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Chapter 15 - Handling Conflict and Stress
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CHAPTER 15
Handling Conflict and Stress
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Define conflict.
2. Outline the five stages of conflict.
3. Discuss the useful effects of conflict.
4. Explain the basic perspectives for analyzing conflict in organizations.
5. Describe five strategies for dealing with interpersonal conflict.
6. Discuss the nature and sources of job-related stress.
7. Define burnout and workaholism.
8. Suggest several guidelines for managing organizational and personal stress.
SUGGESTIONS FOR PRESENTATION
Stage a conflict.
With a colleague or cooperative student, plan a “conflict” which will occur within hearing or
sight of the class just before the start of the session. Create a script that matches your situation,
LECTURE OUTLINE
Supervision Dilemma
Jane finds herself having to handle conflict situations both in and out of her work unit. Two of
her employees just had a heated argument about politics.
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I. What is Conflict?
• Conflict is a condition that exists when one party feels that some concern of that party has
been frustrated or is about to be frustrated by a second party.
• The usual stages of conflict are as follows:
o Latent conflict—conditions for conflict exist but have not been recognized.
II. Positive and Negative Aspects of Conflict
• Managers spend at least 20% of their time dealing with conflict.
• Negative aspects of conflict are generally quite obvious.
o It diverts time, energy, and money away from the organization’s goals.
o The situation can turn into continuous conflict and cause further harm to the
organization.
o Intense conflict can lead to sabotage, stealing, lying, and distortion of information
and similar behaviors that can have a disastrous effect on the organization.
• When properly managed, conflict can have certain very useful benefits:
o It often causes changes.
o It energizes people.
o It can be educational.
o The aftermath of conflict can lead to a stronger and better work environment.
III. Types of Conflict in Organizations
• Conflict can be either internal or external to the individual.
o Conflict internal to the individual is called intrapersonal conflict.
Chapter 15 - Handling Conflict and Stress
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o Conflict external to the individual falls into one of three general categories—
interpersonal, structural, or political.
A. Intrapersonal Conflict
• Because intrapersonal conflict is internal to the individual, it is very difficult to
analyze. Basically, intrapersonal conflict relates to the need-drive-goal motivation
sequence.
o Frustration, which is one form of intrapersonal conflict, occurs when people
feel that something is stopping them from achieving goals that they would like
to achieve.
o Goal conflict occurs when an individual’s goal has both positive and negative
aspects or when competing or conflicting goals exist. Three forms include:
▪ Conflicting positive goals
▪ Goals with both positive and negative aspects
▪ Goals that have only negative aspects
• Supervisors can help deal with intrapersonal conflict only if they can identify when
and why it is occurring
B. Interpersonal Conflict
• Interpersonal conflict, which is external to the individual, can result from many
factors.
o One cause of interpersonal conflict is opposing personalities.
o Jealousy and envy are also sources of interpersonal conflict.
C. Structural Conflict
• Structural or intergroup conflict results from the nature of the organizational
structure. Such conflict is independent of the personalities involved.
• Various types of structural conflict are below.
o Differing goals
o Mutual dependence of departments
o Unequal dependence of departments
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o Communication barriers
D. Organizational Conflict
• Organizational conflict is the conflict between employees and the organization
itself. Following are some examples of sources of organizational conflict
o Changes in policies that negatively effect employees
o Reorganizing
o Corporate downsizing
o Layoffs
o Tightening of expenses
E. Political Conflict
• Political conflicts (sometimes called strategic conflicts) are planned and often
intentionally started.
o Generally, such conflicts result from the promotion of self-interest on the part
of an individual or group.
o It is often encouraged by the reward structure of many organizations.
o It has positive effects, if properly managed, but can easily become unfair and
result in severely negative outcomes.
IV. Managing Conflict
• The objective of the supervisor is not to resolve the conflict but to act as a referee and
counselor in helping the participant(s) reach an acceptable solution.
• Supervisors most frequently deal with intrapersonal and interpersonal conflict.
o Intrapersonal conflict is very difficult for the supervisor to analyze.
▪ The supervisor should normally refer the employee to the company’s employee
assistance program in handling the problem.
▪ If the intrapersonal conflict is affecting the employee’s work performance, the
supervisor must take action.
• Supervisors can use the following strategies in dealing with interpersonal conflict:
o Compromise—it is effective in dealing with interpersonal conflict when it benefits
both parties.
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only sow the seeds for future conflict.
o Confrontation—proven to be the most effective and lasting method for resolving
conflict.
V. Conflict and Diversity
• Supervisors can take either a reactive or proactive approach to manage the conflicts created
by diversity in the workplace.
o Under the reactive or pacification approach, organizations do only the minimum
required by law.
o With the proactive approach, employees work together toward mutually acceptable
solutions, and differences among the organization’s members are used to the
organization’s advantage.
VI. Managing Stress
• Stress can be defined as an arousal of mind and body in response to real or perceived
demands or threats. Excessive stress is generally harmful.
o Among employees, stress of this kind manifests itself in increased absenteeism, job
turnover, lower productivity, mistakes on the job, low levels of motivation, increased
legal and insurance expenses, and higher workers’ compensation payments
A. Types of Job-Related Stress
• Stress can result from an imbalance of demand and capacity related to a person’s job,
physical condition, social environment, or personal problems.
• Some of the more frequently encountered sources of job-related stress are:
o Task stress
o Role stress
o Burnout
• Burnout is one potential result of excessive job-related stress over a long period of
time.
o Burnout can be formally defined as a state of physical, emotional, and mental
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demanding. It generally takes place in three stages:
▪ An increased feeling of emotional exhaustion
▪ A callous and dehumanized perception of others
▪ A negative self-evaluation of one’s effectiveness
• Workaholism can be a cause of stress. Workaholism is working to the exclusion of
everything else in one’s life.
o A workaholic environment causes stress, burnout, and low morale.
B. Organizational Guidelines for Managing Stress
• Many organizations have undertaken certain actions to reduce the amount of job-
related stress experienced by their employees. Among these actions are:
o Shortening hours of direct contact with customers.
o Granting special leaves such as sabbatical programs.
o Requiring that everyone take an annual vacation.
C. Personal Guidelines for Managing Stress
• Supervisors and employees can do many things both on and off the job to reduce
stress for themselves. Some of these are summarized below:
o Pay attention to the physical needs of exercise, diet, and rest.
o Don’t create artificial deadlines.
o Utilize your mental and spiritual resources.
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Solution to the Supervision Dilemma
Jane has learned that conflicts are inevitable in an organization and has to be handled to avoid
negative consequences. She should also try and determine the type of stress she is going through
and take remedial action.
SUPERVISION ILLUSTRATIONS
15-1: Negative Effects of Stress
15-2: Avoiding Burnout
15-3: Reducing Stress at Clark Nuber
15-4: Mind-Body Stress Reduction Program at Aetna
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Describe the five stages, or cycles, of conflict.
The five stages of conflict are as follows:
• Latent conflict—at this stage, the basic conditions for conflict exist but have not been
recognized by the parties.
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2. Describe some positive and negative outcomes of conflict.
The positive outcomes of conflict include the following:
• It usually causes change
• It energizes people
The negative outcomes of conflict include the following:
• The work of the organization may suffer
3. Define four types of conflict in organizations.
The four types of conflict are intrapersonal conflict, interpersonal conflicts, structural
conflicts, and political or strategic conflicts.
4. Discuss some causes of interpersonal conflict.
Some causes of interpersonal conflict are: Opposing personality types, prejudices based on
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5. Outline the causes of structural conflict.
6. Discuss the five strategies for solving interpersonal conflict.
7. What are some guidelines for using the confrontation approach to conflict?
8. Name and define six sources of job-related stress.
Following are six sources of job-related stress:
• Task stress—if the task or job is too difficult.
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9. Identify the three stages that generally accompany burnout.
10. Define workaholism.
11. Describe several actions that an organization might take to reduce employee stress.
An organization might take the following actions to reduce employee stress:
• Shorten hours of direct contact with customers
12. Name several ways that a supervisor might reduce stress.
Supervisors can do many things to reduce stress. They are:
• Pay attention to the physical needs of exercise, diet, and rest
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SKILL-BUILDING QUESTIONS
1. “Supervisors should avoid conflict at all costs.” Discuss.
2. “Supervisors should smooth over any conflict that they have with their boss.” Discuss your
views on this statement.
3. Comment on the following statement: “Stress is inherent in every job, and employees must
learn to cope on their own.”
4. Do you agree with the following statement? “Burnout is just a newfangled notion that
gives lazy people an excuse not to work.” Why or why not?
REFERENCES
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ADDITIONAL READINGS
SKILL-BUILDING APPLICATIONS
Incident 15-1: Trouble in the Claims Department
This case illustrates interpersonal conflict which is negatively affecting work performance.
1. What is causing the conflict?
2. What method has Barbara been using in dealing with the conflict?
3. Recommend a solution to this conflict situation.
Students’ answers may vary. The best approach would be confronting each of the
Incident 15-2: Getting Rid of Bart
1. Is Bart’s stress understandable? What could he have done to avoid it?
Chapter 15 - Handling Conflict and Stress
2. What would you do at this point if you were Bart?
3. In general terms, discuss the potential costs of this situation to QTZ.
Students’ answers may vary. Bart’s productivity had to have dropped dramatically. Also,
Exercise 15-1: Conflict over Quality
The purpose of this exercise is to illustrate the alternative ways of dealing with a serious work
group conflict.
Comments to the class and score for each alternative:
1. If you say nothing and accept full responsibility for delayed scheduling and increased
2. Requesting help in a memo to the quality control manager is a good idea. Even though it
avoiding open communication with the quality control manager. On the plus side, you are
resolving the situation and bringing it to the attention of your boss, who may not be aware
of the situation. Score: five.
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5. Threatening the quality control manager is not likely to force her to accept the units and
Exercise 15-2: Truth and Misconceptions about Stress
The answers to the quiz are as follows. For further information, see the referenced article.
than relaxation exercises. This is not effective in reducing stress.
to get some rest and face the problems with a fresh outlook.
Exercise 15-3: Are You a Workaholic?
Exercise 15-4: Measuring Your Level of Stress
The purpose of this experiential exercise is to help students personalize some of the concepts
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Exercise 15-5
Exercise 15-6: Life Events Causing Stress
SUPERVISORY ANECDOTES
Among the thousands of lawsuits filed by non-union employees who believe they were treated
Concern over the danger of violence on the job creates a new challenge for supervisors in all
fields. There is no reason for the employer or employee to panic; however, there is just cause for
prudent action to increase safety and decrease the likelihood of any violent eruption in the
workplace. Measures that managers can take to keep workers safe from violence include:
1. Adopt a tough zero-tolerance policy for violence in the workplace.
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RELATED VIDEOS
4. Coping With Difficult People, American Media, two part series 39 mins. This video
consists of two parts—Part 1: the know-it-all expert, staller and sniper; Part 2: tanks,
super-agreeables and complainers. Award winner.
5. Hot Under the Collar, American Media, 17 mins. Although this is actually a customer
service video, many of the points are applicable to any conflict situation; this video is an
award winner.
