MODULE 5: CONFLICT IN ORGANIZATIONS II. TYPOLOGIES OF CONFLICT
Is conflict always bad? Contemporary perspectives
Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Inventory differentiate types of conflict based on their effects or
outcome:
WHAT IS CONFLICT? 1. Functional conflict supports the goals of the group and
Western organizational literature provides multiple improves its performance, and is thus a constructive form of
definitions of conflict. They converge on the depiction of conflict.
conflicts as natural, pervasive, inevitable, and inherent in ➢ For example, a debate among members of a work team
organizations (Sweeny and Carruthers 1996, Sheppard 1992, about them efficient way to improve productivity can be
Kold and Putman 1992). functional if unique points of view are discussed and
The following highlights three definitions or compared openly.
perspectives on conflict in organizations: ➢ Moderate levels of conflict can stimulate new
● Conflict is The presence of goal incompatibility between ideas,increase friendly competition, and increase team
or among interdependent individuals or groups (Brett 1984) effectiveness (Jehn & Mannix, ; Jeong, ). Furthermore,
such that one individual or group interferes in another moderate conflict can reduce the risk of much larger
individual’s or group’s achievement of goals (Duryea 1992). conflicts.
● Conflict is the presence of real or perceived competing 2. Dysfunctional conflict hinders group performance. It is a
unsatisfied needs and interests of two or more parties such highly personal struggle for control that distracts from the
that a rivalry occurs when one tries to outdo or exclude the task at hand in a team that is dysfunctional. This usually
other (Deutsch 1973, Fisher and Ury 1983, Moore 1986). occurs when one or both parties feel a loss of control due to
the actions of the other party and has its greatest effect on
Moore identifies three general types of needs or team performance when the task being performed is
interests: complex.
(1) substantive interests, which are tangible and
measurable needs such as money, workspace, and health TYPES OF CONFLICT.
benefits, One means of understanding conflict is to identify the type
(2) procedural interests, which is the way decisions are of disagreement, or what the conflict is about. Is it a
made or problems resolved, and include the need for disagreement about goals? Is it about people who just rub
participation, transparency as well as the clear and orderly one another the wrong way? Or is it about the best way to
process of decision-making, and get things done? Although each conflict is unique,
(3) psychological interests, which include the need to be researchers have classified conflicts into three categories:
trusted, respected, and recognized. relationship, task, or process.
● Conflict is discord within, between, and among 1. Relationship conflict: Conflict based on interpersonal
individuals or groups due to organizational factors (Kolb relationships. Studies demonstrate that relationship conflicts,
and Putman 1992). This type of conflict is becoming more at least in work settings, are almost always dysfunctional. It
inevitable and prevalent in organizations given the appears that the friction and interpersonal hostilities
challenges of increasing globalization and markets, the inherent in relationship conflicts increase personality
speed of changes brought about by the advancement of clashes and decrease mutual understanding, which hinders
information technology, and the increasing diversity of the the completion of organizational tasks.
workforce. 2. Task conflict: Conflict over content and goals of the
It is important to note that the level of conflict that work. Some researchers have argued that the strength of
occurs is a function of the importance of the goal, conflict is important: if task conflict is very low, people
behavior, or relationship. That is, one person ’ s aren’t really engaged or addressing the important issues; if
behavior may force a change in another ’ s, but if the task conflict is too high, infighting will quickly degenerate
change in behavior is not important to the individual into relationship conflict. Moderate levels of task conflict
(e.g., waiting for one’s turn), the conflict will be less may thus be optimal.
severe than in a situation in which the change is 3. Process conflict: Conflict over how work gets done.
important (e.g., a promotion or a person’s reputation). Researchers found that process conflicts are about
delegation and roles. Conflicts over delegation often
,revolve around the perception that some members are identification can facilitate the design of conflict
shirking, and conflicts over roles can leave some group interventions for resolving or managing conflict.
members feeling marginalized. Thus, process conflicts
often become highly personalized and quickly devolve into III. THE CONFLICT PROCESS
relationship conflicts. It’s also true, of course, that arguing The conflict process has five stages: potential opposition or
about how to do something takes time away from actually incompatibility, cognition and personalization, intentions,
doing it. behavior, and outcomes (see diagram below):
LOCI OF CONFLICT. Another way to understand
conflict is to consider its locus, or the framework within
which the conflict occurs. (Cox, 2003)
different
·
views
-
Stage I: Potential Opposition or Incompatibility
The first stage of conflict is the appearance of conditions—
-
causes or sources—that create opportunities for it to arise.
SOURCES OF CONFLICT. Another typology of conflict These conditions need not lead directly to conflict, but one
based on its sources is presented in a conflict analytical of them is necessary if it is to surface. We group the
framework called the Circle of Conflict (Moore 1986). This conditions into three general categories:
framework identifies five possible sources of conflict as 1. Communication: There are opposing forces that arise
-
shown the figure below: from semantic difficulties, misunderstandings, and “noise”
in the communication channel.
2. Structure: The term structure in this context includes
variables such as size of the group, degree of specialization
-
in tasks assigned to group members, jurisdictional clarity,
member – goal compatibility, leadership styles, reward
systems, and degree of dependence between groups
3. Personal variables: include personality, emotions, and
-
values.
-
Stage
In using the above typologies in identifying an
organizational conflict, one can create a picture of what the
conflict is about, why it came about, where it is located.
And what its actual and potential outcomes are. This
·
-
, Stage II: Cognition and Personalization satisfy his own concerns
If the conditions cited in Stage I negatively affect something (2) cooperativeness, the extent to which the person attempts
one party cares about, then the potential for opposition or to satisfy the other person's concerns.
incompatibility becomes actualized in the second stage.
Stage II is important because it’s where conflict issues tend
to be defined, where the parties decide what the conflict is
about. The definition of conflict is important because it
delineates the set of possible settlements.
Perceived-conflict:Awareness by one or more parties
of the existence of conditions that create opportunities
for conflict to arise.
➢ Felt conflict:Emotional involvement in a conflict that
creates anxiety, tenseness, frustration, or hostility.
Stage III: Intentions
Intentions intervene between people ’ s perceptions and
emotions, and their overt behavior. Using two dimensions
—assertiveness (the degree to which one party attempts to
satisfy his or her own concerns) and cooperativeness (the
degree to which one party attempts to satisfy the other party’ The interplay between these two dimensions shape five
s concerns) — we can identify five conflict-handling different ways of behaving in conflict situations.
intentions: competing (assertive and uncooperative),
collaborating (assertive and cooperative), avoiding 1. COMPETING “It has to be my way”: When one person
(unassertive and uncooperative), accommodating seeks to satisfy his or her own interests regardless of the
(unassertive and cooperative), and compromising impact on the other parties in the conflict, that person is
(mid-range on both assertiveness and cooperativeness). competing. We are more apt to compete when resources are
These will be elaborated in the next section of Conflict scarce.
Management Styles. 2. COLLABORATING “Let's find a way to satisfy both
our goals ” : When parties in conflict each desire to fully
Stage IV: Behavior satisfy the concerns of all parties, there is cooperation and a
Stage IV is a dynamic process of interaction. The diagram search for a mutually beneficial outcome. In collaborating,
below provides a way of visualizing conflict behavior. parties intend to solve a problem by clarifying differences
rather than by accommodating various points of view.
Stage V: Outcomes 3. AVOIDING “I don’t want to deal with this”: A person
The action-reaction interplay between conflicting parties may recognize a conflict exists and want to withdraw from
creates consequences. These outcomes may be functional if or suppress it. Examples of avoiding include trying to
the conflict improves the group ’ s performance, or ignore a conflict and keeping away from others with whom
dysfunctional if it hinders performance (types of conflict as you disagree.
defined in the previous section). 4. ACCOMMODATING “If that is what you want, I will
agree”: A party who seeks to appease an opponent may be
IV. CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STYLES willing to place the opponent ’ s interests above his or her
A widely used perspective in classifying people ’ s own, sacrificing to maintain the relationship. We refer to
behavior in conflict situations is Thomas-Killman ’ s this intention as accommodating. For example, supporting
five conflict management styles. Thomas and Killman someone else’s opinion despite your reservations about it.
describe “ Conflict situations'' as those in which the 5. COMPROMISING “Let’s meet halfway on this issue”:
concerns of two people appear to be incompatible In In compromising, there is no winner or loser. Rather, there
such situations, individual's behavior can be described is a willingness to ration the object of the conflict and
along two dimensions: accept a solution with incomplete satisfaction of both
(1) assertiveness, the extent to which the person attempts to parties ’ concerns. The distinguishing characteristic of
Is conflict always bad? Contemporary perspectives
Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Inventory differentiate types of conflict based on their effects or
outcome:
WHAT IS CONFLICT? 1. Functional conflict supports the goals of the group and
Western organizational literature provides multiple improves its performance, and is thus a constructive form of
definitions of conflict. They converge on the depiction of conflict.
conflicts as natural, pervasive, inevitable, and inherent in ➢ For example, a debate among members of a work team
organizations (Sweeny and Carruthers 1996, Sheppard 1992, about them efficient way to improve productivity can be
Kold and Putman 1992). functional if unique points of view are discussed and
The following highlights three definitions or compared openly.
perspectives on conflict in organizations: ➢ Moderate levels of conflict can stimulate new
● Conflict is The presence of goal incompatibility between ideas,increase friendly competition, and increase team
or among interdependent individuals or groups (Brett 1984) effectiveness (Jehn & Mannix, ; Jeong, ). Furthermore,
such that one individual or group interferes in another moderate conflict can reduce the risk of much larger
individual’s or group’s achievement of goals (Duryea 1992). conflicts.
● Conflict is the presence of real or perceived competing 2. Dysfunctional conflict hinders group performance. It is a
unsatisfied needs and interests of two or more parties such highly personal struggle for control that distracts from the
that a rivalry occurs when one tries to outdo or exclude the task at hand in a team that is dysfunctional. This usually
other (Deutsch 1973, Fisher and Ury 1983, Moore 1986). occurs when one or both parties feel a loss of control due to
the actions of the other party and has its greatest effect on
Moore identifies three general types of needs or team performance when the task being performed is
interests: complex.
(1) substantive interests, which are tangible and
measurable needs such as money, workspace, and health TYPES OF CONFLICT.
benefits, One means of understanding conflict is to identify the type
(2) procedural interests, which is the way decisions are of disagreement, or what the conflict is about. Is it a
made or problems resolved, and include the need for disagreement about goals? Is it about people who just rub
participation, transparency as well as the clear and orderly one another the wrong way? Or is it about the best way to
process of decision-making, and get things done? Although each conflict is unique,
(3) psychological interests, which include the need to be researchers have classified conflicts into three categories:
trusted, respected, and recognized. relationship, task, or process.
● Conflict is discord within, between, and among 1. Relationship conflict: Conflict based on interpersonal
individuals or groups due to organizational factors (Kolb relationships. Studies demonstrate that relationship conflicts,
and Putman 1992). This type of conflict is becoming more at least in work settings, are almost always dysfunctional. It
inevitable and prevalent in organizations given the appears that the friction and interpersonal hostilities
challenges of increasing globalization and markets, the inherent in relationship conflicts increase personality
speed of changes brought about by the advancement of clashes and decrease mutual understanding, which hinders
information technology, and the increasing diversity of the the completion of organizational tasks.
workforce. 2. Task conflict: Conflict over content and goals of the
It is important to note that the level of conflict that work. Some researchers have argued that the strength of
occurs is a function of the importance of the goal, conflict is important: if task conflict is very low, people
behavior, or relationship. That is, one person ’ s aren’t really engaged or addressing the important issues; if
behavior may force a change in another ’ s, but if the task conflict is too high, infighting will quickly degenerate
change in behavior is not important to the individual into relationship conflict. Moderate levels of task conflict
(e.g., waiting for one’s turn), the conflict will be less may thus be optimal.
severe than in a situation in which the change is 3. Process conflict: Conflict over how work gets done.
important (e.g., a promotion or a person’s reputation). Researchers found that process conflicts are about
delegation and roles. Conflicts over delegation often
,revolve around the perception that some members are identification can facilitate the design of conflict
shirking, and conflicts over roles can leave some group interventions for resolving or managing conflict.
members feeling marginalized. Thus, process conflicts
often become highly personalized and quickly devolve into III. THE CONFLICT PROCESS
relationship conflicts. It’s also true, of course, that arguing The conflict process has five stages: potential opposition or
about how to do something takes time away from actually incompatibility, cognition and personalization, intentions,
doing it. behavior, and outcomes (see diagram below):
LOCI OF CONFLICT. Another way to understand
conflict is to consider its locus, or the framework within
which the conflict occurs. (Cox, 2003)
different
·
views
-
Stage I: Potential Opposition or Incompatibility
The first stage of conflict is the appearance of conditions—
-
causes or sources—that create opportunities for it to arise.
SOURCES OF CONFLICT. Another typology of conflict These conditions need not lead directly to conflict, but one
based on its sources is presented in a conflict analytical of them is necessary if it is to surface. We group the
framework called the Circle of Conflict (Moore 1986). This conditions into three general categories:
framework identifies five possible sources of conflict as 1. Communication: There are opposing forces that arise
-
shown the figure below: from semantic difficulties, misunderstandings, and “noise”
in the communication channel.
2. Structure: The term structure in this context includes
variables such as size of the group, degree of specialization
-
in tasks assigned to group members, jurisdictional clarity,
member – goal compatibility, leadership styles, reward
systems, and degree of dependence between groups
3. Personal variables: include personality, emotions, and
-
values.
-
Stage
In using the above typologies in identifying an
organizational conflict, one can create a picture of what the
conflict is about, why it came about, where it is located.
And what its actual and potential outcomes are. This
·
-
, Stage II: Cognition and Personalization satisfy his own concerns
If the conditions cited in Stage I negatively affect something (2) cooperativeness, the extent to which the person attempts
one party cares about, then the potential for opposition or to satisfy the other person's concerns.
incompatibility becomes actualized in the second stage.
Stage II is important because it’s where conflict issues tend
to be defined, where the parties decide what the conflict is
about. The definition of conflict is important because it
delineates the set of possible settlements.
Perceived-conflict:Awareness by one or more parties
of the existence of conditions that create opportunities
for conflict to arise.
➢ Felt conflict:Emotional involvement in a conflict that
creates anxiety, tenseness, frustration, or hostility.
Stage III: Intentions
Intentions intervene between people ’ s perceptions and
emotions, and their overt behavior. Using two dimensions
—assertiveness (the degree to which one party attempts to
satisfy his or her own concerns) and cooperativeness (the
degree to which one party attempts to satisfy the other party’ The interplay between these two dimensions shape five
s concerns) — we can identify five conflict-handling different ways of behaving in conflict situations.
intentions: competing (assertive and uncooperative),
collaborating (assertive and cooperative), avoiding 1. COMPETING “It has to be my way”: When one person
(unassertive and uncooperative), accommodating seeks to satisfy his or her own interests regardless of the
(unassertive and cooperative), and compromising impact on the other parties in the conflict, that person is
(mid-range on both assertiveness and cooperativeness). competing. We are more apt to compete when resources are
These will be elaborated in the next section of Conflict scarce.
Management Styles. 2. COLLABORATING “Let's find a way to satisfy both
our goals ” : When parties in conflict each desire to fully
Stage IV: Behavior satisfy the concerns of all parties, there is cooperation and a
Stage IV is a dynamic process of interaction. The diagram search for a mutually beneficial outcome. In collaborating,
below provides a way of visualizing conflict behavior. parties intend to solve a problem by clarifying differences
rather than by accommodating various points of view.
Stage V: Outcomes 3. AVOIDING “I don’t want to deal with this”: A person
The action-reaction interplay between conflicting parties may recognize a conflict exists and want to withdraw from
creates consequences. These outcomes may be functional if or suppress it. Examples of avoiding include trying to
the conflict improves the group ’ s performance, or ignore a conflict and keeping away from others with whom
dysfunctional if it hinders performance (types of conflict as you disagree.
defined in the previous section). 4. ACCOMMODATING “If that is what you want, I will
agree”: A party who seeks to appease an opponent may be
IV. CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STYLES willing to place the opponent ’ s interests above his or her
A widely used perspective in classifying people ’ s own, sacrificing to maintain the relationship. We refer to
behavior in conflict situations is Thomas-Killman ’ s this intention as accommodating. For example, supporting
five conflict management styles. Thomas and Killman someone else’s opinion despite your reservations about it.
describe “ Conflict situations'' as those in which the 5. COMPROMISING “Let’s meet halfway on this issue”:
concerns of two people appear to be incompatible In In compromising, there is no winner or loser. Rather, there
such situations, individual's behavior can be described is a willingness to ration the object of the conflict and
along two dimensions: accept a solution with incomplete satisfaction of both
(1) assertiveness, the extent to which the person attempts to parties ’ concerns. The distinguishing characteristic of
