Robbins & Judge

Organizational Behavior
13th Edition

Chapter 15: Conflict and Negotiation

Student Study Slideshow

Bob Stretch
Southwestern College
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 Chapter Learning Objectives
• After studying this chapter you should be able to:
– Define conflict.
– Differentiate between the traditional, human relations,
and interactionist views of conflict.
– Outline the conflict process.
– Define negotiation.
– Contrast distributive and integrative bargaining.
– Apply the five steps in the negotiation process.
– Show how individual differences influence negotiations.
– Assess the roles and functions of third-party negotiations.
– Describe cultural differences in negotiations.

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 Conflict Defined
• 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
– That point in an ongoing activity when an interaction
“crosses over” to become an interparty conflict
• Encompasses a wide range of conflicts that
people experience in organizations
– Incompatibility of goals
– Differences over interpretations of facts
– Disagreements based on behavioral expectations

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 Transitions in Conflict Thought
• Traditional View of Conflict
– The belief that all conflict is harmful and must be
avoided
– Prevalent view in the 1930s-1940s
• Conflict resulted from:
– Poor communication
– Lack of openness
– Failure to respond to employee needs

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 Continued Transitions in Conflict
Thought
• Human Relations View of Conflict
– The belief that conflict is a natural and inevitable
outcome in any group
– Prevalent from the late 1940s through mid-1970s
• 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
– Current view
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 Forms of Interactionist Conflict
• Functional Conflict
– Conflict that supports the goals of the group and
improves its performance
• Dysfunctional Conflict
– Conflict that hinders group performance

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 Types of Interactionist Conflict
• Task Conflict
– Conflicts over content and goals of the work
– Low-to-moderate levels of this type are FUNCTIONAL
• Relationship Conflict
– Conflict based on interpersonal relationships
– Almost always DYSFUNCTIONAL
• Process Conflict
– Conflict over how work gets done
– Low levels of this type are FUNCTIONAL
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 The Conflict Process
• 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
Exhibit 15-1

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 Stage II: Cognition and Personalization
• Important stage for two reasons:
1. Conflict is defined
• Perceived Conflict
– Awareness by one or more parties of the existence of
conditions that create opportunities for conflict to arise
2. Emotions are expressed that have a strong
impact on the eventual outcome
• Felt Conflict
– Emotional involvement in a conflict creating anxiety,
tenseness, frustration, or hostility

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 Stage III: Intentions
• Intentions
– Decisions to act in a given way
– Note: behavior does not always accurate reflect intent
• Dimensions of conflict-handling intentions:
– Cooperativeness
• Attempting to satisfy
the other party’s
concerns
– Assertiveness
• Attempting to satisfy
one’s own concerns
Exhibit 15-2

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 Stage IV: Behavior
• Conflict Management
– The use of resolution and stimulation techniques
to achieve the desired level of conflict

• Conflict-Intensity Continuum

Exhibit 15-3

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 Conflict Resolution Techniques
– Problem solving – Bringing in outsiders
– Superordinate goals – Restructuring the
– Expansion of resources organization
– Avoidance
– Appointing a devil’s
– Smoothing
advocate
– Compromise
– Authoritative command
– Altering the human
variable
– Altering the structural
variables
– Communication
Exhibit 15-4

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 Stage V: Outcomes
• Functional • Dysfunctional
– Increased group performance – Development of discontent
– Improved quality of decisions – Reduced group effectiveness
– Stimulation of creativity and – Retarded communication
innovation
– Reduced group cohesiveness
– Encouragement of interest
and curiosity – Infighting among group
members overcomes group
– Provision of a medium for goals
problem-solving
• Creating Functional Conflict
– Creation of an environment
for self-evaluation and – Reward dissent and punish
change conflict avoiders

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 Negotiation
• Negotiation (Bargaining)
– A process in which two or more parties exchange
goods or services and attempt to agree on the
exchange rate for them
• Two General Approaches:
– Distributive Bargaining
• Negotiation that seeks to divide up a fixed amount of
resources; a win-lose situation
– Integrative Bargaining
• Negotiation that seeks one or more settlements that can
create a win-win solution

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 Distributive versus Integrative
Bargaining
Bargaining Characteristic Distributive Bargaining Integrative Bargaining
Goal Get all the pie you can Expand the pie
Motivation Win-Lose Win-Win
Focus Positions Interests
Information Sharing Low High
Duration of Relationships Short-Term Long-Term

Exhibit 15-5

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 Bargaining Tactics and the Bargaining
Zone
• Distributive Tactics
– Make an aggressive first offer
– Reveal a deadline
• Integrative Tactics
– Bargain in teams
– Put more issues on the table
– Don’t compromise
Exhibit 15-6

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 The Negotiation Process
• BATNA
– The Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement
– The lowest acceptable value (outcome) to an
individual for a negotiated agreement
• The “Bottom Line” for negotiations

Exhibit 15-7

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 Individual Differences in Negotiation
Effectiveness
• Personality Traits
– Extroverts and agreeable people weaker at distributive
negotiation – disagreeable introvert is best
– Intelligence is a weak indicator of effectiveness
• Mood and Emotion
– Ability to show anger helps in distributive bargaining
– Positive moods and emotions help integrative bargaining
• Gender
– Men and women negotiate the same way, but may experience
different outcomes
– Women and men take on gender stereotypes in negotiations:
tender and tough
– Women are less likely to negotiate

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 Third-Party Negotiations
• Four Basic Third-Party Roles
– Mediator
• A neutral third party who facilitates a negotiated solution by using
reasoning, persuasion, and suggestions for alternatives
– Arbitrator
• A third party to a negotiation who has the authority to dictate an
agreement.
– Conciliator
• A trusted third party who provides an informal communication link
between the negotiator and the opponent
– Consultant
• An impartial third party, skilled in conflict management, who
attempts to facilitate creative problem solving through
communication and analysis

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 Global Implications
• Conflict and Culture
– Japanese and U.S. managers view conflict differently
– U.S. managers more likely to use competing tactics while
Japanese managers are likely to use compromise and
avoidance
• Cultural Differences in Negotiations
– Multiple cross-cultural studies on negotiation styles, for
instance:
• American negotiators are more likely than Japanese bargainers to
make a first offer
• North Americans use facts to persuade, Arabs use emotion, and
Russians used asserted ideals
• Brazilians say “no” more often than Americans or Japanese

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 Summary and Managerial Implications
• Conflict can be constructive or destructive
• Reduce excessive conflict by using:
– Competition
– Collaboration
– Avoidance
– Accommodation
– Compromise
• Integrative negotiation is a better long-term
method
Exhibit 15-8

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