Conflict is inevitable in organizations and can have both positive and negative effects. It is important for organizations to manage conflict effectively. There are different types of conflict including intrapersonal, interpersonal, intergroup, and organizational. Interpersonal conflict can arise from personal differences, information deficiencies, or role incompatibilities. Intergroup conflict is more likely when groups compete for limited resources or have ambiguous or incompatible goals. Effective conflict management techniques organizations can use include problem solving, establishing shared goals, expanding resources, using authority appropriately, and behavioral change techniques. The key is for management to understand conflict and implement strategies to productively address it.

1. Conflict and Conflict Management
Happens when
I feel (perceive)
You have Something I care about
You will negatively affect something I care
about
Conflict in organisations…
1

2. Conflict in Organisations
•
Inevitable
•
Has many causes
•
Is not always bad
•
Therefore must be ‘managed’
•
May be ‘perceived’ or ‘felt’
Potential conflict in organisations
2

3. Potential Conflicts in Organisations
• Regional affiliations
• Erosion of status
• Differences in personal views
• Basis for grant of pay increase – allocation of pay
increase budget
• Autonomy to a position / level / individual
• Diversification plans
• Own manufacture or outsourcing
• HQ versus Branch Office
• Product Pricing
• …
Levels of conflict…
3

4. Conflict may be…
1. Intrapersonal – frustration, goal conflict, cognitive dissonance,
role conflict etc
2. Interpersonal
3. Intergroup
4. Organisational - structural
Sources of Interpersonal Conflict…
4

5. Sources of Interpersonal Conflict
1. Personal differences
Personality - clashing needs 
threat, suspicion, incompatibility, Interactive and communication styles,
TA
Preferences, How you like to spend time
2.
Information deficiency - About
the other
person’s needs, motives, preferences, ambitions ,
Circumstances, Intentions
Johari
Window
3. Role incompatibility - organisational
4. Environmental stress
How do you tend to manage conflict
5

6. Individual Strategies for ‘managing’
conflict - suitable response
•
Collaborate
•
Avoid
•
Forcing
•
Accommodate
Compromise
2 dimensions - assertiveness and
cooperativeness
Conflict management team - organisation
6

7. The Thomas Kilman Conflict Model
A
s
s
e
r
t
i
v
e
n
e
s
s
Fighter –
collaborator
competitive
Compromiser
Avoider
Co-operation
Accomodator
Do I usually follow one strategy ??? 7
Conflict management techniques in organisations

8. Scoring – Conflict Style Inventory- ASCI
Compromise
Collaboration
Question
Competition
Avoidance
Submission
1
A
B
2
B
A
3
A
B
4
B
A
5
B
A
6
B
A
7
B
A
8
A
B
9
B
A
10
B
A
11
A
B
12
B
A
13
A
B
14
B
A
15
A
8
B

9. Conflict Style Inventory - ASCI
Question
Competition
Compromise
Collaboration
Avoidance
Submission
16
A
B
17
B
A
18
A
B
19
B
A
20
A
B
21
B
A
22
A
B
23
B
A
24
A
B
25
B
A
26
B
A
27
B
A
28
B
A
29
A
B
30
B
A
Inter group conflict
9

10. Inter Group Conflict
•Task Interdependence
•Task ambiguity
•Goal incompatibility
•Competition for Limited Resources
•Competitive Reward System
•Line and Staff
•Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Conflict
Conflict management
10

11. Conflict Management Techniques Organisation
•
Problem solving
•
Shared goal
•
Expansion of resources
•
Authoritative command
•
Using behavioural change techniques
11
What does it really mean to be ‘good with people’ ? 4 Dimensions of Relational work

12. Personal Differences
• Differences in Personality - clashing
needs  threat, suspicion,
incompatibility
• Interactive and communication styles
• Preferences
• How you like to spend time
• etc
12

13. New view of conflict
• Is inevitable
• Has many different causes
• May aid or hinder organisational
performance
• Task of management - manage
conflict
• Best performance requires moderate
13

14. Positive aspects of conflict
• Energising - focuses members on
existence of problems
• Promotes change
• Stimulates interest and creativity
• Can be fun
14

15. Is conflict always bad?
Differentiate between • Personalised conflict
• Issue based conflict
Between
• Task conflict – content and goals of work
• Relationship conflict
• Process conflict – how work is done
15

16. ‘perceived’ and ‘felt’ conflict
Perceived - Awareness by one or more
parties that there is a situation where
conflict may arise
Felt - emotional involvement in a
conflict creating stress, anxiety,
tenseness, frustration, hostility
16

17. ‘Two dimensions of conflict handling
intentions
• Co-operativeness - how much you
want to satisfy the other party’s
concerns
• Assertiveness - how much you want to
satisfy your own concerns
17

18. ANTECEDENTS TO INTERGROUP CONFLICTS
• Competition for resources
• Task Interdependence
• Jurisdictional Ambiguity
• Status Struggles
18

19. STRATEGIES TO REDUCE INTERGROUP CONFLICT
• Avoidance - ignore or impose solution
Utility - trivial conflict/ quick action required
• Defusion -
deactivate / cool off / underplay conflict
Utility - Need for stop – gap solution
- groups have mutually important goal
• Containment - conflict allowed to surface, but issues for
discussion spelled out
Utility - discussions fail and groups are of equal power
• Confrontation - all issues brought out in open, in attempt
to reach mutually acceptable solution.
Utility - when there is minimum level of trust
-
time is not critical
- when groups need to co-operate to get the job done
19

20. STRUCTURAL CONFLICT - TYPES
• HIERARCHICAL CONFLICT – unifying goals
-importance of equity
• FUNCTIONAL CONFLICT – co-ordination
• LINE – STAFF CONFLICT - tell and sell
- hold staff accountable
• FORMAL – INFORMAL CONFLICT
Basic incongruence between needs and characteristics
of
adult and requirements of formal organisation
20