class 8 dial

Class 8: Organizational Conflict 

Organizational Conflict: is a process that occurs when one person, group, or organizational subunit frustrates the goal attainment of another 

Group Identification: The identification with a particular group or class or people 

Intergroup Bias: Social Identity Theory (1974) 

• People develop a more positive view of their own “in-group” and a less positive view of the “out-group” 

• Attributing positive behavior to your own group should contribute to your self-esteem 

Interdependence: 

• When individuals or subunits are mutually dependent on each other to accomplish their own goals 

• Necessitates interaction and implies that each party has some power over the other 

• Does not always lead to conflict 

Differences

Differences in demographics : Faultlines 

• “Hypothetical; dividing lines that may split a group into subgroups based on one or more attributes 

• If group members fall into two distinct, non-overlapping subgroups based on demographic characteristics – [ex. Young Hspanic woman and old caucasian men – a stronger “faultline” is present 

Differences in culture: 

• When two are more very different cultures develop in an organization, the clash in beliefs and values can result in overt conflict 

Ambiguity

• Ambiguous goals, jurisdictions, or performance criteria can lead to conflict 

• More likely to occur in an early stage of org. or teams 

Scarce Resources 

• Limited budget money, administrative support, or lab space can contribute to conflict 

• Scarcity can turn latent or disguised conflict into overt conflict

Types of Conflict: Relationship, Task, Process

Relationship Conflict: 

Interpersonal tensions among individuals that have to do with the relationship per se, not the task at hand 

• Interpersonal incompatibilities, includes  affective components such as feeling tension and friction 

• Involves personal issues such as dislike among group members and feelings such as annoyance, frustration, and, irritation 

Example: (Jehn, 1995) 

• “Her attitude just stinks. Its a personality conflict in the first place. I'd rather be working for anyone else but her. I just can't stand her attitude and her voice. We just clash” 

Task Conflict: 

Disagreements about the nature of work to be done (how things should be done) 

• Differences in viewpoints and opinions pertaining to a group task 

Example:(Jehn 1995) 

• “Hey calm down, it’s not about you, it's about this damn project” 

• “We usually fight about work things - interpreting our reports, disagreeing about agreement on the border decision. They all regulations” 

• “We constantly fight about accounts and which numbers to use and how to interpret them. We really only fight about this work stuff” 

Process Conflict: 

Disagreements about how work should be organized and accomplished 

• Controversies about responsibilities, authority, resource allocation, who does what, all constitute process conflict

Example: (Jehn 1995) 

• “ I don't think we have a lot of interpersonal problems, but we do have disagreements, like right now on this reorganization about how some of these teams are set up. There's some conflict on the composite of the team and who should do what” 

Is Conflict Good or Bad? 

5 Conflict handling style: Avoiding, Accommodating, Competing, Compromising, Collaborating 

1. Avoiding (Low assertiveness - Low cooperation) 

[ Tries to smooth over or evade conflict situation altogether ]  

• Limited effectiveness: it can provide short-term stress reduction but does not really change the situation 

Best When: 

• Conflict is emotionally-charged (relationship conflict) 

• Conflict resolution cost is higher than benefits (the issue is trivial, information is lacking) 

[ Problem: Does Not resolve conflict; causes frustration ]

2. Accommodating (Low assertiveness - High cooperation) 

[ Giving in completely to the others wishes, cooperating with no attention to your own interests ]

Best when: 

• Other party has much more power /  You want to build good will 

• Issue is much less important to you than other party 

• Value/logic of your position is imperfect (you're wrong) 

[ Problem: increases others expectations; imperfect solution ] 

3. Collaborating (High assertiveness - High cooperation) 

[ An attempt to secure an integrative agreement that fully satisfies the interests of both parties (win-win resolution) ] 

Best When: 

• Interests are not perfectly opposing 

• Parties have trust/ openness 

• Issues are not intense 

[ Problem: other party may use information to its advantage ] 

4. Competing (High assertiveness - Low cooperation) 

[ Tries to win the conflict at the others expense ] 

• You tend to frame the conflict in strict win-lose terms. 

Best When: 

• You have a deep conviction about your position 

• You have a lot of power 

• Quick resolution required 

• You will not have to interact with the other party in the future 

[ Problems: relationship conflict, long-term relations ] 

5. Compromising (moderate assertiveness & cooperation) 

[ Looking for a middle ground between the interests of two parties ] 

Best When: 

• Parties have equal power / parties lack trust and openness 

• Quick solution is required / good fallback if all else fails 

[ Problems: does not work when there's power asymmetry ]

Situational Analysis: 

Questions to ask when choosing the right conflict handling style: 

1. Does this situation need harmony ?

2. Relative power of conflict parties 

3. Time constraint 

4. Importance of the issue 

5. Trust and openness between parties