MGMT 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Pressure Cooking, Active Listening, Constructive Engagement
Conflicts in organisations:
• Traditional view
• Human relations view
• Interactionist view: conflict is essential
Functional and dysfunctional conflict:
Functional conflict ('constructive conflict')
• Supports group goals
• Improves group performance
• Results in positive outcomes for individuals, groups and organisations
Dysfunctional conflict ('destructive conflict')
• Hinders group performance
• Results in negative outcomes for individuals, groups and organisations
Causes of conflict:
• Diverging interests within an organisation may cause deep-rooted conflicts between
departments, teams and individuals.
• Common motivators of conflict in organisations are:
• Ambition
• Personal dislikes
• Authority
• Interpersonal workplace relationships are common
• Scarce resources
• Adversity
• Faulty communication
• Perceived differences
• Biology
• Environment
• Health
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Patterns of organisational conflict:
• Vertical conflict: occurs between different hierarchical levels e.g. managers and staff
• Horizontal conflict: occurs between people working at the same level. E.g. new and existing
manager
• Staff-line conflict: occurs between people working in different positions
• Role conflict: arises over differing perceptions of what a person is expected to do in their role.
Categories of conflict: 'Moore's pizza'
• Christopher Moore's (1996) 'circle of conflict'.
• Moore identified five overlapping categories of conflict:
• Data conflict
• Interest conflict
• Structural conflict
• Value conflict
Levels of conflict:
• Conflict moves through five different levels before it reaches a crisis level
• Discomfort is felt
• An incident occurs
• Escalation into a misunderstanding
• Tension arises
• Crisis
Dealing with conflict:
Conflict handling styles- ** learn these
• Avoiding
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Indicated low concern for both their own and the others interests.
• Lose-lose
• Avoidance or withdrawal strategy;
• Trivial
• Minor importance to you
• High emotions
• Low chances of success
• Others may be more effective in resolving conflict
• May resurface later - intensify
Withdrawal means one party retracts its point of view or backs away from the situation causing the
negotiation to be broken off. Dissatisfaction may lead to future conflict.
• Accommodating
Indicates a low concern for their own needs and high concern for others.
• Lose-win
• Concerned with maintaining relationships
• Unimportant issue
• Equal choices: bargaining power
• Can build resentment over unmet needs
Accommodation is a negotiation style where one party is willing to adapt to meet the needs of the
other party. It is useful option for negotiation on minor matters as the result can go one way or the
other.
• Collaborating
Indicates high concern for both.
• Win-win strategy
• Involves energy, commitment and excellent communication skills
• Time
• Consensus
• Accountability, responsibility
• Optimal solution
Collaboration results when people cooperate to produce a solution satisfactory to both. It helps
interpersonal relationships and explores new ideas. Permanent solutions occur as a result. It is
however time consuming.
• Competing
Indicates a high concern for their own needs and low concern for others.
• Success at all costs: sacrificing relationships
• Win-lose strategy
• Time restrictions
• Crisis management
• May need conciliation, arbitration or mediation to resolve.
Competition occurs when one party negotiates to maximise its results at the expense of the other
party's needs. One party gains the advantage over the other. It is bad for interpersonal relationships.
The solution is likely to be temporary as there is no commitment form the other party.
• Compromising
Indicates some concern for both.
• Give and take
• Temporary solutions:
• Comparable levels
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