Conflict, Power, and Influence Flashcards
(30 cards)
What is Group Conflict?
Shared goals do not guarantee shared harmony.
Definition: The perception of incompatibility, opposition, or tension between individuals or groups over meaningful goals, values, resources, or practices.
Conflict can be intragroup (within a group) or intergroup (between groups).
It can be constructive (enhancing solutions and cohesion) or destructive (undermining trust).
Perception alone can trigger conflict, even without intentional harm.
What Are the Individual and Group Levels of Conflict?
Individual Level:
*Arises from personality, values, emotional states, or job roles.
*Appears as gossip, passive aggression, exclusion, or confrontation.
Group Level:
*Shaped by power, leadership, and diversity.
*Involves both emotion and group identity.
*Resolving requires behaviour change and role renegotiation.
What Characterizes Conflict at the Organizational Level?
Organizational Level:
*Caused by structural or strategic tensions.
*Can be slow-burning (e.g., quiet resistance) or explosive (e.g., strikes, resignations).
*Needs formal responses like mediation or structural redesign.
*Higher-level conflicts have more invisible roots and require more strategic responses.
What Is Intergroup Negotiation and Why Does It Matter?
Negotiation manages interdependence: both parties need something and can’t resolve the issue alone.
It’s about reaching an agreement without damaging the relationship.
Example: Two people want the larger slice of cake—ignoring each other only worsens the situation.
Common in organizations: manager vs. employee, departments, or internal teams.
The goal is to resolve differing interests without severing ties.
What Causes Intergroup Conflicts and How Do Positions Differ from Interests?
Most conflicts involve conflicting interests: shared concerns seen differently (e.g., goals, rules, recognition).
Often, issues become symbolic battles over meaning, not just the topic.
Key distinction:
Position = what someone says they want
Interest = why they want it
Understanding interests can lead to creative, previously unseen solutions.
More things are negotiable than people often assume.
What Are the Possible Outcomes of a Negotiation?
Agreement: temporary or lasting solution
Stalemate: no progress, no concessions
Breakdown: talks fail, conflict escalates
Transformation: issue is reframed, dynamic changes
Outcome shapes future trust and conflict resolution.
Past negotiation experiences influence how future ones unfold.
What Is Intergroup Negotiation and Why Does It Matter?
Negotiation manages interdependence: both parties need something and can’t resolve the issue alone.
It’s about reaching an agreement without damaging the relationship.
Example: Two people want the larger slice of cake—ignoring each other only worsens the situation.
Common in organizations: manager vs. employee, departments, or internal teams.
The goal is to resolve differing interests without severing ties.
What Does a Win-Win Outcome Really Mean?
Win-win = both sides meet minimum requirements, not get everything they asked for.
Misconception: win-win = full satisfaction for both sides (often unrealistic).
Real win-win involves:
Strategic concessions
Delayed exchanges
Bottom lines met, bonuses are extra
Especially relevant in management–union negotiations (e.g., productivity vs. fair conditions).
Power imbalances, deadlines, and politics often affect what’s possible.
What Are the Four Possible Outcomes of a Negotiation?
Negotiation outcomes are often categorized into four quadrants, based on how well each party’s needs are met:
Win-Win:
Both parties meet their minimum essential needs.
Ideal outcome with mutual benefit and preserved relationships.
Win-Loss:
One party achieves its goals; the other feels forced into an unsatisfactory deal.
Creates resentment, erodes trust, and risks future sabotage.
Loss-Win:
Reverse of Win-Loss. The first party yields, second party gains.
Same risks apply: imbalance can harm future cooperation.
Loss-Loss:
Neither party meets their goals.
Often due to escalating conflict or emotional barriers to compromise.
Considered the worst outcome—mutual failure with no resolution.
⚠️ In ongoing relationships, even a “win” that creates an enemy is risky—short-term victory may lead to long-term setbacks.
What Is BATNA in Negotiation?
BATNA = Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement
It’s your Plan B—what you’ll do if no agreement is reached.
Example: If a car costs €35,000 but your budget is €30,000, a similar car at €18,000 is your BATNA.
In workplace terms: An employee’s BATNA might be switching companies if a deal isn’t reached.
Knowing your BATNA strengthens your position and prevents accepting a bad deal.
What Is ZOPA and How Does It Shape Agreements?
ZOPA = Zone of Possible Agreement
It’s the overlapping range where both parties can reach a deal.
Car example: Seller won’t go below €20,000, buyer won’t go above €30,000 → ZOPA = €20,000–€30,000.
Workplace example: Employee wants 25–30 vacation days, manager is willing to offer up to 27 → ZOPA = 25–27 days.
No ZOPA? Agreement is unlikely unless conditions or interests change.
What Are the Main Motivational Orientations in Negotiation?
People bring different emotional drivers and values to negotiations, often falling into one of four motivational types:
Individualists – Focus only on their own gain: “I want to win.”
Altruists – Care more about the other’s gain than their own: “I want you to win.”
Competitors – Want to win and see the other lose: “Winning is better when you lose.”
Cooperators – Seek mutual benefit: “You win, I win.”
Integrative negotiations (mutual gain) typically require at least one cooperator.
Individualists and competitors often chase short-term wins at long-term cost.
What Is the Dual Concern Model of Conflict Handling?
The Dual Concern Model maps conflict styles based on concern for self (assertiveness) and concern for others (cooperativeness). It identifies five styles: avoiding (low both), accommodating (low self, high others), competing (high self, low others), collaborating (high both), and compromising (medium both). Good negotiators adapt their style to the situation.
How Do Conflict Styles Affect Negotiation Outcomes?
Avoiding: Ignores the conflict; used when the issue seems minor or risky to address.
Accommodating: Prioritizes harmony; may sacrifice own needs (“people pleaser”).
Competing: Prioritizes winning; useful in emergencies, but harms trust.
Collaborating: Seeks win-win solutions; ideal for long-term success.
Compromising: Finds a fair, fast middle ground; often practical but not optimal.
Mastering negotiation means knowing when to switch styles to match the context and maximize outcomes.
What Is Third-Party Intervention in Conflict?
Definition: The involvement of a neutral person in a conflict they are not part of.
Example: HR director steps in to calm two feuding department heads.
Useful when parties can’t resolve the issue on their own.
Conflict management involves two types of control:
Process control – who speaks, when, and under what rules.
Decision control – who makes the final call on the agreement.
What Are the Types of Third-Party Intervention?
- Mediation – Mediator controls the process (who speaks, when), but parties decide the outcome.
- Moderation – Moderator guides discussion, may offer suggestions, but no decision-making power.
Common in less intense conflicts. - Arbitration – Arbitrator controls both process and decision.
Delivers a binding decision after hearing both sides.
Typical in legal or labor disputes.
What Is Power and How Does It Work?
Definition: Power is the ability to influence others’ actions, thoughts, or feelings.
It is not the same as authority, which is formally granted.
Power is relational—you only have it if others recognize it.
It operates formally (through roles) and informally (via charisma, respect, or expertise).
What Are the Five Sources of Power?
Reward Power – Giving value (bonuses, praise); can motivate but may cause favoritism.
Coercive Power – Using punishment (criticism, exclusion); effective in crises, toxic if overused.
Legitimate Power – Based on formal role or position (e.g., manager).
Referent Power – Comes from admiration and respect; common in charismatic leaders.
Expert Power – Based on knowledge or skill, especially in technical fields.
What Are the Risks of Having Power?
Power can lead to isolation, ethical lapses, and moral licensing.
Over time, powerful people may view themselves too positively and others too negatively.
Example: A former idealist becomes dismissive once in power.
Power often rewards domination, reinforcing harmful habits subtly but consistently.
What Is Conformity and Why Do We Do It?
Conformity = Changing behavior or beliefs to align with a group.
Classic study: Asch’s line experiment — 75% conformed at least once.
Happens daily: staying silent, dressing similarly, laughing along.
Two types of influence:
Informational: We believe others know better (e.g., how to email clients).
Normative: We want to be liked or accepted.
What Is Compliance How Is It Triggered?
Compliance = Saying yes to a request not because you want to, but because you feel you should.
Often driven by politeness, pressure, or social norms.
Common techniques:
Foot in the door – Small request first, then larger one.
Door in the face – Big request first (rejected), followed by the real smaller request.
Deadline – Scarcity tactic to provoke quick action (“limited time only”).
What Is Obedience How Is It Triggered?
Obedience = Following a direct order from someone in authority.
Stronger than compliance: driven by fear, legitimacy, and diffusion of responsibility.
People obey even if they disagree internally.
Example: Milgram’s study on electric shocks – showed how far people go under orders.
Conflict, Intragroup conflict, Intergroup conflict, Negotion, Position, Define?
Conflict: The perception of incompatibility, opposition, or tension between individuals or groups over goals, resources, values, or practices that are meaningful to them.
Intragroup Conflict: Conflict that emerges within a single group.
Intergroup Conflict: Conflict that emerges between different groups.
Negotiation: A process involving at least two parties with different interests or goals, some degree of interdependence, and a desire or obligation to find a solution without severing the relationship.
Position: What someone says they want in a negotiation.
Interest, BATNA, ZOPA, Motivational Orientations, Define?
Interest: The underlying reason why someone wants a particular outcome in a negotiation.
BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement): A party’s best alternative plan if a negotiation fails to reach an agreement.
ZOPA (Zone of Possible Agreement): The overlap between both parties’ acceptable ranges in a negotiation, where a mutually beneficial agreement is possible.
Motivational Orientations: Different individual approaches to negotiation outcomes, including Individualists, Altruists, Competitors, and Cooperators.
