POWER AND CONFLICT.ppt
- 1. MODULE 4 Power and Politics – Introduction, Sources of Power, Organisational politics, Reasons and Managing Political Behaviour. Conflict – Meaning, Types (Individual, Group and Organisation), Conflict resolution styles and Conflict management strategies. Attitudes and Values.
- 2. Power and Politics Introduction, Sources of Power, Organisational politics, Reasons and Managing Political Behaviour.
- 3. Meaning Power is the potential ability to influence the behaviour of others. It is the ability to make things happen or get things done the way you want Definition Power is “ the capacity that A has to influence the behaviour of B, so ‘B’ does something he would not otherwise do” - Robbins (or) Power , refers to a capacity that A has to influence the behaviour of B so B acts in accordance with A’s wishes.
- 4. Contrasting Leadership and Power • Leaders use Power as a means of attaining group goals • Power does not require goal compatibility merely dependence. Leadership, on the other hand, requires some congruence between the goals of the leader and those being led. • A second difference relates to the direction of Influence – Leadership focuses on downward influence on followers (it minimize the lateral and upward influence patterns) Power does not.
- 5. Are Power and Authority the Same ?
- 7. Sources of Power – Expert Power – Charismatic Power – Reward Power – Information Power – Exchange – Legitimate Power – Coercive Power
- 8. Which Bases of Power Are Most Effective? • Of the three bases of formal power (coercive, reward, legitimate) and two bases of personal power (expert, referent) , which is most important to have ? • Research suggest pretty clearly that Personal sources of Power are most effective. • Both expert and referent power are positively related to employee satisfaction with supervision, their organisational commitment and their performance. • Whereas reward and legitimate power seem to be unrelated to these outcomes. One source of Formal Power – coercive power actually can be very negative as in that it is negatively related to employee satisfaction and commitment.
- 9. Politics Politics refer to the structure and process of the use of authority to affect the definition of goals, directions and other major parameters of the organization. Decisions are not made in a rational or formal way but rather through compromise, accommodation and bargaining. - M. L. Tushman
- 10. Organizational politics • Organizational politics is the process whereby individuals or groups use whatever power they can amass to influence organizational decision in the direction of their own interests -R. Miles • Organizational politics refer to intentional behaviours that are designed to enhance or protect a person’s influence and self-interest - Amos Drory
- 11. Reasons for Political Behaviour 1. Scarce Resources: sometimes ‘scarce resources’ have to be reallocated on apriority basis carefully and hence threatened with loss of resources , people engage in political actions to safeguard what they have. 2. Limited Opportunities 3. Lack of Trust 4. Role Ambiguity – role descriptions are not clear 5. Politicking by Top Management
- 12. Political Strategies and Tactics to acquire Power 1. Forming alliances 2. Selective use of Information 3. Scapegoating 4. Image building 5. Networking 6. Compromise 7. Rule Manipulation 8. Fabianism 9. One step at a time 10. Persuasion
- 13. Managing Political Behaviour • Define Job Duties clearly • Design Jobs properly • Demonstrate Proper Behaviour • Promote Understanding • Allocate Resources judiciously
- 14. Conflict – Meaning, Types (Individual, Group and Organisation), Conflict resolution styles and Conflict management strategies. Attitudes and Values
- 15. Meaning Conflict is a perceived differences of values between two or more parties that results in mutual opposition. It is a process in which A deliberately tries to counteract the efforts of B by some form of blocking that will result in frustrating B in attaining his goal or frustrating his interests - Robbins
- 16. Features of Conflict 1. Incompatibility 2. Perception 3. Blocking 4. Scarcity 5. Latent or Overt 6. Verbal or Non-verbal 7. Active or Passive
- 17. Philosophies of Conflict Over the years, three distinct philosophies have been identified : The classical, behavioural and interactionist philosophies Behavioural Philosophy Interactionist Philosophy The Classical Philosophy
- 18. The classical approach – viewed conflict as a potential dangerous process. Conflict induces mainly negative outcomes, anger, resentment, confusion , confusion, lack of cooperation, etc. It disrupts the smooth functioning of organisational process and creates chaos and order. Conflict is bad and must be avoided at all costs i.e in this approach Conflict was viewed as harmful and was avoided , suppressed.
- 19. Behaviouralists view also had similar view of conflict. i.e they believed that conflict was harmful and should be avoided. Those who generated conflict were trouble-makers and were bad for the Organisation. They, however accepted the fact that conflict is a natural occurrence in all organisations.
- 20. Interactionist view - this is the emerging view of conflict and this view has a broader scope. It recognises that in some cases conflict may be helpful, facilitative and functional. A minimum level of conflict is optimal. In the words of S.P.Robbins “while the behavioural approach accepted conflict, the interactionist view encourages conflicts on the grounds that a harmonious , peaceful , tranquil and cooperative group is prone to becoming static, apathetic and non-responsive to needs for change and innovation”
- 21. Positive (Functional ) vs. Negative (Dysfunctional) conflict In Negative conflict, individuals view others as opponent/enemy. They are concerned about protecting themselves. They are less, or not all bothered about basic human rights of others. They try to win at all costs and often see people as expenses and not as investments. vice versa is Positive conflict
- 22. Conflict resolution styles Thomas - Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) In the 1970s Kenneth Thomas and Ralph Kilmann identified five main styles of dealing with conflict because no two individuals have exactly the same expectations and desires and hence conflict is a natural part of our interactions with others that vary in their degrees of cooperativeness and assertiveness.
- 23. They argued that people typically have a preferred conflict resolution style. However they also noted that different styles were most useful in different situations. They developed the Thomas - Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) which helps you to identify which style you tend towards when conflict arises.
- 24. The TKI is designed to measure a person's behavior in conflict situations. "Conflict situations" are those in which the concerns of two people appear to be incompatible. In such situations, we can describe an individual's behavior along two dimensions: (1) assertiveness, the extent to which the person attempts to satisfy his own concerns, and (2) cooperativeness, the extent to which the person attempts to satisfy the other person's concerns.
- 27. These two basic dimensions of behavior define five different modes for responding to conflict situations: Competing is assertive and uncooperative—an individual pursues his own concerns at the other person's expense. This is a power- oriented mode in which you use whatever power seems appropriate to win your own position—your ability to argue, your rank, or economic sanctions. Competing means "standing up for your rights," defending a position which you believe is correct, or simply trying to win.
- 28. • Accommodating is unassertive and cooperative—the complete opposite of competing. When accommodating, the individual neglects his own concerns to satisfy the concerns of the other person; there is an element of self-sacrifice in this mode. Accommodating might take the form of selfless generosity or charity, obeying another person's order when you would prefer not to, or yielding to another's point of view.
- 29. • Avoiding is unassertive and uncooperative—the person neither pursues his own concerns nor those of the other individual. Thus he does not deal with the conflict. Avoiding might take the form of diplomatically sidestepping an issue, postponing an issue until a better time, or simply withdrawing from a threatening situation.
- 30. Collaborating is both assertive and cooperative—the complete opposite of avoiding. Collaborating involves an attempt to work with others to find some solution that fully satisfies their concerns. It means digging into an issue to pinpoint the underlying needs and wants of the two individuals. Collaborating between two persons might take the form of exploring a disagreement to learn from each other's insights or trying to find a creative solution to an interpersonal problem.
- 31. • Compromising is moderate in both assertiveness and cooperativeness. The objective is to find some expedient, mutually acceptable solution that partially satisfies both parties. It falls intermediate between competing and accommodating. Compromising gives up more than competing but less than accommodating. Likewise, it addresses an issue more directly than avoiding, but does not explore it in as much depth as collaborating. In some situations, compromising might mean splitting the difference between the two positions, exchanging concessions, or seeking a quick middle-ground solution.
- 32. Theory: The "Interest-Based Relational Approach" The second theory is commonly referred to as the "Interest- Based Relational (IBR) Approach". This type of conflict resolution respects individual differences while helping people avoid becoming too entrenched in a fixed position. In resolving conflict using this approach, you follow these rules: – Make sure that good relationships are the first priority: As far as possible, make sure that you treat the other calmly and that you try to build mutual respect. Do your best to be courteous to one-another and remain constructive under pressure.
- 33. – Keep people and problems separate: Recognize that in many cases the other person is not just "being difficult" – real and valid differences can lie behind conflictive positions. By separating the problem from the person, real issues can be debated without damaging working relationships. – Pay attention to the interests that are being presented: By listening carefully you'll most-likely understand why the person is adopting his or her position.
- 34. – Listen first; talk second: To solve a problem effectively you have to understand where the other person is coming from before defending your own position. – Set out the "Facts": Agree and establish the objective, observable elements that will have an impact on the decision. – Explore options together: Be open to the idea that a third position may exist, and that you can get to this idea jointly. By following these rules, you can often keep contentious discussions positive and constructive. This helps to prevent the antagonism and dislike which so-often causes conflict to spin out of control.
- 35. Levels of Conflicts Levels of Conflicts Intra- individual conflict Inter individual conflict Intra group conflict Inter group conflict
- 36. Intra individual conflict • Conflict from frustration • Goal conflict - Approach approach conflict - Approach avoidance conflict - Avoidance avoidance conflict - Multiple approach avoidance conflict • Role conflict • Cognitive dissonance • Neurotic tendencies
- 37. Inter personal conflict • Transaction analysis • Johari window • Stroking • Life positions
- 38. Intra group & inter group conflicts • Task interdependence ( pooled, sequential, reciprocal and comprehensive) • Task ambiguity • Goal incompatibility • Competition for limited resources • Competitive reward systems • Changes within each group • Changes between groups
- 39. Conflict management styles • Conflict if not managed properly causes threat to organizational performance • The two ways of dealing with conflict are 1. To stimulate constructive conflicts 2. To resolve destructive conflicts
- 40. Conflict stimulation techniques • Communication • Bringing in outsiders • Restructuring the organization • Appointing a devils advocate
- 41. Conflict resolution techniques • Problem solving • Expansion of resources • Avoidance of conflicts • Smoothing • Compromise • Authoritative command • Altering the human variable • Altering the structural variable
- 42. Conflict management strategies • Ignore the conflict • Physical separation • Super ordinate goals • Withdrawal • Dominance • Appeal procedures • Compromise • Reduce interdependency • Identify a common enemy
- 43. Attitudes and Values Attitudes are the beliefs, feelings and action tendencies of an individual or group of individuals towards the objects, ideas and people Values are stable, long lasting beliefs about what is important. They are evaluating standards that help us to define what is right or wrong, good or bad, in the world