Interactive Conflict & Negotiation Skills

Compiled by A Srinivasa Rao

Outline
Conflict & negotiation Types of conflict Conflict process Managing conflict Conflict resolution

A good manager doesn't try to eliminate conflict; he tries to keep it from wasting the energies of his people. If you're the boss and your people fight you openly when they think that you are wrong - that's healthy.

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

When people are telecommuting, you cant communicate too much

How Do You Manage an Off-Site Team example for assignment-II

Harvard Business Review, Jul-Aug, 1998

Background
The case is about conflict between two employees of an Off-Site team in Impression Corporation and the dilemma of their manager

Impression Corp. introduced flexible timing and work location 2.5 years ago People communicate extensively over intranet chat room, email, phone, voice mail with face-to-face meeting at least once in 2 weeks Employees wanted such an arrangement and it helped to increase their productivity. Helped in providing more in-promptu responses to client proposal

Characters

Craig Head of the customer facing business-to-business division

Peer work together share a long history of conflict it aggravated since they started working offsite Allison Team member, honest hard working worker, quite emotional

Penelope (Penny) Team member, slightly authoritative Couple of years junior to Allison

Maggie HR Head, Trying to help Craig

History of Conflicts Between Allison and Penny It started even when people used to work from site (office building)
Allison once complained to Craig that Penny has blamed her in front of the client Craig intervened and Penny accepted her mistake Craig thought the relationship between them was good since then
Their joint work won accolades and awards!

Both currently working together on Pnobscott campaign project Penny first and later on Allison took the option more than a year ago Penny is on-site more frequently than Allison

Recent Events (Chronologically)

1. Will not be able to work at full potential if has to work with Penny and it will also affect the ongoing project with Pnobscott 2. Penny is behaving like supervisor and causing stress in the team offered to play the role of unofficial team leader 3. Insinuated in the name of performance review and bonus

Tuesday, Apr 21 Penny

Lets meet tomorrow f2f to discuss Pnobscot project

Call whenever get a chance

Craig Allison
All 3 of us should meet face to face.

Lets meet on Monday when all available

Voice mail Email

Recent Events (Chronologically)

1. Not in office today lets meet tomorrow 2. Need to discuss another matter regarding Allison 3. Her performance is erratic and you need to step in

Wednesday, Apr 22

Penny

Craig

Voice mail Email

Recent Events (Chronologically)

Thursday, Apr 23
I was disturbed to know that you met Penny 1:1 without my knowledge !! The situation has been building for quite some time and even last week Penny contradicted in front of the client (happened in the past also) When I expressed concern, she had said that shed had difficulty with email but thats not true She seems to have personal vendetta against me Will look for an alternate appointment if continues
1. Me eting w ith Pen was re ny gardin g project ONLY

Did not discuss conflict

Allison Penny Craig

3 of us will meet f2f mon 9:30

1. Spoke about the project 2. Penny : we can talk later together. There had been some tension but me and Allison are working it out.

Face to face Voice mail Email

Friday, Apr 24

Recent Events (Chronologically)

Maggie Craig

Craig: We are doing the best work we have ever done. But I am totally disconnected from the people I manage even though I am more connected to them than I have ever been. Managing 20 people working at diff. times and from diff. location is difficult Both of them know of many examples how flexi time/location have helped employees to maintain work-life balance and in turn increases their effectiveness and productivity Craig questioned the utility of flexi-time/location option which was proposed by Maggies HR team

But how to handle such conflicts arising due to lack of communication?

How will Craig handle Penny and Allison on Monday?

Roll out flexi time/location? Limited flexi time/location? Face to face

Monday Meeting
Address immediate issue between Allison & Penny
Craig take primary responsibility and let people vent out instead of scrutinizing and suggesting Setup 1:1 with each of them

There is a larger issue in terms of group meetings

Such an incident may not be disparate and may be there are more similar concerns This team needs to meet Formal review meeting with group once/twice a week Craig should do weekly/biweekly f2f with individual employees

As things are going out of control some stricter policy is required, at least for the time being, at the cost of employees e.g. Employees should be available between 11AM - 2 PM

Craig and His Management Style

Craig appears to be a relaxed leader and loves to give freedom to employees
He lets things shape up/conflicts get resolved automatically over time

But, should management style change depending on if you are managing on-site, off-site, some combination of them?
Not sure but alternative work programs require much more extra commitment from manager and employees
People need to overcommunicate

It requires to develop agreement between people and accept the shared accountability of miscommunication

Craig is slightly arbitrary too many emails and voice-mails even when he is seeing there is miscommunication led conflict in the team He (and possibly other management) should undergo training on how to manage an off-site team HR steps in ! No clear leadership/hierarchy defined Preferential treatment towards Penny

Flexi time/location : Policy and Governance The program appears to be defined in an adhoc manner without clear guidelines such as minimum/mandatory period to be spent in office No assessment process to identify eligible candidates It is good to be employee focused but too much of that may hurt shared organization goal

What is conflictnormally? `A disagreement between people that may be the result of different: Ideas Perspective Priorities Preferences Beliefs Values Goals Organizational structures

Conflict Involves
Emotions: What you feel is important Perceptions: What you see at stake Behaviors: How you act with others

Sources of Conflict.. warning:

1. Ambiguous jurisdictions: `I dont know who has the authority on that issue. 2. Conflict of interest: `He deserved that position rather that person 3. Communication barriers: `They never returned the phone calls. announced.

4. Unresolved prior conflicts: `We always have a problem with SGS lab about the final report. 5. Over dependency of one party: `We will have to wait till the budget is made

Conflict defined:
Is a process that begins when one party perceives that another party has negatively affected, or is about to negatively affect, something that the first party cares about. Is that point in an ongoing activity when an interaction crosses over to become an inter party conflict.

Conflict defined:
Encompasses a wide range of conflicts that people experience in organizations
Incompatibility of goals Differences over interpretations of facts Disagreements based on behavioral expectations.

Misconceptions about Conflict

Harmony is `normal. Conflict is `abnormal. Conflict & disagreements are same. Conflict is the result of `personality problem. Conflict & anger are the same.

Transitions in Conflict Thought:

Traditional View of Conflict: The belief that all conflict is harmful and must be avoided
Causes: Causes: Poor communication Poor communication Lack of openness Lack of openness Failure to respond to employee needs Failure to respond to employee needs

Transitions in Conflict Thought (contd)

Human Relations View of Conflict: The belief that conflict is a natural and inevitable outcome in any group. Interactionist View of Conflict:
The belief that conflict is not only a positive force in a group but that it is absolutely necessary for a group to perform effectively.

Organizational Conflict:
Conflict is inevitable given the wide range of goals for the different stakeholder in the organization.
Lack of conflict signals that management emphasizes conformity and stifles innovation.

Conflict is good for organizational performance although excessive conflict causes managers to spend too much time achieving their own ends.

Conflict and Unit Performance

Types of Conflict

Functional Conflict
Functional (or constructive) conflict Results in positive benefits to individuals, the group, or the organization. Likely effects
Important problems surface so they can be addressed. Causes careful consideration of decisions. Causes reconsideration of decisions. Increases information available for decision making. Provides opportunities for creativity.

Dysfunctional Conflict
Dysfunctional (or destructive) conflict
Works to the disadvantage of individuals, the group, or the organization. Likely effects
Diverts energies. Harms group cohesion. Promotes interpersonal hostilities. Encourages stereotyping Creates overall negative environment for workers.

Type of Conflict
Task Conflict Conflicts over content and goals of the work. Relationship Conflict Conflict based on interpersonal relationships is dysfunctional Process Conflict Conflict over how work gets done - low levels of this conflict are functional

Levels of Conflict
Macro Organisational Inter-group Interpersonal Intraindivid ual Micro

Conflict due to Frustration

Occurs when a motivated drive is blocked before a person reaches a desired goal. Defense mechanisms Aggression: Theft, violence
Withdrawal apathetic Fixation Rules become ends and the frustrated employee adapts to the barrier Compromise Mid career changes ,seek fulfillment outside the job

OHT 12.10

Figure 12.3

A basic model of frustration

Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition Pearson Education Limited 2005

Goal Conflict
Arises when a Goal has both positive and negative features or two or more competing goals
Approach-approach conflict- Two or more positive but mutually exclusive goals Approach-avoidance conflict Motivated to approach a goal and the same time avoid it Avoidance-avoidance conflict Avoid two or more negative but mutually exclusive goals

Role Conflict and Ambiguity

Role is defined as a position that has expectations evolving from established norms A study of international JVs showed that this conflict is lower when the foreign partner was dominant inversely related to cultural distance

Types of Role conflict

Person and the role between the persons personality and the expectations of the role Intrarole Contradictory expectations about how a given role should be played Interrole - Differing requirements of two or more roles that must be played at the same time

Interpersonal Conflict
Occurs between two or more individuals who are in opposition to one another.
Personal differences Everyone has a unique background because of different values, socialization etc.

Information deficiency two people in conflict are using different information or that one or both have misinformation. Role incompatibility Managers have highly interdependent functions & tasks but their individual roles may be incompatible Environmental stress

Intra Group conflict

Substantive conflict Conflict that is based on intellectual disagreement among group members Affective conflict Based on emotional responses to a situation or when interacting individuals have incompatible styles or personalities.

Thank you