Conflict Management PT-MBA, 1st Year, 2nd Trimester, Group & Organization Dynamics

Project, 30th Nov, 2012

Presented By :

Neha Kumar (A029)

Nitya Murthy (A031)

Rashi Kapur (A039)

Sonal Rajadhyax (A050)

Yuvraj Tandon (A059)

What is Conflict?

Conflict may be defined as a struggle or contest between people

with opposing needs, ideas, beliefs, values, or goals.

A few definitions of conflicts are:

1. A state of open, often prolonged fighting; a battle or war.

2. A state of disharmony between incompatible or antithetical

persons, ideas, or interests; a clash.

3. A state of opposition between ideas, interests, etc.;

disagreement or controversy

4. A state of opposition between two simultaneous but incompatible wishes or drives, sometimes

leading to a state of emotional tension

Conflict at the workplace

In the workplace, a simple disagreement between team members, if unresolved, may escalate

into avoidance, inability to work together, verbal assaults, and resentment. In the worst cases, it

may also lead to hostility and eventual separation from the organization. Therefore, it is

important that the conflict be resolved as soon as possible.

As organizations continue to restructure work teams, conflicts will arise from differences, and

when individuals come together in teams, their differences in terms of power, values, and

attitudes contribute to the creation of conflict.

Some disputes managers and employees alike may be subjected to in the workplace include:

Unfair or unequal treatment

Emotional Abuse

Discrimination

Sexual harassment

Angry/ Resistant individuals

Inability to saying no

Feuding groups

Environments in transitions (i.e.

changes)

Inability to ask for what one needs

Culturally diverse environment

Unclear or undefined organizational directives

Physical attributes of the workplace (e.g. health and safety issues)

An overlook of Organizational Conflicts

Interpersonal Conflict: Conflict between individuals due to

differences in their goals or values.

Intra-group Conflict: Conflict within a group or team.

Intergroup Conflict: Conflict between two or more teams, groups

or departments. Managers play a key role in resolution of this

conflict.

Inter-organizational Conflict: Conflict that arises across organizations.

Impact of Conflict

Conflict on teams is inevitable; however, the results of conflict are not predetermined. Conflict

might escalate and lead to nonproductive results, or conflict can be beneficially resolved and lead

to quality final products.

When is Conflict constructive?

Results in clarification of important problems and issues

Results in solutions to problems

Involves people in resolving issues important to them

Causes authentic communication

Helps release emotion, anxiety, and stress

Builds cooperation among people through learning more about each other

joining in resolving the conflict

Helps individuals develop understanding and skills

When is conflict destructive?

Takes attention away from other important activities

Undermines morale or self-concept

Polarizes people and groups, reducing cooperation

Increases or sharpens difference

Leads to irresponsible and harmful behav ior, such as fighting,

name-calling

Conflict Prevention

As well as being able to handle conflict when it arises, One should first focus on ways of

preventing conflict from becoming damaging. A constructive approach would be to:

Being open – if we have issues, we need to express and deal with them immediately and

not allow it to accumulate and dwell upon.

Maintain clear communication – articulate thoughts clearly, question and clarify views.

Encouraging different points of view and evaluating each fairly without any personal

bias

Not looking for blame – encourage ownership of the problem and solution.

Demonstrating respect for team members rather than resorting to blame game.

Keeping team issues within the team, talking outside results in conflict escalation.

Conflict Management

The term conflict refers to perceived incompatibilities resulting typically from some form of

interference or opposition. Conflict management, then, is the employment of strategies to correct

these perceived differences in a positive manner. For many decades, managers had been taught to

view conflict as a negative force. However, conflict may actually be either functional or

dysfunctional. Whereas dysfunctional conflict is destructive and leads to decreased productivity,

functional conflict may actually encourage greater work effort and help

task performance.

Learning to manage conflict is integral to a high-performance

team.

Conflict management is the principle that all conflicts cannot

necessarily be resolved, but learning how to manage conflicts can

decrease the odds of nonproductive escalation.

It involves acquiring skills related to conflict resolution, self-

awareness about conflict modes, conflict communication skills and establishing a

structure for management of conflicts.

Ways of Dealing with Conflict

Dual concern model of conflict resolution

The dual concern model of conflict resolution is a conceptual perspective that assumes

individuals’ preferred method of dealing with conflict is based on two underlying themes or

dimensions:[1]

1. A concern for self (i.e. assertiveness), and

2. A concern for others (i.e. empathy).

According to the model, group members balance their concern for satisfying personal needs and

interests with their concern for satisfying the needs and interests of others in different ways. The

intersection point between these two dimensions ultimately lead individuals towards exhibiting

different styles of conflict resolution The dual model identifies five conflict resolution

styles/strategies that individuals may use depending on their dispositions toward pro-self or pro-

social goals.

Accommodating : The accommodating strategy essentially entails giving the opposing side

what it wants.

Avoiding : The avoidance strategy seeks to put off conflict indefinitely.

Collaborating : Collaboration works by integrating ideas set out by multiple people. The object

is to find a creative solution acceptable to everyone.

Compromising : The compromising strategy typically calls for both sides of a conflict to give

up elements of their position in order to establish an acceptable, if not agreeable, solution.

Competing : Competition operates as a zero-sum game, in which one side wins and other loses.

Healthy and Unhealthy ways of managing and resolving conflict

Unhealthy Healthy

Inability to compromise or see other

persons side.

Ability to seek compromise and avoid

punishing

Explosive, angry, hurtful, resentful

reactions

Calm, non-defensive and respectful

reactions

Withdrawal of love resulting in rejection,

isolation and abandonment

Readiness to forgive and forget and to move

past the conflict without holding

resentments or anger

Fear and avoidance of conflict; the

expectation of bad outcomes

Belief that facing conflict head on is the best

thing for both sides

Conflict Management Skills

Good and a patient listener

The pitch and the tone have to be taken great care of

Adopt a positive attitude

Never criticize anyone or make him feel small

Prefer the conference room, board room or any suitable place for presentations, seminars

and discussions

The superiors must ensure that the team members are assigned responsibilities according

to their KRAs and specializations

Avoid gossips and rumors

Conflicts must be avoided at workplace so that employees do not carry tensions back home

and are able to give their best to benefit themselves as well as the organization.

Importance of Conflict Management

Facilitates employees to concentrate on their work.

Strengthens bonds amongst employees

Helps finding a middle way – an alternative to any

problem and successful implementation of any idea.

Motivates employees to strive hard to live up to the

expectations and contribute to the organization in the

best possible way.

Prevention is better than cure.

Video : Series : The Office, Season 2, Episode 21 : Conflict Resolution

About “The Office”

The series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton,

Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.

"Conflict Resolution" is the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the second season of the

American comedy television series The Office, the show's twenty-seventh episode overall.

In the episode, Michael Scott (Steve Carell) resolves a conflict between Oscar

Martinez (Oscar Nunez) and Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey), and then discovers a file of

other unresolved complaints between staff members and he determines to resolve them. But

Michael's attempts actually unearth old tensions and create new ones between the office

employees.

The Plot

"Conflict Resolution" features the return of a poster created for the earlier episode "Christmas

Party". The show opens when Michael Scott hears Oscar Martinez complaining about Angela

Martin's baby poster to Toby Flenderson. Michael learns that Angela and Oscar are fighting

over the poster of babies dressed up like musicians. He intervenes and resolves the conflict

himself by forcing his "solution" onto all parties.

Inspired, Michael wrests the file outlining other unresolved office complaints from Toby,

determined to resolve them all. Michael publicly reads all the outstanding complaints against

everyone, even though they were supposed to be anonymous, which only serves to further

increase office tensions. This is an excellent example of how conflict shouldn’t be managed.

Michael now wants to resolve all the complaints in the office.

The list of conflicts depicted in the series include :

Kevin complains that Stanley uses his Miracle Whip without asking.

Meredith complains that everyone is too loud in the morning and that the lights are too

bright.

Creed complains that he doesn't want to look at the redhead all day, but would rather

be at a desk facing the receptionist.

"Someone" has complained that Pam does too much wedding planning at the office.

Kelly is upset that Ryan never returns her calls. Michael is equally upset that Ryan

never returns his calls.

Jim says that Dwight tried to kiss him once but he didn't make a complaint because he

wasn't sure how he felt about it.

Someone has complained that the bathroom is for whites only. (An assumption

because the picture on the door is that of a white man.

Phyllis complains that Angela gives her "death stares".

Stanley complains that Phyllis cries too much and it bothers him.

Angela is upset because Phyllis keeps forgetting and parking in Angela's unmarked,

reserved parking space.

Ryan complains that Creed has an old man smell about him.

Angela complains that Kevin has made sexually suggestive remarks to her.

Meanwhile, when photos for identification badges are being taken in the break room, Jim

Halpert uses the situation as a way to prank Dwight Schrute. Jim made Dwight's new ID, labeled

Dwight as a security threat, and changed his middle name from Kurt to "Fart". Dwight could no

longer take it. He storms into the conference room and demand that Michael take care of this.

Dwight becomes even more furious that his voluminous complaints against Jim have gone

ignored, and tells Michael that either Jim gets fired or Dwight will quit. When Michael reads all

of Jim's pranks on Dwight, Jim begins to regret how much time he has wasted at the office.

List of Dwight's grievances mentioned against Jim:

Told Dwight there was an abandoned infant in the women's bathroom, thus tricking him

into going into the bathroom and "[seeing] Meredith on the can"

Dwight hit himself in the head with his phone (Jim kept putting nickels into the handset

until Dwight got used to the weight; Jim then abruptly removed all of the nickels; Dwight

went to pick up the phone, and believing the phone was heavy, pulled it very hard)

Jim paid everyone five dollars so they would call Dwight "Dwayne"

Every time Dwight typed his name it came out as "diapers"

Placed a bloody glove in Dwight's desk drawer and tried to convince him he committed

murder

By the end of the day, Dwight's desk was moved two feet closer to the copier

Replaced all of Dwight's pens and pencils with crayons

Also in the episode Jim said "Dwight tried to kiss me. I didn't say anything because I'm not

really sure how I feel about it."

Attempts at Conflict Management

1.Michael wrests the file outlining other unresolved office complaints from Toby, determined to

resolve them all. Michael publicly reads all the outstanding complaints against everyone, even

though they were supposed to be anonymous, which only serves to further increase office

tensions. This is an excellent example of how conflict shouldn’t be managed.

2.He also tries to force his opnion on others to resolve any issues pointed by them, that’s again a

wrong approach.

3.Michael locks Dwight and Jim together in a room for a "cage match", where they're not

allowed to leave until they come to an understanding. However, no conclusion can be reached.

Dwight taunts Jim with a notice of a Dunder-Mifflin position in Stamford, saying that Jim should

look into it because Dwight will still be working in Scranton by next week. Michael surveys the

angry, divided office and silently nods to a watching Toby, acknowledging his efforts were a

disaster.

4.He then defuses Dwight's anger by saying he will make his decision but needs indeterminate

time to do so, which placates Dwight.

Pam Beesly is particularly troubled by a nameless complaint that she plans her wedding during

office hours, a complaint she concludes was filed by Angela.

5.As everyone prepares to leave, Michael pays the photographer to take a special group photo,

but goes through a lot of money before he, albeit poorly, Photoshops one himself. During the

procedure, Jim admits to Pam that he had registered the complaint about her wedding planning,

and Pam looks shocked.

As we can see the above series episode is a fitting example of an attempt at conflict management.

It shows various kinds of conflicts :

Interpersonal Conflict: Conflict between Jim and Dwight

Inter-sender Conflict : Jim had complained about Pam earlier, and then later redacted his own

words, signifying conflicting messages from the same sender.

Intra-group Conflict: When different people in the office groyup have a resentment towards

Pam because she has invited some to her wedding and ignored a few others.

Intergroup Conflict: Conflict between Angela and Angela and how others have different

opinions about it.

Inter-organizational Conflict: Whole group upset with each other and not ready to pose

together for a group picture.

Lastly, toby is seen taking the boxful of complaints to huge room and dumps the box between

thousands of stacks of identical boxes, thus signifying an attempt at the avoidance style of

conflict management.

Conclusion

"The better able team members are to engage, speak, listen, hear, interpret, and respond

constructively, the more likely their teams are to leverage conflict rather than be leveled by it”

I n many cases, effective conflict resolution can make the difference between positive and

negative outcomes.

The good news is that by resolving conflict successfully, you can solve many of the problems

that it has brought to the surface, as well as getting benefits that you might not at first expect:

Increased understanding: The discussion needed to resolve conflict expands people's

awareness of the situation, giving them an insight into how they can achieve their own

goals without undermining those of other people.

Increased group cohesion: When conflict is resolved effectively, team members can

develop stronger mutual respect, and a renewed faith in their ability to work together.

Improved self-knowledge: Conflict pushes individuals to examine their goals in close

detail , helping them understand the things that are most important to them, sharpening

their focus, and enhancing their effectiveness.