Interpersonal Conflict

Objectives
Understand why conflict occurs
Explore the impact of conflict
Examine conflict management styles
Identify our personal conflict management
styles
Consider the appropriateness of conflict
styles
Examine a model for managing the conflict
process
 Definition

Conflict occurs when parties disagree over

substantive issues or when emotional antagonisms
create friction between them.

Substantive Conflict involves fundamental

disagreement over ends or goals to be pursued and
the means for their accomplishment

Emotional Conflict involves interpersonal

difficulties that arise over feelings of anger,
mistrust, dislike, fear, resentment and the like.
Levels of Conflict in Organizations

Interorganizationl
Intergroup
Intragroup
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal
 Levels of Conflict
Intrapersonal Conflict – Occurs within the individual
because of actual or perceived pressures from
incompatible goals or expectations.

Interpersonal Conflict – Occurs between two or more

individuals in opposition to each other.

Intergroup Conflict – Occurs amongst groups in an

organization.

Interorganizational Conflict – Occurs between

organizations.
Basic Forms of Conflict

FORM CORE MEANING

Goal conflict Incompatible preferences

Cognitive conflict Incompatible thoughts

Affective conflict Incompatible feelings

Procedural conflict Incompatible views on process

6
Role Episode Model

Role Senders Focal Person

* Role * Role * Perception * Response
expectations messages of messages * Coping
* Perceptions * Role and efforts
of focal pressures pressures * Compliance
person’s * Role
behaviors conflict
* Evaluations * Role
ambiguity

Source: Based on Kahn, R.L. et al. Organizational Stress: Studies in Role Conflict
and Ambiguity. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1964, 26.

7
Role is a cluster of tasks and behaviours that
others expect a person to perform in doing a job.

A role set is the group of role senders that

directly affect the focal person. A role set might
include the employee’s manager, other team
members, close friends, immediate family
members, and important clients or customers
served
Types of Role Conflict
Intrasender role conflict

Intersender role conflict

Interrole conflict

Person- role conflict

Why Conflict Occurs

Worker needs/values
Personality
Job assignments
Scarce resources
Job design
Organizational structure
Culture differences
Interpersonal Conflict

Exists when two or more people have

incompatible goals and one or both
believe that the behavior of the
other prevents their own goal
attainment
 Other Person’s 
Behavior

Person’s  Person’s 
Conflict 
Experienced  Conceptualization 
style
Frustration of Conflict

Conflict 
resolution

The
Conflict Conflict 
Process aftermath
Potential Negative Effects
Decreased performance
Dissatisfaction
Aggression
Anxiety
Wasted time
Wasted energy
Reduced efficiency
Potential Positive Effects
Identifies issues of importance to
others
Resolution of underlying problems
Enhancement of group development
Intergroup conflict can increase
within-group cohesion
Facilitation of needed organizational
change
Conflict Management Styles
Assertive

Competing Collaborating

Uncooperative Cooperative
Compromising

Avoiding Accommodating

Unassertive
Conflict Management Styles
Compromising
Competing
Collaborating
Avoiding
Accommodating
Conflict Behavior Styles

Fox - Compromising

For the common good Moderately

concerned with relationships and goals
Point out to the other person that if you
both will make a few concessions, the
conflict can be resolved quickly
Point out that if the disagreement is to
be resolved, some sacrifices must be
made by both of you
Conflict Behavior Styles

Shark - Competing

Try to overpower opponents by forcing them to

accept their solutions
Not concerned with needs of others
Do not care about how others perceive them
Believe in winning and losing
Pursue your goals regardless of the other
person’s concerns
Make the first move, gain control, and
maximize chances of obtaining your demands
Prolong discussion until the other person gives in
to your approach for handling the problem
Conflict Behavior Styles

Owl - Collaborating
Value their own goals and relationships
View conflicts as problems to be solved
See conflicts as improving relationships by
reducing tension
Determine where each of you stands; identify
options available to meet both parties’ needs
Suggest combining your ideas with the other
person’s ideas to make an even more workable
idea
Express concern for the differences between
you; let the other person know you want a
resolution that satisfies both of you
Conflict Behavior Styles

Turtle - Avoiding

Avoid conflict as all costs

Give up their personal goals & relationships
Downplay the seriousness of the problem:
“Let’s not waste time with the matter.”
Tell the other person that the problem does not
concern you
Explain that there is no point in trying to
resolve a conflict between two people with such
basically different personalities
Easier to withdraw than face conflict
Conflict Behavior Styles

Teddy Bear-Accommodating

Relationships most important, goals of little

importance
Want to be accepted and liked by other people
Believe conflict should be avoided in favor of
harmony
Fearful that conflict will hurt someone
Offer to handle the problem any way the other
person wants
Go along with whatever the other person
requests, rather than get into the difficulties
of direct confrontation
Scoring
Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4 Column 5
3(a) 2(a) 1(a) 1(b) 2(b)
6(b) 4(a) 5(b) 3(b) 5(a)
8(a) 7(b) 6(a) 4(b) 8(b)
9(b) 10(b) 7(a) 11(b) 11(a)
10(a) 12(b) 9(a) 15(a) 14(a)
13(b) 13(a) 12(a) 16(a) 19(a)
14(b) 18(b) 15(b) 18(a) 20(a)
16(b) 20(b) 17(b) 21(a) 21(b)
17(a) 22(a) 19(b) 24(a) 23(a)
22(b) 24(b) 23(b) 25(b) 26(b)
25(a) 26(a) 27(a) 27(b) 28(b)
28(a) 29(a) 29(b) 30(a) 30(b)
Total Total Total Total Total
 Total 0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Column 1
(Forcing)
Column 2
(Compromising)
Column 3
(Avoiding)
Column 4
(Accommodating)
Column 5
(Collaborating)
Interpretation
36 – 45 Strong preference and use of that
style
19 – 35 Moderate
0 – 18 little preference
Compromising
Appropriate when . . .
Goals are important but not worth the effort or
potential disruption of more assertive modes
Opponents with equal power are committed to
mutually exclusive goals
It is desirable to achieve temporary settlements
to complex issues
Time pressures necessitate expedient solutions
Collaboration or competition is unsuccessful
Competing
Appropriate when . . .
Quick, decisive action is vital (e.g., emergencies)
Unpopular actions on important issues must be
implemented (e.g., cost cutting, enforcing
unpopular rules, discipline)
You know you are right regarding issues vital to
the organization’s welfare
People will take advantage of noncompetitive
behavior
Collaborating
Appropriate when . . .
An integrative solution must be found because
both sets of concerns are too important to be
compromised
Your objective is to learn
Insights from people with different perspectives
should be merged
Commitment can be gained by incorporating
concerns into a consensus
It is desirable to work through feelings that have
interfered with a relationship
Avoiding
Appropriate when . . .
An issue is trivial or more important issues are
pressing
You perceive no chance of satisfying your concerns
Potential disruption outweighs the benefits of
resolution
People must cool down to regain perspective
Gathering information supersedes immediate
decision
Others can resolve the conflict more effectively
Issues seem tangential or symptomatic of other
issues
Accommodating
Appropriate when . . .
You find you are wrong
You wish to allow a better position to be heard
You wish to learn
You wish to show your reasonableness
Issues are more important to others than to you
You wish to satisfy others
You need to maintain cooperation
It is desirable to build social credits for later issues
You are outmatched and losing (minimizes loss)
It is desirable to allow others to develop by learning from
mistakes
 Negotiation

Process of making joint decisions

when the parties involved have
different preferences
 Negotiation
Distributive Negotiation focuses on
positions staked out or declared by the parties
involved who are each trying to claim certain
positions of the available pie.
Win-lose
Often over Economic issues
Guarded communications, limited expressions of
trust, use of threats, distorted statements and
demands
Forcing and compromising conflict handling style
Integrative Negotiation focuses on the
merits of the issues, and the parties involved try
to enlarge the available pie rather than stake
claims to certain portions of it
Joint problem solving to achieve results benefiting
both parties
Identify mutual problems, identify and assess
alternatives, openly express preferences and
jointly reach a mutually acceptable solution
Strongly motivated to solve the problem
 Integrative process
Separate the people from the problem don’t
attack one other address issues
Focus on interests, not positions negotiation
positions
Invent options for mutual gains
Insist on using objective criteria
Bargaining Zone the zone between one
party’s minimum reservation point and the other
party’s maximum reservation point in a negotiating
situation.
Slide 10.10
Matrix of Negotiated Outcomes
STRATEGY OF PERSON A
Distributive
Outcome: Outcome:
Great for Person A Mediocre for Person A
Terrible for Person B Mediocre for Person B
Integrative

Outcome: Outcome:
Good for Person A Terrible for Person A
Good for Person B Great for Person B

Integrative Distributive
STRATEGY OF PERSON B
Source: Adapted from Anderson, T. Step into my parlor: A survey of strategies and
techniques for effective negotiation. Business Horizons, May-June 1992, 75.

35
 Negotiation
Competitive Negotiation

Cooperative Negotiation
 Competitive Negotiation
Seek to dominate the OP
Regard OP as an adversary
Prefer to start with tough, often unreasonable demands
Be inflexible
Use pre- mediated emotional appeals
Demand major concessions, while conceding little
Withhold information intentionally, bluff
Make statements, rather than ask questions
Be coercive, use power to obtain compliance, threaten
No interest in OP needs
Think in terms of win- lose
Consider lose- lose if cannot beat the opponent
 Cooperative Negotiation
Interact with the OP as equals
Regard parties as associates rather than adversaries
Prefer to start with more reasonable or realistic
demands
Be more flexible
Be more rational, less use of emotion
Reciprocate in concession making
Be willing to share information, more open and trusting
Focus more on long term gains
 Comparing Bargaining Approaches
Considerations Integrative Distributive

Likely solution or end Win - win Win- lose or lose-

result lose
Importance of High Low
continued relationship
with bargaining
partner
Goal Collaborate and Winner takes all
generate multiple (scarcity mentality)
options or solutions, distribute a fixed pie
expand the pie
Bargaining climate Open, communicating, Determined to win,
creative willing to willingness to walk
change away, cards held
close to heart, end
justify the means
Amount of time More Less
needed
Time Horizon in Current and future Immediate only
consideration
 Five stages of Negotiation
Preparation and planning
- clarify what you want and why
- establish a BATNA
- develop a frame
- create a script

Defining ground Rules

- set an agenda
- agree on objective criteria
- agree on what to do if an agreement is not reached
- discuss what is not acceptable
Clarify and justify your case
- clarify your interests
- use a frame to make your case persuasive
- use questions to understand others’ interests
Cont…

- share relevant information that supports your case

Bargaining and problem – solving

- focus on problems not people
- focus on interests not positions
- look forward not backward
- create options for mutual gain: adapt win-win attitude
- select from options using principles, or objective criteria
Closure and implementation
- verbally summarize what both parties agreed to
- review key points to ensure understanding
- draft agreement in writing
- have both parties sign agreement
 Negotiation Script
Goals
Develop an interest based strategy/approach prior to face-to face
negotiation
Identify potential options/ plans that can be proposed

Topics to Consider
OP probable strategy. What do they want and why?
My strategy. What do I want and why? What is the best that I am
willing to accept.
How I will begin the negotiation. Positive positioning to arrive at a
solution mutually rewarding and sat.
The core issues and my assumptions about those issues.
The primary focus, or the real problems to be resolved.
What might get in the way of achieving the desired outcome.
How can I overcome that?
How will I react to ………….
Potential creative options or integrative win/win solutions that I might
suggest.
Components of a plan and/or obj criteria on which we can both agree.
Conflict

What is it?
Conflict
Why do we do
it?
Conflict

Why do we
care?
What we know….
Conflict is a naturally occurring phenomenon for
human beings
People do not get involved in conflict situations
unless they have some stake in the relationship
or outcome or both
What we know….
One can never truly resolve conflict, one can
only manage conflict
The costs of unmanaged conflict can be high,
but the gains from using differences creatively
can also be great
Conflict can either be productive or
dysfunctional
First Trick for Conflict
Management
Know Yourself
What feelings do you
have when you are in
conflict situation?
You can decide...
Understanding the impact of your family
and society on your ideas about conflict
can allow you to make decisions about
how you deal with conflict now
We are our history
We make our history
Common Feelings Associated
with Conflict
Anger
Frustration
Fear
Excitement
Common Actions Associated with
Conflict
Fight Flight