Exhibit 6-5 provides a way of
visualizing conflict behaviour. All
conflicts exist somewhere along
this continuum. At the lower part
of the continuum, we have conflicts
characterized by subtle, indirect,
and highly controlled forms of
tension. An illustration might be a student politely objecting to
a point the instructor has just made in class. Conflict intensities
escalate as they move upward along the continuum, until they
become highly destructive. Strikes and lockouts, riots, and wars
clearly fall into this upper range. For the most part, you should
assume that conflicts that reach the upper ranges of the contin-
uum are almost always dysfunctional. Functional conflicts are
typically confined to the lower range of the continuum. Case
Incident—Managing Conflict at Schneider Nationalon the CD-ROM
that accompanies this textbook describes how functional con-
flict improves an organization.
RESEARCH FINDINGS Conflict
Research on conflict has yet to clearly identify those situations in which conflict is more
likely to be constructive than destructive. However, there is growing evidence that the
source of the conflict is a significant factor determining functionality.^46 Cognitive
conflict, which is task-oriented and occurs because of differences in perspectives and
judgments, can often result in identifying potential solutions to problems. Thus it would
be regarded as functional conflict. Affective conflict, which is emotional and aimed at
a person rather than an issue, tends to be dysfunctional conflict.
One study of 53 teams found that cognitive conflict, because it generates more alterna-
tives, led to better decisions, more acceptance of the decisions, and ownership of the deci-
sions. Teams experiencing affective conflict, where members had personality incompatibilities
and disputes, showed poorer decisions and lower levels of acceptance of the decisions.^47
Because conflict can involve our emotions in a variety of ways, it can also lead to stress.
You may want to refer to theOB on the Edge—Stress at Workon pages 98–105 to get some
ideas on how to manage the stress that might arise from conflicts you experience.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Conflict in the workplace can affect the effectiveness of individuals, teams, and the entire
organization.^48 One study found 20 percent of managers’ time is spent managing conflict.^49
Once conflict arises, what can be done to resolve it? The way a conflict is defined
goes a long way toward establishing the sort of outcomes that might settle it. For instance,
if I define our salary disagreement as a zero-sum or win-lose situation—that is, if you get
the increase in pay you want, there will be just that amount less for me—I am going to
be far less willing to look for mutual solutions than if I frame the conflict as a potential
win-win situation.So individual attitudes toward a conflict are important, because atti-
tudes typically define the set of possible settlements.
Conflict Management Strategies
Conflict researchers often use dual concern theory to describe people’s conflict man-
agement strategies. Dual concern theory considers how one’s degree of cooperativeness(the
degree to which one tries to satisfy the other person’s concerns) and assertiveness(the
Chapter 6 Communication, Conflict, and Negotiation 201Is conflict always*bad?
Annihilatory
conflictNo
conflictOvert efforts to destroy
the other party
Aggressive physical attacks
Threats and ultimatums
Assertive verbal attacks
Overt questioning or
challenging of others
Minor disagreements or
misunderstandingsEXHIBIT 6-5 Conflict Intensity ContinuumSources:Based on S. P. Robbins, Managing Organizational
Conflict: A Nontraditional Approach(Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice Hall, 1974), pp. 93–97; and F. Glasl, “The Process of
Conflict Escalation and the Roles of Third Parties,” in Conflict
Management and Industrial Relations, ed. G. B. J. Bomers and
R. Peterson (Boston: Kluwer-Nijhoff, 1982), pp. 119–140.cognitive conflict Conflict that
is task-oriented and related to
differences in perspectives and
judgments.
affective conflict Conflict that is
emotional and aimed at a person
rather than an issue.5 How can conflict be
resolved?