PCM Report Conflicts.pptx Project Cycle Management

What is Conflict?
Conflict is the emotional, verbal,
written or physical expression of
differences regarding wants, needs
or expectations between two or
more individuals.
Conflict directly impacts behavior,
decision-making and the ability to
complete assigned tasks.
Conflict is inevitable in the

Who is Responsible for
Resolving Conflicts?
 - The project manager has often
been described as a conflict
manager. In many organizations,
he or she continually fights fires
and crises evolving from conflicts
& delegates day-to-day
responsibility of running the
project to the project team

 To handle & prevent conflicts,
asking & answering these 4
questions are important:
 1. What are the project objectives and
are they in conflict with other
projects?
 2. Why do conflicts occur?
 3. How do we resolve conflicts?
 4. Is there any type of analysis that
could identify possible conflicts
before they occur?

1. Project Objectives
 Each project must have at least one
objective. The objectives of the project
must be made
 known to all project personnel & all
managers, at every level of the
organization. If this information is not
communicated accurately, then it is
entirely possible that upper-level
managers, project managers, &
functional managers may all have a

Project objectives must
be:
 - this is the more simplistic approach of
defining an objective by saying that the
project’s objective must follow the
SMART rule, wherein:
 S – specific
 M – measurable
 A – attainable
 R – realistic or relevant
 T – tangible or time-bound

MBO Approach
 Many projects are directed and
controlled using a management-
by-objective (MBO) approach.
MBO is a systems approach for
aligning project goals with
organizational
 goals, project goals with the goals
of other sub-units of the
organization, & project goals with

Furthermore, management by
objectives can be regarded as
a:
 Systems approach to planning and
obtaining project results for an
organization.
 Strategy of meeting individual
needs at the same time that project
needs are met
 Method of clarifying what each
individual and organizational unit’s
contribution to the project should

The Conflict Environment
 Conflicts can easily develop out of a
situation where members of a
group have a misunderstanding of
each other’s roles &
responsibilities. Conflicts and their
resolution can be planned for.
Resolution means collaboration in
which people must rely on one
another. Without this, mistrust will
prevail. Thus, project managers

The Most Common Types of
Conflicts Involve:
 Manpower resources
 Equipment and facilities
 Capital expenditures
 Costs
 Technical opinions and trade-offs
 Priorities
 Administrative procedures
 Scheduling
 Responsibilities
 Personality clashes

 However, project managers
believe that the most frequently
occurring conflicts are over
schedules but the potentially
damaging conflicts can occur over
personality clashes. Conflicts can
occur with anyone and over
anything. Some people contend
that personality conflicts are the
most difficult to resolve. Many
executives feel that the best way of

David Wilemon has identified
several reasons why conflicts still
occur:
1. The greater the diversity of
disciplinary expertise among the
participants of a project team, the
greater the potential for conflict to
develop among members of the team.
2. The lower the project manager’s
degree of authority, reward, and
punishment power over those
individuals and organizational units
supporting his project, the greater the

several reasons why conflicts
still occur:
3. The less the specific objectives of
a project (cost, schedule, and
technical performance) are
understood by the project team
members, the more likely it is that
conflict will develop.
 4. The greater the role of
ambiguity among the participants
of a project team, the more likely it is
that conflict will develop.

several reasons why conflicts
still occur:
 The more the members of functional
areas perceive that the
implementation of a project
management system will adversely
usurp their traditional roles, the
greater the potential for conflict.
 ● The lower the percent need for
interdependence among
organizational units supporting a
project, the greater the potential for

The 4 Most Common Methods
 1. The development of
company-wide conflict
resolution policies and
procedures
 2. The establishment of project
conflict resolution procedures
during the early planning
activities
 3. The use of hierarchical

 A second method for resolving
conflicts, and one that is often very
effective, is to
 “plan” for conflicts during the
planning activities. This can be
accomplished through the use of
linear responsibility charts.
Planning for conflict resolution is
similar to the first method
 except that each project manager
can develop his own policies, rules,

HIERARCHIAL REFERRAL
 Hierarchial referral for conflict
resolution, in theory, appears as the
best method because neither the
project manager nor the functional
manager will dominate. Under
this arrangement, the project and
functional managers agree that for a
proper balance to exist their common
superior must resolve the conflict to
protect the company’s best interest.

 The last method is direct contact
in which conflicting parties meet
face-to-face and resolve their
disagreement. Unfortunately, this
method does not always work and,
if continually stressed, can result in
conditions where individuals will
either suppress the identification of
problems or develop new ones
during confrontation.

The Management of
Conflicts
 Once a conflict occurs, the project
manager must:
 ● Study the problem and collect
all available information.
 ● Develop a situational
approach or methodology.
 ● Set the appropriate
atmosphere or climate.

The Logical Steps and Sequence of
Events needed in a Confrontation
Meeting:
 1. Setting the climate:
establishing a willingness to
participate
 2. Analyzing the images: how do
you see yourself and others, and
how do they see you?
 3. Collecting information: getting
feelings out in the open
 4. Defining the problem: defining

Meeting:
 5. Sharing the information: making the
information available to all
 6. Setting the appropriate priorities:
developing working sessions for setting
priorities and timetables
 7. Organizing the group: forming cross-
functional problem-solving groups
 8. Problem-solving: obtaining cross-functional
involvement, securing commitments, and
setting the priorities and timetable.

Meeting:
 9. Developing the action plan:
getting commitment
 10. Implementing the work:
taking action on the plan
 11. Following up: obtaining
feedback on the
implementation for the action
plan

The Project Manager Should also
Understand Conflict Minimization
Procedures.
 Pausing and thinking before
reacting
 Building trust
 Trying to understand the conflict
motives
 Keeping the meeting under
control
 Listening to all involved parties

The Effective Manager, in Conflict
Problem-solving Situations
 Knows the organization
 Listens with understanding rather than
evaluation
 Clarifies the nature of the conflict
 Understands the feelings of others
 Suggests the procedures for resolving
differences
 Maintains relationships with disputing
parties
 Facilitates the communications process

 Confronting or Collaborating
 Compromising
 Smoothing or
Accommodating
 Competing or
Forcing
 Avoiding or
Withdrawing
Conflict Resolution Modes or
Methods of Dealing With Conflict
26

 - the conflicting parties meet face-to-face and
try to work through their disagreements.
This approach should focus more on solving
the problem and less on being combative.
This approach is collaboration and
integration where both parties need to win.
 Assertive
 Cooperative
 Finding an agreeable solution
for both parties
 Fully satisfy both concerns.
ConfrontingorCollaborating:
27

 When you and the conflicting party can both get at
least what you wanted and maybe more
 To reduce cost
 To create a common power base
 To attack a common foe
 When skills are complementary
 When there is enough time
 When there is trust
 When you have confidence in other person’s ability
 When the ultimate objective is to learn
Confronting/Collaborating should be used:
28

 To compromise is to bargain or to search
for solutions so both parties leave with
some degree of satisfaction. Compromising
is often the result of confrontation. Some
people argue that compromise is a “give
and take” approach, which leads to a “win-
win” position. Others argue that
compromise is a “lose-lose” position, since
neither party gets
 everything he/she wants or needs.
Compromising:
29

 When both parties need to be winners
 When you can’t win
 When others are as strong as you are
 When you haven’t time to win
 To maintain your relationship with your
opponent
 When you are not sure you are right
 When you get nothing if you don’t
 When stakes are moderate
 ● To avoid giving the impression of
“fighting”
Compromise should be used:
30

 This approach is an attempt to reduce the
emotions that exist in a conflict. This is
accomplished by emphasizing areas of
agreement and de-emphasizing areas of
disagreement. It tries to convince both
parties to remain at the bargaining table
because a solution is possible.
 In smoothing, one may sacrifice
one’s own goals in order to satisfy
the needs of the other party.
Smoothing or Accommodating:
31

 To reach an overarching goal
 To create obligation for a trade-off at a later
date
 When the stakes are low
 When liability is limited
 To maintain harmony
 When any solution will be adequate
 To create goodwill (be magnanimous)
 When you’ll lose anyway
 To gain time
Smoothing/Accommodating should
be used:
32

 An example of smoothing would be to tell
someone, “We have agreed on three of
the five points and there is no reason
why we cannot agree on the last two
points.”
 It is Unassertive (submissive) and
Cooperative
 Yielding to another’s point-of-view
 Self-sacrificing & Obeying without
agreeing.
Example of
Smoothing/Accommodating
33

Competing or Forcing:
34
 Forcing happens when one party tries to
impose the solution on the other party.
Conflict resolution works best when resolution
is achieved at the lowest possible level. The
higher up the conflict goes, the greater the
tendency for the conflict to be forced, with the
result of being in a “win-lose” situation in
which one party wins at the expense of the
other.
 Being Assertive
 Being Uncooperative

 When you are right
 When a do-or-die situation exists
 When stakes are high
 When important principles are at stake
 When you are stronger (never start a
battle you can’t win)
 To gain status or to gain power
 In short-term, one-shot deals
 When the relationship is unimportant
 When it’s understood that a game is being
played
Competing or Forcing Should be used when:
35

 Avoidance is often regarded as a temporary
solution to a problem. The
 problem and the resulting conflict
 can come up again and again.
 Some people view avoiding as
 cowardice and an unwillingness to
 be responsive to a situation.
 This is Unassertive & Uncooperative
 Sidestepping the issue
 Not addressing the conflict
AvoidingorWithdrawing:
36

 When you can’t win
 When the stakes are low
 When the stakes are high, but you are not
ready yet
 To gain time
 To unnerve your opponent
 To preserve neutrality or reputation
 When you think the problem will go away
 When you win by delay
Avoiding or Withdrawing Should be used when:
37

Different Styles have
Different Goals
 Confronting: the goal is multiple
participation
 Compromising: the goal is to find a middle
ground.
 Smoothing/Accommodating: the goal is
to yield.
 Competing/Forcing: the goal is to win.
 Avoiding/Withdrawing: the goal
 is to delay.

 Addressing conflict is a mission-
critical component of increasing
organizational effectiveness and
productivity.
 Be encouraged to resolve conflict
at an early stage, at the lowest
possible level.
 Keys to conflict resolution are
training and practice of improved
communication and leadership
Conclusion:
41

God bless everyone! 
Proverbs 15:1:
"A gentle answer
turns away wrath,
but a harsh word
stirs up anger"

PCM Report Conflicts.pptx Project Cycle Management

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