COMMGMT 3506 The nature of conflict and negotiation
The nature of conflict and negotiation
Hello, dear friend, you can consult us at any time if you have any questions, add WeChat: THEend8_
COMMGMT 3506 – Lecture 1
Modules 1 & 2
The nature of conflict and negotiation
Adapted from:
Hames, D. S. (2012). Negotiation: Closing deals, settling
disputes, and making team decisions, SAGE Publications.
Lewicki, R.J. Barry, B. and Saunders, D.M. 2010.
Negotiation, 6th ed. McGraw-Hill/Irwin, Boston.
Lecturer: Dr Valerie Caines
Course overview
• Weekly readings are provided on MyUni
There is no set text
• Seminar preparation & participation
• Individual report – analysis & reflection
• Group presentation
• End-of-semester case study (to be completed individually and in
lieu of exam)
• Refer to MyUni for details and submission dates
Assessments
Course overview
Seminar preparation & participation
◦ Marks will be allocated for the quantity and
quality of preparation and participation, not
for attendance, although attending class is
important.
◦ From time-to-time I will collect your
preparation so please make sure that you
come prepared each week.
◦ Preparation must be submitted in class on the
day. Late submissions will not be accepted.
◦ Preparation is not required for all workshops
so please take note of the requirements on
MyUni.
Negotiation exercises
Individual assignment is based on negotiation exercises
◦ Essential for everyone to participate in these negotiations in
order to complete the first assignment (and to achieve key
learning outcomes)
Negotiation exercises
Major negotiation is in Week 5 – conducted in the
workshop
• Briefing papers will be provided at the commencement of the
workshop, groups to organise when and where teams will meet for
the negotiation preparation
• Note that all team members are expected to be present at the
workshop for this exercise
• Make sure that you allow the full two hours– this is a complex
negotiation!
Module 1
Introduction to conflict
Conflict…
What are the first words that come to
mind when you hear the word ‘conflict?
Conflict…
◦ Think about the last time you
experienced conflict, either at
work or in your personal life.
• What was the main trigger
for the conflict?
• What were the symptoms of
the conflict ?
• How did you respond?
• Was the conflict resolved
satisfactorily?
Individual &
group activity
Some basic
questions…
▪ Is all conflict bad?
▪ Can conflict lead to
positive outcomes?
▪ Does organisational
change inevitably lead to
conflict?
▪ Examples of change
factors
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
Is conflict
inevitable in orgs?
Conflict is often a product of
environmental stressors
◦ Constant change
◦ Greater employee diversity
◦ More teams (virtual and self managed)
◦ Less face-to-face interaction (more
electronic)
◦ A global economy with more cross-cultural
dealings (Kreitner and Kinicki 2010)
Defining conflict…
No single agreed definition but often seen as
a process:
◦ “the process that begins when one party
perceives that another has frustrated, or is
about to frustrate, some concern of his”
(Thomas 1976 p 891)
◦ Conflict 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” (Robbins et al 2008, p502)
Defining conflict…
• In an organisational setting conflict is
generally caused by incompatible concerns
between parties – individuals, groups,
departments)
• During periods of change, concerns and
priorities of various parties are often
impacted
• Change does not benefit all parties equally
Perspectives on conflict
Traditional view
◦ All conflict is bad and to be avoided
◦ Associated with terms such as ‘violence’, ‘destruction’
and ‘irrationality’ (Robbins et al 2008, p502)
Human relations school of thought
◦ Conflict is a natural occurrence and therefore should be
accepted
Interactionist view
◦ Conflict can be a positive force and therefore should be
encouraged rather than merely accepted or avoided
◦ But depends on type of conflict i.e. functional vs
dysfunctional
But I don’t like conflict!
Individual responses
What is your natural response to conflict?
Why do you usually react in that way?
Discuss
Levels of conflict
◦ Intrapersonal e.g. Role conflict
◦ Interpersonal e.g. Personality
differences
◦ Intragroup e.g. Differing goals
◦ Intergroup e.g. Disputes over
resources
◦ Inter-organizational e.g.
Competition issues
Types of conflict
Task conflict (What)
◦ Content and goals of the work
Relationship conflict (Who)
◦ Interpersonal aspects of the work
Process conflict (How)
◦ How the work gets done
The conflict process
Antecedent
conditions
•Communication
•Structure
•Personal
variables
Perceived
conflict
Felt
conflict
Conflict
handling
intentions
Overt
conflict
•Party’s
behaviour
•Other’s
reaction
Decreased
group
performance
Increased
group
performance
(Robbins & Judge 2013, p450)
Stage 1
Potential
opposition or
incompatibility
Stage 2
Cognition &
personalisation
Stage 3
Intentions
Stage 4
Behaviour
Stage 5
Outcomes
The conflict process – stage 1
(cont..)
Personal variables
➢Different values & needs, cultural & family
traditions, education, breadth of experience,
gender etc.
The conflict process – stage 1
Antecedent conditions
• Differences in perception
• Limited resources
• Departmentalisation & specialisation
• The nature of work activities
• Inequitable treatment
• Violation of territory (Mullins 2005)
The conflict process – stage 1
(cont..)
Structural variables
➢Information processes
◦ Poor or inadequate communication
➢Role incompatibility
◦ Interdependent but incompatible
roles
➢Environmental stress
◦ Resource issues, working conditions
& work practices
What are the
main causes of
conflict in your
workplace?
The conflict process – stage 2
Perceived conflict – awareness that
there is a ‘problem’
Felt conflict – emotional involvement
(anxiety, tension, frustration, hostility)
◦ what the conflict is about – ‘sense making’
◦ determines how conflict is approached and
range of outcomes
◦ importance of emotions
The conflict process – stages 3
to 5
Stage 3 – conflict handling
intentions
Stage 4 – behaviours and
reactions
Stage 5 – outcomes (e.g.
improved or decreased group
performance)
Individuals and
conflict
Conflict has a cognitive (thinking)
component
………..and an affective (feeling)
component
Individual approaches to conflict
influenced by:
(Thomas 1976, Kilmann & Thomas 1977)
Personality
dimensions
Strategic
decisions
Individual
preferences
Individual approaches to conflict…
Individual preferences:
▪Previous experiences
▪Cultural background
Strategic decisions:
▪What are the short-term and
longer-term outcomes of my
approach?
Groups and conflict
WHICH PICTURE BEST DESCRIBES YOUR RECENT GROUP EXPERIENCES?
Groups and conflict
Causes of intergroup conflict
▪ Goal differences
▪ My goals differ from your goals (individual and
organisational)
▪ Perceptual differences
▪ My view of the task/process/relationship differs from
others’ views)
▪ Work interdependence
Group interdependence
Group
A
Group
A
Group
B
Group
B
Group
B
Group
A
GOALS
GOALS
GOALS
POOLED
SEQUENTIAL
RECIPROCAL
GOALS
Summary
Challenges for managers (and future
managers)
◦ Learning how to feel comfortable with conflict
◦ Learning different styles and strategies for
handling conflict
◦ Understanding ‘optimal’ conflict; discovering
strategies to promote functional conflict?
Module 2
Introduction to negotiation
The Essence of Negotiation
We begin
negotiating when
we are very young.
People negotiate
every day
Every time you ask
for something you
are actually
negotiating.
What is Negotiation?
a technique that people use to resolve their differences
a social process by which interdependent people with conflicting
interests determine how they are going to allocate resources or
work together in the future to achieve their desired outcomes
viewed widely as a collaborative process that is used to find the
best solutions for everyone involved
What is Negotiation?
It is a social process because people must interact with others to
achieve their desired outcomes.
We have something they need or they have something we need.
How we initiate an interaction depends upon the nature of our
prior interactions with the other party, and how we convey
information to him or her influences how he or she responds.
When do People Negotiate?
When we believe we can
achieve more with others
than without them.
If we interact with
someone because we want
him or her to take
something from us, or
because we want
something from him or her
Why Has Negotiation Become
an Important Skill
Technology
Organisations are flatter
More emphasis on teams
Diversity
Why Has Negotiation Become
an Important Skill
▪Managers spend a substantial amount of their time
at work dealing with employee conflict or helping
other managers deal with conflict.
▪Like conflict, organizational change is ubiquitous and
must be managed to be successful.
▪When businesses expand their operations overseas,
they sometimes do so by forming joint ventures or
strategic alliances with a company in the host
country.
▪Generally speaking, we negotiate with others if we
need their cooperation and we cannot command
them to do something.
The Dual Concerns Model
How People
Negotiate –
The Dual
Concerns
Model
Five different approaches for handling conflict:
1. Competitive or ‘win-lose’ strategy - People who
attach substantially more importance to their
own outcomes than they attach to the other
party’s outcomes This strategy is typically called
distributive, positional, zero-sum or win-lose
negotiating.
2. Accommodation is a ‘lose-win’ strategy. It is used
by those who place greater importance on the
other party’s outcomes than their own.
3. Avoid conflict. This is a ‘lose-lose’ strategy - Those
who have little concern for either party’s
outcomes .
4. Compromising is what people to do if they are
only moderately concerned about both parties’
outcomes.
5. Collaboration is the strategy of choice for people
who seek a ‘win-win’ outcome – they attach great
importance to both parties’ outcomes.
integrative, principled, interest- based, mutual
gains or win-win negotiating.