3. Functional versus Dysfunctional Conflict
Functional Conflict
Conflict that supports the goals of
the group and improves its
performance.
Dysfunctional Conflict
Conflict that hinders group
performance.
4. Functional vs. Dysfunctional Conflict
• Functional Conflict serves
organization’s interests
• Is commonly referred to as
constructive or cooperative
conflict
• Dysfunctional Conflict
threatens organization’s
interests
• Wastes the organization’s
resources and is
counterproductive
Functional orDysfunctional is determined by
whether the organization’s interests are served
5. Types of Conflict
Task Conflict
Conflicts over content and goals
of thework.
Relationship Conflict
Conflict based on interpersonal
relationships.
Process Conflict
Conflict over how work gets done.
7. Stage I:
Potential Opposition or Incompatibility
• Communication
– Semantic difficulties, misunderstandings, and “noise”
• Structure
– Size and specialization of jobs
– Jurisdictional clarity/ambiguity
– Member/goal incompatibility
– Leadership styles (close or participative)
– Reward systems (win-lose)
– Dependence/interdependence of groups
• Personal Variables
– Differing individual value systems
– Personality types
8. Stage II:
Cognition and Personalization
Positive Feelings
Negative Emotions
Conflict Definition
Perceived Conflict
Awareness by one or more
parties of the existence of
conditions that create
opportunities for conflict
to arise.
Felt Conflict
Emotional involvement in a
conflict creating anxiety,
tenseness, frustration, or
hostility.
9. Stage III: Intentions
Cooperativeness:
• Attempting to satisfy the other party’s concerns.
Assertiveness:
• Attempting to satisfy one’s own concerns.
Intentions
Decisions to act in a given way.
11. Stage III: Intentions (cont’d)
Competing
Adesire to satisfy one’s interests, regardless of the impact on the other party to the
conflict.
Collaborating
Asituation in which the parties to a conflict each desire to satisfy fully the concerns of all
parties.
Avoiding
The desire to withdraw from or suppress a conflict.
Accommodating
The willingness of one party in a conflict to place the opponent’s interests above his or
her own.
Compromising
Asituation in which each party to a conflict is willing to giveup
something.
12. Stage IV: Behavior
Conflict Management
The use of resolution and stimulation techniques to achieve
the desired level of conflict.
14. Stage V:Outcomes
• Functional Outcomes from Conflict
o Increased group performance
o Improved quality of decisions
o Stimulation of creativity and innovation
o Encouragement of interest and curiosity
o Provision of a medium for problem-solving
o Creation of an environment for self-evaluation and change
• Creating Functional Conflict
o Reward dissent and punish conflict avoiders.
• Dysfunctional Outcomes from Conflict
o Development of discontent
o Reduced group effectiveness
o Retarded communication
o Reduced group cohesiveness
o Infighting among group members overcomes group goals
15. Types of Conflict
• Personality Conflict
– Given the many possible combinations of personality traits, it is
clear why personality conflicts are inevitable
– Apersonality conflict is an interpersonal opposition based on
personal dislike, disagreement, and/or different styles
• Intergroup Conflict
– Conflict among work groups, teams and departments is a common
threat to organizational competitiveness
– Intergroup cohesiveness – a “we feeling” binding group members
together – can be a good orbad thing (smooth running team or
result in groupthink which limits critical thinking)
16. Minimizing Intergroup Conflict
• Conflict within the
group is high
• There are negative
interactions between
groups
•Influential third-party
gossip about other group
is negative
• Workto eliminate specific negative
interactions between groups
•Conduct team building to reduce
intragroupconflict and prepare
employees for cross-functional teamwork
• Encourage personal friendships and
good working relationships across
groups and departments
•Foster positive attitudes toward
members of other groups
•Avoid or neutralize negative gossip
across groups or departments
Recommended actions:
Level of perceived
intergroup conflict tends
to increase when:
18. Stimulating Functional Conflict:
Devil’s Advocacy
1) Aproposed course of action is
generated
2) Adevil’s advocate is assigned to
critique the proposal
3) The critique is presented to key
decision makers
4) Any additional information relevant
to the issues is gathered
5) The decision to adopt, modify, or
discontinue the proposed course of
action is taken
6) The decision is monitored
19. Stimulating Functional Conflict:
The Dialectic Method
1) Aproposed course of action is generated
2) Assumptions underlying the proposal are
identified
3) Aconflicting counterproposal is
generated based on different
assumptions
4) Advocates of each position present and
debate merits of their proposals before
key decision makers
5) The decision to adopt, either position or
some other position is taken
6) The decision is monitored
20. 5 Alternative Styles for Handling Dysfunctional
Conflict
Integrating Obliging
Dominating Avoiding
Compromising
High Low
High
Low
Concern
for
Others
Concern for Self
21. 5 Alternative Styles for Handling Dysfunctional
Conflict
1. Integrating (Problem Solving)
– Is appropriate for complex issues plagued by misunderstanding
– Is inappropriate for resolving conflicts rooted in opposing value systems
– Its primary strength is its longer lasting impact because it deals with the
underlying problem rather than merely with symptoms
– However, it is very time consuming
2. Obliging (Smoothing)
– Involves playing down differences while emphasizing commonalities
– May be appropriate when it is possible to eventually get something in
return
– Is inappropriate for complex orworsening problems
– Its primary strength is that it encourages cooperation
– However, it’s a temporary fix that fails to confront the underlying problem
22. 3. Dominating (Forcing)
– Shows a high concern for self and low concern forothers
– Encourages “I win, you lose” tactics
– Is appropriate when an unpopular solution must be implemented, the issue
is minor ora deadline is near
– Is inappropriate in an open and participative climate
– Its primary strength is speed
– However, it often breeds resentment
5 Alternative Styles for Handling Dysfunctional
Conflict
23. 5 Alternative Styles for Handling Dysfunctional
Conflict
4. Avoiding
– May involve either passive withdrawal from the problem or active
suppression of theissue
– Is appropriate for trivial issues orwhen the costs of confrontation outweigh
the benefits of resolving theconflict
– Is inappropriate for difficult and worsening problems
– Its primary strength is that it buys time in ambiguous situations
– However, it only provides a temporary fix that sidesteps the underlying
problem
4. Compromising
– Agive-and-take approach involving moderate concern for both self &others
– Is appropriate when parties have opposite goals orpossess equal power
– Is inappropriate when overuse would lead to inconclusive ordelayed action
– Its primary strength is that the democratic process has no losers
– However, it only provides a temporary fix that can stifle creative problem
solving
24. Third-Party Interventions
• Conflict Triangles
– When two people are having a problem and instead of
addressing the problem, one of them gets a third party
involved
• Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
– Avoiding costly lawsuits by resolving conflicts informally or
through mediation or arbitration
25. Alternative Dispute Resolutions
Facilitation
– Athird party, usually a manager, informally urges disputing parties
to deal direction with each other in a positive manner
Conciliation
– Aneutral third party informally acts as a communication conduit
between disputing parties
Peer review
– Apanel of trustworthy co-workers hears both sides of a dispute in an
informal and confidential meeting
26. Alternative Dispute Resolutions
Ombudsman
– Someone who works for the organization, and is widely
respected, hears grievances on a confidential basis and
attempts to arrange a solution
Mediation
– Atrained, third-party neutral actively guides the
disputing parties in exploring a solution; the mediator
does not render a decision
Arbitration
– Atrained, third-party neutral, makes a decision regarding
the dispute
