Conflict and Conflict Management within and between Groups

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Conflict and Conflict Management within and
between Groups
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Mini case.
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Conflict

• Three types Prefer chapter 11.
• Realisticscarce resources. Examples
• Symbolicconflict over values, beliefs and ideas.
  Examples.
• Mixed motivecooperation and competition. Can
  involve realistic or symbolic

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Free Associate Conflict
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Relationship Conflict and Task conflict

• Relationshippersonal, defensive, blame finding
• Task conflictmerit of different ideas, problem
  solving.

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Irony

• Symbolic conflict is easier to resolve than
  realistic.
• But symbolic conflict is often relationship based
  which is more difficult to resolve than task
  conflict.

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Relationship conflict is difficult to manage

• Prevention is good
• But once it sets in communication. But already
  distrust. So communication is clouded.

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Moving toward task conflict

• Shared goals
• Create a safe harbor (GE feeling safer to talk to
  Jack Welch).
• Training in task conflict.
• Avoiding Defensive behavior (blame finding vs
  problem solving)
• Interest based response vs power based responses
  or rights based response (no dialogue).

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Avoid

• In group bias. In groups and outgroups.
• Linked to us vs them. Respect for diversity.
• Tendency to censor minority beliefs. Majority
  thinks one wayGet with it.
• Diversity and respect are so important from a
  positive position.
• Why is it so hard to do this?

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• Mediation through third parties.
• Humor and self-deprecation.
• Building a team identity as opposed to individual
  identity.

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• Reward structure Team vs individual incentives
• Hierarchy and status differences
• Resource scarcity vs Shared threat
• Stress vs social support and friendships
• Productivity goals vs harmony goals (Task and
  maintenance roles)

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Ugli Orange exercise
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Team Decision Making and identity

• Decision by consensus
• Decision making by consensus is time consuming.
• Everyone expresses preferences. Everyone listens
  to everyone elses preferences in uncritical
  manner.
• Summarize postions.
• Have other people discuss strengths and weakness
  of other peoples positions. Minimize personal
  stakes.

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Book offers more

• Avoid Fix pie fallacy. Win lose thoughts are
  poor. Think win win. To do that understand
  underlying interests of everyone.
• Avoid sequential discussions. This is hard.

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• Decision my majority. Voting.
• What is the problem with Voting.

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Decision by minority

• Person who sets the agenda for discussion has
  inordinate power. First topic is discussed most
  extensively. As time goes on issues get
  disscussed less.
• Where do you stack alternatives. (arrow paradox).
  
• Power, strategic manipulation. Its clear that
  only person with preferred alternative. So
  rejected. Then what do you do with your vote?
• Add to this coalitions.

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Conflict mostly focuses on what not to do.
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Prefer to think about High Performance Teams.

• Chapter 8 of book.

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Creativity and innovation

• The heart of teams. Generally, people are more
  creative and innovative in Teams.
• 3M Traditional hallmark of this.
• Pella Windows is too.

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Creativity many different kinds of Creativity

• Practical Creativity
• Solving Unique problems
• Developing new ways of doing something.
• Farmers have to be creative mechanically.
• Cognitively creative.
• Viewing problems in new ways.
• Thinking outside the box.

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Deeper Creativity

• Blockbuster ideas. New Product development.
• Pella creativity is more Problem solving
• 3M Mixture.
• Example

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Creativity is linked to divergent thinking

• Rather than narrowing options, one wants to
  expand options.
• Goes against the time pressure of teams.

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Creativity and problem solving

• Cognitive creativity.
• Defining the problem. Case analysis.
• Fishbone technique.
• What causes the problem.
• Not always transparent.
• Parking on campus.

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Practical Problem Solving

• Idea generation. Brainstorming.
• Express any idea.
• No censorship
• More is better than fewer
• Build on the ideas of others. Put ideas
  together.
• Creativity comes from the juxtoposition of ideas.
  Shaggy is excellent.

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Unfortunately

• Individual brainstorming is better than group
  brainstorming. That is group of 4 in team
  generate fewer ideas than 4 could individually.
• so why do it in a team?

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So how does the magic of teams work.
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In Groups

• Not follow rules
• Inhibitions
• Loaf (others are more creative than me)
• set low benchmakrs
• Conform Conform Conform.
• Lack of rewards for ideas.

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What to do

• Facilitators with emphasis on maintenance roles.
• High benchmarks
• Working independently for a time.
• Nominal group technique.
• Operate independently.
• Diversity change membership.

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• Create a playground (Tom hanks and the movie
  Big).
• Getting People to do different things.
• Breadth of experience is an important minor
  contributor to profession experience.
• See how other people do things.
• Ideally it would be great to rotate team
  memberships.

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Wrap up on teams