Conflict and Negotiation
Functional or Dysfunctional?
When unequal amounts of power or resources are at stake, conflict is likely to occur. In the workplace, conflict may arise between employees or between employees and management. When a conflict erupts, management may need to intervene in order to resolve the issue. Depending on the approach taken, the conflict may be classified as functional or dysfunctional. A functional conflict is one that results in a positive outcome for the organization, such as increased creativity or improved decision-making (Bauer & Erdogan, 2012). A dysfunctional conflict, on the other hand, is one that harms the organization, such as decreased productivity or damaged relationships. In order to determine whether a particular conflict is functional or dysfunctional, it is necessary to consider the goals of the organization and the impact of the conflict on those goals. At Google, a conflict emerged when employees revolted over a company contract with the Pentagon. It was a functional conflict because it actually led to a good outcome and supported the companys own mission of Do No Evil.
Conflict Cause
The cause of the conflict at Google was between employees and management and it stemmed from employees feeling that management was violating its Do No Evil principle by working on a Pentagon contract that would see the company supply programming for weapons that could potentially be used to harm innocent civilians in the Middle East. Essentially, the employees were concerned that the contract would involve them in the business of war, and they demanded that Google refuse to have any further part in the contract. Management initially refused, but eventually the conflict was resolved when upper management realized employees were rightafter all, they were simply upholding the principle of the firms Do No Evil policy. However, the episode highlights the tension that can exist between employees and...
…to be right and were willing to hold out until upper management realized it as well. In this sense, the employees had a BATNAwhich was simply to quit en masse and leave the company in the lurch. The exchange of information was such that it went public very quickly, which did not make it very possible for the next two stagesclarity and bargain/problem-solvingto be pursued. As Bauer and Erdogan (2012) point out, that is the normal course of negotiation, but in this case it was not so, as the negotiation went public and public pressure mounted swiftly. It was not long before upper management realized it had to jump to the final stage quickly, which was conclude and implement, and that is when accommodations were made and decisions reversed. So the stages of negotiation did not match precisely the stages described by Bauer & Erdogan (2012), as the middle stages were missingbut overall…
References
Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B. (2012). Chapter 10: Conflict and negotiations. OrganizationalBehavior. Lardbucket.orgLiddle, David. ( © 2017). Managing conflict: a practical guide to resolution in theworkplace. [Books24x7 version]Shearouse, S. H. (2011). Chapter 5: How we respond: Approaches to conflict. Conflict101: A manager's guide to resolving problems so everyone can get back to work. New York: AMACOM. [eBook Business Collection]
283). Essentially, interests-based strategies are used in outcomes in which one desires either fairness of organization effectiveness, for the simple fact that this stratagem frequently requires the use of third-party intervention. In most instances, that third party will merely assist in facilitating the resolving of such a conflict by speaking to each disputant and helping them to solve the conflict for themselves. The third-party's role is strictly supplementary, unless
In siding with the marketing and sales teams, my position was that accuracy and speed of the development was more critical to meeting and exceeding customer expectations. The transformational power of leadership is kin changing a culture and making it more agile, market-driven and aggressively focused on customer needs. The argument of speed and accuracy for the customer, and more importantly to hold onto them as a client, overshadowed
Conflict Management and Conflict Resolution in Literature review "The Administrative Power Grab" attempts to manage the conflict between the power that the leader posses and the ability to use that power properly. On the one hand, some leaders utilize the power that they have to act as tyrants which leads to greater conflict within the school because people believe that their opinions are not being heard or implemented into the overall
In keeping with the collaboration of HR and leaders across the organization, more communicative, open structures to conflict resolution perform more effectively than autocratic ones (Carmeli, Atwater, Levi, 2011). The ability to emerge from conflict with greater trust is a major difference between transactional, autocratic or transformational leaders managing conflict resolution strategies. The idea is to use conflict as a galvanizing force in getting the organization to its goals. Autocratic
The two parties try to resolve it by themselves in an informal approach, through negotiations. However, then an agreement cannot be reached, both parties are entitled to request the assistance of a tertiary party. The third party is neutral to the two disputants and has the obligation of resolving the matter from an objective stand point and "their role is to facilitate a settlement without any control over the
Similarly operational efficiency is crucial for control but too authoritative approach to a controlled culture is no more feasible in the current business environment because it stifles creativity and hinders employee freedom affecting overall business performance. Innovation and setting benchmarks and preparing people to achieve such high standards become the hallmark of organizations that strive for competence. Lastly cultivation culture is about stirring the lives of customers and employees
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now