Conflict Management in the WorkplaceRahim ch. 6, 7, 8

Jennifer J. Robertson09/21/2013

Learning Outcomes

1. Articulate Rahim’s (2011) theoretical model of organizational conflict.

2. Define the concepts, sources of conflict, and management strategies of interpersonal, intragroup, and intergroup conflict.

3. Describe how culture can contribute to conflict within the organization.

4. Evaluate a case study and apply the correct conflict management strategies.

Categories of Organizational Conflict

• Intrapersonal• Interpersonal• Intragroup• Intergroup

DefinitionsCONFLICT: Conflict is defined as an interactive process manifested in incompatibility, disagreement, or dissonance within or between social entities (Rahim, 2011).

ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING: Involves knowledge acquisition, knowledge distribution, information interpretation, and organizational memorization. It is a process of detection (cognitive) and correction (behavioral) of error (Argyris & Schön, 1996).

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT: Involves designing effective strategies to minimize the dysfunctions of conflict and enhancing the constructive functions of conflict in order to improve learning and effectiveness in an organization (Rahim, 2011).

Rahim’s (2011) Theoretical Model of Organizational Conflict

Antecedent Conditions

Process Demographic Differences

Structural

CONFLICT

Behavioral Changes

Structure Formation

Decision Process

Conflict Aftermath

Work in groups to put the correct information under each category on your chart.

Categories of Organizational Conflict

Interpersonal Conflict

Five Styles for Handling Interpersonal Conflict

• Integrating • Obliging• Dominating • Avoiding• Compromising

Negotiation

1. Separate the people from the problem. Take the emotions out of it.

2. Focus on interests, not positions. Find alternatives.

3. Invent options for mutual gain. Brainstorm multiple solutions.

4. Insist on using objective criteria.

Managing Interpersonal Conflict

Intragroup & Intergroup Conflict

Types of Conflict

• Affective• Process• Substantive

Sources of Conflict

INTRAGROUP:• Leadership style• Task structure• Group composition• Conflict asymmetry

(different perceptions)

• Cohesiveness and groupthink

• External threats

INTERGROUP:• Different competing

systems• Task interdependence• Dependence on

scarce resources• Jurisdictional

ambiguity• Relationship between

line and staff

Managing Group Conflict

Diagnose the problem

Implement an intervention:

– Process: team-building activities

– Structural: change the group composition

Agree or Disagree?

Cooperation or lack of conflict generally induces positive relations among group members, but they may not attain the highest level of performance.

Rahim, 2011, p. 119

Cross-Cultural Conflicts in the Workplace

Cross-cultural conflict can be defined as conflict generated, and perhaps exacerbated or perpetuated, by cultural differences among the groups involved in the conflict. A person’s culture

informs his or her worldview, moral code, judgments, and ideas or perceptions about others. Of course, these aspects of a culture can be incorrect or misinformed, leading to conflict with other cultures or groups of people. The power of culture is strong,

however, and it can be difficult to overcome cross-cultural conflict, as evidenced by the numerous conflicts between different cultural

groups that continue to rage around the world today.

--A. Kinney, www.ehow.com, What Is Cross-Cultural Conflict?

Cross-Cultural Conflicts in the Workplace

Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory:– Power Distance (PDI)– Individualism vs. Collectivism (IDV)– Masculinity vs. Femininity (MAS)– Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI)– Long Term vs. Short-Term Orientation (LTO)– Indulgence vs. Restraint (IVR)

Culture’s influence is not uniform across its members or consistent in each individual across situations (Liu, et al., 2012).

Cross-Cultural Conflicts in the Workplace

Cross-Cultural Conflicts in the Workplace

Face Negotiation Theory

Conflicts occur when two or more individuals of different ethnicities and cultures meet and work together. The concept of “face” is defined as “a projected image of one’s self in a relational situation” (Ting-Toomey, 1988).

Individualist Cultures – concerned with “self face.” People are independent, dominating, and interested in protecting their own interests.

– English-speaking countries

Collectivistic Cultures – concerned with “other face and mutual face.” They impose great focus on teamwork and mutual benefit.

– Asian and Latin American countries

Self Face vs. Other Face and Mutual Face

Case Study

Work in pairs or small groups to read the case study and answer the questions.

Closing: Fist to Five

I have a better understanding of the meanings of interpersonal, intragroup, intergroup conflict, the sources of conflict, and the management strategies to conflict.