MANAGING CONFLICT IN ORGANIZATION
• What is group conflict
• The consequences of group conflict
• The causes of group conflict
• The solutions to group conflict
• Cultural dimensions in managing group conflict
1. The Ubiquity of Conflict
Conflict is a disagreement between two or more parties who perceive
that they have incompatible concerns
o Intrapersonal Conflicts
o Interpersonal Conflicts
o Intra-group Conflicts
o Intergroup Conflicts
o Inter-organization Conflicts
o Intra-racial Conflicts
o Inter-racial Conflicts
o Inter-gender Conflicts
o Inter-class Conflicts
o Inter-regional Conflicts
o Inter-cultural Conflicts
o International Conflicts
2. Two Views of Conflict
(1). Traditional View
Conflict is bad and should be avoided
(2). Contemporary View:
Conflict is neither inherently bad nor good but is inevitable
and structurally induced
3. Two Consequences of Intergroup Conflict
(1). Functional Conflict: Intergroup conflict that enhances
organizational performance
Increased problem awareness
Increased self- and other awareness
Increased exchange of information and knowledge
Improved decision processes
Increased innovativeness and creativity
Enhanced motivation and morale
Decreased tensions
Enhanced psychological maturity
(2). Dysfunctional Conflict: Intergroup conflict that leads to the
decline of organizational performance
General Organizational Consequences
Increased stress and burnout
Reduced organizational performance
Reduced morale and job satisfaction
Reduced loyalty to organization
Waste of resources and time
Dysfunctional Changes between Groups
Increased hostility and distrust
Distorted perception
Negative stereotyping
Decreased communication
Changes within Groups
• Increased group cohesiveness
• Increased loyalty to the group rather than to the
organization
• Rise in autocratic leadership
• More task-oriented
4. Why Intergroup Conflict Occurs
Goal Incompatibility
• Mutually exclusive goals
• Limited resources
• Reward structures
• Different values
Structural Interdependence
• Task interdependence
• Lack of substitution
• Power differentials
Different Perceptions
• Different goals
• Different time horizon
• Different role expectations
• Different information environment
• Different knowledge base
• Difference in information processing
Different organizing principles
• Autonomy v.s. Interdependence
• Analyzing v.s. Synthesizing
5. Cultural Dimensions of Group Conflict
(1) Locational Dimension
• National
• Professional
• Organizational
• Governance
(2) Value Dimension
• Power distance
• Uncertainty avoidance
• Individualism
• Masculinity
• Long-term
6. Managing Intergroup Conflict Through Conflict Resolution
(1). Five Strategies
• Dominating
• Avoiding
• Obliging
• Compromising
• Integrating
(2). Two dimensions
Distributive Dimension: win-lose
Integrative Dimension: win-win
(3). Differences in strategic choice:
o U.S: competitive conflict resolution
o Japan: cooperative conflict resolution
6. Managing Intergroup Conflict Through Organizational Coordination
The U.S. Japan
Explicit rules Implicit norms
Hierarchical Horizontal
Planning Relation-building
Command Consensus
Liaison Job rotation
Task forces Cross-functional teams
Specialization Integration
7. Managing Intergroup Conflict Through Elimination of its Causes
(1). Overcoming goal incompatibility
Commonly used methods
• Eliminate win-lose situation
• Reward organizational effectiveness
• Create a common enemy
• Expansion of resources
American focus: dividing values and goals
• Explicit division and clarification of responsibilities: job
descriptions
• Formal hierarchical control
• Intrapreneurship: interfirm competition
Japanese focus: integrating values and goals
• Shared values
• Superordinate goals
• Norms of loyalty and identification
• Informal consensus building
(2) Overcoming structural interdependence
American focus: breaking interdependence
• Maintaining inventories and buffers
• Creating alternative suppliers
• Creating independent control units
• Partitioning tasks into autonomous units
Japanese focus: deepening interdependence
• Eliminating inventories and buffers
• Creating multiple interlinkages
• Eliminating independent control units
• Integrating tasks into interdependent units
(3). Overcoming differences in perceptions
Commonly used methods
• Seek and maintain common knowledge
• Increased communication
• Problem solving meetings
American focus: objective measurement
• Systematic collection of objective data
• Systematic and objective measurement of group and individual
performance
• Independence of the above functions
Japanese focus: inter-subjective understanding
• Socialization
• Job-rotation
• Quality circle and consensus building
• Eliminating independent control and measurement units
8. Managing Intergroup Conflict through Stimulation: the building of
conflict-positive organization.
(1). Structural strategies
• Bringing outsiders into group
• Altering organizing structure
• Stimulating competition
• Making use of programmed conflict: devil's advocacy
(2). Process and cultural strategies
• Value diversity
• Seek mutual benefit
• Empower employees
• Build teamwork and trust
• Integrating for creative solution
9. Third party mediation
10. Negotiation
11. The Competitiveness Consequences of Different Ways of Managing
Intergroup Conflict
12. Conclusion
• Group conflict is neither good nor bad but is inevitable and
structural induced
• Group conflict has functional and dysfunctional consequences
depending on the amount of conflict and the way conflict is managed
• The most important causes of group conflict include
structural interdependence, differences in values, goals,
perceptions, and organizing principles
• Common conflict resolution strategies include dominating,
avoiding, obliging, compromising, and integrating.
• Americans tend to use dominating, obliging, and compromising
strategies, while Japanese tend to use avoiding, obliging, and
integrating strategies
• The American way of managing conflict includes: division of
responsibility, reduction of interdependence, and formal information
and control system.
• The Japanese way of managing conflict includes: shared
values, multiple interlinkages, integration, teamwork, and
empowerment
From Pakistan, Lahore
2• What is group conflict
• The consequences of group conflict
• The causes of group conflict
• The solutions to group conflict
• Cultural dimensions in managing group conflict
1. The Ubiquity of Conflict
Conflict is a disagreement between two or more parties who perceive
that they have incompatible concerns
o Intrapersonal Conflicts
o Interpersonal Conflicts
o Intra-group Conflicts
o Intergroup Conflicts
o Inter-organization Conflicts
o Intra-racial Conflicts
o Inter-racial Conflicts
o Inter-gender Conflicts
o Inter-class Conflicts
o Inter-regional Conflicts
o Inter-cultural Conflicts
o International Conflicts
2. Two Views of Conflict
(1). Traditional View
Conflict is bad and should be avoided
(2). Contemporary View:
Conflict is neither inherently bad nor good but is inevitable
and structurally induced
3. Two Consequences of Intergroup Conflict
(1). Functional Conflict: Intergroup conflict that enhances
organizational performance
Increased problem awareness
Increased self- and other awareness
Increased exchange of information and knowledge
Improved decision processes
Increased innovativeness and creativity
Enhanced motivation and morale
Decreased tensions
Enhanced psychological maturity
(2). Dysfunctional Conflict: Intergroup conflict that leads to the
decline of organizational performance
General Organizational Consequences
Increased stress and burnout
Reduced organizational performance
Reduced morale and job satisfaction
Reduced loyalty to organization
Waste of resources and time
Dysfunctional Changes between Groups
Increased hostility and distrust
Distorted perception
Negative stereotyping
Decreased communication
Changes within Groups
• Increased group cohesiveness
• Increased loyalty to the group rather than to the
organization
• Rise in autocratic leadership
• More task-oriented
4. Why Intergroup Conflict Occurs
Goal Incompatibility
• Mutually exclusive goals
• Limited resources
• Reward structures
• Different values
Structural Interdependence
• Task interdependence
• Lack of substitution
• Power differentials
Different Perceptions
• Different goals
• Different time horizon
• Different role expectations
• Different information environment
• Different knowledge base
• Difference in information processing
Different organizing principles
• Autonomy v.s. Interdependence
• Analyzing v.s. Synthesizing
5. Cultural Dimensions of Group Conflict
(1) Locational Dimension
• National
• Professional
• Organizational
• Governance
(2) Value Dimension
• Power distance
• Uncertainty avoidance
• Individualism
• Masculinity
• Long-term
6. Managing Intergroup Conflict Through Conflict Resolution
(1). Five Strategies
• Dominating
• Avoiding
• Obliging
• Compromising
• Integrating
(2). Two dimensions
Distributive Dimension: win-lose
Integrative Dimension: win-win
(3). Differences in strategic choice:
o U.S: competitive conflict resolution
o Japan: cooperative conflict resolution
6. Managing Intergroup Conflict Through Organizational Coordination
The U.S. Japan
Explicit rules Implicit norms
Hierarchical Horizontal
Planning Relation-building
Command Consensus
Liaison Job rotation
Task forces Cross-functional teams
Specialization Integration
7. Managing Intergroup Conflict Through Elimination of its Causes
(1). Overcoming goal incompatibility
Commonly used methods
• Eliminate win-lose situation
• Reward organizational effectiveness
• Create a common enemy
• Expansion of resources
American focus: dividing values and goals
• Explicit division and clarification of responsibilities: job
descriptions
• Formal hierarchical control
• Intrapreneurship: interfirm competition
Japanese focus: integrating values and goals
• Shared values
• Superordinate goals
• Norms of loyalty and identification
• Informal consensus building
(2) Overcoming structural interdependence
American focus: breaking interdependence
• Maintaining inventories and buffers
• Creating alternative suppliers
• Creating independent control units
• Partitioning tasks into autonomous units
Japanese focus: deepening interdependence
• Eliminating inventories and buffers
• Creating multiple interlinkages
• Eliminating independent control units
• Integrating tasks into interdependent units
(3). Overcoming differences in perceptions
Commonly used methods
• Seek and maintain common knowledge
• Increased communication
• Problem solving meetings
American focus: objective measurement
• Systematic collection of objective data
• Systematic and objective measurement of group and individual
performance
• Independence of the above functions
Japanese focus: inter-subjective understanding
• Socialization
• Job-rotation
• Quality circle and consensus building
• Eliminating independent control and measurement units
8. Managing Intergroup Conflict through Stimulation: the building of
conflict-positive organization.
(1). Structural strategies
• Bringing outsiders into group
• Altering organizing structure
• Stimulating competition
• Making use of programmed conflict: devil's advocacy
(2). Process and cultural strategies
• Value diversity
• Seek mutual benefit
• Empower employees
• Build teamwork and trust
• Integrating for creative solution
9. Third party mediation
10. Negotiation
11. The Competitiveness Consequences of Different Ways of Managing
Intergroup Conflict
12. Conclusion
• Group conflict is neither good nor bad but is inevitable and
structural induced
• Group conflict has functional and dysfunctional consequences
depending on the amount of conflict and the way conflict is managed
• The most important causes of group conflict include
structural interdependence, differences in values, goals,
perceptions, and organizing principles
• Common conflict resolution strategies include dominating,
avoiding, obliging, compromising, and integrating.
• Americans tend to use dominating, obliging, and compromising
strategies, while Japanese tend to use avoiding, obliging, and
integrating strategies
• The American way of managing conflict includes: division of
responsibility, reduction of interdependence, and formal information
and control system.
• The Japanese way of managing conflict includes: shared
values, multiple interlinkages, integration, teamwork, and
empowerment
From Pakistan, Lahore
Previously conflicts were considered dysfunctional but today they are considered constructive and functional.The only point to remember is that disagreements must be civilized disagreements and at the end of the day inspite of conflicts one must arrive at a consensus.
good topic...
From India, Bangalore
good topic...
From India, Bangalore
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