Unit 9

Communication and Conflict

 Communication
• Communication is the process of sharing
ideas, views, opinions, facts, and information
which are common to the concerned
individuals or groups or organizations.
• Communication is an indispensable element in
human behavior.
• It consists of systematic process of telling,
listening and understanding.
• Communication takes places in four stages.
• Attract people’s attention to our
communication.
• Make sure that people understand our message
in the way we mean them to understand it.
• Influence others to accept as true the
information we are giving them.
• Make sure that people remember the
information we have given them.
 FUNCTIONS OF COMMUNICATION
• Control
• Motivation
• Emotional Expression
• Information
 PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION

Source of Encoding Channel Message Message

Message received decoding
Message

Noise

Feedback
 INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATION
• Interactive communication is an exchange of
ideas where all the participants whether human,
machine or art-form is active and can have an
effect on one another.
• It is a dynamic & two-way flow of information.
• Interactive model of communication relies on an
exchange of communication from the sender to
the receiver, from the receiver to the sender and
back again.
Benefits of Interactive communication :
• Facilitates participants to discuss clearly and openly.
• Facilitates to interact with number of people instead
of only socializing with group members.
• Allows participant to think rationally.
• Increases the trust among employees different levels.
• Empower the employees and growth of employees.
• Increases employee satisfaction & job commitment.
• Helps to make the rational decisions for business
promotion.
• Helps to minimize the stress and conflict.
Purpose of Interactive Communication

Problem solving
Coordination
Source of information
Employee satisfaction
Build trust
Conflict resolution
INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

Oral communication

Verbal communication

Non-verbal communication
 ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
• Organizational communication is the formal
process of sharing direction, command and
reporting the job progress.
• Organizational communication is the process
of sending and receiving of messages among
interrelated individuals within a particular
environment or setting to achieve individual
and common goals.
Factors influencing Organizational Communication
• Organizational structure
• Cultural diversity of employees
• Misunderstanding of message
• Past Experiences
• Educational and intellectual difference of
communicators
• Group affiliations
• Positional differences among the
personnel
 Communication roles
• Gatekeepers
• Liaison
• Isolates
• Cosmopolites
Communication Policies & Communication
Audit
• Communication policies are set in each organization
to define the significance of the communication and
role of people in communication process.
• Organization's communication policy states that :
i) a set of objectives the organization wishes to
achieve through communication,
ii) guidelines or directives to be applied to decision
making about communication related issues,
iii) a combination of both informal and formal. In
general, communication policies are informally
understood as they are rarely found in written
form.
• Organizations often review the communication process
and outcomes in terms of communication policy which is
called communication audit.
• It is a tool for examining a communication policies,
networks and activities in attaining the organizational
goals.
• Communication audit aims to examine the following :
• The regulative or task-related networks pertaining to
policies, procedures, rules and superior-subordinate
relationship;
• The innovative network, which include problem-solving,
meetings, and suggestions for change;
• The integrative network, which consists of praise,
rewards, promotions and those items that link enterprise
goals with personal needs;
CURRENT ISSUES IN COMMUNICATION
Women are more effective than men

Politically correct communication

Cross cultural communication

Excessive use of e-media

 Meaning of conflict
Conflict is
• antagonistic behaviour of individual
• raised between individual, between individuals,
between groups and between organizations
• result of behavioural interactions in persons, groups and
organizations
• natural phenomenon for the conscious thinking in group
• 40 percent of time of leader is spent in managing
conflict
• viewed negatively from traditionally- reduces the
performance of individual, group and organization
• optimal level of conflict is essential for better
performance and effectiveness
 Outcomes or Consequences of conflict
Consequences of Functional Conflict - positive
consequences
• provides an opportunity for releasing tension
• provides appropriate application or decision which relives
individual from over load
• stimulates for thinking best alternative course of action
• helps to reduce wastage and hence performance will be
improved
• encourages for creativity as every opposition in current
state of process and performance
• increases group cohesiveness which improves mutual
trust, respect and sharing goals
• improves the satisfaction in group members through
successful attainment of goals
Dysfunctional conflict results - Negative
consequences
▪ increases the turnover ratio of employees
▪ group performance gets reduced
▪ creates high tension among the individuals and
groups
▪ detracts the members from organizational goal
▪ increases the level of dissatisfaction among the
losing party
 Transitions in conflict thought
1. The traditional view of conflict
• Traditional view of conflict considers the
conflict as negative force in group or
organizational performance.
• Conflict was viewed negatively and discussed
with such terms as violence, destruction and
irrationality to reinforce its negative
connotation.
• This view of conflict was prevailing during
1930s to 1940s and considered as one of the
important factor of attitude.
• Common consensus for the reason for conflict
in this view was in poor communication, lack of
openness and lack of trust between people,
failure of management to be responsive to the
needs and aspiration of their employees.

The theme of this view is that conflict is

inevitable and harmful therefore it should be
avoided.
2. Human relation view
• This view of conflict considers that conflict is
natural phenomenon in the group which
cannot be avoided.
• Conflict sometimes, produces positive
consequences as well.
• Therefore, it should be accepted naturally.
• This school of thought began with late 1940s
and lasted till mid 1970s.
3. The Interactionist view of conflict
The interactionist view of conflict encourages
conflicts on the grounds that a harmonious,
peaceful, tranquil, and cooperative group is
prone to becoming static, apathetic, and
unresponsive to needs for change and
innovation.
This view of conflict advocates that conflict
should not only be accepted as natural
phenomenon in the organization but should
be created to accelerate the growth of
organization.
• Interactionist view of conflict has classified conflict
into two categories as functional conflict and
dysfunctional conflict on the basis of positive
performance and negative performance of the
conflict.
• Only the functional conflict is to be accepted in the
group as it increases the group performance.
• Dysfunctional conflict hinders the group
performance.
• Recent researches have also reported that task
conflict (conflict in content and goals of the task)
are also equally destructive as relationship conflict.
• This view has suggested that task conflicts relate
positively to creativity and innovation but they
are not related to routine task performance.
 Resolution-focused view of conflict
• Researchers, including those who had strongly
advocated the interactionist view, have begun to
recognize some problems with encouraging conflict.
• In some specific cases, conflict may have productive
end but in all the cases, especially in the work place
in which we need to interact with customer,
conflicts result in decreasing performance and
organizational goodwill.
• Conflict becomes the reason for stress and hence
individual start thinking issues more closely and
trying for being more adverse.
• Conflicts reduce mutual trust, respect and group
cohesion which finally reduces the group synergy.
• In this context, researchers have started focusing
on resolution of conflict.
• Recent findings suggest that we can reduce
negative effect of conflict by preparing people for
conflict, developing resolution strategies and
facilitating open discussion.
• Conflicts reduce mutual trust, respect and group
cohesion which finally reduces the group synergy.
• Researchers have focus on recognizing the hidden
emotional attachments which are reason for cross-
cultural conflict to a particular course of action
and social identities.
 Conflict process
Stage I : Potential Stage II : Stage III : Stage IV : Stage V :
Opposition or Cognition and Intentions Behaviour Outcomes
Incompatibility Personalization

Conflict-
handling Overt Increased
intentions Conflict group
Antecedent Perceived Conflict
Conditions Competing •Party’s performance
behaviour
•Communication Collaborating
•Other’s
•Structure Compromising reaction
Felt Conflict
•Personal Avoiding Decreased
variables group
Accommodating performance

Source : S.P. Robbins et al., 2013

 Sources of conflict
Incompatible goals

Different values and beliefs

Scarce resources

Task interdependence

Ambiguous rules

Communication problems
 Levels of Conflict
Individual level conflict Group level conflict
• Intra-personal conflict • Intra-group conflict
• Inter personal conflict • Inter-group conflict

Organizational level conflict

• Intra-organizational conflict
• Inter-organizational conflict
 Dynamics of Inter-Group conflict
Group level conflict arises with heterogeneity of
members in group, communication distortions,
decision-making process, unclear roles and
responsibility, scarcity of resources, and etc.
Dynamics of Intergroup Conflict

Intragroup changes Intergroup changes

• Loyalty • Perception
• Leadership • Interaction and
• Task accomplishment communication

• Group structure • Orientation

• Cohesiveness • Hostility
Intra-group conflict
• Intra-group conflict is the conflict among group
members.
• As group needs to choose best course of action to
accomplish its goals, members have to fix
leadership pattern and style.
• In these several issues, there may be
misunderstanding among group members which
results in conflict.
• Simply, intra-group conflict arises in new problem to
be solved by group, new value system to be
followed by group and role differences members in
the group.
• Functional conflict in the group improves the group
efficiency and effectiveness.
Inter-group conflict
• Conflict between two or more groups of an
organization is called inter-group conflict.
• Conflict between line and staff, between
management and union, between two or more
work units, work teams, departments, and etc.
are some examples of inter-group conflict.
• There can be different types of inter-group
conflict as vertical conflict, horizontal conflict
and line and staff conflict.
Such conflicts may arise because of following
reasons :
• Differences in group goals
• Scarcity of resources
• Task interdependence
• Reward system
 Managing conflict
• Conflict may be constructive or destructive.
Constructive conflict needs to be simulated but
destructive conflict must be eliminated through
preventive or corrective measures.
• Conflict management is the process of planning
to avoid conflict where possible and organizing to
resolve conflict where it does happen, as rapidly
and smoothly as possible.
• Conflict management is the practice of identifying
and handling conflict in a sensible, fair, and
efficient manner.
A. Stimulating Conflict
• All the conflicts are not always harmful.
• In many cases, we can create better decision
and results from conflict.
• In order to have positive effect, the optimum
level of conflict must be stimulated. But, it
should be determined and manage the level
of conflict otherwise it may create serious
situation.
The following methods are used to stimulate
conflict :
• Reorganizing
• Communication
• Encouraging Competition
• Bringing in Outsiders
B. Resolving Conflict
Conflict even works when it is at optimum
level. But conflict has to be resolved when it
goes beyond the optimum level.
Some managers believe in eliminating conflict.
It is called, resolving conflict.
It is called, resolving conflict. The techniques of
resolving conflict are as follows:
• Problem Solving
• Smoothing
• Compromising
• Avoidance
 Assertive Behavior
• Assertive behavior includes expressing feelings, needs,
ideas, and rights in such a way that don’t violate the
rights of others.
• Honest, direct, expressive, spontaneous, and self-
enhancing behavior are known as such behavior.
Persons with assertive behavior make their own
choices.
• They respect themselves, and value their personal
judgements, opinions, wishes and needs and more
important they recognise these rights in others as well.
• They are confident and feel good about themselves.
Such persons become comfortable and do not frustrate
even at their failure.
 Component of Assertive Behavior
Words we speak, the way we speak and the way
we act are some important to be assertive.
• Body Language
• Eye Contact
• Facial Expressions
• Body Posture
• Gestures
• Voice, Tone, Inflection and Volume
• Contents