conflict resolution Flashcards
conflict
- internal or external discord that results from differences in ideas, values, or feelings between two or more people
- neither good nor bad
- can produce growth or destruction, depending on how its managed
factors that lead of conflit
- differences in: values, beliefs, backgrounds, goals, economic and professional values
- competition
- scarce resources
- restructuring
- poorly defined role expectations
too little conflict
organizational stasis
too much conflict
decrease in organizations effectiveness and immobilizes its employees
types of conflict
- intrapersonal
- interpersonal
- intergroup
intrapersonal conflict
-internal struggle to clarify contradictory values or wants
interpersonal conflict
- between 2 people
- bullying, incivility, and mobbing leads to workplace violence
incivility
lack of respect
mobbing
ganging up on 1 person
intergroup conflict
- between 2 groups
- ex: day vs night shift
the conflict process/phases/stages
- latent conflict
- perceived conflict/substantive conflict
- felt conflict/affective conflict
- manifest conflict/overt conflict
- conflict aftermath
latent conflict
- implies the existence of antecedent conditions
- could lead to a conflict but it has not occurred yet
perceived conflict
you understand that something needs to be solved
felt conflict
- conflict is emotionalized
- hostility, fear, mistrust, anger
manifest conflict
- action is taken
- fight, debate, w/d, or seek resolution
conflict aftermath
- depends on how conflict is handled
- fair, negative or positive
goal of conflict mgmt
creating a win-win solution for all involved
common conflict resolution strategies
- compromising
- competing
- cooperating
- smoothing
- avoiding
- collaborating
compromising
- each party gives up something
- an optimum conflict resolution strategy
- lose-lose situation
- give up something of equal value
competing
- used when one party pursues what it wants at the expense of others
- resist unsafe pt care policies or procedures, unfair tx, abuse of power, or ethical concerns
- win-lose
cooperating/accommodating
- opposite of competing
- one party sacrifices his or her beliefs and allows the other party to win
- often expects some type of payback
- actual problem does not get solved
- win-lose
smoothing
- attempts to pacify the other party
- get someone to accommodate or cooperate with another party
- attempts to compliment other party
- good for minor disagreements
- emotional conflict is minimized
- rarely results in resolution
avoiding
- parties involved are aware of a conflict but choose not to acknowledge it or attempt to resolve it
- indicated when:
- the other party is more powerful
- cost of dealing with conflict is more than benefit
- problem will solve itself
- when it should be solved by someone else
- conflict remains and reemerges later in an exaggerated fashion
collaborating
- all parties set aside their original goals and work together to establish a supraordinate or priority common goal
- focus remains on problem solving
- win-win
- requires mutual respect
- time consuming
negotiation
- each party gives up something and the emphasis is on accommodating differences between the parties
- similar to collaboration, competing, and compromise
- major goal: to make other party feel satisfied with the outcome
- should be win-win
common causes of organization conflict
- poor communication
- inadequately defined organization structure
- individual behavior
- unclear expectations
- individual group conflict of interest
- operational or staffing changes
- diversity in gender, culture, or age
strategies to facilitate conflict resolution between members in the workplace
- confrontation
- third party consultation
- behavior change
- responsibility charting
- structure change
- soothing one party
confrontation
- workers expect manager to solve conflicts
- instead, managers urge them to handle problems face to face on own
third party consultation
manager or other expert used as a neutral party
behavior change
- for serious cases
- educational modes, training development, sensitivity training
structure change
- change manager
- adding procedures
soothing one party
- temporary solution
- used when there is no time to handle conflict effectively
- wait a few days before really resolving conflict
benefits of an appropriate amount of conflict
- increased harmony and productivity
- pleasant working environment
- reduced stress and anxiety
- decreased victimized behavior
