CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

LECTURER: Mr. I. KUMWENDA

CELL: +260 760598282

STUDY UNIT 1: Introduction to conflict management

 Assess the immediate conflict environment to determine its impact on interpersonal relations
 Assess the immediate conflict environment to determine its impact on institutional operations
 Identify, describe & explain basic economic, political, social & cultural diversity conflict issues in
Management.
 Conduct basic research to address relevant needs in the conflict management process

CONFLICT -

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT-process of identifying, addressing, and resolving conflicts in a productive and

efficient manner through the use of various strategies and techniques aimed at minimising negative effects
of conflict on both the individual and organisation.

-involves understanding the nature of conflict and applying strategies to promote constructive resolutions.

BENEFITS/ IMPORTANCE OF CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

- Enhances productivity and efficiency in organisations by reducing disruptions caused by conflicts…

- help improve interpersonal relationships between employees, teams and their leaders

- improves teamwork and enhances team-building within teams

- Helps create a positive workplace

IMPACTS OF CONFLICT ON INTERPERSONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL OPERATIONS

Conflict management is an essential skill that has significant impacts at both interpersonal and
professional/institutional levels.

Interpersonally: conflicts leads to communication breakdown, erosion of trust, reduced productivity, and
emotional toll

Institutional conflict: includes negative organisational culture, slowed decision making, resource
allocation challenges, and reputational damage

To address conflict it is key for managers to fostering open communication and implement conflict
resolution mechanisms that can lead to improved relationships, increased employee motivation and
engagement, productivity, and a more positive organisational work culture.

BASIC ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY CONFLICT IN MANAGEMENT

ECONOMIC CONFLICT: disagreements over resources allocation, budget constraints, or financial goals

POLITICAL CONFLICTS: power struggle, conflicts of interest, or differences in decision making

approaches

SOCIAL CONFLICT: clashes from varying personal values, beliefs, attitudes, and social norms within the
workplace
CULTURAL DIVERSITY CONFLICTS: tensions resulting from differences in beliefs, norms, cultures,
customs, and traditions among employees from culturally diverse backgrounds

CONDUCTING BASIC RESEARCH IN CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

-research plays a vital role in understanding the specific context and factors contributing to conflict

-methods such as surveys, interviews, and data analysis can be utilised to gather relevant information

-research-based insights enable the development of targeted conflict resolution strategies.

-equips organisations with information of conflict thereby allowing them to come up with strategies to
resolve conflict.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CAUSES AND TYPES OF CONFLICT

The causes of conflict in organisations can be understood from institutional, interpersonal and group level.

CAUSES OF INSTITUTIONAL CONFLICT

Disagreements between employees, teams, and departments lead to institutional conflict.
- High task interdependence in organisations can lead to conflict as it reduces synergy, collaboration, and
coordination among employees.
- Differences in goals attributed to resource allocation and scarcity within the organisation can also be a
major source of conflict in which departments compete for resources.

CAUSES OF INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT

Interpersonal conflict is also known as dyadic conflict and refers to conflict between two or more
organisational members of the same or different hierarchical levels or units.
- Due to personality clashes in interpersonal conflict, there is mistrust, communication breakdown, reduced
productivity, and emotional backlash which increases the potential for conflict.

CAUSES OF GROUP CONFLICT

Group conflict within an organisation can be inter-group or intra-group conflict that occurs between two or
more departments, for example, marketing and HR department, or between groups within an organisation
like employees and management.
- Due to employee differences in personality, values, norms, beliefs, religion, culture, ethnicity, and
behaviour.
- Due to incompatibilities and disagreements among members of a group or between two or more sub-
groups within a group.

Conflicts within the group and between group members are usually in connection with group goals, tasks,
relationships, procedures, and processes.

TASK, RELATIONSHIP AND PROCESS CONFLICT

Conflict in teams within an organisation can be identified as task, relationship or process conflict.
TASK CONFLICT - also known as substantive conflict arises when members of a team or one or more
employees have different opinions on how to execute tasks. Teams must leverage on diversity for improved
performance were task conflict arises.

RELATIONSHIP CONFLICT - or affective conflict occurs due to differing employee personalities,

experiences, and identities in which their feelings and emotions regarding some or all the issues are
incompatible to resolve conflict. It is the conflict most likely to be destructive to teams, as it is often linked to
negative emotions, hostility and personal dislike which undermines mutual trust. Requires emotional
intelligence for empathetic reactions so as to understand emotional triggers and allow effective open
communication.

PROCESS CONFLICT - arises from disagreements about how tasks must be delegated among teams.
Knowledge of team member strengths, weaknesses, roles or task clarity, and laying clear expectations on
teams allows managers to delegate task more effectively and is therefore crucial in resolving process
conflicts.

TYPES OF CONFLICT
Regardless of the causes of conflict, the types of conflict can be categorised as
Perceived conflict - is potential conflict members of a group may feel exist but does not exist at that
present moment.
Frictional conflict - results from clashes due to organisational structure, and functional positions in which
power dynamics pose a threat for conflict.
Strategic conflict - is deliberate and caused by employee manipulations in terms of resource allocations,
budgets, position of power, and authority.
Competitive Conflict - can also arise due to competition due to goal accomplishment in the workplace.
Substantive and open conflict - The interdependence of group members in the use of scarce resources
in the organisation leads to both substantive and open conflict as groups disagree on the recognition and
solution to a task problem, and differ in opinion, ideas, and perspectives.
Constructive conflict - In the event groups compromise and accommodate each other’s perspectives
outcomes are relatively satisfactory leading to constructive conflict.
Destructive conflict - whereas a win-lose attitude in which for example one department is side-lined due
to resource scarcity can lead to destructive conflict.

THE CONFLICT PROCESS

Workplace or organisational conflict arises from disagreements among employees or teams as a result of
differences in interest, opinions, beliefs, values, and goals which can hinder both employee and
organisational success. The conflict process therefore shows four stages

POTENTIAL OPPOSITION: this is the first stage in the conflict process which entails the presence of
conditions that cause or create opportunities for the development of conflict.
- causes communication methods (poor communication, misconceptions, distortion of information, noise,
insufficient information exchange).
it is important to convey and build on trust in communication and in how problems are handled.
- Structure can cause conflict in the context of teams, departments, and organisation
- Reward systems, team specialisation, routinisation, leadership styles
- Personal factors of employees as a result of different value systems

COGNITION AND PERSONALISATION: the perception of whether conflict exists or not is what the second
stage of the conflict process is about. The frustrations perceived in the first stage boil over to conflict when
individuals are cognizant of and feel affected and aggrieved by certain aspects within the organisation, for
example rewards that employees may view as unfair.

BEHAVIOUR: The behaviour stage is when conflict becomes visible through overt behaviour expressed in
actions, reactions, and frustrations regarding the supposed condition. This breeds tensions,
misconceptions, frustrations and even aggression in some instances. Leaders should be adaptive and be
equipped with conflict resolution techniques such as problem-solving, competition, avoidance,
collaboration, accommodation, compromising, and authoritative command to resolve conflicts.

OUTCOMES: The action-to-reaction interaction between individuals during conflict results in consequences
or outcomes. These outcomes can be functional allowing tensions to be released, and decision-making
improved thereby stimulating team creativity, innovativeness, and positive feedback. Dysfunctional
outcomes on the other hand tend to breed aggressive outbursts, which lead to a win-lose situation as
parties are not willing to settle.

QUESTIONS
 Define conflict.
 Contrast task, relationship, and process conflict.
 Indicate the relationship between causes and types of conflict.
 Outline the conflict process.

STUDY UNIT 2: Conflict management: self-management

skills.
 Understand the importance of self-awareness for conflict management
 Apply assertiveness in interpersonal relations
 Practice mindfulness in interpersonal relations
 Link the effects of stress to emotional self-control
 Accurately self-assess own abilities and emotional triggers

Conflict management ensures that negative aspects of conflict are limited whilst increasing the positive
aspects of conflict. Managing conflict in organisations enhances learning, employee engagement, and
positive team outcomes and improves productivity, organisational effectiveness and performance.
Managers and employees must develop and nurture skills that lead to effective conflict resolution and
management.

Conflict management Skills such as

- Self-awareness,
- Accurate self-assessment,
- Assertiveness,
- Mindfulness, and
- Self-management skills.

Definitions:

SELF-AWARENESS - Self-awareness is the foundation of conflict management and a core competence of

emotional intelligence. conscious knowledge of one’s feelings and character

Being self-aware means having the ability to interpret, understand, and self-introspect one’s emotions,
behaviours and thoughts and to recognise the impact of their emotions, triggers, and behaviours on their
work, and relationships with others. Self-awareness enables one to handle conflict effectively and to be
able to easily identify potential conflict and take mitigating steps in preventing conflict.

IMPORTANCE OF SELF-AWARENESS

- SA is the foundation of conflict management

- Understanding our own emotions triggers and behaviours enables us to handle conflicts more
effectively

- It helps in recognising one’s biases and assumptions which can influence one’s responses during
conflict

APPLICATION VALUE OF THE THREE COMPETENCIES OF SELF-AWARENESS

Self-awareness is the core of emotional intelligence.
- Emotional intelligence (EI) is a combination of skills such as self-awareness, self-control, empathy and
sensitivity to the feelings of others. There are three competencies of Self-awareness namely
- emotional self-awareness,
- accurate self-assessment
- Self-confidence.
Emotional self-awareness enables employees or individuals to interpret and understand their own
emotions, and recognise the impact that these emotions have on their performance, relationships, and
interactions with others within the workplace. Being cognizant of one’s emotional triggers enable one to
recognise their biases and assumptions and to handle conflicts situations more efficiently.
Accurate self-assessment gives a realistic self-evaluation of one’s strengths and weaknesses through
self-enquiry and reflection on failures and accomplishments. In resolving conflict accurate self-assessment
aids one to seek feedback on how his or her actions are received by others and whether the right amount
of pressure was exerted on others.
Self-confidence is the ability to be certain about one’s competencies and skills which includes a sense of
self-esteem, self-assurance and the belief that one can make a difference which is crucial in conflict
resolution within the workplace.

SELF-MANAGEMENT - is the ability to manage one’s emotions, triggers, behaviors, and thoughts in
different situations and to bring out one’s capability to self-control their understanding and knowledge. Self-
management brings out the best in people. Its primary purpose is to improve a person’s productivity and
effectiveness.

SKILLS FOR SELF-MANAGEMENT

- Time management skills: Set aside time for self-reflection and assessment
- Stress management
- Self-motivation through having a positive attitude and mind-set towards conflict resolution
- Practice empathetic and effective communications with others
- Practice and incorporate mindfulness
- Identify emotional triggers and come up with strategies to manage them effectively
- Seek feedback from others to gain a more comprehensive understanding of one’s self

APPLICATION VALUE OF THE FIVE COMPETENCIES OF SELF-MANAGEMENT

SELF-AWARENESS SELF-MANAGEMENT
Self-awareness is the ability to recognise or be Self-management is one’s ability to self-regulate and
aware of one’s own thoughts, feelings, and control one’s thoughts, behaviour, and emotions
behaviours. productively so as to achieve goals.
It consists of three core competencies It consists of five key competencies
- emotional self-awareness - Emotional Self-control
- Accurate self-assessment - Transparency
- Self-confidence - Adaptability /flexibility
- Drive (optimism/persistence)
- Achievement
- Initiative /readiness
 Involves skills like critical self-reflection, self- Involves skills such as SMART goal setting and
assessment of strengths and weaknesses, alignment, task prioritisation, time-management,
honesty, courage, practicing mindfulness, and proactive mindfulness, stress management, self-
balancing locus of control. motivation, self-monitoring, and personal development.
ASSERTIVENESS - Assertiveness is an interpersonal communication skill defined as the ability to express
oneself clearly and respectfully without being aggressive or passive. Conflict can make people aggressive,
passive or assertive (direct) in interactions, and to resolve conflict constructively, assertiveness must be
used to respectfully express one’s opinions, emotions, and desires in a confident way, by standing up for
one’s rights and beliefs yet respecting the views and emotions of others through effective and empathetic
dialogue.

APPLYING ASSERTIVENESS IN CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

- Assertiveness is a crucial communication tool and skill for managing conflicts

- Involves expressing our needs, thoughts, and feelings clearly, confidently but in a respectful
manner. i.e. being direct, honest, open, without being overly aggressive or passive
- Assertiveness can help prevent conflicts from escalating and facilitates constructive resolutions

MINDFULNESS - just like self-awareness is very useful in managing one’s emotional triggers, behaviours,
and reactions. Mindfulness is the proactive practice of being fully aware, and present in the moment
without being judgemental. Mindfulness fosters meaningful communication and healthy employee
relationships through active listening, and helps parties respond to conflict situations in a more empathetic,
and constructive way.

Being mindful during conflict resolution enhances one’s self-control of their emotions, and behaviours
instead of being controlled by them.

PRACTICING MINDFULNESS IN CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

- Mindfulness involves being fully present in the moment without passing judgement on our
experiences
- Applying mindfulness in interpersonal relations helps in active listening and empathetic approaches
to others…helps one understand other people’s perspectives
- It reduces impulsive reactions and promotes thoughtful responses during conflicts
- Fosters more meaningful and better communication and healthy relationships among employees
and in the work place

ACCURATE SELF-ASSESSMENT - is also a crucial conflict resolution and management skill that enables
one to accurately and realistically access their abilities, strengths, and weaknesses so as to recognise
aspects that need personal development and growth for effective conflict resolution.

When self-assessment is honestly done, one is able to understand their strengths and weakness and this
can lead to effective conflict resolution and management through effective decision-making and
communication.

ACCURATE SELF- ASSESSMENT

- Accurately assessing our own abilities and limitations is important for conflict management. One
must recognise what their strengths and weaknesses are so as to recognise areas for personal
growth and development. Personality test can be helpful in …..
- Helps recognise areas for personal growth and development
- Honest and accurate self-assessment leads to better decision making during conflict...coz u
understand yourself i.e. their strengths and weaknesses.

LINKING STRESS TO EMOTIONAL SELF-CONTROL

- STRESS can significantly impact our ability to manage conflicts and handle conflict effectively
 - Stress can hinder one’s capacity to manage conflicts constructively
- Understanding how stress affects our emotions and behaviour enables us to maintain emotional
self-control during tense situations
- Techniques like deep breathing, self-calming help us stay composed during conflicts
- By recognising impact of stress can help one constructively recognise conflict and be able to solve
problems and stay composed during conflict

QUESTIONS

 Describe the main categories of skills needed for conflict resolution and management.
 Distinguish between self-awareness and self-management
 Discuss the application value of the three competencies that constitute self-awareness.
 Analyse the competencies of self-management within the context of conflict management.
 Conduct self-assessments relating to personal attributes of self-awareness

STUDY UNIT 3: CONFLICT MANAGEMENT: INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

 Apply basic principles of interpersonal skills to a diverse management work environment

 Interpret non-verbal communication in conflict management.

 Comprehend and link the value of motivation to conflict management

STUDY UNIT 4: Diversity management skills

 Discuss the elements of communication.
 Explain the importance of non-verbal communication with specific reference to conflict resolution
and management.
 Explain the rationale of the Johari Window

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

What are interpersonal skills?

Interpersonal skills are the everyday behaviours that are used for communication and interaction with
others. Interpersonal skills encompass active listening, conflict resolution, communication, collaboration
and emotional intelligence.

ACTIVE LISTENING- paying full attention to understanding and comprehending another person’s
perspectives and opinions without interrupting them. Fosters problem solving and conflict resolution by
creating an environment of mutual respect, openness and effective communication.

EMPATHY – Empathy is one of the components of emotional intelligence (EI) and it entails putting yourself
in the shoes of others to understand their feeling, emotions, and attitudes. It goes beyond sympathy
through its recognition and appreciation of other’s emotions and feelings.

ASSERTIVENESS – expressing one’s thoughts, needs, feelings, and intentions clearly and confidently
whilst respecting the views or perspectives of others. This promotes effective communication

COMMUNICATION –Communication skills in the workplace take many forms. Fundamentally,

communication skills are all about the exchange of messages communicated through writing,
speaking and non verbal cues such as body language. Interpersonal communication is also
mediated by face-to-face interaction and technologies including phone, video conferencing
software, email and social media.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION –
COLLABORATION - Very few jobs involve working in total isolation. Most involve working with
others to solve problems or to reach a common goal. To do so successfully, you need to interact
proficiently and productively with all team members. This includes being open to the ideas of
others, sharing information, setting common goals and plans together, supporting others,
delivering on your own personal project responsibilities and adapting when priorities change.

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION IN CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION – expressing oneself without using verbal means but expressions in the
form of body language, tone of voice, and eye contact. Understanding non-verbal cues plays a vital role in
gaining insights as to the level of conflict and aids in coming up with ways on how to manage and resolve
conflict. It unearths the unspoken causes of conflict and requires one to possess high levels of emotional
and social intelligence.
BODY LANGUAGE – observing, interpreting, and understanding the unspoken cues of others such as
facial expressions, gestures, and postures. This can reveal hidden emotional aspects such as anger,
frustrations, and pain that can help in understanding the underlying issues causing conflict.

TONE OF VOICE –recognising the emotions behind one’s unspoken works through the tone of the voice.
Tone of the voice conveys a lot about one’s emotions, and by listening to and being observant on the tone
of the voice one can detect calmness, anger, sarcasm, and even happiness in individuals during conflict.

EYE CONTACT - can aid in interpreting the level of confidence, honesty, and body engagement.
Maintaining eye contact can sow sincerity, active participation, active listening and willingness to resolve
contact whilst avoiding eye contact may depict discomfort, or lack of openness.

Maintaining consistent non-verbal behaviours that reflect transparency in daily

interactions helps to build a foundation of goodwill and trust. By recognizing non-
verbal communication as a tool for conflict resolution, companies can cultivate an
environment of understanding, collaboration, and mutual respect among
employees.

VALUE OF MOTIVATION IN CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

MOTIVATION –
2 types – intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
INTRINSIC MOTIVATION – understand how personal values, interests, and fulfilment drive conflict
resolution. Understating intrinsic motivation in conflict resolution means understanding that individuals often
seek resolutions that align with their core values and personal growth. Harnessing this inner drive from
individuals can help in managing conflict effectively.
EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION – pertains to external factors such as rewards, benefits, and consequences that
influence an individual in resolving and managing conflict. Recognising the role of extrinsic motivation in
conflict management is key because people respond to rewards and punishment different which impact the
way in which conflict is resolved.

Thus, creating a positive work environment, fosters effective communication and can enhance intrinsic and
extrinsic motivation thereby creating an easier atmosphere for effective conflict resolution.
STYLES OR TECHNIQUES FOR CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

The main types of conflict management strategies include avoidance, accommodation, competition,
compromise, and collaboration.

COLLABORATION – active dialogue participation between parties to bring about mutually agreed upon
win-win solution that fully satisfies the interests of both parties in conflict with one another. Collaboration
leads to lasting solutions and requires time, open communication, and a high level of trust. It is ideal in
solving complex situations.

COMPROMISE – seeks to find a middle ground where both parties make concessions and cooperate to
reach a mutually agreeable status to attain a common goal. Compromise is beneficial for making quick
resolutions but may not always provide an ideal solution for either party in conflict.

AVOIDANCE – strategy involves stepping back, ignoring or avoiding conflict in order to reflect on emotions
before making attempts to resolve conflict. Avoidance is ideally used for minor levels of conflict. Although it
can prevent unnecessary confrontations, the misuse of avoidance can result in accumulation and
escalation of unresolved conflict in the long-term.

ACCOMODATION – emphasizes prioritising and meeting the needs and desires of others, often at the
expense of one's own interests. It can lead to imbalance of ones needs if they are constantly neglected as
much as it is good for maintaining harmony and showing goodwill during conflict.
ASSERTVENESS – this strategy enables one to confidently and clearly express their needs, emotions,
concerns, and discontent whilst respecting the needs, emotions and opinions of others.

COMPETITION- This strategy focuses on assertively pursuing one's own interests at the expense of the
other party. It can be useful in situations requiring quick, decisive action, or in high-stakes scenarios where
vital interests are at stake. However, it can strain relationships if used excessively.

QUESTIONS
 Apply change management principles to minimize conflict
 Communicate effectively with the aim of managing conflict in a work environment.
 Discuss the inter-personal roles required of supervisors.
 Define and explain why diversity management skills are needed within a conflict management
context.
 Discuss how change should be managed having due regard for the obstacles to change and the
change management process.

STUDY UNIT 5: Conflict management: decision making.

 Apply the respective decision-making models in different contexts
 Improve personal decision making from a conflict management perspective
 Propose guidelines for improvement of individual decision making.

APPLYING DECISION-MAKING MODELS IN DIFFERENT CONTEXTS

Decision-making is the identification and selection of an appropriate plan of action to resolve a problem.
It is synonymous with managing which involves planning, leading, organisation and controlling to achieve
desired goals. Decision making models provide structured approaches to making informed choices.
Different contexts require and demand varying models for effective decision-making.

RATIONAL DECISION-MAKING MODEL or OPTIMISING MODEL – achieves the maximum social gain
with employees and stakeholders. systematic analysis of options, pros and cons assessment

BOUNDED RATIONALITY MODEL – making satisfactory choices within constraints of time and resources.

INTUITIVE DECISION-MAKING MODEL - relying on instincts and past experiences for quick decisions.
Applying the right model during conflict resolution increases the likelihood of successful outcomes.

IMPROVING PERSONAL DECISION MAKING THROUGH CONFLICT MANAGEMENT PESRPECTIVE

DECISION MAKING often involves navigating conflicts and disagreements

COLLABORATIVE APPROACH: emphasises open communication and cooperative problem solving

COMPROMISING APPROACH: seeking middle round to ensure satisfaction for all parties

AVOIDANCE APPROACH: temporarily postponement of decisions to allow emotions to settle.

ACCOMODATING APPROACH: prioritising needs of others over personal preferences.

Integrating conflict management strategies enhances decision making quality and relationships

STUDY UNIT 6: Group decision-making

 Compare the different decision-making models in terms of its application value for conflict
resolution.
 Discuss the respective decision-making techniques given different decision-making conditions.

GUIDELINES FOR IMPROVEMENT OF INDIVIDUAL DECISION MAKING

1. IDENTIFY DECISION GOAL/DESIRED OUTCOME-basic research clearly define the purpose and
desired outcomes
2. GATHER INFO: collect relevant data and insights to make informed choices.
3. EVALUATE ALTERNATIVES: assess pros, cons and potential consequences.
4. CONSIDER VALUES AND ETHICS: align decision with personal values and ethical considerations
5. MANAGE EMOTIONAL INFLUENCES: control emotions and their potential impacts.
6. INVOLVE OTHERS: seek input from trusted individuals for diverse perspectives.
7. ANTICIPATE AND ADDRESS CONFLICT: prepare to manage conflict constructively.
8. TEST WITH SMALL STEPS: implement decisions incrementally to assess effectiveness.
9. LEARN FROM FEEDBACK: continuously evaluate outcomes and adjust future decisions.
10. EMBRACE FLEXIBILITY: be open to adjusting decisions in response to changing
circumstances.have a contingency plan

GROUP DECISION-MAKING MODELS OVERVIEW

RATIONAL MODEL:
- Emphasises logical analysis and optimal outcomes
- Well suited for structured conflicts with clear data (resources, data, consequences)
- May not consider emotional aspects or cultural differences.

BEHAVIOURAL MODEL:
 - Focuses on psychological and social factors
- Useful for understanding complex interpersonal conflict
- Might lead to sub-optimal solutions due to subjectivity

POLITICAL MODEL:
- Considers power dynamics and negotiation
- Effective for resolving conflict in organisations or groups.
- May not prioritise fairness or individual concern

INCREMENTAL MODEL:
- Involves small gradual canes based on trial and error
- Ideal for situations with limited information and high uncertainty.
- Could lead to slow progression or failure to address the root causes of conflict.

APPLICATION VALUE FOR CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

RATIONAL MODEL
- suitable for objective conflict like resource allocation
- Less effective in emotionally cared disputes

BEHAVIOURAL MODEL:
- valuable for addressing deep rooted conflicts among individuals
- Might overlook systematic issues or broader impacts.

POLITICAL MODEL
- Effective in negotiations involving power dynamics.
- May neglect individual needs or ethical considerations

INCREMENTAL
- Useful for adapting solutions over time in complex conflicts.
- Might not address urgent or high-stake conflicts effectively.

DECISION MAKING TECHNIQUES UNDER DIFFERENT CONDITIONS

COLLABORATIVE DECISION-MAKING
- Involves stakeholders to reach consensus
- Effective for complex conflict requiring mutual agreements
- Time consuming, and requires active participation.

ARBITRATION
- Involves a neutral third party, an arbitrator to make decisions
- Ideal wen conflicting parties lack trust
- Can result in solutions that neither party is satisfied fully with.

NEGOTIATION
- Conflicting parties engage in active discussion and compromise
- Suitable for conflicts with shared interests and willingness to cooperate
- May lead to win-win outcomes if approached positively.

MEDIATION
- A mediator, 3rd party, assists parties to find common ground.
 - Useful for emotional cared conflict requiring a facilitator or neutral person to facilitate discussions
- Success depends on mediator’s skills and parties’ willingness.

QUESTIONS

 Discuss the human factors and behavioral influences on individual decision-making.

 Propose a number of guidelines for better individual decision-making

 Discuss the different group decision making techniques.

STUDY UNIT 7: Negotiation and conflict resolution

 Design & implement an appropriate conflict management plan to achieve the best interpersonal
outcomes.
 Control and improve conflict handling styles of staff according to the conflict management
strategy.

Conflict is inevitable in the workplace. Negotiation is vital for dealing with change, diversity, and conflict
through effective communication, collaboration, and interpersonal positive capabilities.

NEGOTIATION – process of exchanging goods and services and reaching and agreement.

BARGAINING STRATEGIES

TWO APPROACES

- DISTRIBUTIVE BARGAINING: focuses on a fixed value with parties aiming to maximise benefits,
often a zero sum gain. A negotiation process in which one side benefits or is advantaged over the
other. Employers usually bargain for less thus trade unions need large membership within the
industry they are fighting for so as to favour employees in the event of strikes and lockouts.

- INTERRATIVE BARGAINING: seeks a win-win solution fostering long-term relationships and

opportunities for collaboration. The type of bargaining in which a win-win’ negotiation is the ultimate
goal. In this type of bargaining both parties consider each party’s requests or demands,
perspectives, concerns, needs, fears and the come to an agreement that benefits both parties (win-
win or lose-lose). For example, unions may advocate for more staff training and development; this
may be costly for the organisation but in long-term leads to high levels of engagement, involvement
and productivity which rises business profits.

BASIC APPROACES TO NEGOTAITION

COMPROMISE: quick resolution by finding a middle round

BARGAINING: trading alternative and options with concessions.

COERCION: using authority to manipulate the other party.

EMOTION: incorporating emotions for persuasion. Exploit others’ emotions as a means to resolve conflict.
LOGICAL REASONING: using rational arguments based on research and evidence. Success must be
based on sound research and fact based evidence.

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR NEGOTIATION

CONSIDER – the other party’s situation

DEVELOP – a concrete strategy

BEGIN – with a positive overture

ADDRESS – the problem not personality

MANITAIN – a rational oal-oriented mind-set

PAY – little attention to initial offers

EMPASISE – win-win solutions.

INSIST ON – using objective criteria.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION SKILLS

Foster collaboration, enhance coordination, thus managers must employ conflict resolution skills to bring
harmony and positivity in the work environment. Conflict resolution must be viewed as a way to improve
processes and work conditions and not destructive.

QUESTIONS

 Apply negotiation strategies to resolve conflict

 Deal with conflict constructively Manage conflict and supervise staff to ensure a coherent team.

STUDY UNIT 8: Approaches to conflict management in

labour relations.
 Contrast distributive and integrative bargaining.

 Identify the five steps in the negotiation process.

APPROACES TO CONFLICT MANAGEMENT IN LABOUR RELATIONS

UNITARY APPROACH

- Organisations viewed as a cohesive team with a common goal.

- Shared values between employers and employees
- Conflict seen as irrational: resolved through netter uman relations or authority
- Trade unions considered unnecessary and an intrusion
- Management prerogative strongly upheld.
RADICAL APPROACH

- Denies balance of power in a capitalist system

- Root cause of conflict in wider societal structures favouring employees
- Collective bargaining seen as a strategy for coaxing compliance
- Advocated for the supporting of the capitalist system with shared ownership.

PLURALIST APPROACH

- Acknowledges conflict but seeks a balance of interest and power

- Conflict inherent but contained within the common purpose of enterprise existence
- sees trade unions as necessary to balance power, right to existence of these unions is
acknowledged
- views labour relations as a coalition of interests similar to a miniature democratic state

SOCIETAL-CORPORATIST APPROACH

- acknowledges conflict but emphasises coordination and cooperation

- focuses on interdependence and common interests
- shifts from adversarial to consensus building and collaboration
- Incorporates the broader societal needs for long-term mutual benefit.
IDEOLOGIES OF EMPLOYEE/WORKLACE RELATIONS
These are conceptualisations of the relationship between capital (employers) and labour (employees)
beneficial in considerations of the fundamental assumptions for particular managerial practices and the
employment relationship.
UNITARISM - Unitarism: Ideology, power, conflict, processes, trade unions (explain each)
Under unitarism, organisations are regarded as unified entities in which all parties (employers and
employees) have common objectives due to management being the only form of authority. Here trade
unions are considered unnecessary or unlawful as organisations feel the need to operate in accordance
with market trends. Conflict in unitarism is unnatural and where it exists is usually a result of trouble
makers, misunderstandings or miscommunications between employers and employees. Due to its
authoritative nature by management to contain or supress conflict is legitimate.
Unitarist – are individualist and operate on individualised HRM practices. These organisations prioritise the
individual management of employees and ‘soft HRM’.

PLURALIST – Pluralist organisations comprise of a coalition of different sectional groups in which parties
have both shared and diverse interests and objectives and management leads but their authority can be
challenged and legitimately contested. Hence management dominance can change over time unlike in
unitarism where the dominance is a managerial prerogative. Due to the fluid power relation, conflict in
pluralist organisations is natural, and unavoidable. Industrial action is a legitimate action, and trade unions
and other collective bodies are legitimate representatives. To maintain dynamic equilibrium, pluralist contain
and resolve conflict of interest through collective bargaining, consultation, negotiation, and information
sharing.
Pluralism – organisations promote trade union recognition, and put emphasis in conflict resolution through
collective bargaining, negotiation, consultation and information-sharing across a wide range of issues. Here
both employee relations and HRM are considered as partnerships combining individual and collective
mechanisms for the management of employees e.g. public sector, some private firms.
RADICAL/MAXIXT – For the Marxist the relationship between employees and the employer is based on
‘class’ conflict marked by deep conflict of interest and exploitation. There is a power imbalance in which
power lies with the owner of the means of production. It is characterised by constant, unavoidable, and
irreconcilable conflict of interest that may only be settled upon changes in society structures. Social unrest
is necessary to break the status quo and trade unions play a vital part by being collaborators to maintain
the status quo. True workplace democracy is thus impossible under the Marxist due to the lack of control of
means of production by employees.

Marxist – black hole organisations characterised by an absence of formal people management practices
that have neither mechanisms for the collective management of employees (labour) nor sophisticated HRM
practices.

QUESTIONS

 Describe cultural differences in negotiations.

 Differentiate between the various approaches to conflict management in labour relations.

 Discuss the application value of different conflict management styles.

 Design a conflict management plan.