Chapter 14 - Conflict and Negotiations Flashcards
what is conflict?
the process by which individuals or groups react to other entities that have frustrated or are about to frustrate their plans, goals, beliefs, or activities
involve situations in which the expectations or actual goal-directed behaviours of one person or group are blocked or are about to be blocked by another person or group
4 types of conflict
- goal conflict (whose goals will be pursued)
- cognitive conflict (conflict of ideas or opinions)
- affective conflict (conflict of emotions)
- behavioural conflict (disagreement with behaviour)
4 levels of conflict
- intrapersonal
- interpersonal
- intergroup
- interorganizational
pros and cons of conflict
pros
- lead to new ideas and solutions
- stimulate organizational change
- facilitate employee motivation
- help individuals grow
- can stabilize relationships
cons
- negative if employees divert too much NRG away from performance and goal attainment
- continued conflict can cause psychological damage
factors why organizations have so much conflict
- task interdependencies
- status inconsistencies
- jurisdictional ambiguities
- communication problems
- dependence on common resource pool
- lack of common performance standards
- individual differences
model of the conflict process (4 stages)
stage 1 - frustration
stage 2 - conceptualization
- parties attempt to understand the nature of the problem
stage 3 - behaviour
stage 4 - outcome
- if one or both parties don’t feel satisfied, the seeds of discontent are planted for a later conflict
five models for conflict resolution and how to choose one
- competing
- collaborating
- compromising
- avoiding
- accommodating
choice of an appropriate model depends on the situation and the goals of the party
–> each party must decide the extent to which it is interested in satisfying its own concerns (assertiveness) and the extent to which it is interested in helping satisfy its own concerns (cooperativeness)
common strategies of resolving conflict that rarely work (5)
- nonaction
- administrative orbiting
- due process nonaction
- secrecy (secret actions)
- character assassination
what is administrative orbiting
type of conflict resolution strategy that rarely works
= managers acknowledge that a problem exists but then take little serious action
what is due process nonaction
common conflict resolution strategy that rarely works
= set up a recognized procedure for redressing grievances but at the same time ensures the procedure is long and complicated
= to the point that it wears down the dissatisfied employee
= commonly used in conflicts involving race and sex discrimination
strategies for preventing conflict (similar to avoiding politics)
- emphasize organization-wide goals and effectiveness
- provide stable, well-structured tasks
- facilitate intergroup communications
- avoid win-lose situations
strategies for reducing conflict (9)
- physical separation
- use of roles and regulations
- limiting intergroup interaction
- use of integrators
- confrontation and negotiation
- third-party consultation
- rotation of members
- identification of interdependent tasks and superordinate goals (find goals that require groups to work together to achieve overall success)
- intergroup training
what are integrators and how can they help reduce conflict
individuals who are assigned boundary-spanning roles between two groups or departments
unbiased person can help with conflict reduction
what is negotiation
process by which individuals or groups attempt to realize their goals by bargaining with another party who has at least some control over goal attainment
4 stages of negotiation
- non-task time (bonding)
- information exchange (provides larger context)
- influence and persuasion (on both ends)
- closing
negotiation among different cultures
length of time devoted to each stage and importance of stage differs amongst organizations
two distinct bargaining strategies
- distributive bargaining
- integrative bargaining
distributive bargaining
“win-lose” bargaining
the goals of one party are in fundamental and direct conflict with those of the other party
–> each party wants to maximize their share of the resources
usually short-term relationship
resistance price
related to distributive bargaining
= max point an opponent will go to to reach a settlement
integrative bargaining
“win-win” approach
both parties try to reach a settlement that benefits both parties
–> often based on belief that if people mutually try to solve the problem, they can identify creative solutions that help everyone
long term usually (ex: trade between two nations)
what characteristics of a situation help determine when to negotiate
- value of exchange
- commitment to a decision
- trust level
- time
- power distribution
- relationship between two parties
describe the 4 phases/ questions of negotiation?
- What are main areas of disagreement/ agreement?
- what do you want of the negotiation?
- how will you manage the negotiation process? establish an agenda/ priorities
- do you understand your opponent?
skilled vs average negotiators
before negotiation
= consider more options per issue
= spend more time focusing on anticipated areas of agreement rather than conflict
during negotiation
= spend more time asking questions of opponent
= more time actively listening
= spend less time attacking opponent
cultural differences in international negotiations
important to understand cultural differences as international competition increases
–> differences in verbal and nonverbal communication patterns, promises, threats, recommendations, etc.
overall Americans seen as prepared and organized, similar to Brazilians
Japan seen as more dedicated and shrewd
Taiwanese negotiators were found to be highly persistent and determined
