4.b. Sources & Management of Conflict Flashcards
Communication
Semantic misunderstandings - arising from selective perception, different training or inadequate information (too much or too little)
Noisy channels of communication
Insufficient exchange of information
Structure
Higher likelihood of conflict = bigger groups, more specialized in activities
Specialization - focused expertise areas like finance or marketing
Increases diversity of goals (with focused expertise groups), increasing scope for conflict
Ambiguity
greater ambiguity over who’s responsible for what increases likelihood of intergroup feuding for control over resources & domains
Leadership
- too much reliance on participative leadership can lead to lots of different viewpoints being expressed, leading to conflict
Rewards
One party getting rewards at the expense of another can lead to conflict
Interdependency
- Interdependent relationships between various groups in organizations
- Conflict affects task interdependence, trust & autonomy in self-management teams
Changes to structure & process
- Significant & fundamental changes to structures, procedures & systems lead to negative perceptions of events, leading to conflict
- Often involves cutting back on staff
- e.g. downsizing leading to conflict within an organization
Personal factors
Authoritarian, dogmatic & low self-esteem
Value systems - individual’s outlook & behaviour, what they value & think is important may differ and lead to conflict
Disliking each other
Negotiation
- Give & take discussion between parties
- Between different managerial groups, allocating resources etc.
Compromise
Bargaining
- Exchange of offers, counter-offers, concessions to come up with an acceptable resolution
- Involves more concessions than negotiation (compromising vs collaborating?)
Distributive bargaining
Negotiation strategy
Win-lose situation - can lead to animosity & resentment
Fixed sum of resources is divided up
Organisations: trade union vs management
- salaries, benefits etc.
Integrative bargaining
Negotiation strategy
Win-win situation - collaborating
Goal is to increase total resources
Organisation example
- An agreement between the union & management that leads to increase salary AND profits, fulfilling the wishes of both parties
Preferred strategy
5 Styles of Conflict Management
Competition
Collaboration
Avoidance
Accommodation
Compromise
Assertiveness vs Cooperativeness
Competition
Assertive & uncooperative
win-lose approach
Formal authority & threats
Collaboration
Assertive & cooperative
win-win approach
Parties work together to discuss the issue & come up with a mutually beneficial solution
Hearing out the other side, clarifying differences
Avoidance
Unassertive & uncooperative
win-lose is avoided but conflict is not resolved
Avoiding opposing person/parties
Two forms: withdrawal & suppression
Withdrawal - removing yourself from the interaction/situation, each party/individual taking control over particular domain and not interfering with each other
Suppression - where withdrawal is not possible, swallowing feelings or withholding information
Accommodation
Unassertive & cooperative
One party concedes
Self-sacrificing behaviour
Putting the other party’s interests first
Compromise
Intermediate amounts of assertiveness & cooperativeness
Both parties make concessions & come to a compromise
Superordinate goals
Make both groups work towards a common/superordinate goal
Favourable information about opposing group is seen in a new light
Leaders are better able to instigate cooperation
May not be applicable to all industrial situations due to power imbalances being at the root of the problem
