Exam 9: Conflict and Negotiation

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- Size, specialization, and composition of the group act as forces to stimulate conflict. The larger the group and the more specialized its activities, the greater the likelihood of conflict. The potential for conflict tends to be greatest where group members are younger and where turnover is high.
- The greater the ambiguity in precisely defining where responsibility for actions lies, the greater the potential for conflict to emerge. Such jurisdictional ambiguities increase intergroup fighting for control of resources and territory.
- Reward systems create conflict when one member's gain is at another's expense. Similarly, the performance evaluation process can create conflict when individuals feel that they are unfairly evaluated, or when managers and employees have differing ideas about the employees' job responsibilities.
- Leadership style can create conflict if managers tightly control and oversee the work of employees, allowing employees little discretion in how they carry out tasks.
- The diversity of goals among groups is a major source of conflict. When groups within an organization seek diverse ends, some of which are inherently at odds–such as when the sales team promises products that the development team has not yet finalized–opportunities for conflict increase.
- If one group is dependent on another (in contrast to the two being mutually independent), or if interdependence allows one group to gain at another's expense, opposing forces are stimulated.