Conflict
Problem 5 1.7
Conflict
1. What are different views on conflict/how should organizations deal with conflict?
2. Which conflict resolution strategies are there and how effective are they?
3. What are the main causes of workplace conflict?
4. How do people behave in conflict situations/which conflict management styles can
be distinguished?
5. Which style is appropriate in what kind of situations?
6. What is (workplace) bullying?
7. Which factors influence bullying in the workplace? (situational, characteristics of the
bully and the victim, leadership)
8. What are the consequences of bullying for the victim, but possibly also for the bully,
the organization, and anyone else involved?
9. How do you resolve the problem? Do supported solution methods exist?
Conflict- when one party perceives that another party has negatively affected or is
about to negatively affect something the first party cares about (this conflict has to
be perceived by others)
Functional conflict
Dysfunctional- uncontrolled between two parties, has negative effects
Individual conflict- someone trying to mediate between two parties
Group conflict- institutionalised- two parties preoccupied with own interests
Incompatible differences -> interference/opposition -> antagonism and violation of
rules
- Often concern disagreement about work behaviour/goals/ how tasks are to be
performed/bonuses/ wages/ basic interpersonal conflict
Conflict frame- lens through which parties view the conflict situation
- Cognitive conflict- concrete issues
- Affective conflict- subjective issues (emotional domain)
Conflict perspectives
1. Unitary- organisations as essentially harmonious and any conflict as bad.
Regards management and employee interests as coinciding. Regards
organisational conflict as harmful and to be avoided. This is benefitial.
2. Pluralist- conflict is inevitable. Organisations consist of different natural
interest groups each with own legitimate interests, which make conflict
between them inevitable. Function as ‘early warning systems’ for issues ->
compromise and negotiation. This is inevitable
3. Interactionist- conflict as a positive, necessary force for effective
performance. Doesn’t only accept the inevitability of conflict but also
contains the notion that there is an optimum level of conflict -> the conflict
has to be functional though. Most common and accepted perspective.
Potentially benefitial
4. Radical – conflict as an inevitable outcome of capitalism. Organisational
conflict is an inevitable consequence of exploitative employment in a
, Conflict
capitalist system. many company problems such as harassment, theft and
strikes are a result of exploiting for profit maximisation
Causes of conflict
Communication- communication barriers, semantic difficulties, insufficient exchange
of information, inadequacy of information or selective perception
Structure:
- Size and specialisation- larger groups, diversity of goals, and many expertise’s
can cause conflict
- Ambiguity- ambiguity of responsibility can cause conflict
- Leadership- heavy reliance on leadership can cause conflict
- Rewards- unequal distribution of rewards between groups can cause conflict
- Interdependency- little trust and little interdependency can cause conflict
- Change- fundamental change to structure, systems and procedures e.g.
downsizing can lead to a negative perception and thus conflict
Personal factors- low self-esteem (conflict within the self), high authoritarian
personality or sexual harassment or bullying
Coordination of conflict model
Coordination of conflict model- organises the theories and research findings into a
framework that explains how conflict in organisations arises and how it can be
managed
Organising- the process of breaking up a single task and dividing it among different
departments, groups or individuals -> creates conditions in which conflict can
potentially arise
Problem 5 1.7
Conflict
1. What are different views on conflict/how should organizations deal with conflict?
2. Which conflict resolution strategies are there and how effective are they?
3. What are the main causes of workplace conflict?
4. How do people behave in conflict situations/which conflict management styles can
be distinguished?
5. Which style is appropriate in what kind of situations?
6. What is (workplace) bullying?
7. Which factors influence bullying in the workplace? (situational, characteristics of the
bully and the victim, leadership)
8. What are the consequences of bullying for the victim, but possibly also for the bully,
the organization, and anyone else involved?
9. How do you resolve the problem? Do supported solution methods exist?
Conflict- when one party perceives that another party has negatively affected or is
about to negatively affect something the first party cares about (this conflict has to
be perceived by others)
Functional conflict
Dysfunctional- uncontrolled between two parties, has negative effects
Individual conflict- someone trying to mediate between two parties
Group conflict- institutionalised- two parties preoccupied with own interests
Incompatible differences -> interference/opposition -> antagonism and violation of
rules
- Often concern disagreement about work behaviour/goals/ how tasks are to be
performed/bonuses/ wages/ basic interpersonal conflict
Conflict frame- lens through which parties view the conflict situation
- Cognitive conflict- concrete issues
- Affective conflict- subjective issues (emotional domain)
Conflict perspectives
1. Unitary- organisations as essentially harmonious and any conflict as bad.
Regards management and employee interests as coinciding. Regards
organisational conflict as harmful and to be avoided. This is benefitial.
2. Pluralist- conflict is inevitable. Organisations consist of different natural
interest groups each with own legitimate interests, which make conflict
between them inevitable. Function as ‘early warning systems’ for issues ->
compromise and negotiation. This is inevitable
3. Interactionist- conflict as a positive, necessary force for effective
performance. Doesn’t only accept the inevitability of conflict but also
contains the notion that there is an optimum level of conflict -> the conflict
has to be functional though. Most common and accepted perspective.
Potentially benefitial
4. Radical – conflict as an inevitable outcome of capitalism. Organisational
conflict is an inevitable consequence of exploitative employment in a
, Conflict
capitalist system. many company problems such as harassment, theft and
strikes are a result of exploiting for profit maximisation
Causes of conflict
Communication- communication barriers, semantic difficulties, insufficient exchange
of information, inadequacy of information or selective perception
Structure:
- Size and specialisation- larger groups, diversity of goals, and many expertise’s
can cause conflict
- Ambiguity- ambiguity of responsibility can cause conflict
- Leadership- heavy reliance on leadership can cause conflict
- Rewards- unequal distribution of rewards between groups can cause conflict
- Interdependency- little trust and little interdependency can cause conflict
- Change- fundamental change to structure, systems and procedures e.g.
downsizing can lead to a negative perception and thus conflict
Personal factors- low self-esteem (conflict within the self), high authoritarian
personality or sexual harassment or bullying
Coordination of conflict model
Coordination of conflict model- organises the theories and research findings into a
framework that explains how conflict in organisations arises and how it can be
managed
Organising- the process of breaking up a single task and dividing it among different
departments, groups or individuals -> creates conditions in which conflict can
potentially arise
