Institute of Administrative Sciences, University of the Punjab,Lahore

Strategic Management
Assignment no. 2
Submitted to Dr. Nighat Ansari
Submitted by Kiran Siddiqui
Roll no. 13-HRM-S-64

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Conflict
It is a process that begins when one party perceives that another party has negatively affected,
or is about to negatively affects, something that the first party cares about. It is that point in an
ongoing activity when an interaction crosses over to become an interparty conflict.
There is a wide range of conflicts that people experience in organizations

Incompatibility of goals
Differences over interpretations of facts
Disagreements based on behavioral expectations

Causes:

Poor communication
Lack of openness
Failure to respond to employee needs

Conflict can actually be a positive within an organization. Conflict can bring about change,
improve situations and offer new solutions.

Functional and Dysfunctional Conflicts

Functional or Dysfunctional is determined by whether the organizations interests are served.

Functional

conflicts serve organizations interests. They are constructive, support your

company's goals, and improve performance. It generally involves people who are genuinely
interested in solving a problem and are willing to listen to one another.
Stimulating functional conflict is a great way to improve your team's performance and generate
new ideas. It involves getting your team to either defend or criticize ideas based on relevant
facts rather than on the basis of personal preference or political interests.
Positive results of functional conflict include:

Awareness of both sides of issues

Improvement of working conditions due to accomplishing solutions together
Solving issues together to improve overall morale
Making innovations and improvements within an organization

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Management Techniques
There are two widely accepted techniques for doing this: devil's advocacy and the dialectic
method.
1. Devil's advocacy
This method involves assigning a team member the role of a critic. This person should
always question and critique any ideas that your team may have, usually resulting in
critical thinking and reality testing. However, it is recommended that this role gets
rotated amongst your team to avoid any particular person from developing a strictly
negative reputation.
2. Dialectic method
This approach involves facilitating a structured debate of opposing views prior to making
a decision. By hearing the pros and cons of all the different ideas, your team will have
greater success in making sound decisions. However, it should be noted that a major
drawback of this method is that the emphasis to win a debate often clouds the issue at
hand.
On the other hand

Dysfunctional

conflict threatens organizations interests. Dysfunctional

conflict consists of disputes and disagreements that hinder your company's performance. This
generally involves people who are unwilling to work together to solve a problem and is often
personal.
Negative results of dysfunctional conflict include:

Individuals use threats, verbal abuse and deception, which destroy relationships
Both parties can end up losing in this type of conflict
This type of conflict can lead to retaliation and further acts of negativity

Management Techniques
When dysfunctional conflicts arise in the workplace, there are various methods for dealing with
it, including: integrating, obliging, dominating, avoiding, and compromising
1. Integrating (Collaborating or Win-Win)
This method is also known as problem solving and generally involves encouraging
opposing parties to confront an issue and cooperatively identify the problem, generate
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alternative solutions and select the most appropriate solution. Misunderstandings and
similar disputes can often be resolved using this method.
Examples of when integrating may be appropriate:
When consensus and commitment of other parties is important
In a collaborative environment
When it is required to address the interests of multiple stakeholders
When a high level of trust is present
When a long-term relationship is important
When you need to work through hard feelings, animosity, etc.
When you don't want to have full responsibility
2. Obliging (Smoothing)
It is also known as accommodating. This occurs when a person neglects their own
concern in order to satisfy the concern of the opposing party. A characteristic of this
conflict management style includes playing down differences while emphasizing on
commonalities.
Examples of when obliging may be appropriate:
When it is important to provide a temporary relief from the conflict or buy time
until you are in a better position to respond/push back
When the issue is not as important to you as it is to the other person
When you accept that you are wrong
When you have no choice or when continued competition would be detrimental
3. Dominating (Competing)
Also referred to as forcing, people that adopt this approach often have an "I win, you
lose" mentality. Dominating relies on formal authority to force compliance and is
generally appropriate when unpopular but necessary solutions are implemented.
Examples of when forcing may be appropriate
In certain situations when all other, less forceful methods, dont work or are
ineffective
When you need to stand up for your own rights, resist aggression and pressure
When a quick resolution is required and using force is justified (e.g. in a lifethreatening situation, to stop an aggression)
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 As a last resort to resolve a long-lasting conflict

4. Avoiding
Avoiding is also known as withdrawing. This involves either passive withdrawal from the
problem or active suppression of the issue. It is generally appropriate for trivial issues
or when the negative effects of confrontation outweigh the benefits of resolving the
conflict.
Examples of when withdrawing may be appropriate:
When the issue is trivial and not worth the effort
When more important issues are pressing, and you don't have time to deal with
it
In situations where postponing the response is beneficial to you, for example When it is not the right time or place to confront the issue
When you need time to think and collect information before you act (e.g. if you
are unprepared or taken by surprise)
When you see no chance of getting your concerns met or you would have to put
forth unreasonable efforts
When you are unable to handle the conflict (e.g. if you are too emotionally
involved or others can handle it better)
5. Compromising
This is a give-and-take approach for resolving dysfunctional conflicts and is particularly
useful when the parties involved possess equal power.
Examples of when compromise may be appropriate:
When the goals are moderately important and not worth the use of more
assertive or more involving approaches, such as forcing or collaborating
To reach temporary settlement on complex issues
To reach expedient solutions on important issues
As a first step when the involved parties do not know each other well or havent
yet developed a high level of mutual trust
When collaboration or forcing do not work

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The following are some examples of situations that can produce either functional or
dysfunctional conflict:

Incompatible personalities
Overlapping or unclear job boundaries
Competition for limited resources
Inadequate communication
Interdependent tasks
Unreasonable rules
Unreasonable deadlines or extreme time pressure
Decision making by consensus
Unresolved or suppressed conflicts
Collective decision making (the greater the number of people participating in
a decision, the greater the potential for conflict)

As a leader or manager, you should be continually aware of staff interactions within the
workplace. As such, you should carefully observe and react appropriately to these early warning
signs as they have the potential to lead to major conflict, reduce morale, motivation and cause
business inefficiency.

Conflict Resolution Techniques

The following conflict resolution techniques help resolve issues at workplace
Listen, Then Speak Out
Believe it or not, just listening to an employees issue is the first and most important step in
resolving conflict. You should simply listen to all parties involved to completely understand the
nature of conflict, and then start troubleshooting solutions.
Gather the Group
As a leader, youll need to arrange a meeting with all involved parties to discuss the issue. Give
everyone a chance to speak; this is a good opportunity to hear all sides and gain a full
understanding of the conflict. Having a group meeting may also expedite a resolution that will
satisfy everyone.
Be Impartial
Dont take sides! In a leadership position, you shouldnt display any sort of opinion that favors
one person over another. If you are partial towards one person, try to access the situation from
all sides to come up with a fair and reasonable solution.
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Do Not Postpone Conflict Resolution

Address the conflict immediately. Otherwise, the situation could escalate and could affect
employee performance. Just make sure not to address the situation too quickly or without
careful consideration, as your decision will directly affect the demeanor and performance of
your staff.
Promote Teamwork
Encouragement and motivation are powerful. Remind your staff of successful projects that
required teamwork to complete. This is one of the most effective conflict resolution techniques
and will really make the employees think about the importance of working in a team.
Broadcast Praise
As stated above, the power of encouragement and motivation can be multiplied when it is
spread to recognize those who are modeling the teamwork and cooperation that is desired
within any conflict. Try to give suitable models in these instances because behavior modeling
can be risky if there are elements in the model that are undesirable.

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