Conflict Management for Project Managers

1
Conflict Management for Project Managers

• By
• Nicki S Kirchol
• Oct 1982, Feb 1986

Presented by Walther Del Orbe 25 Jan 2006
2
References

• Conflict Management for Project Managers by John
  R. Adams and Nicki S. Kirchof, Oct 1982
• Conflict Resolution in Project management amy
  Ohlendorf, information Systems Analysis MSSIS
  488, fall http//www.umsl.edu/sauter/analysis/488
  _f01_papers/Ohlendorf.htm
• Spangler, Brad. "Competitive and Cooperative
  Approaches to Conflict." Beyond Intractability.
  Eds. Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess. Conflict
  Research Consortium, University of Colorado,
  Boulder. Posted July 2003 ctability.org/m/competitive_cooperative_frames.jsp
  .  

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Overview

• Conflict in Organizations
• What is Conflict?
• Conflict Views
• Conditions Leading to Conflict
• Positive Results derived from Conflict
• Conflict Management Modes
• Conflict Resolution Styles

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Conflict in Organizations

• Tremendous amount of Change
• Adapt Rapidly
• Organizations Goals and Objectives
• More Complex
• Functional/Project Mnager authorities
• Inevitable
• Tear Projects apart
• Critical for Project Manager to resolve

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What is Conflict?

• A Clash between hostile or opposing element ideas
• A Disagreement between individuals which can vary
  from a mild disagreement to a win/lose, emotion
  packed confrontation
• Two opposing view..

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Views of Conflict

• Traditional View
• Caused by Trouble makers
• Bad
• Should be avoided
• Must be Suppressed

• Contemporary View
• Inevitable between Humans
• Often Beneficial
• Natural result of Change
• Can and should be managed

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Views of Conflict Cont

• Constructive/Destructive
• PM needs to aim to manage conflict
  constructivelyA positive view
• Understand
• Conditions leading to conflict
• The positive results of conflict
• Methods of dealing with conflict

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9 Antecedent Conditions leading to conflict

• Ambiguous Jurisdictions
• Conflict of interest
• Communicative Barriers
• Dependence on One Party
• Differentiation in Organization
• Association of the parties
• Need for Consensus
• Behavior Regulations
• Unresolved Prior Conflicts

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9 Conditions leading to conflict cont

• 1) Ambiguous Jurisdictions
• Related Responsibilities
• Roles unclear
• Two boss conflict

• 2) Conflict of Interest
• Two or more parties
• Inconsistent Goals/desires
• Personal/Oganizational

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9 Conditions Leading to Conflict Cont

• 3) Communication Barriers
• Create misunderstandings
• Inhibit resolution
• Block effort to
• Explain needs
• Viewpoints
• etc

• 4) Dependence on One Party
• Dependent on other
• Needed Resources
• Sub-contractors
• Design

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9 Conditions leading to Conflicts Cont

• 5) Diferentiation in Organization
• Several Sub-units
• Different tasks
• Different
• Languages
• Acronyms
• goals

• 6) Association of the Parties
• Make Joint decisions
• Disagreements

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Conditions leading to Conflicts Cont

• 7) Need for Concensus
• Willingly agree
• Several alternatives
• Enforce solution

• 8)Behavior Regulations
• Safety/Security concerns
• Resist boundaries
• Breaking the law

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9 Conditions leading to Conflicts Cont

• 9) Unresolved Prior Conflicts
• Build up
• Atmosphere of Tension
• More Severe conflicts

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9 Conditions leading to Conflicts Cont

• Conflicts Conditions
• Exist in every organization
• Greater/lesser extent
• Apparent in Project/matrix
• PMs Job to control situations
• Otherwise projects
• Long
• Difficult
• Complex
• Resolved/used in constructive purposes

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Positive results derived from conflict

• Diffusion of more Serious conflicts
• Stimulations of a search of new facts or
  resolutions
• Increase in group cohesion and performance
• The measure of power or ability

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5 Conflict management modes

• Smoothing
• Withdrawing
• Compromise
• Forcing
• Problem Solving

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5 Conflict management modes cont

• 1) Smothing
• Atmosphere friendly
• Conflicts are never faced
• Delaying/Ignoring
• Does not resolved conflict

• 2) Withdrawal
• Retreats
• Cooling off
• Slow / Ignoring
• Does not resolve conflict

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5 Conflict management modes cont

• 3) Compromising
• Various Issues
• Bargaining
• Degree Satisfaction
• Neither party wins
• Give up something
• Some resolution

• 4) Forcing
• Exerting ones viewpoints
• Win-lose
• Increases conflicts
• Last resort

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5 Conflict management modes cont

• 5) Problem solving
• Disagreement addressed directly
• Conflict Treated as problem
• Defined, information, alternatives, Appropriate
  alternative selected
• Best way of dealing with conflict
• Time consuming
• Willing to work together
• Provides resolution

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Styles for conflict resolution
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Summary

• Conflict in Organizations
• What is Conflict?
• Conflict Views
• Conditions Leading to Conflict
• Positive Results derived from Conflict
• Conflict Management Modes
• Conflict Resolution Styles

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Conclusion

• Conflict is INEVITABLE
• Software System Development
• Different background, differences in values,
  attitudes, needs, expectations, perceptions,
  resources, and personalities, sub units,
  expertise, team dependence
• Good / bad
• Reduced commitment
• Alter Productivity
• Total collapsed
• PM need to turn them to constructive results
• Managers responsibility
• Utilize mgmt principle understand conflict
  dynamics
• Learn approach to resolution
• Leads to project success