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Transcript of c576organizational Conflict
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OrganizationalConflict, Politics,
and Change
16
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Organizational Conflict
Conflictexists in situations where goals,interests or values of people areincompatible and they block others effortsto achieve their goals.
Some level of conflict is inevitable given thewide range of goals in a firm.
Some conflict is good for organizational performance. Too much causes managers to spend much time
responding to conflict.
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Conflict and Organizational Performance
Level of ConflictLowLow High
Low
High
Le
velofOrganizational
Performanc
e
B
A C
Figure 16.1
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Types of Conflict
Interpersonal Conflict: between individuals based ondiffering goals or values.
Intragroup Conflict: occurs within a group or team.
Intergroup Conflict: occurs between 2 or more teamsor groups.
Managers play a key role in resolution of this conflict
Interorganizational Conflict: occurs across
organizations. Managers in one firm may feel another is not
behaving ethically.
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Types of Conflict
Conflict
Interpersonal Intragroup IntergroupInter-
organizational
Figure 16.2
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Sources of Conflict
Different goals and time horizons: different groupshave differing goals.
Production focuses on efficiency; Marketing on
sales.
Overlapping authority: two or more managersclaim authority for the same activities.
Leads to conflict between the managers and
workers. Task Interdependencies:one member of a group
fails to finish a task that another depends on.
This makes the worker that is waiting fall behind.
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Sources of Conflict
Incompatible Evaluation or reward system:workers areevaluated for one thing, but are told to do somethingdifferent.
Groups rewarded for low cost but firm needs higher
service.
Scarce Resources:managers can conflict over allocationof resources.
When all resources are scarce, managers can fight over
allocations.
Status inconsistencies:some groups have higher statusthan others.
Leads to managers feeling others are favored.
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Sources of Conflict
Conflict
Status
inconsistency
Different goals
& time horizons
Scarce
Resources Incompatible
evaluation &
Reward
Task
Interdependency
Overlapping
Authority
Figure 16.3
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Resolving Conflicts
Functional Conflict Resolution:handle conflict bycompromise or collaboration between parties.
Compromise: each party concerned about their goal
accomplishment and is willing to engage in give and
take to reach a reasonable solution.
Collaboration: parties try to handle conflict without
making concessions by coming up with a new way to
resolve differences.
Managers also need to address individual sources ofconflict.
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Managing Individual Conflict
Increase awareness of thesource of conflict
Can conflict source can be found and corrected?
Increasediversity awareness and skills
Older workers may resent younger workers, orexperience cultural differences.
PracticeJob Rotation & Temporary assignments
Provides a good view of what others face.
Usepermanent transfers & dismissalif neededAvoids problem interaction.
Change organizations structure
Conflict can signal the need to adjust the structure.
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Conflict SolutionsAlter the source of conflict:
If due to overlapping authority, managers fix the
problem to change the source.
Negotiation: use when parties have equal power.
Parties try and find a common ground by
considering various alternatives.
Distributive negotiation: parties see there is a
fixed resource base.
For them to gain, the other must lose.
Integrative negotiation: parties can increase total
resources by coming up with a new solution.
Information sharing, trust are common here.
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Negotiation Strategies for InteractiveBargaining
Emphasize Superordinate Goals: theseare goals both parties agree on.
Keeps the big picture in focus.Focus on the problem, NOT the people:dont make it personal. It is easy to dwell on peoples shortcomings rather
than problems.
Once this occurs, people resist negotiation.
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Negotiation Strategies
Focus on interests, not demands: demands arewhat you want, interests are why you wantthem. Demands are confrontational and slow negotiations.
Create new options for joint gain: focusing oninterests allows for new ideas to come forth.
Perhaps there is a new solution that can solve the issue.
Focus on what is fair: emphasizing fairnessallows both parties to give a bit and agree.
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Organizational Politics
Organizational politics are the activitiesmanagers engage in to increase their powerand use it to achieve their goals.Political strategies: specific tactics used to increase
power and use it effectively.
Politics can be negative, but also is a positive forceallowing needed change.
Everyone throughout the firm engages in politics
Political activity allows a manager to gain support for an
idea.
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Political Strategies for Increasing Power
Control
Uncertainty
Be
Irreplaceable
Be in a central
position
GenerateResources
Build
Alliances
Increase a
managers
power in
the
organization
Figure 16.4
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Strategies for Increasing Power
Control Uncertainty:managers who can reduceuncertainty for the firm increase power.
Be Irreplaceable:develop valuable special knowledge orskills.
Be in a Central Position: managers have crucial controlover the firms activities. They increase their power andcan influence others.
Generate Resources:managers who can hire skilledpeople or find financing.
Build Alliances:develop mutually beneficial relationswith others inside and outside the organization.
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Strategies for Exercising Power
Objective
Information
Outside
Experts
Control the
Agenda
Everyone is
a Winner
Help
Managers
Use Their
Power
Effectively
Figure 16.5
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Strategies for Exercising Power
Rely on Objective Information:impartial informationcauses others to feel the managers course of action iscorrect.
Bring in an Outside Expert:lends credibility tomanagers proposal (when the expert agrees).
Control the Agenda:influence those issues included
(and those dropped) from the decision process.Make Everyone a Winner:everyone whose support is
needed benefits personally from providing that support.
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Relationship Between Conflict, Politicsand Change
Signal managers
change is
needed
Organizational
change
Change alters
goals of different
groups causing
conflict & politics
Organizational
conflict & politics
Figure 16.6
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Managing Organizational ChangeAssess need for change: recognize a problem exists and
find its source.
Look inside and outside the firm for sources.
Decide on the change to make: determine the ideal
future state. Decide exactly what the future company will look like.
What obstacles need to be changed to get there.
Implement the change: a top-down change is quickest,
bottom-up is more gradual.
Bottom-up is more effective at eliminating obstacles.
Evaluate Change: was it successful? Benchmark
(compare) your change to others.
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Steps in the Organizational ChangeProcess
Figure 16.7
Assess need for
changeFind source of problem
Decide on thechange
Identify obstacles
Implement Change
Top-down orBottom-up
Evaluate ChangeIs it successful?
Benchmark to others