Managing Conflict in Organizations

by Rahim, M. Afzalur

• ISBN13: 9781567202625
• ISBN10: 1567202624
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-12-30
• Publisher: Praeger Pub Text

Summary

This revised and updated edition of Rahim's classic work on managing conflict in organizations presents new evidence that suggests, contrary to generally accepted views, that organizational conflict need not be minimized or avoided in all cases. Some conflicts are functional and others are dysfunctional. Substantive or task-related conflict is functional for nonroutine tasks, but affective conflicts are dysfunctional irrespective of the task conditions. Classifying conflicts as intrapersonal, interpersonal, intragroup, or intergroup, Rahim explains how to diagnose conflict, how to intervene effectively, and how to handle all the different types of conflict that typically arise in organizations. Rahim's systematic approach to conflict management identifies five styles of handling conflict (integrating, obliging, dominating, avoiding, and compromising). These styles may be used in the course of an intervention, a technique that enables managers to minimize affective conflict while attaining and maintaining a moderate amount of substantive conflict at the individual, group, and intergroup levels. Rahim's book will be of interest to scholars, students, and practitioners in management, organizational psychology, human resources management, and communication.

Author Biography

M. AFZALUR RAHIM is the President of the Center for Advanced Studies in Management and Professor of Management at Western Kentucky University.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Introduction	1	(16)
Contributions from Various Disciplines	2	(5)
Organizational Conflict	7	(7)
Summary	14	(3)
Nature of Conflict	17	(18)
Defining Conflict	17	(2)
Threshold of Conflict	19	(1)
Conflict and Competition	19	(1)
Classifying Conflict	20	(4)
Styles of Handling Interpersonal Conflict	24	(8)
Summary	32	(3)
Measurement of Conflict	35	(28)
Development of the ROCI-I	36	(10)
Development of the ROCI-II	46	(15)
Summary	61	(2)
Organizational Learning and Effectiveness	63	(12)
Defining Organizational Learning	63	(1)
Types of Learning	64	(1)
Organizational Effectiveness	65	(3)
Characteristics of the Old Paradigm	68	(4)
Conflict Management in the New Paradigm	72	(1)
Summary	72	(3)
Conflict Management Design	75	(22)
Defining Conflict Management	75	(10)
Contingency Approach	85	(1)
Conflict Management Process	86	(8)
Major Research Challenges	94	(1)
Summary	94	(3)
Intrapersonal Conflict	97	(20)
Types of Intrapersonal Conflict	97	(1)
Role	98	(1)
Role Conflict	99	(1)
Role Ambiguity	100	(1)
A Model of Role Conflict and Ambiguity	101	(2)
Consequences of Role Conflict	103	(1)
Managing Intrapersonal Conflict	104	(11)
Summary	115	(2)
Interpersonal Conflict	117	(26)
The Prisoner's Dilemma	117	(1)
A Model of Conflict	118	(4)
Consequences of Interpersonal Conflict	122	(1)
Negotiation	123	(2)
Managing Interpersonal Conflict	125	(17)
Summary	142	(1)
Intragroup Conflict	143	(20)
Types of Groups	144	(1)
Effects of Intragroup Conflict	145	(3)
Managing Intragroup Conflict	148	(12)
Summary	160	(3)
Intergroup Conflict	163	(18)
Dynamics of Intergroup Conflict	164	(3)
Effects of Intergroup Conflict	167	(1)
Managing Intergroup Conflict	168	(7)
Intervention	175	(4)
Summary	179	(2)
Ethics and Morality	181	(16)
Ethics and Morality Defined	182	(1)
Behavioral Perspectives for Conflict Management	183	(1)
Ethical Evaluation of Conflict Management	183	(1)
Ethics and Leadership Structure	184	(1)
Four Methods of Discourse	185	(3)
Practical Methods and Conflict Management Styles	188	(5)
Stages of Moral Development	193	(2)
Conclusions	195	(1)
Summary	195	(2)
Epilogue	197	(12)
A Design for Managing Conflict	198	(8)
The Ethics of Managing Conflict	206	(3)
Appendix A: Cases	209	(26)
1. Allen Manufacturing Corporation	209	(2)
2. New Employee at the Credit Union	211	(4)
3. Minnis Service	215	(3)
4. The Hormel Strike at Austin, Minnesota	218	(17)
Appendix B: Exercises	235	(22)
1. Contract Building	236	(1)
2. Technique of Role Analysis	237	(2)
3. Job Design	239	(1)
4. Transactional Analysis	240	(3)
5. Management of Disagreements	243	(1)
6. Team Building	244	(3)
7. Intergroup Problem Solving	247	(4)
8. Organizational Mirroring	251	(2)
9. Analysis of Task Interdependence	253	(4)
References	257	(24)
Author Index	281	(8)
Subject Index	289