Chapter 13

Nelson & Quick

Conflict at Work
 Nature of Organizational
Conflict
Conflict - any situation in which incompatible
goals, attitudes, emotions, or behaviors lead to
disagreement or opposition between two or more
parties
Functional Conflict - a healthy, constructive
disagreement between two or more people
Dysfunctional Conflict - an unhealthy, destructive
disagreement between two or more people
 Consequences of Conflict
Positive
Consequences
Leads to new ideas
Stimulates creativity
Motivates change
Promotes organizational
vitality
Helps individuals & groups
establish identities
Serves as a safety valve to
indicate problems
Negative
Consequences
Diverts energy from work
Threatens psychological
well-being
Wastes resources
Creates a negative climate
Breaks down group
cohesion
Can increase hostility &
aggressive behaviors
 Causes of Conflict
in Organizations

Structural Factors Personal Factors

Specialization Skills & abilities
Interdependence Personalities
Common resources Perceptions
Goal differences Values & ethics
Authority relationships Emotions
Status inconsistencies Communication barriers
Jurisdictional ambiguities Cultural differences
 Globalization & Conflict
Cultural differences & individual differences
increase the potential for conflict
M
as
Fe cu
m lin
Individualism/ in
in ity/
Collectivism y / ity
r ta int
Unce ance
d
Power/ Avoi
Distance Long-term/
Short-term
orientation
 Forms of Conflict
in Organizations
Interorganizational Conflict - conflict that occurs
between two or more organizations
Intergroup Conflict - conflict that occurs between
groups or teams in an organization
Interpersonal Conflict - conflict that occurs between
two or more individuals
Intrapersonal Conflict - conflict that occurs within
an individual
 Forms of Conflict
in Organizations
Interrole Conflict - a persons experience of conflict
among the multiple roles in his/her life
Intrarole Conflict - conflict that occurs within a
single role, such as when a person receives
conflicting messages from role senders about how
to perform a certain role
Person-role Conflict - conflict that occurs when an
individual is expected to perform behaviors in a
certain role that conflict with his/her personal values
 An Organizational Members
Role Set
Inside the organization
Superior
Outside the organization

Client Supervisor Superior role

senders

Peer
Supplier Focal Colleague role
Role
senders

Potential Employee Employee Employee Employees Employee

employee 1 2 3 colleagues role
senders
Boundary of the organization
SOURCE: J. C. Quick, J. D. Quick, D. L. Nelson, & J. J. Hurrell, Jr. Preventative Stress Management in Organizations, 1997. Copyright 1997 by the American
Psychological Association. Reprinted by permission.
Power Relationships in Organizations
Types of Behavioral Examples of
Power Tendencies & Interventions
Relationships Problems
Equal vs. equal Suboptimization
Define demarcation lines

Competition
Integrate units

Covert fighting
Teach negotiating skills

Constant friction

High vs. low Control vs. autonomy

Bureaucratize power

Resistance to change through rules

Motivation problems
Use a different leadership
style
High vs. middle Role conflict, role
Improve communication
vs. low ambiguity, stress
Clarify tasks

Concessions
Teach power strategies

Doubletalk
SOURCE: W. F. G. Mastenbroek, Conflict Management and

Use of sanctions and Organizational Development, 1987. Copyright John Wiley & Sons
Limited. Reproduced with permission.

rewards
 Defense Mechanisms

Aggressive Mechanisms
Fixation an individual keeps up a dysfunctional
behavior that obviously will not solve the conflict
Displacement an individual directs his or her
anger toward someone who is not the source of the
conflict
Negativism a person responds with pessimism to
any attempt at solving a problem
 Defense Mechanisms
Compromise Mechanisms
Compensation - an individual attempts to make up for a
negative situation by devoting himself/herself to another
pursuit with increased vigor
Identification - an individual patterns his or her behavior
after anothers
Rationalization - a compromise mechanism characterized
by trying to justify ones behavior by constructing bogus
reasons for it
 Defense Mechanisms
Withdrawal Mechanisms
Flight/Withdrawal - entails physically escaping a
conflict (flight) or psychologically escaping
(withdrawal)
Conversion - emotional conflicts are expressed in
physical symptoms
Fantasy - provides an escape from a conflict through
daydreaming
 Win-Lose versus Win-Win
Strategies

Strategy Dept. A Dept. B Organization

Competitive Lose Lose Lose
Lose Win Lose
Win Lose Lose
Cooperative Win- Win- Win
 Ineffective Techniques for
Dealing with Conflict

Nonaction

Character Secrecy
Assassination
Conflict
Due process
Administrative
Nonaction
Orbiting
 Effective Techniques for
Dealing with Conflict

Subordinate Goals

Confronting Expanding
& Resources
Negotiating Conflict

Changing Changing
Structure Personnel
Approaches to Negotiation

Distributive Bargaining
the goals of the parties are
in conflict, and each party
seeks to maximize its
resources
Approaches to Negotiation

Integrative Negotiation
focuses on the merits of the
issues and seeks a win-win
solution
 Conflict Management Styles

Avoiding - deliberate decision to take no action

on a conflict or to stay out of a conflict
Accommodating - concern that the other partys
goals be met but relatively unconcerned with
getting own way
Competing - satisfying own interests; willing to
do so at other partys expense
 Conflict Management Styles

Compromising - each party gives up something

to reach a solution

Collaborating - arriving at a solution agreeable

to all through open & thorough discussion
 Conflict Management Styles
Assertive Competing Collaborating

Assertiveness
(Desire to satisfy Compromising
ones own concerns)

Unassertive Avoiding Accommodating

SOURCE: K. W. Thomas, Conflict and Conflict
Uncooperative Cooperative
Management, in M. D. Dunnette, Handbook of
Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Cooperativeness
(Desire to satisfy anothers concerns)
(Chicago: Rand McNally, 1976), 900. Used with
permission of M. D. Dunnette.
 Creating a
Conflict-Positive Organization
Value diversity
and confront
differences

Take stock to Seek mutual

reward success Conflict benefits, and unite
and learn from Positive behind
mistakes cooperative goals

Empower employees
to feel confident
and skillful
3 Organization Views of Conflict

Competitive
conflict Belittle
differences

Seek
Suspect win-lose
situation

Blame

SOURCE: The Conflict-Positive Organization by Tjsovold, 1991. Reprinted by permission of Prentice-Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, N.J.
3 Organization Views of Conflict

Avoidance of
conflict
Evade
differences

Reduce
Despair risks

Withdraw

SOURCE: The Conflict-Positive Organization by Tjsovold, 1991. Reprinted by permission of Prentice-Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, N.J.
3 Organization Views of Conflict

Positive
conflict
Value
diversity

Seek
Take mutual
Stock benefit

Empower

SOURCE: The Conflict-Positive Organization by Tjsovold, 1991. Reprinted by permission of Prentice-Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, N.J.