Commerce 2BA3 Conflict and Stress Week 10

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Commerce 2BA3Conflict and StressWeek 10

• Dr. Teal McAteer
• DeGroote School of Business
• McMaster University

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Revised Grade Spreadsheet

• Please review spreadsheet posted on website
  Sunday, March 7th (after 9pm) to verify that
  grades, including World Congres bonus marks, have
  been revised and recorded correctly.

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What is Conflict?

• A process that occurs when one person, group, or
  organizational subunit frustrates the goal
  attainment of another.
• Levels intrapersonal
• interpersonal
• intragroup
• intergroup

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Traditional View of Conflict

• Negative, dysfunctional, detrimental
• Distracts managers
• Managers motivated to eliminate or suppress
  conflict

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Contemporary View of Conflict

• Benefits of conflict are recognized
• Realization that suppressing conflict can lead to
  further negative consequences
• Conflict is seen as inevitable rather than
  avoidable

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Causes of Organizational Conflict

• Group identification and intergroup bias
• Interdependence
• Difference in power, status and culture
• Ambiguity
• Scarce resources

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Types of Conflict

• Relationship
• Task
• Process

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Conflict Dynamics

• Changes within each group
• Loyalty to group more important
• Increased concern for task accomplishment
• Autocratic leadership
• Group structure more rigid
• Group cohesiveness increases

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Conflict Dynamics Cont.

• Changes in relations between groups
• Information concealed
• Interaction decreases
• Win-lose orientation rather than problem-solving
• Increased hostility toward rival group

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Approaches To Managing Organizational Conflict

• Avoiding
• Accommodating
• Competing
• Compromise
• Collaborating

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Managing conflict with negotiation

• Distributive negotiation tactics
• Integrative negotiation tactics
• Third party involvement

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Conflict Intensity and Organizational Outcomes

• Conflict that is either too high or too low can
  be detrimental to productivity
• Conflict should be at an optimal level
• Conflict? change ? adaptation? survival

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A Model of Stress in Organizations
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Stressors in Organizational Life

• Executive and managerial stressors
• Operative level stressors
• Boundary role stressors
• General stressors

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Stress

• A physiological reaction to the demands inherent
  in a stressor
• D(demands) gt R(resources) S(stress)
• Flight or fight

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Demand- Response Imbalance

• Good stress versus bad stress
• Factors related to imbalance

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Stress Reactions

• Psychological
• Physiological
• Behavioral

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Reducing or Coping with Stress

• Job redesign
• Social support
• Human resource policies
• Stress management programs
• Work- life balance programs