Kelli J.

Schutte
William Jewell College
Robbins & Judge
Organizational Behavior
14th Edition

Conflict and Negotiation
14-0
Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
Conflict Defined
A process that begins when one party perceives that
another party has negatively affected, or is about to
negatively affect, something that the first party cares
about
That point in an ongoing activity when an interaction
crosses over to become an interparty conflict
Encompasses a wide range of conflicts that people
experience in organizations
Incompatibility of goals
Differences over interpretations of facts
Disagreements based on behavioral expectations
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14-1
Transitions in Conflict Thought
Traditional View of Conflict
The belief that all conflict is harmful and must be avoided
Prevalent view in the 1930s-1940s


Conflict resulted from:
Poor communication
Lack of openness
Failure to respond to employee needs
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14-2
Continued Transitions in Conflict Thought
Human Relations View of Conflict
The belief that conflict is a natural and inevitable outcome in
any group
Prevalent from the late 1940s through mid-1970s
Interactionist View of Conflict
The belief that conflict is not only a positive force in a group
but that it is absolutely necessary for a group to perform
effectively
Current view
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14-3
Forms of Interactionist Conflict
Functional Conflict
Conflict that supports
the goals of the group
and improves its
performance
Dysfunctional
Conflict
Conflict that hinders
group performance
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Types of Interactionist Conflict
Task Conflict
Conflicts over content and goals of the work
Low-to-moderate levels of this type are
FUNCTIONAL

Relationship Conflict
Conflict based on interpersonal relationships
Almost always DYSFUNCTIONAL

Process Conflict
Conflict over how work gets done
Low levels of this type are FUNCTIONAL


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14-5
The Conflict Process
We will focus on each step in a moment
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14-6
E X H I B I T 14-1
Stage I: Potential Opposition or Incompatibility
Communication
Semantic difficulties, misunderstandings, over
communication and noise
Structure
Size and specialization of jobs
Jurisdictional clarity/ambiguity
Member/goal incompatibility
Leadership styles (close or participative)
Reward systems (win-lose)
Dependence/interdependence of groups
Personal Variables
Differing individual value systems
Personality types

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14-7
Stage II: Cognition and Personalization
Important stage for two reasons:
1. Conflict is defined
Perceived Conflict
Awareness by one or more parties of the existence of
conditions that create opportunities for conflict to arise

2. Emotions are expressed that have a strong impact on the
eventual outcome
Felt Conflict
Emotional involvement in a conflict creating anxiety,
tenseness, frustration, or hostility


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14-8
Stage III: Intentions
Intentions
Decisions to act in a given way
Note: behavior does not always accurately reflect intent
Dimensions of conflict-handling intentions:
Cooperativeness
Attempting to satisfy
the other partys
concerns
Assertiveness
Attempting to satisfy
ones own concerns

Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
14-9
E X H I B I T 14-2
Source: K. Thomas, Conflict and Negotiation Processes in Organizations, in M.D. Dunnette and L.M. Hough (eds.), Handbook of Industrial and
Organizational Psychology, 2nd ed., vol. 3 (Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press, 1992), p. 668. With permission.
Stage IV: Behavior
Conflict Management
The use of resolution and stimulation techniques to achieve
the desired level of conflict
Conflict-Intensity Continuum
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14-10
E X H I B I T 14-3
Source: Based on S.P. Robbins, Managing Organizational Conflict: A Nontraditional Approach (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1974), pp. 93
97; and F. Glasi, The Process of Conflict Escalation and the Roles of Third Parties, in G.B.J. Bomers and R. Peterson (eds.), Conflict Management
and Industrial Relations (Boston: Kluwer-Nijhoff, 1982), pp. 11940.
Conflict Resolution Techniques
Problem solving
Superordinate goals
Expansion of resources
Avoidance
Smoothing
Compromise
Authoritative command
Altering the human
variable
Altering the structural
variables
Communication



Bringing in outsiders
Restructuring the
organization
Appointing a devils
advocate
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E X H I B I T 14-4
Source: Based on S. P. Robbins, Managing Organizational Conflict: A Nontraditional Approach (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1974), pp.
5989
Stage V: Outcomes
Functional
Increased group
performance
Improved quality of
decisions
Stimulation of creativity
and innovation
Encouragement of interest
and curiosity
Provision of a medium for
problem solving
Creation of an environment
for self-evaluation and
change
Dysfunctional
Development of discontent
Reduced group
effectiveness
Retarded communication
Reduced group
cohesiveness
Infighting among group
members overcomes group
goals
Creating Functional
Conflict
Reward dissent and punish
conflict avoiders
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14-12
Negotiation
Negotiation (Bargaining)
A process in which two or more parties exchange goods or
services and attempt to agree on the exchange rate for them
Two General Approaches:
Distributive Bargaining
Negotiation that seeks to divide up a fixed amount of
resources; a win-lose situation
Integrative Bargaining
Negotiation that seeks one or more settlements that can create
a win-win solution


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Distributive versus Integrative Bargaining
Bargaining Characteristic Distributive
Bargaining
Integrative Bargaining
Goal Get all the pie you can Expand the pie
Motivation Win-Lose Win-Win
Focus Positions Interests
Information Sharing Low High
Duration of Relationships Short-Term Long-Term
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E X H I B I T 14-5
Mine Yours
Mine Yours
Distributive
Integrative
Source: Based on R. J. Lewicki and J. A. Litterer,
Negotiation (Homewood, IL: Irwin, 1985), p. 280.
The Negotiation Process
BATNA
The Best Alternative
To a Negotiated
Agreement
The lowest acceptable
value (outcome) to an
individual for a
negotiated agreement
The Bottom Line
for negotiations
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14-15
E X H I B I T 14-7
Individual Differences in Negotiation Effectiveness
Personality Traits
Extroverts and agreeable people weaker at distributive
negotiation disagreeable introvert is best
Intelligence is a weak indicator of effectiveness
Mood and Emotion
Ability to show anger helps in distributive bargaining
Positive moods and emotions help integrative bargaining
Gender
Men and women negotiate the same way, but may
experience different outcomes
Women and men take on gender stereotypes in negotiations:
tender and tough
Women are less likely to negotiate
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Third-Party Negotiations
Four Basic Third-Party Roles
Mediator
A neutral third party who facilitates a negotiated solution by using
reasoning, persuasion, and suggestions for alternatives
Arbitrator
A third party to a negotiation who has the authority to dictate an
agreement.
Conciliator
A trusted third party who provides an informal communication
link between the negotiator and the opponent
Consultant
An impartial third party, skilled in conflict management, who
attempts to facilitate creative problem solving through
communication and analysis

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