conflict management ipcs term paper

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IPCS Term Paper 2011

Submitted to:Ms. Samra Jaweed

1 | C o n f l i c t M a n a g e m e n t

2011

ConflictManagement[IPCS TERM PAPER]

Conflict management plays an important role in maintaining a good healthyworking environment in an organization. The term paper proves that it isnot possible to avoid a conflict in an organization but it could be resolvedby different conflict management techniques.




Made By:Saad Niazi 11467





CONTENTS

Page

I. Acknowledgement---------------------------03

II.Introduction----------------------------------04

III. Hypothesis------------------------------------05IV.Analysis:

a. Nature of conflicts----------------------------------------------06

b. Sources of conflicts--------------------------------------------06

c. Views of conflicts-----------------------------------------------

07d. Types of conflicts-----------------------------------------------

10e. Approaches to conflict management-----------------11f. Matching Strategies to Situations------------------------

16g. Conflict outcomes---------------------------------------------

17h. Conflict in organizations-------------------------------------

17V. Research-------------------------------------20VI.Case Study-----------------------------------

22VII.Conclusion-----------------------------------25





VIII.Bibliography----------------------------------26

Acknowledgment

First of all I would like to thank Allah Almighty for granting me the capability and

courage to work on this report with my best efforts, and for the patience and perseverance

endowed by Him.

I would also like to thank Ms. Samra Jawed for giving me the chance to work on this

report and for her guidance, advice and examples during regular sessions which made this

report possible.

I would also like to extend my gratitude to the senior students who gave guidance and

helped me in this report.

I genuinely hope that this report meets the designated standards and you have a pleasant

time going through it.

Thank you.





Introduction

onflict Management refers to the long-termmanagement of intractable Cconflicts, addressing thevariety of ways by which people handle grievances -

clashes of right and wrong. It includes such diverse phenomenonas gossip, ridicule, lynching, terrorism, warfare, feuding,genocide, law, mediation, and avoidance. Which of these diverseforms of conflict management will be used in any given case ispredicted and explained by the social structure, or socialgeometry of the case.

C

The scientific study of conflict management (also known as social control) owes its foundations to ‘Donald Black’, who typologizedits elementary forms and used his strategy of pure sociology to

explain several aspects of its variation. Research and theory onconflict management has been further developed by people likeAllan Horwitz, Calvin Morill, James Tucker, Mark Cooney, M.P.Baumgartner, Roberta Senechal de la Roche, Marian Borg, Ellis Godard, Scott PHillips, Bradley Campbell and many others.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_control


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Black

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure_sociology

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ellis_Godard&action=edit




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Black

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure_sociology







Hypothesis

The Hypothesis that we are going to prove contains a relationship

between Conflict and Organizations (work). The hypothesis that

we are going to prove is:

Ho: It is not possible to avoid conflict in organizations (Work).

H1: It is possible to avoid conflict in organization (Work).





The nature of conflict

According to Tagiuri, ‘Conflict is inherent to social life.’ Conflict in anysituation in which two or more parties fell themselves in opposition.Conflict is an interpersonal process that arises from disagreementsover the goals to attain or the methods to be used to accomplish thosegoals. in organizations everywhere conflict among different interests is

inevitable, and sometimes the amount of conflict is substantial. Onesurvey reported that managers spend an estimated 20% of their timedealing with conflict. They may be either direct participants ormediators trying to resolve conflict between two or more of theiremployees. In either case, knowledge and understanding of conflictand the methods for resolving it are important.

Sources of conflict

There are various sources of conflict

• Organizational Change. People hold different views over thedirections to go, the routes to take and their likely success, theresources to be used, and the probable outcomes. With the paceof technological, political, and social change increasing and themarketplace hurtling toward a global economy, organizationalchanges will be ever present.

• Personality Clashes. The concept of individual differences isfundamental to organizational behavior. Not everyone thinks,





feels, acts or looks alike. Although personality differences cancause conflict, they are also a rich resource for creative problemsolving. Employees need to accept, respect, and learn how to

use these differences when they arise.• Threats to status. The status or the social rank of a person in a

group is very important to many individuals. When one’s statusis threatened, face saving becomes a powerful driving force as aperson struggles to maintain a desired image. Conflict may arisebetween the defensive person and whoever created a threat tostatus.

• Contrasting perceptions. People perceive things differently asa result their prior experiences and expectations. Since theirperceptions are very real to them, they sometimes fail to realizethat others may hold contrasting perceptions of the same object

or event. Conflict may arise unless employees learn to see thingsas others see them and help others do the same.• Lack of trust . Every continuing relationship requires some

degree of trust- the capacity to depend on each other’s word andactions. Trust opens up boundaries, provides opportunities inwhich to act and enriches the entire social fabric of anorganization. When someone has a real or perceived reason notto trust another, the potential for conflict rises.

Views of Conflicts

The traditional view of conflict The traditional view of conflict assumed that all conflict was bad.Conflictby definition was harmful and was to be avoided. It was seen as adysfunctional outcome resulting from poor communication, lack of openness and trust between people and failures of managers to beresponsive to the needs and aspirations of their employees. Since thiskind of conflict is viewed negatively, it is avoided and hence theattention is directed toward the causes of conflict and these causes arecorrected. This approach to conflict reduction results in high group

performance.

The human relations view to conflict

The human Relations position argues that conflict is a naturaloccurrence





in all groups and organization. It advocates acceptance of conflict.According to human relations view conflict may benefit a group’sperformance.

In an organizational setting, if things go on smoothly and people stickto their daily routines over extended periods of time through the yearswithout any disagreements, work will probably get done, but there willbe no innovation in the organization nor any incentive for the membersto take a fresh look at how things ought to be changed in the interestsof improving efficiency or effectiveness or both. Thus an optimal levelof conflict seems essential for innovation since it stimulates people andkeeps interpersonal interactions and the work place moving in anexciting, healthy, and creative manner.

The Interactionist view

It believes that conflict is not only a positive force in a group but that itisabsolutely necessary for a group to perform effectively. Theinteractionist approach encourages conflict on the grounds that aharmonious, peaceful, tranquil, and cooperative group is prone tobecoming static, apathetic and non-responsive to needs for changeand innovation.

T he O rganizational L evel view

Here, conflicts can bring about changes in structure and processessince itacts as a stimulus for examining established systems, which are nolonger useful. New rules, regulations, procedures and norms andchanges in other dimensions of structure and processes are oftenbrought about because of conflicting situations.

However, if a conflict is allowed to develop beyond control, it couldtend to become destructive, resulting in such aversive consequencesas strikes, sabotage and other dysfunctional behaviors. There thus seems to be an optimum level of conflict that is very useful

for the development of creativity, healthy problem solving behaviorsand productivity. This optimum level of conflict is shown in fig. 1.1.Because too little conflict creates conditions of inertia and boredomand in the system and excessive conflict results in destructive anddysfunctional tendencies.





Types of conflict Task conflict relates to the conflict over the content and goals of thework.

Relationship conflict focuses on interpersonal relationship.Process conflict relates to how a work is done.

Functional vs. dysfunctional conflict

Conflicts which support the group’s goal and improve its performancethese are functional conflicts whereas conflicts the hinder groupsperformance are dysfunctional conflicts.

Conflict Resolution Modes

Conflict has to be managed and resolved as soon as optimum level iscrossed and before dysfunctional consequences start occurring. Thomas (1976) has offered a contingency approach to resolvingconflicts.If two groups or parties A and B experience conflict, each could bemore concerned about their own self or they could experience moreconcern for the other. When concern for the self is very low, they couldbe very assertive, and if concern for the self is high, they could be veryassertive. If their concern for the other is low, they would tend to beuncooperative, and if it is high, they would be very cooperative. Thesecould be depicted on two axes as shown in fig 1.2




ACCOMMODATINGAVOIDINGCOLLABORATINGCOMPETINGCOMPROMISING



HIGH

Concern

For Others

LOW

LOW HIGHConcern for Others




Contingency Approach to Conflict Management There are five modes of resolving conflict. But there isn’t one bestmode for resolving conflict. All five modes come in handy in differentsituations and each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Competing

It is a desire to satisfy his or her interests regardless of the impact onthe other party to conflict. Examples include intending to achieve yourgoal at the sacrifice of the others goal attempting to convince another

that your conclusion is correct and his or hers is mistaken, and tryingto make someone else accept blame for a problem. Competing is apower -oriented mode of resolving tensions. Competing is useful whenyou know that the resources are limited and the system has to bepostponed. Especially at the time of emergencies, where quick,decisive action has to be taken and there is no time to seekcollaborative, compromising, or accommodating solutions, thecompeting mode is useful. Here one uses power and makes unilateraldecisions taking the win -lose approach.

There are few factors that people should be concerned about when

they score high on this mode. If individuals are highly power oriented,they are likely to surround themselves with those who would alwaysagree with them. Because people know that it is politically unwise forthem to disagree others with such people. Thus the only agreeableothers with such high power-oriented will be what latter would likehear. This shuts high power people off from critical feedback that canbe usefully applied for enhancing the effectiveness of the organization.Also since in a competitive environment people feel compelled to comeacross to others as competent and knowledgeable, they never ask forinformation or guidance when they do not know how to handle issuesand hence, the organization ultimately suffers as a result of lower

quality performance.It is observed that, often when people score low on the competingmode, they are likely to feel powerless in many situations not realizingthat they do have power but are just inept at or uncomfortable withusing it. The power is bottled up inside every one of us. By trying touse the power one has, and becoming skilled at it, one could enhanceone’s influence, there by enhancing one‘s effectiveness. Anotherdrawback in scoring low on this mode is that such individuals find it





difficult to take a firm stand on issues even when they know they areright. Concerns for others’ feelings could force them to postponemaking vital decisions and communicating them in a timely manner.

This in no way helps the organization or its members.

Thus a competitive style of conflict resolution is only desirable oruseful when:

• A quick response is necessary

• An unpopular course of action is needed• Protection against aggressive behavior is denied.• The rules demand competition.

Collaborating

When the parties to conflict each desire to fully satisfy the concerns of all parties we have cooperation and the search for a mutuallybeneficial outcome. In collaborating the intention of the parties is tosolve the problem by clarifying differences rather than byaccommodating various points of view. Here, the underlying concernsof both parties are explored in depth, the disagreements examined indetail; resolutions arrived at by combining Examples includeattempting to find a win/win solution that allows both parties’ goals tobe completely achieved and seeking a conclusion that incorporates the

valid insights of both parties. It is an attempt to work with the otherperson to find solutions that will be satisfying to both the parties. Acreative solution usually emerges because of the joint efforts of boththe parties who are keen on both gaining from the situation withouthurting each other.

Collaboration is a very useful mode when the two sets of concerns of the two parties are both too important to be compromised. Hence,finding integrated solutions becomes imperative. Collaboration is alsoimportant when the commitment of both the parties is essential forimportant projects to succeed. This is achieved by addressing both

people’s concern and arriving at a consensual decision.Collaboration is also the best mode when the objectives of the partyare:

• To learn (testing one’s own assumptions, trying to understandthe other’s point of view)





• To merge insights that different people bring to a problembecause of their backgrounds, training, disciplines, ororientations

•

To work through hard feelings which are interfering with adesired interpersonal relationship.• It is important to gain commitment.• An increase in follow through is desired.

When people score high on collaborating, they have to be concernedabout how they spend their time and use other organizationalresources. It is time and energy consuming. Not all situations needcollaborative solutions. The overuse of collaboration and consensualdecision-making may reflect risk aversion tendencies or an inclinationto diffuse responsibility.

When people score low on collaborating, they may fail to capitalize onsituations, which would benefit immensely from joint problem solving.Also, by ignoring the concerns of employees, decisions and policiesmay be evolved which the organizational members both unhappy anduncommitted to the system.

Compromising

Compromising is taking an intermediate position on both the assertiveand cooperative dimensions. In compromising the party tries to findsome expedient, mutually acceptable solution, which partially satisfies

both parties, though neither is fully satisfied. A compromise addressesthe issue without avoiding it, but doesn’t explore the alternatives in away that would be completely satisfying to both parties as in the caseof collaboration. Compromising involves “splitting the differences”exchanging concessions, and seeking a quick middle- ground.

Compromising could be useful when

• Goals are moderately important, not worth the time and effort of a more assertive style;

• Two parties with equal power are committed to mutuallyexclusive goals;

• Temporary agreements are needed;• Quick solutions are needed;• Collaboration/ competition fails and back up plan is needed.

When people score high on compromising, they should be wary of thefact that this mode of operation on a constant or consistent basis cancreate a climate of “gamesmanship” in the work environment, whichmight then lead to distrust among members. That is people mightknow that the resolution would involve splitting the difference and





hence jack up the level of their original demands, as sometimeshappens in the case of budget requests, where whoever plays thegame right is likely to gain additional advantages. Thus, people start

playing games with each other which results in distrust among themembers. It is also possible that when people concentrate heavily onthe tactics of compromising, they may lose sight of values, principles,and long term objectives and Company welfare. Compromise as aconflict resolution mode might offer an easy way out, but is also likelyto produce adverse overall effects for the organization if that is themain or only approach to conflict resolution taken by managers, in theorganization.

If people score low on compromising, it might indicate that they find ithard to make concessions and that they might be caught in powerstruggles and find it almost impossible to get out of awkward situations

in a graceful manner. Compromise is a safety valve when collaborationor competition fails to yield results. A low score might also indicate theopposite – that the individual is too embarrassed or shy to bargain andhence does not want to enter into such bargaining situations.

Avoiding

Avoiding is a mode used when the individual is both unassertive anduncooperative- that is, the person has a low concern for his own andhis opponent’s needs. While avoiding, the individual mightdiplomatically sidestep a conflicting issue, postpone addressing theproblem or totally withdraw physically and /or psychologically from athreatening situation.

Avoiding can be useful when:

• An issue is trivial• You have low power ;• Potential damage of confronting outweigh the benefits of

resolution;• People need to cool down;• Time is needed to gather more information;

• Another person can resolve conflict more efficiently.When managers score high on avoidance they have to be concernedthat:

• Decisions on important issues might constantly be made bydefault;

• Coordination of efforts might suffer in the system becausecritical decisions and inputs are avoided;





• In ordinate amounts of time and energy can be expended by allwhen people get the message that the system is “too cautious”about making decisions and they also had better be so.

When individuals score low on avoiding (i.e., they always want toconfront every single issue), they might be hurting other peoplesfeelings and stirring up hostilities (which they do not intend to),because they make it a point to confront every insignificant situation. They might also be spending a lot of time on trivial issues.

Accommodating

Accommodating might take the form of selfless generosity. Or obeying

another’s orders rather unwillingly, or giving into other person’sviewpoint. In all these cases the individual neglects his or her ownconcern to satisfy the concerns of other party. There is an element of self sacrifice in this mode.

Accommodating is useful when:

• One has to learn from others;• One has to show that he/she is reasonable or s a goodwill

gesture;• Acknowledge that an issue is more important to the other

person;•

Build up ‘social credits’;• Allow others to learn from mistakes;• In the situations where the individual realizes that he or she is

wrong;• When continued competition would only damage ones cause

because one is outmatched and is losing;

• It is the choice mode of operation when preserving harmony andavoiding disruption are especially important.

When people are high on accommodation they might be deferring tomuch to the wishes of others and pay very little attention to their own

ideas and concerns even though they may realize that they are notgetting the attention they deserve. This might even lower ones self esteem in addition to depriving one of influence, respect andrecognition from others since it negates the potential contribution thatindividuals are capable of making to the organization.

When individuals score low on accommodating they should startthinking about whether they lack the goodwill of others( sinceaccommodating on some issues is important as a gesture of goodwill),





and whether they are perceived by others as unreasonable,uncompromising, rigid, and demanding. Such people should alsoengage in introspection to find out if they know:

• When to give up;• How to admit when they are in the wrong;• Can recognize legitimate exceptions to rules.

In sum all five conflict handling modes are useful under differentsituations and there are advantages and disadvantages to havingeither too high or too low scores on each of these. It would be usefulto build up repertoire of conflict handling behaviors so that we cantake a contingency approach to handling conflict situations.

Matching Strategies to Situations

There are a few key variables that define conflict managementsituations and determine which conflict management strategies arelikely to be effective. Time pressure is an important variable -- if therewere never any time pressures, collaboration might always be the bestapproach to use. In addition to time pressures, some of the mostimportant factors to consider are issue importance, relationshipimportance, and relative power:

• Issue importance - the extent to which important priorities,principles or values are involved in the conflict.

• Relationship importance - how important it is that youmaintain a close, mutually supportive relationship with the otherparty.

• Relative power - how much power you have compared to howmuch power other party has.

When you find yourself in conflict over very important issues, youshould normally try to collaborate with the other party. But, if time isprecious and if you have enough power to impose your will, forcing ismore appropriate. Realize that you might need to repair therelationship after using a forcing strategy if the other party feels thatyou did not show adequate consideration for their concerns. Again,

collaborating is normally the best strategy for handling conflicts overimportant issues.

When dealing with moderately important issues, compromisingcan often lead to quick solutions. However, compromise does notcompletely satisfy either party, and compromise does not fosterinnovation the way that taking the time to collaborate can. So,




Win – Lose

3

Lose – Lose

1

Win – Win

4

Lose-Win

2

2


collaborating is a better approach to dealing with very importantissues.

When you find yourself in conflict over a fairly unimportant issue,using an accommodating strategy is a quick way to resolve the conflictwithout straining your relationship with the other party. Collaboratingis also an option, but it might not be worth the time.

Avoiding should normally be reserved for situations where there isa clear advantage to waiting to resolve the conflict. Too often,interpersonal conflicts persist and even worsen if there is no attempt toresolve them. Avoiding is appropriate if you are too busy with moreimportant concerns and if your relationship with the other party isunimportant. However, if either the issue or the relationship betweenthe parties is important, then avoidance is a poor strategy.

Conflict Outcomes

Conflict outcomes are a product of participant’s intentions as well astheir strategies. It may produce four distinct outcomes depending onthe approaches taken by people involved.

Fig 1.3 illustrates outcomes

The first quadrant termed “lose- lose,” depicts a situation in which aconflict deteriorates to the point that both parties are worse off thanthey were before. The second quadrant is” lose-win,” a situation inwhich one person is defeated while the other person is victorious. Inthe third quadrant the situation is reversed. The fourth quadrant is thewin – win outcome of conflict, in which both parties perceive that they





are in a better position than they were in before the conflict began. This is the preferred outcome to try to achieve in on goingrelationships.

Conflict in OrganizationsIn organizations, conflicts can be interpersonal, intra group or intraorganizational in nature. Intra organizational conflict encompassesvertical, horizontal, line-staff, and role conflict. Let us briefly examinethese.

Vertical conflict refers to conflicts that occur between individuals atdifferent levels. Conflict between the superior and subordinate is anexample of vertical conflict. Such conflicts could happen because of perceived transgression of psychological contract, inadequate and /orineffective communication, selective perceptions, misperceptions,

incongruence in goals, values, cognition, affect, and behavior and anynumber of other reasons.

Horizontal conflict refers to tensions between employees or groups atthe same hierarchical level. Horizontal conflict occurs because of interdependence among the parties concerned in the work situationsand /or the common pooled resourced shared. Incompatibility of goaland time orientations often results in horizontal conflict. Differences intime orientations are also instrumental in inter-unit conflicts. Horizontalconflict increases as-

• Functional interdependence increases among people or groups

at the same level (i.e. one has to depend on the other for thecompletion of its goals)• More units depend on common resources that have to be

shared, for e.g. raw materials• The fewer the buffers or inventories for the resources shared.

Line-staff conflict refers to the conflicts that arise between those whoassist or act in an advisory capacity (staff) and those who have directauthority to create the products, processes, and services of theorganization (line). Staff manager and line managers usually havedifferent personality predispositions, and goals, and come from

different backgrounds. Staff managers have specialized skills andexpertise acquired through raining and education and have greatertechnical knowledge which is intended to help the line managers whoare basically money makers for the organization. Staff people serve asadvisors for the line people in as much as they have the expertise tostreamline methods and help in cost-cutting mechanisms. Linemanagers may, however, feel that the staff people are a nuisance,coming in the way of their performance by always telling them how to





do their jobs and thrusting their ideas and methods. It is not unusualfor line people to resent the fact that they have to be “advised” by thestaff people. The staff people often frustrated that the line people do

not consider all the ideas put forth by them and thereby fail to benefit.Role conflicts arise because different people in the organization areexpected to perform different tasks, and pressures build up when theexpectations of the members clash in several ways. This could beeither because of:

• Inter sender role conflict- different role senders (bosses) expectthe individual to perform different things and these expectationsand their messages conflict with each other.

• Inter role conflict- role requirements associated with membershipin one group conflict with role requirements stemming from

membership in other group.• Intra sender role conflict- when the same boss expects differentincompatible behaviors from one person

• Person-role conflict- where the role requirements of an individualconflict with the individual’s moral and ethical values.

An example of the inter sender role is the president asking themanager to write up the report on the new project and submit it in thenext four days, and the auditor asking the same manager to go withhim to audit the branch offices today, tomorrow, and the day after!Here, the manager cannot possibly fulfill both role expectations. Interrole conflict can be experienced by a supervisor who just attended the

manager’s conference where he has been told that strict action shouldbe taken against a group of strikers, and the same supervisor who isalso the member of the union being told that, “supervisors shouldprotect the employees from harm”. Here the supervisor’s membershipto the two groups results in conflicting loyalties and role expectations.Intra sender role conflict will be experienced by a supervisor who isasked to get a lot of her section’s work done, while also being asked totake charge of another section because the supervisor of that sectionis on a week’s casual leave without a replacement. Person-role conflictis likely to be experienced by an individual who is asked by the boss tobribe a government officer to get the job done for the department.

Thus, interpersonal and inter group conflicts often arise when there isdisagreement regarding goals or the methods of attaining them. Theseconflicts can be either constructive or destructive for the peopleinvolved. Several methods exist for resolving conflict and they vary intheir potential effectiveness. A key revolves around intended outcomesfor oneself and others.





Research

CONFLICT MANAGMENT IN ORGANIZATIONŽeljko Turkalj, (Full Professor)

Since the conflict is a part of human life, respectively all of itsaspects, it is impossible to avoid it in business life. No matter if theorganization appears as an economic operator of the economy of acertain country or practices some other services, its employees willmore or less enter conflicts. Modern organizations have recognized thenecessity of conflicts and do not run away from the conflicts among itsemployees. Moreover, organizations frequently decide to encouragethe conflicts within the organization. The key roles have the managers

on different levels of organization that should be educated on thebasics of organizational behavior, with the emphasis on conflictmanagement. Only if the managers properly estimate the level of conflict within the organization, then they will be able to decide on thereduction or encouragement of conflicts. The aim of conflictmanagement is to accomplish the optimal level of conflicts on whichthe level of organizational performance is the highest. Examining theresults on the presence of conflict and the influence it has onbusiness performance of the organization through various segmentswe can conclude that there is employees’ awareness about thenecessity of conflicts in the organization. The majority of the

employees (even 83%) enter conflicts in the organization, whereby it issignificant that the long-time employees more and more do not acceptconflict as a factor of business performance of the organization. Thereason for this kind of standpoint lies partially in the previous biggernegative experience related to the conflicts which have long-timeemployees. The difference in conflict perception and influence on thebusiness performance of the organization appears during the analysisof the answer related to that kind of ownership. Namely, there is a





significant statistical connection (on the level of significance 0, 03)between the private and government sector, where the governmentsector almost has a twofold bigger percentage related to the issue of

how the conflicts affect the business performance of the organization.It is crucial to encourage the awareness about the positive influence of the reasonable level of conflicts also among the employees. Exceptthat, the employees and CONFLICT MANAGMENT IN ORGANIZATION515 managers should be able to distinguish those conflicts focused onpersonality from those focused on business problems, and according tothat encourage the conflicts focused on business problems to theoptimal level, and reduce those focused on people.





Case Study

Test Description

A conflict management styles questionnaire was used, consisting of several pairs of statements describing possible behaviorally responsesto situations. There is a set of 30 statements.

A scoring sheet consists of five styles to deal with a conflict.

Subject Description

2 Subjects were used

Operational Definitions

Conflict :Any tension as psychologically defined that is experienced when oneperceives that her/his needs or desires are likely to be thwarted. Avoidance:Avoidance is physical or mental withdrawal from the conflict. Thisapproach reflects a low concern for either party’s outcomes or oftenresults in a lose - lose situation.Competing :Competing is using power tactics to achieve a mix. This strategy relieson aggressiveness and dominance to achieve personal goals at theexpense of the concern for the other party. The likely outcome is win-loseCollaborating:It is facing the conflict directly and working it through to a mutuallysatisfactory resolution. Accommodating:It involves accommodating other party’s interests.Compromising:It involves searching for a middle ground or being willing to give upsomething in exchange for gaining something else.





Instructions:

“This is a simple test which will assess your conflict management style.

Imagine that you are in situations where you do not agree with anotherperson and try to respond to the following with that orientation.

On this paper you will find several pairs of statements describingpossible behavioral responses to situations. For each pair, circle the ‘A’or the ‘B’ statement would be representative of your behavior, evenso, try to select that which comes closest to what you may be likely todo. The responses, which you circle, will offer you a good understanding of your conflict handling style.”

Procedure:An appointment was fixed with the subject. A rapport was built beforethe administration of the test. After initial rapport building the subjectwas given the test and instructions for the test. After the subjectfinished with the test, he/she was debriefed about the test, thepurpose it served and the useful ness of the test. Then the test wasscored, an item analysis was done and the subject was debriefed abouthis/her score. The subject was then walked out of the room.

Similar procedure was used for the other subject.

Results & Discussion:Results:

Scores of Subject 1 and 2 on Conflict Management Style :

TheSubject

Conflict Management StyleCompe-ting

Collabora-ting

Compromi-sing

Avoid-ing

Accommodat-ing

S1 7 10 6 3 4

S2 6 9 6 6 3

Results Obtained are mentioned in table 1.1 and it shows thatprominently style of conflict management used by both the subjectswas collaboration i.e., win – win situation.





However S1 was more competitive as compared to S2. And both thesubjects frequently used compromise as their conflict managementstyle.

Discussion:

This test was used to assess the conflict management style used bythe subjects. According to the scores obtained it can be clearly seen

that S1 used collaboration as her conflict management style.Collaboration includes a win - win situation, where a person doesn’tlose nor does he disappoint the other person in the conflict situation.According to S1 he uses this style mainly while dealing with clients. S1is a software developer and has various situations where the clientasks her to do something different from what she has thought of.According to the subject in such circumstances you have to come upwith solutions that will make you as well as the client happy. Accordingto her this is very necessary because if the client is not happy, thenone’s job is at stake because the organization will not like to lose aclient only because an employee is not good at selling his/her ideas.

And if the employee is not happy with what he/she is doing then thatwill definitely reflect in his/her work. Hence it is very important tomanage the entire situation in such a manner that both the persons inthe situation are happy.

The S1 has also scored high on competing style of conflictmanagement. Which is win – lose situation. According to the subject, inan IT firm there are people working on various projects at the sametime and as the projects get over one is shifted to a new project. This iswhere one has to be aggressive in one’s approach, mainly because onehas to prove himself / herself better than the others so that he/she

gets selected for the next project also. This is the only way how thecareer graph will rise. According to S1 she uses compromise only whennecessary, especially when dealing with the higher management orwith her immediate superiors. Incase of S2 also, collaboration is the conflict management style thatshe uses the most. S2 is also a software developer in an IT firm hencequotes the same reason why collaboration is used as the conflict





management style. However in case of S2 compromise, competitionand avoidance all the three styles are in par with each other. S2 is anew to the organization and still finds it little difficult to adjust. Hence

according to her approach differs depending on whom she is having aconflict with and how important it is for her work. According to her it isat times good to avoid/ ignore a particular conflicting issue if it is notvery important and if it is not going to affect your work andperformance. There are various sources of conflict in an organization. To quote few,organization change, personality clashes, threats to status, contrastingperception and lack of trust. These factors fair a great deal especially if the employee is new to the organization.

Decision

Thus in case of a conflicting situation, the style that we adopt whiledealing with the conflict plays a crucial role. Most of the times it isgood to use a win –win style. However an individual in the conflict

situation is the best to judge which style would give better results andresolve the conflict.By analyzing the researches and through studying about conflict andconflict management we would not reject “Ho”.

ConclusionHence we conclude that it is not possible to avoid conflict in anorganization. There are several tools and techniques by which a

conflict can be resolved or reduced. Since the conflict is a part of human life, respectively all of its aspects, it is impossible to avoidit in business life. No matter if the organization appears as aneconomic operator of the economy of a certain country or practicessome other services, its employees will more or less enter conflicts.





Bibliography

Books refered:

• Organizational Behaviour and Cases 1989,by Sekaran.U, by

Tata Mcgraw Hill Publishing Company Ltd.

• Organizational Behaviour - Human Behaviour at Work (10th

edition), 1998, by Davis.K, by Tata Mcgraw ill Publishing

Company Ltd.

• Robbins.S, Organizational Behaviour(9th ed.)Tata Mcgraw

Hill Publishing Company Ltd.

Websites visited:

www.wikipedia.com

www.google.com/images

www.dccc.edu

Research paper :

CONFLICT MANAGMENT IN ORGANIZATIONŽeljko Turkalj, (Full Professor)


http://www.wikipedia.com/

http://www.google.com/images

http://www.dccc.edu/

http://www.efos.hr/repec/osi/journl/PDF/InterdisciplinaryManagementResearchIV/IMR4a28.pdf

http://www.wikipedia.com/

http://www.google.com/images

http://www.dccc.edu/

http://www.efos.hr/repec/osi/journl/PDF/InterdisciplinaryManagementResearchIV/IMR4a28.pdf

conflict management ipcs term paper

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