BUAD304 CH10: Managing Conflicts and Negotiations

Definition of vocabs and concepts

Conflict

Energy created by the perceived gap between what we want and what we’re experiencing

Functional Conflict (aka Constructive/cooperative conflict)

Characterized by consultative interactions, a focus on the issues, mutual respect, and useful give-and-take

Dysfunctional Conflict

Disagreements that threaten or diminish an organization’s interest

Cost: Absenteeism, Turnover, Unionization, Litigation - legal remedies

Warning Signs of Conflict Escalation

Tactics change - persuasion to powerplays/violence

Number of issues grows

Issues move from specific to general

Number of parties grows

Goals change - “doing well” to winning

Personality Conflict

Interpersonal opposition based on personal dislike or disagreement

Intergroup Conflict

Conflict among work groups, teams, departments, and organizations

Contact Hypothesis

The more members of different groups interact, the less intergroup conflict they will experience

Psychological Safety Climate

Shared belief among team members that it is safe to engage in risky behaviors, such as questioning current practices without retribution or negative consequences

Work-Life Conflict

Perception that expectations and demands between work and nonwork roles are mutually incompatible (both ways)

Flex Space (employer responsibility)

Ex. Telecommuting, occurs when policies enable employees to do their work from different locations besides the office (coffee shop, home, or the beach)

Flextime (employer responsibility)

Flexible scheduling, covering either the time when work must be completed (deadlines) or the limits of the workday (9-5, 10-4, or any time today)

Incivility

Any form of socially harmful behavior

Bullying

Unwelcome behavior that occurs over a period of time and is meant to harm someone who feels powerless to respond

Evident to others, affects even those not bullied, group-level implications

Cyber Bullying 

Targets are harmed both by direct assault or event, and the fear of future mistreatment

Harassment

Discrimination based on a protected class (race, gender, religion, pregnancy, age, disability), that becomes illegal when it threatens your employment or is considered intimidating, hostile, or abusive

Sexual Harassment

Two different forms:
Quid Pro Quo - literally demanding sex

Hostile work environment

Devil’s Advocacy (Programmed Conflict)

One individual is assigned the role of devil’s advocate and identifies any potential shortcomings in the proposal (should rotate)

Dialectic Method (Programmed Conflict)

Structured dialogue or debate of opposing viewpoints prior to making a decision

5 Common Conflict-Handling Styles

Integrating, dominating, compromising, obliging, avoiding

Integrating

Interested parties confront the issue and cooperatively identify it, generate and weight alternatives, and select a solution

Obliging

Minimize differences and highlight similarities to please the other party

Dominating (aka Forcing)

Often characterized by “I win, you lose” tactics. The other party’s needs are largely ignored. Often relies on formal authority to force compliance

Avoiding

Passive withdrawal from the problem and active suppression of the issue are common

Compromising

Is a give-and-take approach. Appropriate when parties have opposite goals and possess equal power

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

A means of solving disputes using an independent third party and avoids the costs and problems associated with litigation or unilateral decision making

Forms of ADR

Facilitation (third party demand resolution)
Conciliation (third party act as communicator)
Peer review

Ombudsman (respected person hears both sides and attempts to give solution)

Mediation

Arbitration (agree ahead of time to accept decision of neutral arbitrator in formal court-like setting)

Negotiation

Give-and-take decision-making process between two or more parties with different preferences

Position-Based, Distributive Negotiation

Usually concerns a single issue–a “fixed pie”--in which one person gains at the expense of another

Interest-Based, Integrative Negotiation

Numerous interests are considered, resulting in an agreement that is satisfactory for both parties

Emotional Ambivalence

Not clearly positive or clearly negative–can be detrimental in position-based negotiation

Moral Character

Individual’s general tendency to think, feel, and behave in ways associated with ethical and unethical behavior

Lies of Omission

one fails to reveal relevant information, offering false information