Organizational Conflict

Conflict & Negotiation

I. Organizational Conflict

a. Personal Conflict

i. Role Conflict

b. Social Conflict

ii. Conflict Within Groups

iii. Intergroup Conflict

1. Horizontal Strain

2. Vertical Strain

II. Maturity-Immaturity Theory

III. Impact of Conflicts

c. Personal

iv. Positive

v. Negative

d. Group

vi. Positive

vii. Negative

IV. Strategies for and Managing Personal & Group Conflicts

V. Negotiation

e. Win-Lose

f. Lose-Lose

g. Win-Win

viii. Changing Rewards

ix. Altering Perception

x. Developing Goals

I. Organizational Conflict

Organizational conflict is a state of discord caused by the actual or perceived opposition of needs, values and interests between people working together. Conflict takes many forms in organizations. There is the inevitable clash between formal authority and power and those individuals and groups affected. There are disputes over how revenues should be divided, how the work should be done, and how long and hard people should work. There are jurisdictional disagreements among individuals, departments, and between unions and management. There are subtler forms of conflict involving rivalries, jealousies, personality clashes, role definitions, and struggles for power and favor. There is also conflict within individuals — between competing needs and demands — to which individuals respond in different ways.

a. Personal Conflict

Conflict sometimes has a destructive effect on the individuals and groups involved. At other times, however, conflict can increase the capacity of those affected to deal with problems, and therefore it can be used as a motivating force toward innovation and change. Conflict is encountered in two general forms. Personal conflict refers to an individual's inner workings and personality problems.

Many...