The document discusses the nature of conflict in organizations, highlighting internal and external factors that contribute to both functional and dysfunctional conflict. It outlines various conflict management styles and strategies, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and effectively addressing conflict for organizational success. Additionally, the lesson provides insights into the sources of conflict, the role of managers, and effective techniques for resolution.

1. MGT 175 How would you as a customer recognize
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• Conflict in the Organization
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Introduction: Connecting Your Learning
Have you ever worked in an organization or participated in a group
that experienced conflict?
Conflict is often the result of change, differing perspectives, or
failure to communicate within a
group.
Many factors, both internal and external to a business, elicit
change. Internal and external
conflict often occurs in conjunction with this change. Today's
organizations face greater potential
for conflict than ever before, yet many people are unskilled at
managing conflicts. In order to
meet goals, both managers and employees must have the ability to
recognize conflict and
manage it. Successful organizations, their managers, and
employees can identify conflict and
successfully resolve it for the good of the organization.
This lesson describes functional and dysfunctional conflict, and
discusses how people develop
defense mechanisms as natural reactions to interpersonal conflict.
Some conflict management
styles are more effective than others.
"Consensus means that people comprehend the final
decision, have committed themselves to
executing the chosen course of action, feel a sense of collective

2. ownership about the plan, and
are willing to cooperate with others during the implementation
effort."
Michael Roberto
Readings, Resources, and Assignments
Required Textbook Readings Chapter 13: "Conflict in an
Organization" Multimedia Resources Coursemate site
Required Assignments Essay Check Prior Knowledge
How much do you already know about the concepts you will cover
in this lesson? The following
activities will focus your attention on the information in the lesson.
You are strongly encouraged
to complete this section, although you are not required to submit
the responses to your instructor.
1. What are the differences between functional and dysfunctional
conflict? Why should a
manager understand conflict?
2. What major forms of conflict occur in organizations, and what
are their sources?
3. What defense mechanisms do people use in interpersonal
conflict?
4. What are the most effective techniques for managing conflict at
work? What are some
ineffective techniques? "Conflict in the Workplace"
Read this short article about conflicts that occur in the workplace.
Have you had similar experiences? As a manager, what could you
do
to manage the conflict? Log into the textbook Coursemate Web
site to see how much you already know about the lesson
content by playing Beat the Clock under the Games link for
Chapter 13. Focusing Your Learning
Official Course Competencies Describe the manager's
responsibility to the business organization. Identify various aspects
of influencing and directing employees including motivation,
communication, and leadership. Lesson Objectives

3. By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1. Describe the basis of conflicts in organizations.
2. Explain the role of structural and personal factors in causing
conflict in organizations.
3. Discuss the underlying causes of group conflict in organizations.
4. Identify factors that influence conflict among individuals in
organizations.
5. Distinguish between effective and ineffective techniques for
managing conflict.
6. Identify five styles of conflict management.
Key Terms
As you read your assignment for this lesson, pay close attention to
the key terms and phrases
listed throughout the chapter. These terms and concepts are
important to your understanding of
the information provided in the lesson. Key Terms and Definition
Administrative Orbiting: Delaying action on a conflict by buying
time
Character Assassination: An attempt to label or discredit an
opponent
Compensation: A compromise mechanism in which an individual
attempts to make up for a
negative situation by devoting himself or herself to another pursuit
with increased vigor
Conversion: A withdrawal mechanism in which emotional
conflicts are expressed in physical
symptoms
Displacement: An aggressive mechanism in which an individual
directs his or her anger toward
someone who is not the source of the conflict
Distributive Bargaining: A negotiation approach in which the goals
of the parties are in
conflict, and each party seeks to maximize its resources
Due Process Nonaction: A procedure set up to address conflict that
is so costly, timeconsuming, or personally risky that no one will

4. use it
Dysfunctional Conflict: An unhealthy, destructive disagreement
between two or more people
Fantasy: A withdrawal mechanism that provides an escape from a
conflict through daydreaming Fixation: An aggressive mechanism
in which an individual keeps up a dysfunctional behavior
that obviously will not solve the conflict
Flight/Withdrawal: A mechanism that entails physically escaping
(flight) or psychologically
escaping (withdrawal) a conflict
Functional Conflict: A healthy, constructive disagreement between
two or more people
Identification: A compromise mechanism whereby an individual
patterns his or her behavior
after another’s
Integrative Negotiation: A negotiation approach in which the
parties’ goals are not seen as
mutually exclusive, but the focus is on both sides achieving their
objectives
Intergroup Conflict: Conflict that occurs between groups or teams
in an organization
Interorganizational Conflict: Conflict that occurs between two or
more organizations
Interpersonal Conflict: Conflict that occurs between two or more
individuals
Inter-Role Conflict: A person’s experience of conflict among the
multiple roles in his or her life
Intragroup Conflict: Conflict that occurs within groups or teams
Intrapersonal Conflict: Conflict that occurs within an individual
Intrarole Conflict: Conflict that occurs within a single role, such as
when a person receives
conflicting messages from role senders about how to perform a
certain role
Jurisdictional Ambiguity: The presence of unclear lines of
responsibility within an organization

5. Negativism: An aggressive mechanism in which a person responds
with pessimism to any
attempt at solving a problem
Nonaction: Doing nothing in hopes that a conflict will disappear
Person–Role Conflict: Conflict that occurs when an individual in a
particular role is expected to
perform behaviors that clash with his or her personal values
Rationalization: A compromise mechanism characterized by trying
to justify one’s behavior by
constructing bogus reasons for it
Secrecy: Attempting to hide a conflict or an issue that has the
potential to create conflict
Superordinate Goal: An organizational goal that is more important
to both parties in a conflict
than their individual or group goals Approaching the Objectives
Watch the following Ted Talks video: Resolving the Heart of
Conflict (19:03).
The video points out that conflict can be identified and managed
more successfully when you try
to see others' points of view. In doing so, you may find you are all
in agreement, or at least
determine where points of agreement and compromise are
possible.
Conflict happens when people on two or more sides of an issue do
not agree. If you are having a
fight with someone, you are having a conflict. Ideas can also be in
conflict with one another.
Conflict can be good—such as when new perspectives and ideas
enter the discussion —but
dysfunctional conflict is unhealthy, destructive disagreement.
Causes of conflict can be classified into two broad categories:
structural factors and personal
factors. Structural factors stem from the way the work is organized
-- specialization,
interdependence, common resources, goal differences, authority

6. relationships, status
inconsistencies, and jurisdictional ambiguities. Personal factors
arise from differences among
individuals such as skills and abilities, personalities, perceptions,
values and ethics, emotions,
communication barriers, and cultural differences.
Organizational conflict usually falls into one of two core groups:
conflicts that occur at the group
level and conflicts that occur at an individual level. Conflicts at
each level can be further
classified as inter (between) or intra (within). Conflict at the group
level can occur between
organizations (interorganizational), between groups (intergroup),
or within a group (intragroup).
Interorganizational conflict occurs between two or more
organizations. Conflict occurring
between groups or teams is known as intergroup conflict.
As explained in the chapter, effective conflict management
techniques include appealing to
superordinate goals, expanding resources, changing personnel,
changing structure, and
confronting and negotiating. Ineffective techniques include
nonaction, secrecy, administrative
orbiting, due process nonaction, and character assassination.
Managers have a variety of conflict management styles at their
disposal such as avoiding,
accommodating, competing, compromising, and collaborating.
One way of classifying conflict
management styles is to examine the styles' assertiveness (the
extent to which one wants his or
her goals met) and cooperativeness (the extent to which one wants
to see the other party's
concerns met). They are discussed in the chapter. Summarizing
Your Learning
The following activities are meant to help you practice the

7. concepts that you studied in this
lesson and prepare you for the graded assignments. They are not
turned in to your instructor.
1. Read Chapter 13 in the textbook. 2. Revisit the ideas in the
"Check Prior Knowledge" section above. Have your
answers
changed? Why or how?
3. Complete the practice activities and exercises at the end of
Chapter 13 in the companion
Coursemate
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