10.5 Chapter Summary
Conflict can run the gamut from minor annoyances to physically violent situations. At the same time, conflict can increase creativity and innovation, or it can bring organizations to a grinding halt. There are many different types of conflict, including interpersonal, intrapersonal, and intergroup. Within organizations, there are many common situations that can spur conflict. Certain organizational structures, such as a matrix structure, can cause any given employee to have multiple bosses and conflicting or overwhelming demands. A scarcity of resources for employees to complete tasks is another common cause of organizational conflict, particularly if groups within the organization compete over those resources. Of course, simple personality clashes can create intrapersonal conflict in any situation. Communication problems are also a very common source of conflict, even when no actual problem would exist otherwise. When conflict arises, it can be handled by any number of methods, each with varying degrees of cooperation and competitiveness. Different situations require different conflict handling methods, and no one method is best.
Negotiations occur during many important processes, and possessing astute negotiation skills can be an incredible tool. A key component of negotiations involves having a BATNA, or “best alternative to a negotiated agreement.” Negotiations typically move through five phases, including investigation, determining your BATNA, presentation, bargaining, and closure. During a negotiation, it is important not to make any common mistakes. These mistakes can include accepting the first offer, letting ego get in the way, having unrealistic expectations of the outcome of the negotiation, becoming too emotional during the process, or being weighed down by previous failures and letting the past repeat itself. It is important to keep in mind that many cultures have preferential methods for handling conflict and negotiation. Individuals should understand the cultural background of others to better navigate what could otherwise become a messy situation.
Ethical Dilemma
Imagine that you are part of a bargaining team that has been engaged in negotiations for 6 long months. One night, as you are getting ready to leave and are gathering your things, you notice a piece of green paper on the ground near where Devin, a member of the opposite negotiation team, was sitting just a few minutes earlier. When you pick it up, you realize that it is a list of the ideal outcome for the other team.
At first, you are ecstatic—this is the information you need to end these negotiations! Then you begin to recall your organizational behaviour course and all those ethical dilemmas that seemed so easy back then. What should you do? Should you use the information for your team? I mean, why not? They were careless enough to leave it behind. On the other hand, would that be ethical?
Thinking back to that OB course, you recall some key questions you should ask yourself during negotiations:
- Would this be honest?
- Would this involve keeping my promises?
- Would I be following the Platinum Rule and be “treating people the way they want to be treated?”
As you are pondering these questions, you also realize that this is a key decision. There are some additional questions you should ask yourself about making ethical decisions if you plan on using this information to help your team:
- Is this decision fair?
- Will I feel better or worse about myself after I make this decision?
- Does this decision break any organizational rules?
- Does this decision break any laws?
- How would I feel if this decision were broadcast on the news?
Just as you think you’ve made your decision, Devin from the opposing team walks back in and asks you if you’ve seen a green piece of paper.
- What would you do?
- What are the ethical dilemmas involved?
- How would you justify your choice?
- What would be the consequences of your choice?
Group Exercise
Salary Negotiations
Thinking about negotiations is a lot easier than actually engaging in them. In order to give you some practice with the information in this chapter, you will engage in a salary negotiation.
- To make this more meaningful, the exercise will be based on a job that you are actually interested in. Think of a job you would like to have (either now or in the future). Imagine you have been offered this job. The salary is OK. It is about 15% below the market rate for this type of job, but you really want the job.
- What will you do?
- Will you negotiate for a higher salary?
- What are the pros and cons of this choice?
- If you’ve decided to negotiate (and we strongly suggest you do), work through the next six steps in the OB Toolbox “Seven Steps to Negotiating a Higher Salary.” Once you are up to step 5, let your instructor know you are ready to begin the negotiation process.
“10.8: Conclusion” & “10.9: Exercises” from Organizational Behavior by LibreTexts is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
