13 Conflict

1. 13Conflict Group members do not always get along well with one another. Even in serene circumstances, the group’s atmosphere may shift so that once close collaborators become adversaries. Because conflict is ubiquitous, it must be managed to minimize its negative effects. • What is conflict? • What are the sources of conflict in groups? • Why does conflict escalate? • How can group members manage their conflict? • Is conflict an unavoidable evil or a necessary good?

2. Commitment • Misperception • Hard tactics • Retaliation • Anger • Many

3. Some people are always itching for a fight. • Groups must experience conflict to develop fully. • The human species is, by nature, aggressive. • An all-male group will have higher levels of conflict than will an all-female group. • The best way to deal with conflict is to talk things over. That man is an aggressive creature will hardly be disputed. With the exception of certain rodents, no other vertebrate habitually distroys members of his own species. A. Storr If you have learned how to disagree without being disagreeable, then you have discovered the secret of getting along -- whether it be business, family relations, or life itself. Bernard Meltzer

5. Conflict escalation Conflict de-escalation Conflict Conflict resolution Disagreement Routine interaction

6. The Roots of Conflict

7. John’s Choice D C John Wins 50¢ John Wins 25¢ Steve’s Choice Steve Wins 25¢ Steve Loses 25¢ C John Loses 10¢ John Loses 25¢ D Steve Loses 10¢ Steve Wins 50¢ Conflict and competition • Winning • Deutsch: Cooperation vs. competition • Mixed-motive conflict and the prisoner’s dilemma game (PDG)

8. John’s Choice D C John Wins 50¢ John Wins 25¢ Steve’s Choice Steve Wins 25¢ Steve Loses 25¢ C John Loses 10¢ John Loses 25¢ D Steve Loses 10¢ Steve Wins 50¢ Prisoner’s Dilemma Game If John picks C, and Steve picks C If John picks D, and Steve picks C If John picks C, and Steve picks D If John picks D, and Steve picks D

9. Factors that influence PDG choices Some game shows, such as “friend or foe,” use the PDG

10. Social values orientation (SVO)

11. Social Dilemmas Groups, because they ask individuals to work, live, and play with others, can set the stage of conflict over resources, and how they will be shared • Sharing

12. Morrill (1995) confirmed the image of companies as arenas for power struggles, when group members compete with each other for power, promotions, and prominence, often by using manipulative, illicit tactics Conflict can, in many cases, be traced to status differentiation processes, as group members seek to: Influence each other Gain positions of authority within the group • Controlling Ambush: a covert action to inconvenience an adversary Blindsiding: an intentional and surprising public embarrassment of an executive Meltdown: a physical fight between executives”

13. Working: Task and Process Content Rules of Order seek to miminize process conflicts Note: Process and personal conflict disrupt group performance, but task conflict sometimes helps the group members work together more effectively.

14. Any factor that causes disaffection between group members (e.g., differences in attitudes, objectionable personal qualities) can increase personal conflict. • Balance theory predicts that group members will respond negatively when they disagree with those they like or agree with those they dislike, but as Taylor’s work confirmed, conflict is greatest when group members both disagree with and dislike each other. • Liking and Disliking: Personal and Interpersonal Conflict

15. Escalation • Resolution • Causes • Commitment • Uncertainty As conflicts escalate, group members’ doubts and uncertainties are replaced by a firm commitment to their position. • Misperception • Perception • Hard tactics • Soft tactics • Retaliation • Reciprocity • Anger • Irritation • Many • Few

16. Perception  Misperception During conflict people’s perception of the sitaution and the people in that situation tend to be so distorted that they inflame rather than smooth conflict

17. Soft Tactics Hard Tactics As conflict intensifies, people shift from easy-going influence methods to tougher strategies. Pruitt and his colleagues demonstrated this tendency in their study of “persistent annoyance”.

18. Soft Tactics Hard Tactics Deutsch and Krauss studied how people react to competitive circumstances in their classic Trucking Game Experiment

19. Reciprocity  Retaliation The Norm of Reciprocity suggests: Pay back favors with rewards, but if harmed: retaliate Person A inflicts -4 harm B answers with -3 harm Person A pays back -2 harm B pays back with -2 harm Overmatching leads to escalation Person A inflicts -1 harm

20. Irritation  Anger Irritated people often display the emotion anger, but the emotion can trigger all manner of negative interpersonal behaviors, including the rejection of concessions, the tendering of unworkable initial offers, and the use of contentious influence strategies . Anger is also often expressed during online interactions. Flaming a computer-mediated communication that the recipient construes as hostile, aggressive, intimidating, insulting, offensive, or unfriendly.

21. Few  Many

22. Uncertainty • Certainty • Perception • Misperception • Soft tactics • Hard tactics • Reciprocity • Retaliation • Irritation • Anger • Few • Many

23. Commitment  Negotiation Commitment → Negotiation (Getting to Yes) Types: soft, hard, and principled negotiators

24. The neural bases of empathy • Misperception Understanding Empathy– recognizing others thoughts and emotions – increases cooperativeness and reduces conflict. Source: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06027.x/full

25. The Dual Concern Model of Conflict Styles • Hard Tactics  Cooperative Tactics

26. Other Conflict Resolution Mechanisms

27. Does Conflict, When Resolved, Lead to Improved Group Functioning?

28. Uncertainty • Certainty • Perception • Misperception • Soft tactics • Hard tactics • Reciprocity • Retaliation • Irritation • Anger • Few • Many