Chandigarh School

Of Business

Management Department

Bachelor of Business
Administration
BBA-3rd Semester * Conflict Management
*Stress management
Organizational Behaviour * Organizational culture
BBA 301

Dr. Poonam Rehal

Assistant Professor

CAMPUS: JHANJERI, MOHALI

 Unit- 4

Conflict Management: Meaning, types and sources of conflict, Process

of conflict management, approaches to conflict management.

Stress management: sources of stress, approaches for stress

management.

Organizational culture: meaning, concept, types of culture,

dimensions of organizational culture.

 CONFLICT CONCEPT
• The term conflict may mean different things to different persons. It may be regraded as the
disagreement between the individual or groups in an organization.
• Organisational conflicts occur when people or groups within an organisation have disagreements
or differences that make it difficult for them to work together. These conflicts can happen
because of things like different opinions, values, or goals.
For example, one group may
prioritize saving money while
another wants to invest in new
technology. These conflicts can
cause tension and problems
within the organisation.
Organisations need to recognize
that conflicts are a normal part of
working together, but they need
to be managed properly. If
conflicts are left unresolved or
ignored, they can lead to lower
morale, decreased productivity,
and even the failure of the
organisation. Organisations can
find solutions that benefit
everyone involved by addressing
conflicts positively and
proactively.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF CONFLICT
1. Conflict is a Process: Conflict occurs in ‘layers.’ First layer is always
misunderstanding. The other layers are differences of values, differences of
viewpoint, differences of interest, and interpersonal differences.
2. Conflict is Inevitable: (CANNOT BE AVOIDED) Conflict exists everywhere.
No two persons are the same. Hence, they may have individual differences.
And the differences may be because of values or otherwise, lead to conflict.
Although inevitable, conflict can be minimized, diverted and/or resolved.
3. Conflict is a Normal Part of Life: Individuals, groups, and organisations have
unlimited needs and different values but limited resources. Thus, this
incompatibility is bound to lead to conflicts.
4. Perception: It must be perceived by the parties to it, otherwise it does not exist.
5. Opposition: One party to the conflict must be perceiving or doing something
the other party does not like or want.
6. Interdependence and Interaction: There must be some kind of real or
perceived interdependence. Without interdependence there can be no
interaction. Conflict occurs only when some kind of interaction takes place.
 CONCEPT OF CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

• ‘Conflict management is the principle that all conflicts

cannot necessarily be resolved, but learning how to
manage conflicts can decrease the odds of non-
productive escalation. Conflict management involves
acquiring skills related to conflict resolution, self-
awareness about conflict modes, conflict communication
skills, and establishing a structure for management of
conflict in your environment.’
 TYPES OF CONFLICT
1. Intra-individual/Intra-
personal Conflict.
2. Interpersonal conflict.
3. Intra-group Conflict.
4. Inter-group conflict.
5. Dysfunctional and
Functional conflict
(Aspects).
 INTRA-INDIVIDUAL/INTRA-PERSONAL
CONFLICT
• Conflict can be intra-personal, where an individual’s objective
and vision differ from his/her company’s overall vision. This
refers to a conflict within an individual. Intra-individual conflict
arises from frustration, numerous roles that demand equal
attention but is riot always possible to devote, and goals having
both negative and positive aspects.
• 3 types of Intra-individual/Intra-personal Conflict are;
1. Goal conflict
2. Conflict from frustration
3. Role conflict
 GOAL CONFLICT
• source of conflict for an individual is a goal that has both positive and negative features
or two or more competing goals. Goal conflict is more complex than conflict from
frustration.
• Approach-approach conflict, where the individual is motivated to approach two or
more positive goals. An individual has to choose one out of two or more goals. Both the
goals are of equal importance.
• EXAMPLE: A person may be offered a promotion in present organization and getting a
desirable job in other organization. This situation has two goals which create approach -
approach conflict.
• Approach-avoidance conflict, Where the individual is motivated to approach a goal
and at the same time is motivated to avoid it. The single goal contains both positive and
negative characteristics for the individual.
• Example: A person may be offered a promotion carrying high pay scale but is far away
from home. This situation creates approach-avoidance conflict.
• Avoidance-avoidance conflict, where the individual is motivated to avoid two or more
negative but mutually exclusive goals.
• Example: a person works in a company which is close to his home but has bad working
environment. If he joins other company with good working environment but is far away
from his home.
 CONFLICT FROM FRUSTRATION
• Frustration occurs when a motivated drive is blocked before a
person reaches the desired goal. The following figure illustrates
the way frustration occurs:
 ROLE CONFLICT
• The final reason for the intra-personal conflict is
the need of an individual to play several roles
simultaneously but finding time and resources
inadequate to do so.
• For example, it is not uncommon for an adult
middle-class male to be simultaneously playing the
roles of husband, father, son to elderly parents,
worker or manager, student (evening MBA
program), member of social club, coach of a little
league baseball team, bridge partner, poker club
member, officer of a community group, and
weekend golfer.
 INTER-PERSONAL CONFLICT
• The most basic type of conflict is inter-personal. It is between two
colleagues – arising from a host of reasons ranging from
differences in personality, work-style, and personal background.
The conflict at the inter-personal level involves two or more
individuals and is the most common and most recognized type of
conflict.
• 4 primary sources of interpersonal conflict are.
1. Personal Differences,
2. Lack of Information,
3. Role in Compatibility, and
4. Environmental Stress.
 INTRA-GROUP CONFLICT INTER-GROUP CONFLICT

“Intergroup behavior occurs whenever

• When an individual individuals belonging to one group interact,
is pitted against a collectively or individually, with another
group and is either group or its members in terms of their
reference group identification.
unwilling or unable When the conflict is inter-group, two teams
to conform to group are involved in a deadlock, endangering the
dynamics, he or she successful completion of a project due to
invariably leaves differences in group dynamics.
Organizational conflict is the discord that
the team due to arises when the goals, interests or values of
intra-group conflict. different individuals or groups are
incompatible and those individuals or
groups block or thwart one another’s
attempts to achieve their objective.
 CONSEQUENCES OF CONFLICT
Conflict has both positive and negative consequences. Positive conflict is
known as functional conflict and negative conflict is known as
dysfunctional conflict.

1. POSITIVE CONFLICT (FUNCTIONAL CONFLICT): Conflict is not only

inevitable. It is also desirable. It is constructive and encourages new ideas to solve
organisational problems. It promotes change and keeps the organisation going in
the desired direction.

It believes that conflict has the following positive consequences:

2. High degree of cohesion
3. Improvement in quality of decisions
4. Emergence of leaders
5. Response to change
6. Increased productivity
 NEGATIVE CONFLICT (DYSFUNCTIONAL
CONFLICT)
• In positive conflict, differences in opinion do not hurt anyone’s feelings. People
respect each other’s ideas and arrive at new solutions to the problems to develop
working relationships. In negative conflict, on the contrary, people show disrespect
for others’ ideas. They aim to promote their interests at the cost of others.
• The negative consequences of conflict are as follows:
1. Mental strain: Excessive conflict creates tension and frustration amongst people.
2. Discontentment: Conflict breeds antagonism and discontentment. This reduces power to
think creatively and reduces group effectiveness.
3. Communication breakdown: When individuals or groups develop conflicting ideas,
they avoid interacting with each other.
4. Resignation: Discontentment can lead to resignation from jobs.
5. Distorted perceptions: Groups hold strong perceptions about their activities and
disregard those of the other group. They highlight their strong points and competitors’
weak points.
6. Subordination of group goals to individual goals: Members promote personal goals
rather than group goals.
 APPROACHES OF CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
• 1. The Competing Approach: People who take the competing approach are resolute in
what they believe and want. Operating from a position of power, expertise or strength,
this approach is useful in an emergency situation when an immediate decision needs to
be made or to resolve an unpopular issue. However, misuse of this style can dis-
empower staff and thwart (to prevent something happening) learning, demonstrating
assertiveness but offering non cooperativeness.
• 2. The Accommodating Approach: Low on assertiveness, but high on cooperation an
accommodating approach is used by managers who want to appear reasonable in their
decision-making. Managers using this style demonstrate that they are peacemakers,
willing to yield where possible and want to create goodwill with all. But too much
accommodation and managers risk appearing weak, indecisive and not willing to
embrace change.
• 3. The Avoiding Approach: Managers who don't want to handle conflict are likely to
avoid it altogether. This approach dismisses the manager's own concerns and those of
the other individual, leaving the conflict unresolved. Sometimes this approach is useful
when a problem should be addressed at another time or if a threatening situation
surfaces. According to the University of California Berkeley, there are three reasons why the
avoidance approach is taken: "(1) exposing oneself to ridicule or rejection, (2) recognizing we may
have contributed to the problem and (3) willingness to change."
• 4. The Collaborating Approach In a spirit of demonstrating unity,
managers may choose to collaborate by showing a high degree of
assertiveness and cooperation. This win-win approach is favored
when both sides have important differences, but to get the job done
everyone agrees to work together. Considered time consuming, a
collaborating approach can mean that one party is being taken
advantage of while insignificant matters are given considerable
attention and personal responsibilities are ignored.

• 5. The Compromising Approach Moderately cooperative and

assertive, a compromising approach to conflict resolution finds a
mutually acceptable solution. A middle ground has been found, one
where both parties can stake a claim to victory. Too much
compromise and you may come across as someone who has no firm
values; too little compromise leads to further power struggles and
confrontations
 STAGES OF CONFLICT
• Latent Stage: Participants not yet aware of conflict. An example of this could
be that a server at a restaurant may have inputted an order incorrectly and the
food being made for a table is the wrong food. The manager and table do not
know this yet and conflict has not arisen yet.
• Perceived Stage: Participants aware a conflict exists. is when the people
involved in a conflict become fully aware that there is a conflict, so the table
has now been made aware and complained to management. Management will
now go over to speak with the employee about it.
• Felt Stage: Stress and anxiety
• Manifest: Conflict is open and can be observed. The Manifest Stage can take a
number of shapes including: e-mails, phone calls, phone messages, face-to-
face meetings, or any situation in which the conflict could be observed.
• Aftermath: Outcome of conflict, resolution or dissolution. which takes place
when there is some outcome of the conflict, such as a resolution to, or
dissolution of, the problem. When the manager corrects the mistake with the
customer and takes appropriate steps to ensure the server is more careful in the
future .
 CAUSES OF CONFLICT MANAGEMENT OF CONFLICT

1. Differences in perception: Differences in 1. Stimulation of functional conflict :

perceptions, values and attitudes of individuals (a) Bring managers with backgrounds,
or groups over the same problem leads to
values and styles different from those
interpersonal or intergroup conflicts.
who are presently working in the
2. Excessive competition: Organisational resources organisation.
(men, material, money, space etc.) are scarce and each
unit wants maximum share of it. (b) Add or delete individuals and
3. Differences in goals: Different goals of individuals
groups to the existing network. This
or groups leads to conflict amongst them. In order to will re-distribute power and, thus,
maximize profits, production department may want to stimulate conflict.
produce limited varieties in large volume so that costs 2. Resolution of dysfunctional
are minimized.
conflict.
4. Interdependence of tasks: When work is passed
from one unit to the other, interdependence amongst
(a) Introduce changes in the
units can lead to conflict. organisation structure so that
5. Habit patterns: Some people like to argue and conflicting parties are separated and
debate. They enjoy conflict as a matter of habit. It acts placed at different positions.
as a motivator for them to improve their performance. (b) Introduce participative style of
6. Personal characteristics: When group members management where decisions reflect
differ in work attitudes, age, education, temperament the opinion of all
and status levels, the potential for inter-group conflict
is high.
 STRESS MANAGEMENT
• Definitions
• “Stress is defined as an adaptive response to an external
situation that results in physical, psychological and/or
behavioural deviations for organisational participants.”
• “Stress is a dynamic condition in which an individual is
confronted with an opportunity, constraint or demand
related to what he or she desires and for which the
outcome is perceived to be both uncertain and
important.”
 NATURE OF STRESS
I. Stress is a Neutral Word: Stress is not bad in itself. But when stress is created by
undesirable outcomes, it becomes Distress. On the other hand, if it is created by desirable
and successful effects it is called Eustress.
2. Stress is Associated with Constraints and Demand: Constraints prevent an individual
from doing what he or she desires. If a person wants to buy something, but he does not
have the necessary cash, it is a constraint. Demands refer to the loss of something desired.
Two Conditions are Necessary for Potential Stress to Become Actual Stress: There
must be: (i) Uncertainty over the outcome, and (ii) Outcome must be important
4. Stress is not Simply Anxiety: Stress may be accompanied by anxiety, but the two are
not synonymous. Anxiety is psychological and emotional whereas stress operates in the
physiological sphere also along with psychological sphere.
5. Stress should also be differentiated from Nervous Tension: Nervous tension may be a
result of stress. Stress is a subconscious action. Even unconscious people have exhibited
stress, whereas nervous tension is a conscious action.
6. The Term “Burnout” is also Closely Associated with Stress: Some researchers
contend that burnout is a type of stress, but others treat it differently. Burnout is closely
associated with helping professions like nursing, education and social work, it is
characterised by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and diminished personal
accomplishments.
 LEVELS OF STRESS
• Stress is highly individualistic in nature. Some people have high tolerance for
stress and thrive well in face of several stressors in the environment. In fact,
some individuals will not perform well unless they experience a level of stress
which activates and energizes them to put forth their best efforts. Generally,
stress is viewed as something bad, having negative consequences. However,
stress is not always bad. It is only the degree or the level of stress which
produces positive or negative consequences.
• 1. Eustress: Eustress is the healthy, positive and developmental stress
response. This may lead employees to new and better ways of doing their
work. It denotes the presence of optimum level of stress in an individual.
Under optimum level of stress the employees will perform to his full capacity.
• 2. Distress: Distress is the unhealthy and negative stress response. It denotes
the presence of high level of stress in an individual which affects his
performance and efficiency adversely. Errors will increase, bad decision will be
made and the individual will experience insomnia, stomach problems and
psychosomatic illnesses.
 EFFECTIVE APPROACHES TO MANAGING
STRESS
Approach # 1. Maintaining Good Physical Health: Regular physical exercises,
such as aerobics, walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, etc., help in dealing with
excessive stress. Regular sleep, and timely and healthy eating habits also help the
individual to tackle stress better.
Approach # 2. Practicing Relaxation: Techniques such as meditation, hypnosis,
and bio-feedback reduce tension. As per Forbes and Pekala (1993), the objective
of practicing relaxation techniques is to feel physically relaxed, somewhat
detached from the immediate environment and from body sensation.
Approach # 3. Developing a Psychological Support System: It helps in
effectively managing stress. Similarly, expanding social support network and
finding an emphatic listener to hear and suggest an objective and broader
perspective about the problem situation is beneficial.
Approach # 4. Time Management: It contributes a great deal in handling stress.
The individual should firstly avoid the superhuman urge to do more than what
he/she is capable of.
• Approach # 5. Physical and Psychological Withdrawal: Scheduling of
activities has another advantage. The worker is able to keep some time away
from the workplace to relax and be with oneself. This time may be spent in
relaxation, with family and friends, recreational activities, hobbies, travelling,
or simply introspecting.

• Approach # 6. Accepting Your Mistakes: Mistakes are a part of human life

and work. In fact an individual’s mistakes are stepping stones to success. An
individual can avoid considerable amount of stress by avoiding egoistic
behaviour and owning up to errors in actions and decisions, as and when
applicable. The world need not be always as the individual expects it to be.

• Approach # 7. Developing a Positive Attitude towards Life: Adopting a

positive attitude towards life goes a long way in dealing with stress. It helps the
individual to deal better with the problems of daily life. Positive orientation and
attitude towards life bring optimism in responding to the situations and help in
overcoming worry and anxiety.
 ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
• What is culture ?
• The attitude, traits and behavioral patterns which govern
the way an individual interacts with others is termed as
culture. Culture is something which one inherits from his
ancestors and it helps in distinguishing one individual
from the other.
• What is organization culture?
• Organization culture refers to the beliefs and principles
of a particular organization. The culture followed by the
organization has a deep impact on the employees and
their relationship amongst themselves.
 TYPES OF ORGANIZATION CULTURE
• Strong Organization Culture: Strong organizational
culture refers to a situation where the employees adjust
well, respect the organization’s policies and adhere to the
guidelines. In such a culture people enjoy working and take
every assignment as a new learning and try to gain as much
as they can. They accept their roles and responsibilities
willingly.

• Weak Organization Culture: In such a culture individuals

accept their responsibilities out of fear of superiors and
harsh policies. The employees in such a situation do things
out of compulsion. They just treat their organization as a
mere source of earning money and never get attached to it.
• Normative Culture: In such a culture, the norms and procedures of the
organization are predefined and the rules and regulations are set as per the
existing guidelines. The employees behave in an ideal way and strictly adhere
to the policies of the organization. No employee dares to break the rules and
sticks to the already laid policies.
• Pragmatic Culture: In a pragmatic (practical) culture, more emphasis is
placed on the clients and the external parties. Customer satisfaction is the main
motive of the employees in a pragmatic culture. Such organizations treat their
clients as Gods and do not follow any set rules.
• Academy Culture: Organizations following academy culture hire skilled
individuals. The roles and responsibilities are delegated according to the back
ground, educational qualification and work experience of the employees.
Organizations following academy culture are very particular about training the
existing employees.
• Baseball team Culture: A baseball team culture considers the employees as
the most treasured possession of the organization. The employees are the true
assets of the organization who have a major role in its successful functioning.
Advertising agencies, event management companies, financial institutions
follow such a culture.
• Club Culture: Organizations following a club culture are very particular about
the employees they recruit. The individuals are hired as per their specialization,
educational qualification and interests. Each one does what he is best at. The
high potential employees are promoted suitably and appraisals are a regular
feature of such a culture. 6. Fortress Culture: There are certain organizations
where the employees are not very sure about their career and longevity. Such
organizations follow fortress culture. The employees are terminated if the
organization is not performing well.
• Process Culture: As the name suggests the employees in such a culture adhere
to the processes and procedures of the organization. Feedbacks and
performance reviews do not matter much in such organizations.
• Bet your company Culture: Organizations which follow bet your company
culture take decisions which involve a huge amount of risk and the
consequences are also unforeseen. The principles and policies of such an
organization are formulated to address sensitive issues and it takes time to get
the results.
 IMPORTANCE OF ORGANIZATION CULTURE
1. The culture decides the way employees interact at their workplace. A
healthy culture encourages the employees to stay motivated and loyal
towards the management.
2. The culture of the workplace also goes a long way in promoting healthy
competition at the workplace.
3. The culture of an organization represents certain predefined policies
which guide the employees and give them a sense of direction at the
workplace.
4. The work culture goes a long way in creating the brand image of the
organization.
5. The organization culture brings all the employees on a common
platform.
6. The work culture unites the employees who are otherwise from different
back grounds
 FACTORS AFFECTING ORGANIZATION
CULTURE
• 1. Individual working with the organization. The employees in
their own way contribute to the culture of the workplace. The
attitudes, mentalities, interests, perception and even the thought
process of the employees affect the organization culture.
• Example - Organizations which hire individuals from army or
defense background tend to follow a strict culture where all the
employees abide by the set guidelines and policies. The
employees are hardly late to work. It is the mindset of the
employees which forms the culture of the place. Organizations
with majority of youngsters encourage healthy competition at the
workplace and employees are always on the toes to perform better
than the fellow workers.
2. The Gender of the employee also affects the
organization culture.

3. The nature of the business

4. The culture of the organization is also affected by its

goals and objectives.

5. The management and its style of handling the

employees also affect the culture of the workplace.
 SIX DIMENSIONS OF ORGANIZATIONAL
CULTURE
• 1. Means- vs. goal-oriented A means-oriented culture places
importance on how work gets done. The focus is on the way
people do work and an emphasis on avoiding risk. On the
opposite end of the spectrum, a goal oriented culture identifies
with what work gets done. There is a strong focus on achieving an
end result.
• 2. Internally vs. externally driven Employees within an
internally-driven culture see themselves as experts; they feel they
know what is best for the client and customer and act accordingly.
As Steve Jobs put it, “A lot of times, people don’t know what they
want until you show it to them.” On the other side, employees
working in an externally-driven culture are very customer-
oriented and will do whatever the customer wants.
• 3. Easygoing vs. strict work discipline Work discipline refers to
the amount of structure and control. In an easygoing culture, the
approach to work is informal, loose, unpredictable, and these
characteristics facilitate a high level of innovation. But you better
like surprises and be willing to improvise and adapt! In a strict
culture, there is a fair amount of planning, which leads to
efficiency and productivity.
• 4. Local vs. professional In a local organizational culture,
employees identify with their boss and their teammates. This type
of environment risks having a low level of diversity, since there
are social pressures to act, look, and talk in a certain way.
However, these defined norms allow for a great amount of
predictability. In a company with a professional culture,
employees identify with their profession or the content of the
work.
• 5. Open vs. closed system In an open system, newcomers are
welcomed easily. People are inclusive and take the approach that
anyone will fit in well with the organization. A closed system is
more exclusive, where newcomers have to prove themselves.

• 6. Employee- vs. work-centered In a culture with an employee-

centered management philosophy, leaders take responsibility for
the happiness, well-being, and satisfaction of their employees.
This is true even if it is at the expense of productivity. In a work-
centered culture, a focus on high task performance can come at
the expense of employees. In this environment, there is a low
level of empathy for personal problems.
THANK YOU