HRD presentation on conflict management skills.

1. ORGANISATIONAL
BEHAVIOUR
CONFLICT AND
TYPES OF CONFLICT

2. Contents...
 Concept
 Nature of conflict
 Sources of conflict
 Types of conflict
 Functionality and Dysfunctionality of conflict
 Effects of conflict
 Resolution of Conflict

3. Working together isn’t
always easy

4. What is conflict?
Dictionary definition:
 disagreement, struggle, fight,
incompatibility

5. Concept....
 Conflict can be considered as an expression of
hostility , negative attitudes , aggression ,
rivalry and misunderstanding .
 Conflict may emerge between different
organisations or within organisations , or
between organisations and their social and
political environments .

6. Definitions Of Conflict
 According to Joe Kelly , “ Conflict is defined
as opposition or dispute between persons,
groups or ideas ”.
 According to Follett, “ Conflict is the
appearance of difference , difference of
opinions, of interests ” .
 A conflict is serious disagreement or argument
between two or more persons

7. Nature of Conflict
Conflicts are Natural
Conflicts are not
Big
Conflict is
Multidimensional
Conflict is Finding the
Balance
Conflict is
Universal
Conflict is
Disruptive
Conflict Involves
Disagreement

8. Sources of Conflict
Organisational Change
Personality Clashes
Different Sets of Values
Threats to Status
Contrasting Perceptions
Lack of Trust
Interdepartmental Wrangles Job Related Issues
Other Agendas

9. Types/Classification of Conflict
Individual Level
conflict
Group Level
Conflict
Organisational
Level Conflict
Intra-
Individual
Conflict
Inter-
Individual
Conflict
Intra-Group
conflict
Inter-
Group
Conflict Intra-
Organ.
Conflict
Inter-
Organ.
Conflict

10. Intra-personal conflict
 Conflict within an individual.
1.Goal conflict
When a person has to choose between two or
more goals.
2.Role conflict
When the expectations of a role are materially
different and the individual can meet one
expectation only at the cost of other expectations.

11. Inter-personal conflict
 Conflict between individuals
 It may arise due to :
1.Personality differences
2.Perceptions
3.Clash of values and interests
4.Power and status differences
5.Scarcity of resources

12. Inter-group conflict
 Conflicts between
groups
 Most common type of
organisational conflict.
 Sources of inter-group
conflicts:
1.Incompatible goals
2.Task interdependence
3.Resource sharing
4.Joint decision making
5.Absorption of
uncertainty
6.Attitudinal sets
7.Organisational
ambiguities
8.Introduction of change

13. FUNCTIONAL& DYSFUNCTIONALCONFLICT
 Functional conflict: works toward the goals
of an organization or group
 Dysfunctional conflict: blocks an organization
or group from reaching its goals

14. Functional Conflict
 Functional conflict also called Constructive
Conflict, results in benefits to individuals, the
team, or the organisation.
 Functional conflict works towards the goal of
an organisation or a group.
 On positive side, conflict can bring important
problems to the surface so they can be
addressed .
 It can increase the amount of information
used in decision-making .

15. Contd....
 It can offer opportunities for creativity that can
improve performance .
 An effective manager or team leader is able to
simulate constructive conflict in situations in
which satisfaction with the status quo is
holding back needed changes and
development.

16. Dysfunctional Conflict
 Dysfunctional conflict, or Destructive conflict,
works to the disadvantage of an individual or
team.
 It diverts energies, hurts group cohesion,
promotes interpersonal hostilities, and overall,
creates a negative environment for workers.
 Dysfunctional conflict blocks an organisation
or a group from reaching its goal.

17. Contd....
 This type of conflict occurs, e.g., when two
members are unable to work together because
of interpersonal differences – a destructive
emotional conflict – or when the members of a
work unit fail to act because they cannot agree
on task goals – a destructive substantive
conflict.
 Destructive conflicts of these types can
decrease performance and job satisfaction as
well as contribute to absenteeism and job
turnover .

18. Effects of Conflict
 Conflict has both Positive and Negative effect.
 It can be positive when it encourages
creativity, new looks at old, the clarification of
points of view, and the development of human
capabilities to handle interpersonal differences.
 Conflict can be negative when it creates
resistance to change, establishes turmoil in
organisation or interpersonal relations fosters
distrust, builds a feeling of defeat, or widens
the chasm of misunderstanding.

19. Positive Effects of Conflict
 Acts as Motivating Factor : Motivate
individuals to do better and to work harder.
One’s talents and abilities come to the
forefront in a conflict situation.
 Acts as Need Satisfier : Satisfy certain
psychological needs like dominance,
aggression, esteem and ego and thereby
provide an opportunity for the constructive use
and release of aggressive urges.

20. Cont....
 Introducing Variety: Add variety to one’s
organisational life, otherwise work life would
be dull and boring.
 Create Understanding: Facilitate an
understanding of the problem, people and
interrelationships between people, better
coordination among individuals and
departments, in addition to strengthening intra-
group relationships, etc.

21. increased
creativity

22. It forces people to clarify their
views

23. It can produce
constructive social
change

24. It gives people the opportunity to
test their capacities

25. Negative Effects of Conflict
 Drop in Productivity : Allowing a conflict to
continue means that employee attention
becomes more focused on the conflict and not
on productivity.
 Lack of Direction: Conflict can sometimes
arise when management is unable to
communicate the direction of the company to
employees. Conflict will erupt as employee are
allowed to interpret changes within the
company in their own way.

26. Cont....
 Lack of New Ideas: Groups in conflict tend not
to collaborate on new ideas. When conflict
goes unresolved it can be difficult to create
new ideas, the company needs to solve
problems it is facing.
 Affects Quality of Work: If conflict is allowed
to go on long enough, the parties involved may
begin to show more interest in the conflict than
in doing their jobs properly. Product quality
can suffer and in some cases the safety of the
employees can be in jeopardy as well.

27. Violence

28. breakdown of relationships

29. A breakdown of
collaborative ventures

30. destruction of
communication

31. How can conflict be managed
successfully?

32. Strategies for managing conflicts
 1. Conflict Stimulation
 2.Conflict prevention, and
 3.Conflict resolution

33. 1. Conflict Stimulation
(i) Reorganising
(ii) Communication
(iii) Encouraging competition
(iv) Bringing in outsiders

34. 2.Conflict prevention
(a) Superordinate goals
(b) Reducing interdependence
(c) Exchange of personnel
(d) Liaison group or integrators
(e) Appeal to higher authority

35. 3.Conflict resolution
(i) Problem solving
(ii) Smoothing
(iii) Compromise
(iv) Dominance or confrontation
(v) Avoidance

36. Resolving the Conflict
Looking for a win-win ?

40. Reaching win-win