Conflict resolution Flashcards
What is organisational conflict? Cite a study.
Behaviour that disrupts the achievement of someone else’s goals, at the individual, group, or organisational level (Mullins, 2019).
What is organisational misbehaviour? Cite a study.
Ackroyd and Thompson (1999)
- something you are not supposed to do that is counted as inappropriate in management, such as discrimination, harassing others, or bullying.
What are some potential sources of conflict?
- Differences in perception.
- Limited resources.
- Departmentalisation.
- Violation of territory.
- bullying and harassment.
Why does conflict emerge between people and groups in organisations?
Group identification / intergroup bias:
- in-group VS outsiders are based on personal characteristics or job function, also means they could be based on role conflict they have.
Interdependence:
- conflict that arises when groups are mutually dependent on each other to achieve goals.
- may result in not being happy with the others pace, their methods, etc.
Differences in power, status, and culture:
- power dynamic can lead to unfair treatment.
- status can influence power balance.
- culture can result in different beliefs and values; may not value being punctual and are therefore always late.
Ambiguity:
- conflict due to lack of clarity, which can affect performance or judgement.
Scarce resources:
- when resources are scarce, there may be an increased difficulty of handling tasks.
How much of a problem is bullying in the workforce? Cite a study as to why this may be :)
Cheshire (2015)
- it is usually not taken seriously, and can have detrimental effects.
- high turnover.
- poor morale.
- unrest.
- lack of respect in management.
- lower performance.
What is the difference between task conflict and relationship conflict?
Task conflict focuses on the quality of arguments/ideas (objective criticism).
- stays on topic.
- allows for effective improvements, and shows trust.
Relationship conflict focuses on the opponent’s experience, intelligence, credibility, rather than their ideas (personal attacks).
- this causes defence mechanisms to activite, decreasing trust between members.
- increased failure rate.
How to avoid relationship conflict during task conflict?
Build emotional intelligence:
- provide training or advice on how to better regulate emotions, making the environment less hostile.
- how to maintain neutrality.
Engage in more teamwork:
- better understanding of others.
- more compromise and working around differences.
Develop norms/values to support safety:
- normalise disagreements and how to manage effectively.
- normalise respect.
What is the difference between functional and dysfunctional conflict?
Functional: constructive, benefits the individual, group, or team.
Dysfunctional: destructive, disadvantages individuals, teams, or organisations.
How to manage conflict in the workplace generally?
- classification of goals and objectives.
- resource distribution.
- human resource management.
- non-monetary rewards (praise, pizza, something that isnt money).
- group activities.
- negotiation.
effective methodologies to avoid conflict will result in:
- quality of outcomes: quality agreement means to work with differences, and allow for a stronger relationship; they are able to work effectively as they are satisfied.
- harmony in relationships: able to work together means they can negotiate and develop their relationship.
What is a mediator?
If all fails, a third party may be involved to solve the dispute, this is a mediator.
- they are given responsibility to handle the issue.
- suggest options to compromise and work around the problem.
- propose a final offer.
What are some pros and cons to conflict?
CON:
- lower performance.
- higher stress, dissatisfaction, turnover.
- less cooperation (weaker team).
- wasted resources.
PRO:
- better decision making; generates creative thinking and questions.
- responsibility to changing environment.
- stronger team.
