Download Foundations of Group Behavior

Chapter 6
Communication,
Conflict and
Negotiation
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Communication
Questions for Consideration
Questions for Consideration
1. How does communication occur?
2. Are there barriers to communication?
3. How can communication be encouraged?
4. What are the current issues in communication?
5. What is conflict?
6. What are the sources of conflict?
7. How does a situation turn into a conflict?
8. What is negotiation and how does it help?
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Communication Problems
• People spend nearly 70 percent of their waking hours
communicating—writing, reading, speaking, listening
• WorkCanada survey of 2039 Canadians in six industrial
and service categories found
– 61 percent of senior executives believed that they did a good job
of communicating with employees.
– only 33 percent of the managers and department heads believed
that senior executives were effective communicators.
– Only 22 percent of hourly workers, 27 percent of clerical
employees, and 22 percent of professional staff reported that
senior executives did a good job of communicating with them.
• Canadians reported less favourable perceptions about
their company’s communications than did Americans
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Communication Terms
• Communication
• Sender
• Receiver
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Communication Terms
•
•
•
•
Message
Encoding
Channel
Decoding
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Exhibit 6-1 The Communication
Process Model
Chooses
Encodes the
a message
Chooses the
message
channel
Considers the receiver
Sender
Receiver
Considers the sender
Provides
feedback
Decodes the
message
Choosing Channels
• Channels differ in their capacity to convey
information.
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Exhibit 6-2 – Information Richness
of Communication Channels
Source: Based on R. H. Lengel and R. L. Daft, “The Selection of Communication Media as an Executive Skill,” Academy of Management Executive, August 1988, pp. 225-232; and R. L.
Daft and R. H. Lengel, “Organizational Information Requirements, Media Richness, and Structural Design,” Managerial Science, May 1996, pp. 554-572. Reproduced from R. L. Daft
and R. A. Noe, Organizational Behavior (Forth Worth, TX: Harcourt, 2001), p. 311.
Barriers to Effective
Communication
• Filtering
• Selective Perception
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Barriers to Effective Communication
• Defensiveness
• Information Overload
• Language
Nonverbal Communication
• Messages conveyed through body
movements, facial expressions, and the
physical distance between the sender and
the receiver
– Kinesics
– Proxemics
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Silence as Communication
•
•
•
Defined as an absence of speech or noise
Not necessarily inaction
Individuals should be aware of what silence might
mean in any communication.
Communication Barriers
Between Men and Women
• Men use talk to emphasize status, women
use it to create connection
• Women and men tend to approach points
of conflict differently
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Communication Barriers
Between Men and Women
• Men and women view directness and
indirectness differently
• Men criticize women for apologizing, but
women say “I’m sorry” to express
empathy
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Cross-Cultural
Communication Difficulties
• Sources of barriers
– Semantics
– Word connotations
– Tonal differences
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Cross-Cultural
Communications: Helpful
Rules
• Assume differences until similarity is
proven.
• Emphasize description rather than
interpretation or evaluation.
• Practise empathy.
• Treat your interpretations as a working
hypothesis.
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Effective Listening
• If you want to improve your listening skills, look to these
behaviours as guides
– Make eye contact
– Exhibit affirmative head nods and appropriate facial
expressions.
– Avoid distracting actions or gestures.
– Ask questions.
– Paraphrase.
– Avoid interrupting the speaker.
– Don’t over talk.
– Make smooth transitions between the roles of speaker and
listener.
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Conflict
• A process that begins when one party
perceives that another party has
negatively affected, or is about to
negatively affect something that the first
party cares about.
– Functional
– Dysfunctional
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Types of Conflict
• Cognitive
– Conflict related to differences in perspectives
and judgments
• Affective
– Emotional conflict aimed at a person rather
than an issue
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Exhibit 6-5
Conflict Intensity Continuum
Annihilatory
conflict
Overt efforts to destroy
the other party
Aggressive physical attacks
Threats and ultimatums
Assertive verbal attacks
Overt questioning or
challenging of others
No
conflict
Minor disagreements or
misunderstandings
Sources: Based on S. P. Robbins, Managing Organizational Conflict: A Nontraditional Approach (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1974),
pp. 93-97; and F. Glasl, “The Process of Conflict Escalation and the Roles of Third Parties,” in Conflict Management and Industrial Relations,
ed. G. B. J. Bomers and R. Peterson (Boston: Kluwer-Nijhoff, 1982), pp. 119-140).
Exhibit 6-4 How Conflict
Builds
Conflict-handling
Intentions
•
•
•
•
•
Competing
Collaborating
Compromising
Avoiding
Accommodating
Outcomes
Behaviour
• Functional:
increased
performance
• Dysfunctional:
decreased group
performance
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Conflict handling intentions
• Two Dimensions
– Cooperativeness
– Assertiveness
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Five Conflict-Handling Strategies
•
•
•
•
•
Forcing.
Problem solving
Avoiding
Yielding
Compromising
Assertive
Forcing
Problem solving
Satisfying one’s own interests
without concern for the other’s
interests
• Make threats and bluffs
• Make persuasive arguments
• Make positional commitments
Clarifying differences to find
mutually beneficial outcomes
• Exchange information about
priorities and preferences
• Show insights
• Make trade-offs between
important and unimportant issues
Compromising
r
Giving up something to reach an
outcome (done by both parties)
• Match other’s concessions
• Make conditional promises
and threats
• Search for a middle ground
Unassertive
Trying to satisfy one’s own concerns
’
ASSERTIVENESS
Exhibit 6-6 Conflict-Handling Strategies
and Accompanying Behaviours
Avoiding
Withdrawing from or ignoring
conflict
• Don’t think about the issues
Yielding
Placing the other’s interests above
one’s own
• Make unilateral concessions
• Make unconditional promises
• Offer help
Uncooperative
Cooperative
COOPERATIVENESS
Trying to satisfy the other person’s concerns
Sources: Based on K. W. Thomas,
“Conflict and Negotiation Processes in
Organizations,” in Handbook of
Industrial and Organizational
Psychology, vol. 3, 2nd ed., ed. M. D.
Dunnette and L. M. Hough (Palo Alto,
CA: Consulting Psychologists Press,
1992), p. 668; C. K. W. De Dreu, A.
Evers, B. Beersma, E. S. Kluwer, and
A. Nauta, “A Theory-Based Measure of
Conflict Management Strategies in the
Workplace,” Journal of Organizational
Behavior 22, no. 6 (September 2001),
pp. 645-668; and D. G. Pruitt and J.
Rubin, Social Conflict: Escalation,
Stalemate and Settlement (New York:
Random House, 1986).
Factors That Lead to
Personality Conflicts
•
•
•
•
•
Misunderstandings
Intolerance
Perceived inequalities
Falsehoods
Blaming
Tips for Employees Having a Personality
Conflict
•
•
•
Communicate directly with the other person
to resolve the perceived conflict.
Avoid dragging co-workers into the conflict.
If necessary, seek help from direct
supervisors or human resource specialists.
Source: R. Kreitner and A. Kinicki, Organizational Behavior, 6th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004), p. 492, Table 14-1. Reprinted by permission of McGraw-Hill Education.
Conflict Outcomes
• Functional (supports the goals of the
group and improves performance)
• Dysfunctional (hinders group
performance)
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Negotiation
• A process in which two or more parties
exchange goods or services and attempt to
agree upon the exchange rate for them
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Issues, Positions and
Interests
• Individuals have issues, positions, and interests
– Issues are items that are specifically placed on the
bargaining table for discussion
– Positions are the individual’s stand on the issue
– Interests are the underlying concerns that are
affected by the negotiation resolution
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Types of Bargaining
• Distributive bargaining
• Integrative bargaining
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Exhibit 6-9 Distributive
versus
Integrative Bargaining
Bargaining
Characteristic
Available resources
Distributive
Bargaining
Fixed amount of
resources to be divided
Integrative
Bargaining
Variable amount of resources to
be divided
I win, you lose
Primary motivations
Primary interests
Focus of relationships
Opposed to each other
Short term
I win, you win
Convergent or congruent with
each other
Long term
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
How to Negotiate
• Five steps to negotiation:
–
–
–
–
–
Developing a strategy.
Definition of ground rules.
Clarification and justification.
Bargaining and problem solving.
Closure and implementation.
• Identify BATNA:
– Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement.
Exhibit 6-8 The Negotiation Process
Developing a strategy
Defining ground rules
Clarification and
justification
Bargaining and
problem solving
Closure and
implementation
Source: This model is based on R. J. Lewicki, “Bargaining
and Negotiation,” Exchange: The Organizational
BehaviorTeaching Journal 6, no. 2 (1981), pp. 39-40.
Exhibit 6-9 Staking Out the
Bargaining Zone
$400
$475
$525
Buyer’s aspiration range
Bargaining
Zone
Buyer’s
target
point
Seller’s
resistance
point
$600
Seller’s aspiration range
Buyer’s
resistance
point
Seller’s
target
point
Getting to Yes
•
•
•
•
Separate the people from the problem.
Focus on interests, not positions.
Look for ways to achieve mutual gains.
Use objective criteria to achieve a fair solution.
Summary and Implications:
Communication
• A common theme regarding the relationship between
communication and employee satisfaction
• Less distortion in communication equals:
• Ambiguity between verbal and nonverbal communiqués
increase uncertainty and reduce satisfaction
• The goal of perfect communication is unattainable
• The issue of communication is critical to motivation
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Summary and Implications
• Conflict can be either constructive or destructive
to the functioning of a group.
• An optimal level of conflict:
• Inadequate or excessive levels of conflict can
hinder group effectiveness.
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Summary and Implications
• Don’t assume there's one conflicthandling intention that is always best.
• Negotiation is an ongoing activity in
groups
• Intergroup conflicts can also affect an
organization’s performance.
Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.