Organizational Behavior PrinciplesMGM335-1402A-01 Phase 3 Individual ProjectSean C HallColorado Technical UniversityDr. DM Arias4/28/141OBJECTIVESExplain sources of conflict within an organization.Discuss types of conflict that can arise when groups vie for resources.Describe different models that address organizational conflict.Develop recommendations for methods to address intergroup conflicts.

Organizational Behavior Principles

Challenges and Opportunities for OB Todays challenges bring opportunities for managers to use OB concepts: - Responding to Economic Pressures - Responding to Globalization (Increased Foreign Assignments, Working with People from Different Cultures, Overseeing Movement of Jobs to Countries with Low-cost Labor) - Managing Workforce Diversity Improving Customer Service Improving People Skills Stimulating Innovation and Change Coping with Temporariness Working in Networked Organizations Helping Employees Balance WorkLife Conflicts - Creating a Positive Work Environment Improving Ethical Behavior 3Organizational Behavior PrinciplesSources of conflict:

There are many causes or reasons for conflict in any work setting. Some of the primary causes are:

Poor Communication: different communication styles can lead to misunderstandings between employees or between employee and manager. Lack of communication drives conflict underground.

Different Values: any workplace is made up of individuals who see the world differently. Conflict occurs when there is a lack of acceptance and understanding of these differences.

Differing Interests: conflict occurs when individual workers fight for their personal goals, ignoring organizational goals and organizational well-being.

Scarce Resources: too often, employees feel they have to compete for available resources in order to do their job. In a resource scarce environment, this causes conflicts despite awareness of how scarce resources may be.

Personality Clashes: all work environments are made up of differing personalities. Unless colleagues understand and accept each others approach to work and problem-solving, conflict will occur.

Poor Performance: when one or more individuals within a work unit are not performing - not working up to potential and this is not addressed, conflict is inevitable.

Handling and resolving conflicts that arise in the workplace is one of the biggest challenges managers and employees face. Typically there are two responses to conflict: run away (avoidance) or battle it out. In either case, we often feel uncomfortable or dissatisfied with the results because no resolution has been achieved. By learning to constructively resolve conflict, we can turn a potentially destructive situation into an opportunity for creativity and enhanced performance. 4Organizational Behavior PrinciplesTypes of Conflict in Organizations

Definition of Responsibility UnclearWhen it is unclear who is responsible for what area of a project or task, conflict can occur. Territorial issues arise when decisions are made that appear to cross boundaries of responsibility. To prevent this from happening it is imperative that the roles and responsibilities of all the players are spelled out clearly and agreed upon by everyone involved before the project is started.

Conflict of InterestUnderstanding how personal interests and goals fit within the structure of the organization will alleviate conflict of interest problems. When an individual's personal goals are at odds with the goals of the organization, the individual may be tempted to fight for his personal goals, creating a conflict situation that will hamper success of the project.

Conflict is inevitable whenever two or more people interact, whether in the workplace or at home. Conflict can occur between two or more individuals, two or more groups, or an individual and a group. When dealing with conflict in an organization, it is important to remember to address the issue, not the people. Types of conflict that can occur in any organization include unclear definitions of role responsibility, conflict of interest, lack of resources and interpersonal relationships within the workplace.5Organizational Behavior PrinciplesTypes of Conflict in Organizations continued

Not Enough ResourcesCompetition for resources, including money, time and materials, will cause the teams to undercut each other, leading to conflict between departments or other work groups. Valuable resources need to be protected, as well as distributed fairly among all the groups. Starting out a project with a clear picture of the resources available will help waylay some of this conflict.

Interpersonal RelationshipsThe personalities of the people involved in the organizational structure play an important part in conflict resolution. Often the conflict is a result of interpersonal relationships where the parties to the conflict are unable to resolve personal issues with each other. It is not always easy to set aside personal prejudices when entering the workplace, but it is important to recognize what those prejudices are and deal with them before conflict arises.

Not all conflict is destructive, however. Some conflicts are best discussed openly: managed constructively, such discussions can lead to deeper understanding and better decisions. The problem is that conflict tends to be seen in terms of winlose that is, one argument will win and the other will lose. But it is possible to reach an outcome in which elements of both arguments are accepted a winwin situation. Negotiations over pay are a simple example: employers may agree to pay employees more in exchange for changes in working practices. For winwin outcomes, however, there need to be mechanisms for open discussion and fair decision-making. The likelihood of resolving conflict depends on the behaviour of those involved. To understand this better, it can be helpful to classify peoples responses to interpersonal conflict in five categories (Figure 4). These categories reflect the balance between cooperation (attempts to satisfy the other persons concerns) and assertiveness (attempts to satisfy your own concerns).

6Organizational Behavior Principles5Ps of conflict model:PerceptionsPeoplePracticesPoliciesPersistence

Organizational Behavior PrinciplesPerceptions

Individuals beliefs, values, and expectations about the organization and the individuals

Individual perceptions influenced by what happens in and out of the workplace

Perceptions primarily changed through Education and Experience

Interventions resulting in reflective processes

Hayes, S. (2009)

People

Characteristics of the people

Age

Gender

Race/Ethnicity

Social class or educational background

Experience in their position and others in organization

Organization of people in relation to others

Hayes, S. (2009) 13

For a company to be successful, departments must learn to work together. The sales group cannot ship products without the help of the manufacturing and logistics groups. Managers have several methods at their disposal to improve the intergroup cooperation in a workplace and thereby help improve efficiency and productivity. By encouraging an environment of intergroup cooperation, you are creating a better workplace.

8Organizational Behavior PrinciplesPractices

Practices are what actually happen

Interpretation of policies based primarily in perception and person characteristics

influenced by education and prior knowledge/experience with similar policies or practices

Most organizational conflicts are at the level of practices

Behaviors can altered without altering perceptions or personal characteristics

Hayes, S. (2009)

Policies

Organizational culture

Work demands

Appropriate demeanor

Process of promotion

Whose involved in grievance and termination

Policy manual

Work schedules

Productivity expectations

Rules for promotion

Grievance & Termination

Hayes, S. (2009)

Managing team conflict typically involves working with team members who have varying opinions, backgrounds and experience to resolve differences. When you have multiple teams working on a project, this complicates the situation even more. You can reduce tension and dissension by proactively scheduling team-building meetings that focus on conflict resolution skills. For example, conduct role-playing exercises that help people practice acknowledging the conflict, understanding the situation and reaching agreement. Handling inter-group conflict in a decisive manner prevents disagreements from disrupting work further.9Organizational Behavior PrinciplesPersistence

Persistence is the element oftime, change takes place over time.

An interventions ability to be successful is dependent on addressing persistence.Individual time Organizational timeInterventions are time limited. Individuals must take long view, organizations see shorter terminterests of individuals

Hayes, S. (2009) 16

For a company to be successful, departments must learn to work together. The sales group cannot ship products without the help of the manufacturing and logistics groups. Managers have several methods at their disposal to improve the intergroup cooperation in a workplace and thereby help improve efficiency and productivity. By encouraging an environment of intergroup cooperation, you are creating a better workplace.

10Organizational Behavior PrinciplesRecommendations

Improve Communication-Groups function more efficiently when there is good communication.

Clarify Roles-When groups do not have a clear understanding of the roles each department is to take in a given project, confusion and frustration can develop and hinder cooperation.

Address Issues Quickly-Problems and concerns will come up between work groups from time to time.

Identify and understand the triggering events, and avoid or dull them.

Set rules for the conflict, for instance attempting to limit when and how conflicting groups interact.

Developing coping strategies to help groups to more effectively deal with the consequences of conflict.

Attempts to eliminate or resolve the latent issues that eventually are triggered into conflict.

Any time you bring together a group of people with differing opinions, backgrounds and tastes, you put the group at risk for conflict. The way that you handle that conflict and the differing opinions of your group will ultimately impact how much conflict you experience as a whole. As a group leader, it's your responsibility to adapt and allow so your group feels as though concerns are heard and their ideas are embraced. Together, you can reduce intergroup conflict and become more proactive and productive.11ReferencesCummings, T.G., & Worley, C.G. (2001). Organization Development and Change (7th edition). Cincinnati, OH: South-Western College.

French, W.L., & Bell, C.H. Jr. (1999). Organizational Development: Behavioral Science Interventions for Organizational Improvement (Ch. 10). Upper Sandle Ridge, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Nahavandi, A. & Malekzadeh, A.R. (1999). Organizational Behavior: The Person-Organization Fit (Ch. 13). Upper Sandle Ridge, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Rahim, M.A (1986). Referent roles and styles of handling interpersonal conflict. Journal of Social Psychology, 126, 79-86.

Rahim, M.A., & Magner, N.R. (1995). Confirmatory factor analysis of the styles of handling interpersonal conflict: first-order factor model and its invariance across groups. Journal of Applied Psychology, 80, 122-132.