conflict management
TRANSCRIPT
OBJECTIVES OF THIS SESSIONAfter this session, you will be aware-- What is conflict?- Types of conflict- Why it happens?- Is it good or bad?- How to manage in different situations of conflict?
And be a ready manager to be involved in avoidance and management of workplace conflict situations.
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WHAT IS CONFLICT?a : competitive or opposing action of incompatibles : antagonistic state or action (as of divergent ideas, interests, or persons).b : mental struggle resulting from incompatible or opposing needs, drives, wishes, or external or internal demands.
Source: Mariam Webster Dictionary
A state of mind in which a person experiences a clash of opposing feelings or needs.
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
CONFLICT= वि�रोध करना , मेल न खाना, Source: Hinkhoj.com
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WHY CONFLICT?Organizational or workplace conflict is rooted from-
poor communication, weak leadership, change in leadership, dissatisfaction with management style, seeking power.
Disagreement is a common reason for conflict. People disagree on many things such as contrasting opinions on a certain subject matter because we all have our own beliefs and principles.
Even emotional differences cause conflict.Image Source: Google Images
WHY CONFLICT? - BELIEFS Superiority
o Individual Level Core belief – Person’s enduring conviction that he/she is superior than other people.
o Group Level Worldview - Belief in the superiority of one group's cultural heritage (history, values, language, traditions, arts and crafts, etc.) over another's.
Injusticeo Individual Level Core belief - The perceived mistreatment by
specific others or by the world at large.o Group Level Worldview - Reflects the in-groups conviction that it
has significant and legitimate grievances against another group. Vulnerability
o Individual Level Core belief - A person's conviction that he or she is perpetually living in harm's way.
o Group Level Worldview - A group's imagined worst case scenarios take on the inexorable logic of inevitability.
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Distrusto Individual Level Core belief - This core belief focuses on the
presumed hostility and malign intent of others.o Group Level Worldview - Beliefs that the other is untrustworthy
and harbors malign intentions toward the in-group. Helplessness
o Individual Level Core belief - The conviction that even carefully planned and executed actions will fail to produce desired outcomes.
o Group Level Worldview - A collective mindset of powerlessness and dependency.
WHY CONFLICT? - BELIEFS
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WHY CONFLICT? -OTHER FACTORS
Poor CommunicationCommunicating ineffectively and/or jumping to conclusion. Limited ResourcesConflict between two individuals/ teams to use scarce/ limited resource. Leadership StyleIntimidating or inflexible leadership style may hurt others. Goal Incompatibility Accomplishment of different but mutually conflicting goals by two individuals Behaviour RegulationIndividuals may perceive these regulations differently. Unresolved Prior ConflictsPrior conflicts which remain unsettled over time create anxiety and stress.Image Source: Google Images
TYPES OF CONFLICT?Widely Described conflicts fall into following categories-
Relational. Relationship conflict stems from interpersonal incompatibilities
Task. task conflict is related to disagreements in viewpoints and
opinion about a particular task Process.
Process conflict refers to disagreement over the group’s approach to the task, its methods, and its group process
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WHO SHOULD SOLVE CONFLICT?
Following possible options- Individuals/ Peers/ Groups in Conflict
People involved in conflict should try and find solution. Project/ General Manager
Project gets involved if the individuals are not able to reach the amicable solution.
Facilitator/ Arbitrator If the solution obtained earlier fails or no solution reached thru
intervention of PM/ GM, it should be referred to a senior facilitator.
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THEORY OF CONFLICT MANAGEMENTThere are two theories of conflict management- Traditional TheoryIt is based on the assumption that conflicts are bad, are caused by trouble makers, and should be subdued.
Contemporary TheoryThey emerge as a natural result of change and can be beneficial to the organization, if managed efficiently.Current theory (Kirchoff and Adams, 1982) considers innovation as a mechanism for bringing together various ideas and viewpoints into a new and different fusion. An atmosphere of tension, and hence conflict, is thus essential in any organization committed to developing or working with new ideas.
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CONCERN MATRIX
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CONFLICT RESOLUTIONConflict resolution is a way for two or more parties to find a peaceful solution to a disagreement among them. The disagreement may be personal, financial, political, or emotional.
There are five main strategies for dealing with conflicts, all of which can be considered in terms of who wins and who loses. a win-win situation is always going to be better for everyone.
1) Compete or FightThis is the classic win/lose situation, where the strength and power of one person wins the conflict. It has its place, but anyone using it needs to be aware that it will create a loser and if that loser has no outlet for expressing their concerns, then it will lead to bad feeling.
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CONFLICT RESOLUTION….CONTD
2) CollaborationThis is the ideal outcome: a win/win situation. However, it requires input of time from those involved to work through the difficulties, and find a way to solve the problem that is agreeable to all.3) Compromise or NegotiationThis is likely to result in a better result than win/lose, but it’s not quite win/win. Both parties give up something, in favour of an agreed mid-point solution. It takes less time than collaboration, but is likely to result in less commitment to the outcome.4) Denial or AvoidanceThis is where everyone pretends there is no problem. It’s helpful if those in conflict need time to ‘cool down’ before any discussion or if the conflict is unimportant, but cannot be used if the conflict won’t just die down. It will create a lose/lose situation, since there will still be bad feeling, but no clearing the air through discussion, and results, in Transactional Analysis terms, in ‘I’m not OK, you’re not OK’.
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CONFLICT RESOLUTION….CONTD
5) Smoothing Over the Problem (Accomodation)On the surface, harmony is maintained, but underneath, there is still conflict. It’s similar to the situation above, except that one person is probably OK with this smoothing, while the other remains in conflict, creating a win/lose situation again. It can work where preserving a relationship is more important than dealing with the conflict right now, but is not useful if others feel the need to deal with the situation.
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EFFECTS OF CONFLICT?The existence of conflict in an organization may have both positive and negative results on the people involved and the general situation. The outcome depends on how conflict was handled and dealt with by the people involved.
Negative Impact – Creates stress among affected employees. Creates delays in decision making. May loose precious time & resources during conflict. In case of extreme disagreement , sub-optimization may
result. Misuse of business materials and funds. Resources diverted from productive activities to conflict
management – double loss. Confrontation can bring down employee’s morale and
productivity hence profitability. Increase in the possibilities for violent conflict.Image Source: Google Images
EFFECTS OF CONFLICT?...CONTDPositive Impact – Creates awareness about a potential problem. Offers renewal in relationships. Accelerates Change in the organisation. Conflicts create opportunities. Prompts modification/ improvisation of policies. Prompts modification of operational process. May result into Goal congruence and coherence in Operations. Cultivates innovation and inventiveness among employees. Helps develop new strategies of doing business. Managing/ resolving conflicts raises self esteem and
confidence. Diffusion of more serious conflict. Relative ability or power of parties involved can be identified &
Measured.Image Source: Google Images
DEBRIEFING THE CONFLICT
Once the conflict is resolved, debriefing is very useful. The content of such debriefing is as follows- What was the cause of the conflict? How was the conflict resolved? What did managers do well in handling the conflict? What could have they done better? What is Learning from this situation/ conflict.
Learning from each conflict situation could help the next situation to resolved quickly.
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SUMMARY
Conflicts are inevitable. Conflict is a dynamic process. Conflicts are part of the package (work / life). Conflicts can/ should be worked upon appropriately & quickly. Conflicts for Ideas, process, Task are good sign. Conflicts can be created by Managers/ management to find/
identify a better solution. Relational Conflicts are BAD.
Conflicts (in general) are Good.संघर्ष� अच्छा है
Conflicts are just 2% of the daily activities, don’t let them look 98%.
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