This document provides an overview of a lecture on dealing with conflict at work. It discusses what conflict is, how it manifests, and the Thomas-Kilman model of conflict styles. The five styles are competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, and accommodating. Choosing a style depends on factors like the importance of the task and relationship, and degree of risk. While personality may influence style, the ability to handle conflict can be learned through developing a range of tactical skills. Cultural differences also impact how conflict is approached and managed.

1. Introduction to Management 1
Lecture 2: Dealing with Conflict
Stage 2 Session 7

2. Overview
• What is conflict at work and how does it manifest
itself
• What happens when it arises?
• Thomas and Kilman Model of Conflict
• Conflict and personality type
2

3. Learning Outcomes of this lecture
• To understand how conflict manifests itself in organisations
• To understand the strategies to employ to meet it effectively,
and how they relate to each other
• To appreciate further the consequences of these strategies
• To understand the link, or not, between conflict style and
personality

4. 4
Statements on Conflict to complete
• When I think of conflict I...
• When someone disagrees with me about something important I usually...
• I was brought up to deal with conflict by…

5. 5
Definition of Conflict
Where the concerns
of two people or parties
appear to be incompatible.

6. 6
Assumptions about Conflict
• Inevitable
• Result of interdependence and interaction
• Source of growth, quality, good decision making,
creativity
• When ineffective: Source of pain and destructiveness
• When effective: Leads to change and empowerment
• All may not be resolved, but all can be managed

7. Conflict: origins
• Conflict can exist at several levels:
– Intra-personal (e.g., personal dilemma)
– Inter-personal: one-to-one, one-to-several, several-to-one
– Inter-group
– Intercultural, international
• Usually results from one party sensing interference by another, then expressing
antagonism.
• Shouldn’t necessarily be perceived as negative or “unhealthy”. Can be used
positively to, e.g., effect change.
• Is pervasive in and between organizations - wherever multiple agendas exist.

8. 8
Conflict origins
Source Explanation
TRIVIA
Minor decisions with little long term impact, little impact of
outcomes on individuals
FACTS AND DATA
Inadequate information flow; uncertainties of operation;
disregard for contractual obligations.
METHODS AND
PROCESS
Alternative ways of reaching common goals; emphasis on
different use of resources.
ROLES AND
RESPONSIBILITIES
Responsibilities undefined or confused; lack of accountability;
inappropriate organizational structure.
VISION AND
DIRECTION
Competing priorities over scarce resources; unclear vision or
direction.
BELIEFS AND
VALUES
Differences in motivations and beliefs about work, people,
management, and society.
Ladder of Resolution
Harder Easier
Note: The deeper the level of conflict and the longer it has gone on, the more difficult to resolve.

9. Conflict outcomes – they can be…
• Resolved, which are:
– Over (or look like being over);
– Have an outcome which is beneficial to the organization(s) concerned.
– The result of one party taking positive action.
• Extinct – gone, but not actively resolved.
• Continuing:
– Escalating (increasing severity)
– “Oscillating” - going on and on, but not increasing in severity.

10. Nature of relationship with other party(ies)
• “Anchored” vs “Distant”
• Anchored:
– Not necessarily warm or intimate.
– But parties interact a lot... “share the same space “.
– Often have a shared “sense of destiny”.
• Distant:
– Characterized by detachment and psychological distance, e.g. doctor: patient.
Questions
• How does the degree of being anchored in the relationship affect the likelihood of
resolution?
• How does the degree of personality type affect your ability to deal with conflict?

11. The Conflict Process
E X H I B I T 14–1

12. Conflict and Performance in a VUCA world

13. The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI)
• Initially a research tool developed in the 1970s
• Thomas’ theoretical refinement of Blake and Moulton’s Managerial Grid
• Leading measure of conflict-handling behavior
• Recently re-normed (gender, race/ethnicity, org level)
• Good reliability and validity data
• Now computerized and available from Consulting Psychologists Press

14. 14
Five Conflict Management Styles Thomas
and Kilman
COMPETING COLLABORATING
COMPROMISING
AVOIDING ACCOMODATING
Uncooperative Cooperative
(Concern for others)
Assertive
(Concern
for self)
Unassertive

15. Competing
Style Works Doesn’t Work
COMPETING
• Speed
• Crises
• Adverse decisions (e.g.
discipline, cost-cutting)
• Protecting yourself from being
taken advantage of
• Little long term regard required
• Impacts the
relationship
• Resistance may be
manifested in many
different and subtle
ways…
15

16. Collaborating
Style Works Doesn’t Work
COLLABORATING
• Combined efforts,
connectivity
• Gets commitment
• Working harder through
feelings in a relationship
• Flexibility to a degree is
important—you know you
don’t have the solution
• Time disallows
• Trivia
• Lack of desire – may
be a threat
16

17. Compromising
Style Works Doesn’t Work
COMPROMISING
• Backup to compete or
collaborate
• When trade-offs are
necessary—splits difference
through speed or political
necessity
• Scheduling
• Expedient solutions under
time pressure
• Sub optimal solutions
• Involves strategic
decisions and goals
• Breach of
commitments
previously reached
• Violates company
policies, norms, goals
17

18. Avoiding
Style Works Doesn’t Work
AVOIDING
• Trivia
• To delay
• Confrontation outweighs benefits –
may be damaging
• Problem does not
go away – most can
• May be frustrating
for others
18

19. Accommodating
Style Works Doesn’t Work
ACCOMMODATING
• Deadlines required
• You’re wrong and you know it
• You’re outgunned
• Not important to you—very
important to other – no big
deal!
• Harmony is very crucial
• Taken advantage of—
projects, workload,
etc.
• Potential bad
direction, ideas
• Expectations/roles are
misunderstood
19

20. Styles and Outcomes: Game Theory
• Compete I win/you lose
• Avoid I lose/you lose
• Accommodate I lose/you win
• Compromise I win a little/you win a little
• Collaborate I win/you win

21. 21
Choosing a Style:
• How important is the task and how important is the
relationship?
• What is its nature?
• Degree of risk involved:
– Personal (e.g., status, economic loss, self-esteem)
– Organizational (e.g., credibility, cultural norms, legal)
• Power and other differences. What range of styles
are available to you in this context

22. “But it’s not in my nature….”
• Ability to influence in conflict is not a “special gift”:
– Conflict is a social interaction; learning how to interact with others is perfectly
natural.
– The problem is usually a reliance on too narrow a range of tactics.
– Tactics can be learned - but it’s not always a comfortable process learning to
apply them.
• Ability to handle conflict is not an unchangeable aspect of your “personality”:
– You do many things you’d prefer not to do.
– There is no known pathology called “unassertiveness”.
– There is no evidence of a link between “personality type” and effective
handling of conflicts.

23. Tactical range is crucial not personality type
• Persuading
• Building case
• Challenging
• Allying
• Impression management – “stagecraft”
• Using structure
• Confronting
• Coercing
• Punishing

24. Questions regarding ‘styles’
• Personal ‘styles’ and the underpinning skills employed are one ‘lens’ on conflict
handling – however they also raise other questions:
• T and K is primarily based upon a US perspective
• Context is always crucial – individual, organisational, and cultural
• Power is a crucial determinant of outcome
• National culture is an extremely strong context: Hofstede, Trompenaars (another
lecture)
• Latest research on Neuro Leadership indicates that the biology of the brain will
overide all other considerations, and our key drivers are fight/flight/freeze, and
understanding that biological programming is crucial to managing conflict

25. Conflict is Impacted by ‘Culture’
• Male and Female Gender Socialization
• Individualism – Collectivism
• High Context – Low Context Communication
• Low Power Distance – High Power Distance
• Time as Monochronic or Polychronic perspectives:
– One thing at a time Many things at a time.
– Punctual Not punctual
– Low context inf. High context information
– Stick to the plan Change plan often
– Respect others Family, close friends come first
– Respect rules Rules can be change
• Uncertainty Avoidance – Uncertainty Acceptance
• Verbal and Non-verbal Behavior

26. Conflict and Neuroscience

27. End of Lecture
Note: This recording is for your
personal use only and not for further
distribution or wider review.
© Pearson College 2013