Lecture 9: Chapter 11: Conflict and Negotiation Flashcards
What is conflict? Give 4 characteristics
- Process
- Perception/personal experiences
- Opposition of goals/interests
- It doesn’t have to be experienced by both parties
Give 6 negative outcomes of conflict
- Lower performance
- Higher stress, dissatisfaction, turnover
- Less information sharing and coordination
- More organizational politics
- Wasted resources
- Weaker team cohesion
Give 3 positive outcomes of conflict
- Better decision making
- More responsive to changing environment
- Stronger team cohesion if external challengers
Give 3 reasons why conflict can lead to better decision making
- Test logic of arguments
- Question assumptions
- Triggers creative thinking and more conscious deliberation
What is the difference between a task and a relationship conflict?
Task: focuses discussion on quality of different ideas, shows respect for people involved and avoids critiquing opponent’s competence or power
Relationship: focuses on opponent’s qualities (experience, intelligence, credibility)
What is a process conflict?
A type of task conflict that involves discussions about how the work should be divided between members
Which type of conflict is constructive?
Task conflicts
What are 3 forms of relationship conflict?
- Argumentum ad hominem: Winning arguments by undermining opponent’s credibility
- Relying on status/expertise
- Using assertive behavior
What is a argumentum ad hominem?
Argument about the person
What are 3 dysfunctional consequences of relationship conflicts?
- Triggers defense mechanisms
- Reduces trust: emphasizes differences in status/competence
- Reduces motivation to communicate, increases reliance on stereotypes
What is an important problem in task conflicts?
It’s hard to separate task- and relationship conflicts, because you have the tendency to defend yourself when your ideas are criticized
What is conflict transformation?
When a task conflict turns into a relationship conflict
How can you prevent conflict transformation (3)?
- Emotional intelligence and stability: regulate emotions, learn from other’s emotional reactions
- Team development, high cohesion: better mutual understanding, minimize conflict
- Psychological safety team norms: norms encourage respect, interest and open-mindedness
What is the difference between interpersonal and intrapersonal conflict?
Inter: between people/teams
Intra: conflict within yourself
What is the conflict process model? Of which 4 steps does it consist?
- Sources of conflict
- Conflict escalation with conflict perceptions and emotions
- Manifest conflict
- Conflict outcomes (+/-)
According to the conflict process model, what are 6 soruces of conflict?
- Incompatible goals
- Differentiation
- Interdependence
- Scarce resources
- Ambiguous rules
- Poor communication
According to the conflict process model, what is manifest conflict? Name 3 aspects
Represents each party’s decisions and behaviors toward the other
- Conflict handling style
- Decisions
- Overt behaviors
In the conflict process model, why do arrows loop back from manifest conflict to conflict perceptions and emotions? (summary p.30)
Conflict process is really a series of episodes that potentially cycle into conflict escalation. It doesn’t take much to start this conflict cycle. Small behaviors cause the other party to perceive that conflict exists
What are incompatible goals as a source of conflict?
When the goals of the person clash with the goals of the other
What is differentiation as a source of conflict?
Even if you agree on a common goal, interpersonal differences in preferences, values and beliefs can cause conflict
E.g. intergenerational conflict
What type of structural source underlies intergenerational conflict?
Differentiation
What is interdependence as a source of conflict?
When 2 parties depend on each other to a great extent, there is more room for conflict
What is scarce resources as a source of conflict?
If 2 parties need the same resources, to be able to reach their goals, then conflict often arises
What are ambiguous rules as a source of conflict?
There’s a greater risk that the goals of different parties will clash if the rules are unclear
What are communication problems as a source of conflict?
If there are issues with opportunities, abilities and motivation to communicate, conflict often happens and becomes even more dysfunctional if this keeps getting worse
What is the difference in risk of conflict for pooled interdependence, sequential interdependence and reciprocal interdependence?
Pooled: low conflict, people are pretty independent
Sequential: medium conflict, e.g. assembly line
Reciprocal: high conflict, employees quickly and significantly affect each other
What are 6 structural approaches to conflict management that target conflict sources?
- Emphasize superordinate goals, focus on common goals
- Reduce differentiation
- Improve communication
- Reduce interdependence
- Increase resources
- Clarify rules/procedures
Name 2 ways you can reduce differentiation. What can you do after reduction of differentiation?
- Meaningful interaction
- Rotating staff through departments
- Build strong culture
After that you can improve communication (understanding)
How do you reduce interdependence? (3)
- Create buffers
- Use integrators for between-team communication/coordination
- Combine jobs into one (job enrichment)
On which 2 things does interpersonal conflict handling style depend according to Follett’s model of interpersonal conflict-handling styles?
- Assertiveness: motivation to satisfy own goals
- Cooperation: motivation to satisfy other’s goals
What are the 5 main categories in Follett’s conflict handling style model? Briefly describe each category
- Problem solving: win-win orientation: find solution beneficial for both parties, people believe resources are expandable if they work together
- Forcing: win-lose orientation: tries to win conflict at the other’s expense
- Avoiding: smooths over/escapes conflict situations, minimize discussion
- Yielding: giving in completely to the other side’s wishes, cooperating with little attention to own interests, not expecting reciprocity
- Compromising: actively seeking middle ground between interests of two parties
Study the model p. 403 book or slide 17 or summary p. 32
What is the impact of cultural differences on conflict-handling styles?
Collectivist: more avoidance and problem solving
Individuals who are more likely to use the avoidance style in their culture may have problems with cultures which use forcing styles
When is it preferred to use the problem solving style? What are problems with the problem solving conflict handling style?
If interest aren’t perfectly opposing, parties have trust and issues are complex
Sharing info that the other party might use to its advantage
When is it preferred to use the forcing style? What are problems with the forcing conflict handling style?
Use when your position is objectively much stronger and the other party would have advantage of more cooperative strategies
Problems: relationship conflict risk, damage long-term relations, reduction future problem solving
When is it preferred to use the avoiding style? What are problems with the avoiding conflict handling style?
Use if conflict is too emotionally charged and parties want to maintain harmony and if costs outweigh benefits
Problems: doesn’t resolve it and can increase uncertainty/frustration
When is it preferred to use the yielding conflict handling style? What are problems with the yielding conflict handling style?
Use if issue is less important to you than to the other party, if the logic of you position isn’t clear and the other has substantially more power
Problem: increases other party’s expectations in future conflicts
When is it preferred to use the compromising style? What are problems with the compromising conflict handling style?
Use if there is a single issue, if parties lack time/trust, if they want to maintain harmony and have equal power
Problems: suboptimal solution wher mutual gains are possible
What are 2 differences in gender in conflict-handling styles?
- Men are more likely to use the forcing style, women are more likely to use the avoiding style
- Women in management and non-management positions are more likely to use problem-solving, compromising and yielding
What are superordinate goals?
Goals that the conflicting parties both value and whose attainment requires the joint resources and effort of those parties
What is intergroup mirroring?
Way of improving communication
An external consultant separately document their perceptions of the other group. In the mirroring stage, each group discusses its three sets of perceptions with the other group. The two sides use this shared information to review their relationship problems and establish joint goals and plans to improve their relationship
What are integrators?
Employees who coordinate the activities of multiple work units toward the completion of a shared task or project. This helps reducing interdependence
Give 2 reasons why organizations shouldn’t always rely on improving communication to reduce conflict
- Interventions should be applied only when differentiation is low
- People in collectivist cultures and high power distance cultures are uncomfortable with resolving conflict through direct confrontation
What is the third-party conflict resolution?
Attempting to resolve the conflict by involving another neutral person
What are the 3 main third-party dispute resolution activities?
- Arbitration
- Inquisition
- Mediation
What are the 2 types of control during 3rd party intervention?
- Process control: extent to which third party can make decisions about the process of the conflict resolution (e.g. coaching)
- Decision control: extent to which third party can make content decisions with regard to the conflict
What is the difference between arbitration, inquisition and mediation?
See image p. 35 summary
Arbitration = 3rd party controls final decision, but isn’t involved in process of resolving conflict
Inquisition = process and decision of conflict resolution is handled by neutral person
Mediation = 3rd party controls process of solving the conflict, but conflicting parties must come to a decision themselves
Which third party role does a manager often take? How is that evaluated?
Often as inquisitor
–> Failure to address underlying issues and failure to reach mutually satisfying agreement
What is the best way of resolving a conflict?
Depends on the situation
–> Everyday issues: mediation
–> Difficult issues: arbitration
Arbitration is valued higher than inquisition
What is arbitration and give a + and a -?
Third party gives opinion and binding agreement
–> + : Enhances feeling of procedural justice
–> - : No feeling of ownership and influence by the parties
Which of the third party conflict resolutions is rated best? In what 2 cases is this not the best strategy?
Mediation is valued highest. Partners can make their own decision
Not best strategy if:
- Little time
- Complex problem
What is negotiation?
Process in which interdependent parties with divergent beliefs or goals attempt to reach agreement on issues that mutually affect them
What is the difference between distributive and integrative approaches to negotiation?
Distributive = when the person has a win-lose orientation and believes gains must be distributed between the parties = claiming value
Integrative = when there is a win-win orientation and the focus is on mutual gains = creating value
What is the bargaining zone model?
It indicates where the initial offer point and the resistance point of you and your opponent are.
The ZOPA = Zone of potential agreement = the overlap where an agreement can be made
Summary p. 36
How do good negotiators often prepare for negotiating (3)?
- They set their initial point above the best possible outcome they would like to achieve –> first offer is anchor and predicts outcome
- They know what their target point and their resistance point is beforehand
- Think about what the other party will want
What is BATNA? How is it related to negotiation power?
Best alternative to a negotiated agreement
= represents the estimated cost to you of walking away (what is the alternative if you don’t reach an agreement)
If you have multiple BATNA’s, you have higher negotiation power
What are the 4 stages of effective negotiation?
- Gathering information
- Making concessions
- Managing time
- Building a relationship
What is important in the negotiation phase of gathering information (3)?
- Sharing information
- Listen closely to other party, ask questions, pay attention to nonverbal comms, summarize other party’s statements
- Find out other party’s needs behind offers
How do good negotiators manage concessions? (3)
- Make few, small, clearly-labeled concessions
- State that the other party should reciprocate
- Use multi-issue offers
What are deadline effects, exploding offers and escalation of time-commitment? To what stage of negotiation does this belong?
- Deadline effect: negotiators make more concessions as the deadline gets closer
- Exploding offer: they give the opponent a very short time to accept their offer
- Escalation of time-commitment: the more time someone has invested, the more committed they are to ensure an agreement
This belongs to the managing time stage
How do you build relationships in negotiations?
By discovering common backgrounds, managing first impressions, signal trustworthiness, show awareness of shared negotiation norms/expectations, use EI
Give 3 important examples of situational influences on negotiation effectiveness and process
- Location: easier in a familiar location
- Physical setting: seating arrangements, spacing, formality
- Audience: more competitive when there’s an audience observing
Why do men tend to achieve better outcomes in negotiations?
Women tend to set lower initial points and settle for less generous offers
