ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR AND CONFLICT

What is a Conflict?

 A disagreement or
clashes regarding
goals, values it can
occur to the
interpersonal or
organizational level
 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR AND CONFLICT

What is a Conflict?
 The disagreement over goals to
attain the methods to be used to
accomplished them

 An overt behavior
that results when
a person or group
of persons have
been frustrated
 Four Goals of Organizational Behavior?
1. To describe systematically how people behave as
they interact with one another
Individual differences concept _ a person is a distinct
individual
Concept on Communication _ emotional reactions like
anger, love, hate, jealousy, fear – influence how we
understand others’ messages and how we influence
others with our messages
2. To understand why people behave differently from
one another
Culture & Multiculturalism
Individual differences, Perception concepts
 Four Goals of Organizational Behavior?

3. To predict future worker behavior so that an

appropriate course of action may be employed
Organizational behavior theories such as theory X &
Y, McClelland's Theory
Concept on Motivation_ Intrinsic & Extrinsic Motivators

4. To control and develop human activity at work

Concept of Organizational Models :
collegial, supportive models
Training and performance appraisal
 Assumptions on Managing Conflicts
1. Conflicts can be avoided
2. Conflict is the result of personality problems of individuals
within the organization
3. Conflict produces
inappropriate reactions
by the individuals
involved

4. Conflict creates a
polarization
(division/split) –
manifestation of
contrasting tendencies
with the organization
Conflict is natural in any organization. Conflict is
assumed to be unproductive and undesirable. It
may lead to hardness in the organizational
environment.

Much of the conflict arises from communication of

our wants, needs and values to others.

Therefore, conflicts should be manage

appropriately.
When people join an organization, they make a psychological
contract that defines personal relationships with other workers
in the system. Levels of Conflict:

• Intrapersonal conflict
Internal to the individual and perhaps the most difficult
type of conflict to analyze. Ex. Jacky is both an officer of
an employees association and an officer of a change
management team.

2. Interpersonal conflict
Deeply affects individuals feelings
and emotions. Self-integrity is
threatened, the individual is affected.
Ex. Jacky was hurt because of a
conflict with Kim.
When people join an organization, they make a psychological
contract that defines personal relationships with other workers
in the system. Levels of Conflict:

3. Intergroup structural conflict

Conflict (usually Constructive conflict)
that arises between two departments.
Each group is all out to gain power to
improve its image. Ex. Production
Department wants new equipment to
improve production of materials and
Finance Department wants to expand
its sales force and they also need new
equipment however, the resources is
limited.
 Causes of Conflicts

1. Organizational Change
Changes in people’s
perception, resources
needed, political and
economic is unavoidable.
These changes affects
global economy and
structures of the society
 Causes of Conflicts
2. Personality Clashes
Individual differences, interests,
purposes in life causes conflicts.
Workers should accept and respect
one’s personality
 Causes of Conflicts

3. Different set of values

People have different
beliefs, orientation and
ethical values. Diverse
philosophy and value
orientation is difficult to
resolve because they are
not objective like in
disagreements over
products and services
 Causes of Conflicts
4. Threats to status
Status or social rank of an
individual is important to a
lot of people. When status
are threatened, conflict
between the defensive
person and the one who
created the threat to status
 Causes of Conflicts
5. Contrasting Perceptions
Status or social rank of an
individual is important to a
lot of people. When status
are threatened, conflict
between the defensive
person and the one who
created the threat to status
 Causes of Conflicts

6. Lack of trust
Every relationship requires
some degree of trust. Trust
builds confidence, it may
take sometime to build
trust. When a person has a
reason not to trust another
person, the potential of
conflict is assured
7. Role Dissatisfaction
Employees in an organization with satisfactory
performance who receive a little recognition and have
limited opportunities for advancement may start a conflict.
Ex. Kate works satisfactorily but receives a little
appreciation from the manager, it will be the start of the
tension25
8. Role Ambiguity (Doubt)
Doubts or uncertainties in the job description lead
to structural conflict. Credit or blame for success
and failure of a particular assignment cannot be
determined.
Ex. Problems or good work done by the Accounting
Department & Finance Department is hard to know
because of unclear work assignments of the two
departments