Mgt 4310
Conflict
Tensions at Work
Conflict

Develops when a person or group believes
that its interests or the achievement of its
goals are being frustrated or blocked
Structural Causes of Conflict

Group Identification and Competition
– Differentiation
– Goal incompatibility
– Task interdependence
– Power differences
– Ambiguity
– Scarce resources
Interpersonal Causes of Conflict

Poor communication

Attributions

Distrust

Grudges

Personal characteristics
Role Conflict

The roles people are expected to play
– The different statuses they assume
– The values they hold and the norms they display
– The various sources of identity available to people

Role conflict occurs when a person is faced with
incompatible role expectations
– when the norms/identity/status that are
consistent with one role prevent us from behaving
in accordance with the norms/identity/status
consistent with another role.
Role Conflict

Participation is the amount of time spent in a role

Commitment and values expectations reflect the
importance of the role to the individual, and the degree
to which the individual can meet their needs through
that role

Satisfaction in life is related to role congruence, which is
the amount of congruence between the level of
participation in each life role and the level of
commitment to and valuing of that role.

If an individual highly values and is highly committed to
the family role, but only participates in this role 5% of
the time, that individual will be less satisfied with life
than an individual with greater congruence.
Domains of role conflict

Work interference with home life
– work–family conflict was significantly related to
marital satisfaction but not to work satisfaction
 Both relate to life satisfaction
– Both men and women reported that their most
rewarding role was the parent role, however they
differed in what they considered to be their most
stressful life role. Women reported that the parent
role was most stressful, whereas men reported that
the career role was most stressful.
Domains of role conflict

Home and social life interference with
work
– Personal phone calls, emails, surfing the net,
non-work discussions etc
– Creates the desired level of life balance
– To meet time demands from different roles
– Rationalized as convenience, culturally
accepted, to provide self-rewards
Domains of role conflict

Balancing work and family/social life
– View work through the personal lens
 Use questionnaires, meetings to assess work practices that
are interfering and unnecessary
 Question the underlying cultural assumptions (staying late
means commitment)
– Set up experiments that are oriented toward the dual
agenda
 Changes in organizational structures, reward systems and
norms
– Assess and implement
Domains of role conflict

Romance at the office
– Distractions created by conflict between
emotional/social roles and work roles
 Tension can create counterproductive behavior
 Produce avoidance to minimize tensions or
perceptions of impropriety
– Confuses issues of power (sexual harassment)
and vulnerability
 Distancing one’s self from emotions can create
burnout
 Can reduce synergies created by close working
relationships
School/Work Conflicts

Imagine that you play two different roles in your life.

One role is that of College student, where one of the
norms is that you have to attend a class at 3pm on a
Friday afternoon. The other role is that of a part-time
employee. As a good and faithful employee, when a
crisis occurs at work, your employer demands that you
come into work 3 hours earlier than usual on a Friday.
Instead of starting work at 5pm, they ask you to start
work at 2pm.

In terms of these two roles, this is a no-win situation
for you. If you follow the norms associated with one
role, you will break the norms associated with the other
role. The fact it's not your fault and that whatever you
choose to do will mean getting into trouble with either
your teacher or your employer is irrelevant here. You will
be an innocent victim of role conflict...
Work/School Conflict
As work time demands increase it depletes
resources and reduces feelings of wellbeing and satisfaction with the student
roles
 More time spent on student role does not
increase school satisfaction
 Role balance increased satisfaction
 School is perceived to interfere with work
rather than work interfering in with school

Two-Dimensional Model of
Conflict Behavior
Assertive
Competing
Collaborating
Compromising
Avoiding
Accommodating
Unassertive
Uncooperative
Cooperative
Cooperativeness
(attempting to satisfy the other party’s concerns)
Resolving Conflict

Negotiations
– Distributive solutions (win-lose or lose-lose)
 Threats and promises
 Firmness versus concessions
 Persuasion
– Integrative solutions (win-win)
 Exchange information
 Reframe the situation
Resolving Conflict

Reducing the structural basis of conflict
– Increase resources
– Emphasize superordinate goals
– Reduce differentiation and increase
communication
– Clarify rules and procedures
– Reduce interdependence