10th Edition
Managing Organizational Behavior
Moorhead & Griffin
Chapter 15
Conflict and Resolution
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
All rights reserved.
Prepared by Charlie Cook
The University of West Alabama
Chapter Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter you should be able to:
• Define and discuss the nature of conflict in
organizations.
• Identify and describe the common forms and
causes of conflict.
• Discuss the most frequent reactions to conflict in
organizations.
• Describe how conflict can be managed.
• Define negotiation in organizations and discuss
its underlying processes.
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
15–2
The Nature of Conflict in Organizations
• Conflict
–A process resulting in the perceptions of two parties
that they are working in opposition to each other in
ways that result in feelings of discomfort and/or
animosity
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
15–3
15.1
The Nature of Organizational Conflict
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
15–4
Common Forms of Conflict
Task
Conflict
Process
Conflict
Legal
Conflict
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
Relationship
Conflict
Interpersonal
Conflict
15–5
Common Causes of Conflict
Conflict between
Organization and
Environment
Interpersonal
Conflict
Causes of
Conflict
Intergroup
Conflict
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
Task
Interdependence
15–6
Task Interdependence
Types of Task
Interdependence
Pooled
Interdependence
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Sequential
Interdependence
Reciprocal
Interdependence
15–7
Common Reactions to Conflict
Avoidance
Accommodation
Collaboration
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Competition
Compromise
15–8
15.2
Five Types of Reactions to Conflict
Reference: Adapted from Kenneth Thomas, “Conflict and Conflict Management,”
in Marvin Dunnette (ed.), Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology
(Chicago: Rand McNally, 1976), pp. 889–935. Reprinted by permission.
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
15–9
Reactions to Conflict
Reactions to conflict can
be differentiated by:
Importance of each party’s
goals to that party
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
Compatibility of each
party’s goals to the goals
of the other party
15–10
Managing Conflict
• Managers must know:
–When to stimulate and when to
resolve conflict in order to avoid
potentially disruptive effects
–That both too little and too much
conflict can be dysfunctional
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
15–11
Managing Conflict (cont’d)
• Stimulating Conflict
–The creation and constructive use of conflict
by a manager
• Conflict Resolution
–A managed effort to reduce or eliminate
harmful conflict
• Superordinate Goal
–The goal of the overall organization which
is more important to the well-being of the
organization and its members than the more
specific goals of the conflicting parties
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
15–12
15.3
Conflict Management Alternatives
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15–13
Managing Conflict (cont’d)
Using Structure to
Manage Conflict
The
Managerial
Hierarchy
Rules and
Procedures
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
Liaison
Roles
Task
Forces
15–14
Managing Conflict (cont’d)
Team
Building
Survey
Feedback
Interpersonal
Techniques to
Manage Conflict
Third-Party
Peacemaking
Negotiated
Conflict
Management
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
15–15
Negotiation in Organizations
• Negotiation
–The process in which two or more parties (people or
groups) reach agreement on an issue even though
they have different preferences regarding that issue
Individual Differences
Situational Characteristics
Approaches to
Negotiations
Game Theory
Cognitive Approaches
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
15–16
Negotiation in Organizations (cont’d)
• Approaches to Negotiations
–Situational Characteristics
• The context within which negotiation takes place
• Types of communication between negotiators
• Potential outcomes of the negotiation
• Relative power of the parties
• Time frame available for negotiation
• Number of people representing each side
• Presence of other parties
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
15–17
Negotiation in Organizations (cont’d)
• Approaches to Negotiation (cont’d)
–Game Theory
• Uses mathematical models to predict the outcome of
negotiation situations
• Assumes that negotiators are always rational
–Cognitive Approaches
• Recognize that negotiators often depart from perfect
rationality during negotiation
• Try to predict how and when negotiators will make these
departures
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
15–18
Negotiation in Organizations (cont’d)
• Win-Win Negotiation
–The PRAM Model
• Proper planning
• Building relationships
• Getting agreements
• Maintaining relationships
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
15–19
15.4
The PRAM Model of Negotiation
Reference: Reprinted from Brian G. Long, Ph.D., and Ross R. Reck, Ph.D., The Win-Win Negotiator: How to Negotiate Favorable
Agreements That Last. Copyright © 1985, 1987 by Brian G. Long and Ross R. Reck. Reprinted with permission of Ross R. Reck, Ph.D.
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
15–20
Organizational Behavior in Action
• After reading the chapter:
–In the chapter opening case, how did changes in
technology create conflict between the Writers Guild of
America and the studios?
–How does organizational culture affect how conflict is
resolved in an organization?
–Which technique to manage conflict could be used to
explain President Reagan’s phrase “trust but verify”?
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
15–21
