avoid
E. Collaborate
12. Organizational sources of conflict
• Goal incompatibility and
differentiation
• Interdependence
• Uncertainty and resource
scarcity
• Reward systems
13. Practice Question 1
Which view is the way we view conflict today, and how we view it in discussions of this
module?
A. The Traditionalist View
B. The Competitive View
C. The Human Relations View
D. The Interactionist View
14. Practice Question 2
What are the four types of conflict?
A. Interpersonal and intrapersonal, intergroup and intragroup
B. Incompatibility, intentions, behavior and outcome
C. Interactionist, Traditionalist, Competitive, and Human Relations
D. Personal, group, competitive, and organizational
15. Practice Question 3
Which is the stage at which conflict truly becomes evident?
A. Outcomes
B. Cognition and personalization stage
C. Behavior
D. Intentions stage
16. Practice Question 4
Which is the only approach to conflict management that provides a win-win situation for
both parties?
A. Compromise
B. Collaboration
C. Competing
D. Avoiding
17. Practice Question 5
If the finance department is told by senior management to balance the budget to the
penny, and then the sales department is told to wine and dine clients to get their
business at almost any cost, this could be an example of what kind of organizational
conflict?
A. Goal incompatibility and differentiation
B. Interdependence
C. Uncertainty and resource scarcity
D. Reward systems
19. Learning Outcomes: Negotiation
11.2: Discuss the history of negotiating techniques within organizational
behavior
11.2.1: Discuss how negotiating is different from managing conflict
11.2.2: Describe the stages in the process of negotiation
11.2.3: Compare various types of negotiating strategies
11.2.4: Identify issues in negotiating
11.2.5: Discuss third-party negotiations
20. Characteristics of negotiation
• The parties involved are somehow
interdependent
• The parties are each looking to
achieve the best possible result in the
interaction for themselves
• The parties are motivated and capable
of influencing one another
• The parties believe they can reach an
agreement
23. Negotiating Strategies: Getting to Yes (Fisher/Ury)
• Separate the people from the problem
• Focus on interests, not positions
• Invent options for mutual gain
• Insist on using objective criteria
• Understand your “BATNA”
24. Negotiating Strategies: Getting More (Diamond)
• Value the perceptions and emotions of
others
• Think of yourself as the least important
person in the negotiation
• “Make emotional payments”
25. Negotiating Strategies: Never Split the Difference
(Voss/Raz)
• “Tactical empathy”
• Engage in solving the other person’s
problem
• Mirroring
• Baiting the “no”
26. Class Activity: How much does everyone get?
• Divide everyone into two groups: one is “employees” and one is “management”
• Each group should start a “pot” of money. Every individual should write on a slip of
paper an amount of money to pay into the pot. You only know how much you put
into the pot.
• When everyone has contributed, the activity leader should combine both the pots
and then add the amounts together.
• Use a negotiation strategy to decide how much should go to management and how
much should go to employees.
31. Practice Question 6
A negotiation takes place, and one person walks away with everything she wants at the
cost of the other individual’s settlement. What kind of negotiation is this?
A. Distributive negotiation
B. Integrative negotiation
C. Interdependent negotiation
D. Under these conditions, negotiation cannot exist
32. Practice Question 7
If a negotiator wants to take the opportunity to education the other party on her position,
she should do this during which stage of the negotiation process?
A. Planning and preparing
B. Clarification and justification
C. Bargaining and problem solving
D. Closure and implementation
33. Practice Question 8
In Diamond’s and Voss’ negotiation strategies, which of Ury and Fisher’s principles has
a stronger and more important focus?
A. Focus on interests, not positions
B. Invent options for mutual gains
C. Insist on using objective criteria
D. Separate the problem from the people
34. Practice Question 9
When a negotiator continues to negotiate for a solution long after it’s been proven to be
the wrong solution, this is called ______________.
A. Overconfidence
B. Mythical fixed pie
C. Irrational escalation of commitment
D. Winner’s curse
35. Practice Question 10
Which kind of third-party negotiator acts as a go-between and relates information to one
side from another, without any real involvement in the negotiation?
A. Mediation
B. Consultation
C. Conciliation
D. Arbitration
36. Quick Review
• Conflict Management
• There are four types of conflict
• Conflict has five stages– no matter what type of conflict you’re experiencing
• Choose your conflict management style by weighing the importance of the relationship vs. the
importance of the outcome
• Negotiation
• Negotiating and conflict management are different
• Negotiation also has five stages
• A negotiator can approach a situation with several different strategies, but s/he should definitely
focus on people
• Third party negotiators are available to assist with difficult negotiations