This document discusses managing conflict in project management. It defines conflict and identifies sources of conflict such as schedules, priorities, and workforce issues. It describes different conflict handling styles including avoiding, compromising, competing, accommodating, and collaborating. The document also discusses grievance handling, stress management, and how organizational changes can help reduce stress. Effective conflict and stress management are important for team health and project success.

1. Project Management Managing Project Conflict

2. Q Why is learning about conflict management relevant? A To help develop and facilitate leadership, team building, performance management, and conflict management skills in an IT environment

3. Nature of Conflict Responding to Conflict Handling Grievances Emotional Stress

4. Nature of Conflict Responding to Conflict Handling Grievances Emotional Stress 4 4

5. Conflict is a form of relating or interacting where we find ourselves (either as individuals or groups) under some sort of perceived threat to our personal or collective goals. These goals are usually to do with our interpersonal wants. These perceived threats may be either real or imagined (Condliffe, 1991, p3). Conflict

6. Sources of Conflict (Bisno) Project Sources of Conflict (Thamhain & Wilemon)

7. Sources of Conflict (Bisno) Biosocial Personality and interactional Structural Cultural and ideological Convergence

8. Bisno’s Sources of Conflict ( Condliffe, 1991 , p6)

9. Sources of Conflict (Bisno) Biosocial Personality and interactional Structural Cultural and ideological Convergence Project Sources of Conflict (Thamhain & Wilemon) Project schedules Project priorities Workforce

10. ( Nicholas, 2001 , p519)

11. ( Nicholas, 2001 , p519)

12. Components of Conflict

13. Values: ideas and feelings about right and wrong (difficult to resolve) Components of Conflict

14. Interests: things that motivate eg. managers and workers have different interests Components of Conflict

15. Emotional: feelings that accompany human interactions eg. anger, fear, reject, and loss Components of Conflict

16. Emotional: feelings that accompany human interactions eg. anger, fear, reject, and loss Interests: things that motivate eg. managers and workers have different interests Values: ideas and feelings about right and wrong (difficult to resolve) Components of Conflict When you have to deal with conflict tackle the emotional issues first then address values and interests

17. Consequences of conflict

18. Good Consequences of Conflict

19. increased creativity

20. It forces people to clarify their views

21. It can produce constructive social change

22. It gives people the opportunity to test their capacities

23. development of group and organization cohesion

24. Bad Consequences of Conflict

25. Violence

26. breakdown of relationships

27. polarization of views into static positions

28. A breakdown of collaborative ventures

29. destruction of communication

30. Groupthink is a tendency for strong conformity pressures within groups to lead to the breakdown of critical thinking and encourage premature acceptance of questionable decisions Groupthink

31. Lack of conflict is a sign of over conformity.

32. It is unhealthy when there is no conflict

33. You need diversity of opinion

35. Consequences of conflict

36. Nature of Conflict Responding to Conflict Handling Grievances Emotional Stress 3 3

37. Conflict Handling Styles Avoiding Compromise Competition Accommodation Collaboration

38. Which conflict handling style will you use?

39. Which conflict handling style will you use? Project Managers may have a preferred style for managing conflict

40. Which conflict handling style will you use? Project Managers may have a preferred style for managing conflict You should use different styles depending on the problem – and get there by using your ability to read situation

41. avoiding accommodation competition compromise collaboration

42. Characteristics ignoring conflicts and hoping they’ll go away putting problems under consideration or on hold use of secrecy to avoid confrontation appeal to bureaucratic rules Avoiding When to use Trivial, small/unimportant issue no perceived chance of resolution To allow a cool down period To allow others to resolve the situation

43. Characteristics negotiation looking for deals and trade-offs finding satisfactory or acceptable solutions When to use goals are important, but not worth effort opponents with equal power are committed to mutually exclusive goals achieve temporary settlements to issues arrive at solutions under time pressure back-up to collaboration or competition Compromise

44. Characteristics create win-lose situations use of power plays forcing submission When to use quick, decisive action is vital, very important unpopular actions eg. cost cutting issues are vital to company welfare against people who take advantage of non-competitive behavior Competition

45. Characteristics giving way submission and fulfillment When to use find you are wrong issues more important to others than yourself maintain cooperation build social credits for later on minimize loss harmony and stability are important allow team members to learn from their mistakes Accommodation

46. Characteristics problem-solving carriage tackle differences sharing ideas and information seeing problems and conflicts as challenges When to use find an integrative solution when both sets of concerns are important objective is to learn Collaboration

47. 2 Methods for Resolving Conflict in a team Role Clarification Technique (RAT) Intergroup Conflict Resolution

48. Role Clarification Technique (RAT) This is a systematic procedure which involves all team members understanding the requirements of their of own and everyone else's position, duties and expectations You’ll need to clarify roles for team and individuals; for example via questionnaires (or for project teams - RAM matrices!)

49. Intergroup Conflict Resolution Each group should prepare list of what they would like the other groups to start doing, stop doing, and continue to do. This list narrows he scope of the dispute and makes it easier to work on the core problems.

50. Nature of Conflict Responding to Conflict Handling Grievances Emotional Stress 2 2

51. What is a Grievance?

52. A grievance is any behaviour or action of another member or members of a team, which has or is likely to have an unreasonable negative impact on the ability of a team member to undertake their duties

53. Most grievances are never raised with management Why?

54. Lack of trust Our complaints are trivialized No action gets taken! They only take defensive action

55. What you should do?

56. Listen Discuss Plan

57. Nature of Conflict Responding to Conflict Handling Grievances Emotional Stress 1 1

58. Stress

59. What is Stress? A pattern of emotional states and physiological reactions occurring in situations where individuals perceive threats to their important goals that they feel unable to meet (Greenberg & Baron, 1993, p257).

61. Effects of Stress Physical illness Lack of sleep Reduction in task performance Poor quality decision making

62. Causes of Stress in Projects Long hours Tight schedules Transient work force High risks Work overload Role uncertainty Social relations

63. A Stress Survey How many of these for you in the last year?

64. ( Greenberg & Baron, 1993, p238 )

65. Stress Management 1. Organizational Level 2. Individual Level

66. Stress Management at the Organizational Level setting reasonable work plans and schedules delegating responsibility and increasing independence clarifying responsibilities, authority, and performance criteria clarifying goals, procedures, and decision criteria giving consideration and support in leadership

67. Stress Management for the Individual stress management program relaxation training diversions from work-related problems

68. Review Conflict is the opposition of people or forces that develops into an aggressive state or action. Sources of IT project conflict includes; schedules, priorities and workforce issues. Conflict can be good and bad. Conflict handling styles include; avoiding, compromise, competition, accommodation, and collaboration. Grievance handling strategies include; listen, discuss, and plan. Not dealing with grievances can be harmful to projects. Work environment improvements and reducing stress is essential to a team’s health and the success of the project.

69. References Condliffe, P. (1991). Conflict management – A practical guide . Collingwood, Vic.: RMIT. Greenberg, J. & Baron, R. (1993). Behavior in organizations (4 th ed.). Syd., NSW: Allyn and Bacon. Nicholas, J. (2001). Project management for business technology – Principles and practice (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.