Conflict Management
Lecture 03
Muhammmad Riaz
MS (HR), PHR –USA, AICCI-USA
Member SHRM
riaz@pbs.edu.pk
+92 345 91 98 388
raqi148.weebly.com , 148raqi.blogspot.com
Conflict
An interactive process manifested in
incompatibility, disagreement, or dissonance
within or between
social entities
(i.e. individual, group, organization).
Conflict occurs when one or (two) social entity (ies):
 is required to engage in an activity that is dissimilar with his or
her needs or interests.
 Holds behavioral preferences, the satisfaction of which
incompatible with another person’s
or her preferences
is
implementation of his
 Wants some mutually desirable resource that is in
supply, such that the wants of everyone may
not
satisfied fully
short
be
 Possesses attitudes, values, skills, and goals that are salient in
directing one’s behavior but that are perceived to be exclusive
of the attitudes, values, skills, and goals held by the other(s)

Has partially exclusive behavioral preferences regarding joint
actions; and

is interdependent in the performance of functions or activities.
Why Workplace Conflict??
Workplace conflict may be because of

scarce and insufficient resources; such as time, status
or budgets:

because of values; such as political preferences,
religious beliefs, deep rooted moral values:

because of insights, facts, perceptions, world views
and may be because of any possible combination of
these issues
Types of Conflict
1. Affective Conflict / Relationship Conflict
2. Substantive Conflict / Task Conflict
3. Conflict of Interest / Clash of Interests
4. Conflict of Values
1. Affective Conflict /
Relationship Conflict
This occurs when two interacting social entities,
while trying to solve a problem together, become
aware that their feelings and emotions regarding
some or all the issues are incompatible.
Psychological conflict
Relationship conflict
Emotional conflict
Interpersonal conflict
2. Substantive Conflict / Task
Conflict
This occurs when two or more organizational members disagree on their task
or content issues.
Task conflict
Cognitive conflict
Issue conflict
3. Conflict of Interest / Clash of
Interests
This type of conflict occurs “when each party,
sharing the same understanding of the situation,
prefers a different and Some -what incompatible
solution to a problem involving either a
distribution of scarce resources between them or
a decision to share the work of solving it”
The argument of managers A and B for the same
General Manager’s job exemplifies a conflict of
interest.
4. Conflict of Values
This occurs when two social entities
differ in their values or ideologies on
certain issues
Ideological conflict
The ideological disagreement of supervisors A
and B on the question of “compensatory
hiring” is an example of value conflict.
Levels of Conflict
 Intrapersonal Conflict
- Within one’s personality
 Interpersonal Conflict
- Among persons
 Intra-group Conflict
- With in group
 Inter-group Conflict
- Among persons
Intrapersonal Conflict
• This type of conflict is also known as intraindividual or intra-psychic conflict.
• It occurs when an organizational member is
required to perform certain tasks and roles
that do not match his or her expertise,
interests, goals, and values.
Interpersonal Conflict
• This is also known as dyadic conflict.
• It refers to conflict between two or more
organizational members of the same or
different hierarchical levels or units.
• The studies on superior–subordinate
conflict relate to this type of conflict.
Intra-group Conflict
• This is also known as intradepartmental
conflict.
• It refers to conflict among members of a
group or between two or more subgroups
within a group in connection with its goals,
tasks, procedures, and so on. Such a conflict
may also occur as a result of
incompatibilities or disagreements between
some or all the members of a group and its
leader(s).
Inter-group Conflict
• This is also known as interdepartmental conflict.
It refers to conflict between two or more units or
groups within an organization.
• Conflicts between line and staff, production and
marketing, and headquarters and field staffs are
examples of this type of conflict.
• On special type of inte-rgroup conflict is between
labor and management.
Main Researchers
• Dr. Dean Tjosvold
Dr. Afzal Rahim
400+ Research Articles
Book Chapters
Management Department
Professor of Management
Lingnan University
Tuen Mun, Hong Kong
Fax: (852) 2467-0982
email: tjosvold@ln.edu.hk
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY
Two Books
Book Chapters, 200+ Researches
Phone/Fax: 270-782-2898/2601
email: mgt2000@aol.com