WELCOME

CONFLICT
MANAGEMENT

RESMI G S
DEFINITION OF CONFLICT

Conflict can be defined as an expressed

struggle between at least two
interdependent parties, who perceive that
incompatible goals, scarce resources, or
interference from others are preventing
them from achieving their goals
GENERAL CAUSES OF CONFLICTS
Scarcity of resources (finance, equipment,
facilities, etc)
Different attitudes, values or perceptions.
Disagreements about needs, goals, priorities
and interests
Poor communication
Poor or inadequate organizational structure
Lack of teamwork
Lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities
 TYPES OF CONFLICTS
Intrapersonal conflict: an intrapersonal
conflict occurs within an individual in situations
in which he or she must choose between two
alternatives
.
 TYPES OF CONFLICTS
(cont..,)
Interpersonal conflict: is conflict between two
or more individuals.. The person experiencing
this conflict may experience opposition in
upward, downward, horizontal, or diagonal
communication
Intergroup conflict
 Intergroup conflict refers to disagreements or
differences between the members of two or more
groups or their representatives over authority, territory,
and resources
Organizational conflicts: conflict also occurs
in organization because of differing perceptions or
goals..
Role ambiguity occurs when employees do
not know what to do, how to do it, or what the
outcomes must be
Role conflict occurs when two or more
individuals in different positions within the
organization believe that certain actions or
responsibilities belong exclusively to them
THE CONFLICT PROCESS
Latent conflict (also called antecedent
conditions).
Perceived conflict
Felt conflict
Manifest conflict
Conflict resolution or conflict
management
Conflict aftermath.
 Latent conflict

Felt conflict Perceived

conflict

Manifest
conflict

Conflict resolution

Conflict aftermath
EFFECTS OF CONFLICT IN ORGANIZATION

Destructive Effect Constructive Effect

Improves decision
Stress
Absenteeism
quality
Stimulates
Staff
turnover
creativity
De-motivation
Encourages
Non-productivity
interest
SIGNS OF CONFLICT BETWEEN
INDIVIDUALS
Colleagues not speaking to each other or ignoring
each other
Deliberately undermining or not co-operating with
each other, to the downfall of the team
OUTCOMES OF CONFLICT
Filley (1975) identified these 3 different
positions or outcomes of conflict.
Win-lose outcome: occurs when one person
obtains his or her desired ends in the situation
and the other individual fails to obtain what is
desired.
Lose-lose outcome: in lose-lose situation, there
is no winner.
Win- win outcome: are of course the most
desirable.
 CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

Identify the boundaries of the conflict, the areas of

agreement and disagreement, and the extent of each
person's aims.
Understand the factors that limit the possibilities of
managing the conflict constructively.
Be aware of whether more than one issue is
involved.
Be open to the ideas, feelings, and attitudes expressed
by the people involved.
Be willing to accept outside help to mediate the
conflict.
.

HANDLING CONFLICT SITUATIONS

Determine the person or group with whom there is
a conflict
Analyze the causes of the conflict

Consider alternative strategies for conflict management

Choose the strategy/strategies that will produce the best results.

Implement the decision.

Evaluate the decision

CONFLICT-MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
It is important to take action as soon as a conflict
surfaces so that bad feelings will not linger and grow.
Three over-all frameworks for conflict management
are
oDefensive
oCompromise
oCreative problem-solving modes.
CONFLICT-MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
DEFENSIVE MODE
The defensive mode produces feelings of winning in
some and loss in others.
The following ways to defensively solve a problem.
Separate the contending parties.
Suppress the conflict.
Restrict or isolate the conflict
Smooth it over or finesse it through an organizational
change.
Avoid the conflict to diminish the destructive effects.
CONFLICT-MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

COMPROMISE.
With a compromise each party wins something and
loses something.."

CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING.

Use of a creative problem-solving mode produces
feelings of gain and no feelings of loss for all conflict
participants.
CONFLICT-MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
(cont..)

As part of the creative problem-solving process, the

following five steps for conflict management can be
identified:
Initiate a discussion, timed sensitively and held in an
environment conducive to private discussion.
Respect individual differences.
Be empathic with all involved parties.
Agree on a solution that balances the power and
satisfies all parties, so that a consensus on a win-win
solution is reached
CONFLICT-MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
(cont..)

Have an assertive dialogue that consists of separating

facts from feelings, clearly defining the central issue,
differentiating viewpoints, making sure that each
person clearly states their intentions, framing the
main issue based on common principles, and being an
attentive listener consciously focused on what the
other person is saying.
CONFLICT HANDLING INTENTIONS

Blake and moutons five styles of handling

interpersonal conflict are forcing', withdrawing,
smoothing, sharing, and problem
solving..Building on Blake and moutons model,
Thomas reported that conflict has two
dimensions, The two dimensions are
1. Assertiveness (satisfying ones own concerns)
2. Cooperativeness (attempting to satisfy
anothers concerns )
CONFLICT-RESOLUTION STRATEGIES
Conflicts can be a source of chronic frustration, or
they can lead to increased effectiveness in
organizations and groups. A fair proportion of a
leader's or manager's time is spent on handling
conflict.
The following is an overall list for methods or
strategies for conflict resolution
CONFLICT-RESOLUTION STRATEGIES (cont)

Avoiding: This is the strategy of avoiding conflict at

all costs. Some people never acknowledge that a
conflict exists.
Withholding or withdrawing: In this avoidance
strategy, one party opts out of participation. They
remove themselves from the situation. This does not
resolve the conflict. However, this strategy does give
individuals a chance to calm
CONFLICT-RESOLUTION STRATEGIES (cont)
Accommodating: This strategy is used when there is
a large power differential. The more powerful party is
accommodated to preserve harmony or build up social
credits. What this means is that the party of lesser
power gives up his or her position in deference to the
more powerful party..
CONFLICT-RESOLUTION STRATEGIES (cont)
Smoothing over or reassuring: This is the strategy
of saying "Everything will be OK." By maintaining
surface harmony, parties do not withdraw but simply
attempt to make everyone feel good.

Forcing: This technique is a dominance move and an

arbitrary way to manage conflict. An issue may be
forced on the table by issuing orders or by putting it to
a majority-rules vote. The hallmark phrase is "Let's
vote on it." Forcing is an all-out power strategy to win
while the other party loses.
CONFLICT-RESOLUTION STRATEGIES (cont)
Competing: This is an assertive strategy where one
party's needs are satisfied at the other's expense.
Competing is an all-out effort to win at any cost.
Applying for a job is a form of competition.

Compromising: This strategy is called "splitting the

difference." In compromising each party gives up
something it wants. It is useful when goals or values
are markedly different. It is a staple of conflict
management.
CONFLICT-RESOLUTION STRATEGIES (cont)

Confronting: This technique is called assertive

problem solving and is focused on the issues.
Individuals speak for themselves, but in a way that
decreases defensiveness and allows another person to
hear the message. It is a staple of conflict management
but requires courage
CONFLICT-RESOLUTION STRATEGIES (cont)
Collaborating: This is an assertive and
cooperative means of conflict resolution that
results in a win-win solution. It is a strategy in
which the parties work together to find a
mutually satisfying solution. It is invoked with
the phrase "Two heads are better than one." True
collaboration requires mutual respect; open and
honest communication; and equitable, shared
decision-making powers.
CONFLICT-RESOLUTION STRATEGIES (cont)
Bargaining and negotiating: These strategies are
attempts to divide the rewards, power, or benefits so
that everyone gets something. They involve both
parties in a back-and-forth effort at some level of
agreement. The process may be formal or informal.

Problem solving: This strategy's goal is to try to find

an acceptable, workable solution for all parties. It is
designed to generate feelings of gain by all parties.
The problem-solving process is employed to reach a
mutually agreeable solution to the conflict.
HOW TO PREVENT CONFLICTS IN
MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS
Frequent meeting of your team
Allow your team to express openly
Sharing objectives
Having a clear and detailed job description
Distributing task fairly
Never criticize team members publicly
Always be fair and just with your team
Being a role model
NEGOTIATION
Negotiation in its most creative form is similar to
collaboration and in its most poorly managed form
may resemble a competing approach. Negotiation
frequently resembles compromise when it is used as a
conflict resolution strategy. During negotiation, each
party gives up something, and the emphasis is on
accommodating differences between the parties.
Because we live in a world with others, we have
conflicting needs, wants, and desires that must be
constantly compromised.
PRE-PREPARATION FOR NEGOTIATION

(1) Be adequately prepared.

(2) Be able to use appropriate negotiation strategies.
(3) Apply appropriate closure and follow-up
STEPS IN NEGOTIATION PROCESS
Before the Negotiation
For managers to be successful, they must
systematically prepare for the negotiation.
As the negotiator, the manager begins by gathering as
much information as possible regarding the issue to be
negotiated.
Adequate preparation
Tate (2005) suggests that managers should initially
focus on seeking a bigger pie instead of dividing the
pie up.
During the Negotiation
Negotiation is psychological and verbal.
The effective negotiator always looks calm and self-
assured.
There are many types of personalities, and it is
necessary to negotiate with most of them.
Preparation, however, is not enough. In the end, the
negotiator must have clarity in his or her
communication, assertiveness, good listening skills,
the ability to regroup quickly, and flexibility.
Strategies commonly used by leaders during
negotiation to increase their persuasiveness and
foster open communication include the following:
Use only factual statements that have been gathered
in research.
Listen carefully, and watching nonverbal
communication.
Keep an open mind, It is important not to prejudge.
Instead, a cooperative climate should be established.
Try to understand where the other party is coming
from. It is probable that one person's perception is
different from another's.
Always discuss the conflict. It is important to not
personalize the conflict by discussing the parties
involved in the negotiation.
Try not to be labour how the conflict occurred or to
fix blame for the conflict. Instead, the focus must be
on preventing its recurrence.
Be honest.
Never tell the other party what you are willing to
negotiate totally. You may be giving up the ship too
early
Tactics Not To Use During Negotiation

Ridicule or Belittling- The goal in using ridicule is

to intimidate others involved in the negotiation. If you
are negotiating with someone who uses ridicule,
maintain a relaxed body posture, steady gaze, and
patient smile. Body language must also remain relaxed
and non-threatening
Inappropriate Questioning or ambiguous
Flattery. The person who has been flattered may be
more reluctant to disagree with the other party in the
negotiation, and thus his or her attention and focus are
diverted.
Closure and Follow-Up to Negotiation
State what has been agreed to
Close on a friendly note
Send a memo regarding what has been agreed to
 CONSENSUS
Consensus is always an appropriate goal in
resolving conflicts and in negotiation. Consensus
means that negotiating parties are able to reach an
agreement that all parties can support, even though it
does not represent everyone's first priorities (Rowland
& Rowland, 1997). Consensus decision making does
not provide complete satisfaction for everyone
involved in the negotiation, as an initially unanimous
decision would, but it does indicate willingness by all
parties to accept the agreed-upon conditions.
THANK
YOU