INTRODUCTION TO CONFLICT:Dispute, Legal Dispute, Call the police

DISPUTE RESOLUTION 1:Positive affect in Negotiation, Alternative Dispute Resolution >>

Conflict Management HRM624

Lesson 1

INTRODUCTION TO CONFLICT

Quotations

A man's greatest battles are the ones he fights within himself.

Ben Okri (1959 )

Antagonism is a form of struggle within a contradiction, but not the universal form.

Mao Zedong (1893 - 1976) Chinese statesman.

We should look in society not for consensus, but for in eliminable and acceptable conflicts, and for

rationally controlled hostilities, as the normal condition of mankind...Harmony and inner consensus come

with death. Stuart Hampshire (1914 - 2004) British philosopher.

We have met the enemy and it is us. Walt Kelly

Introduction to conflict

Conflict is everywhere. Every relationship has conflict. It exists inside us. It exists around us. It is natural

and inevitable part of all human social relationships. It occurs at all levels of society - intrapsychic,

interpersonal, intragroup, intergroup, intranational and international (Sandole & Staroste, 1987).

Conflict is ubiquitous at all levels of human social relationships. Some social scientists have given conflict a

bad reputation by linking it with psychopathology, social disorder and war (Burton, 1990). Conflict is not

deviant or sick behavior. Social scientists need to analyze the level and the type of the conflict in order to

understand the phenomenon.

Conflict is largely a perceived phenomenon. It is our perception of the situation that determines if a

conflict exists. Conflict may be either healthy or unhealthy. Moreover, it should not be taken as the opposite

of order. Though, there is orderliness in conflict yet it can be disorderly.

No two persons in the world are absolutely same or absolutely different. Therefore no two persons can feel

or think alike. The difference between thinking of different people causes conflict. The parties in conflict

believe they have incompatible goals, and their aim is to neutralize, gain advantage over, injure or destroy

one another.

Conflict is the root of personal and social change. Hence, the organizations have conflict because of its ever

changing environment. Conflict prevents stagnation. It stimulates interest and curiosity. Conflict

management is very popular in business schools. The role of the administrator or a manager in an

organization is to handle day to day conflict in the allocation of limited resources.

Definitions

a. Conflict is a state of opposition, disagreement or incompatibility between two or more people or groups

of people.

b. A state of opposition between persons or ideas or interests.

c. A hostile encounter between two or more people.

d. Conflict is usually based upon a difference over goals, objectives, or expectations between individuals or

groups. Conflict also occurs when two or more people, or groups, compete over limited resources and/or

perceived, or actual, incompatible goals.

Conflict Management HRM624

e. A hostile encounter between two or more people .

f. The dramatic struggle between the antagonist and the protagonist .

g. An escalated, natural competition between two or more parties about scarce resources, power and

prestige (Sandole & Staroste, 1987) .

Interpersonal conflict

An actual or perceived incompatibility of goals between two or more people or entities is termed as

interpersonal conflict.

Incompatibility need not be realized by either disputant. It means a conflict may be latent in the sense that it

is not recognized by either of the parties.

Incompatibility need not be actual/real. In other words a conflict may be false in the sense that there may

not be real incompatibility.

Mixed-Motive Situations

A conflict situation characterized by a combination of contrient and promotive interdependence is called

mixed-motive situation. In mixed-motive situations some goals are incompatible, others are complementary.

Virtually all conflicts are mixed-motive situations.

Dispute

Definition

a. A disagreement or argument about something important

b. When an employer and a trade union representing the employees cannot agree upon the terms

and conditions of a collective agreement

The Act defines a dispute as including 'any difference'. Whether there is a dispute capable of

being referred to adjudication will depend on the circumstances of each case. A dispute might

be said to exist where a claim has been made by one organization against another and there has

been sufficient time to consider, admit, modify or reject that claim on the basis of reasoned

argument.

d. Where a customer, having received an explanation, still does not agree with the decision

A conflict being expressed outwardly and in which the incompatibility of goals is the main

focus

A quarrel over a divisive issue such as territory, borders, resources, ideology, etc. with no

military aspect. The sides are in disagreement but force is not being considered.

The term dispute implies that the incompatibilities are conscious on the part of at least one of the parties to

the conflict and that the incompatibilities- rather than the complementary goals, interests or needs- are

uppermost in the minds of those involved in the conflict. Disputes often relate to grievances arising from

behavior or events that occurred in the past.

Legal Dispute

A dispute in which some of the contentions can be expressed as a cause of action, or as a defense to a cause

of action

Conflict Management HRM624

Fender-Bender

Definition

A collision involving motor vehicles that results in minor damage is called fender bender.

In fender bender the disputants have incompatible interests.

Many a times even very careful and sharp drivers happen to meet minor motor car accidents; and the

conflicting situation arises. Unnecessary complications can be avoided if one knows how to deal with and

react in such circumstances.

Surviving a Fender-Bender

Here are some important tips that every driver must be familiar with.

Keep calm

Call the police

Exchange information

Consider your deductible

Contact your insurance company

Get an estimate and repairs

1. Keep calm

Stay cool and don't engage in shouting.

2. Call the police

Call the police to report the accident even if it is minor.

3. Exchange information

Write down the following information on a piece of paper.

1. Name, address and phone number of the other driver(s) involved

2. Name and address of car's owner (if different from driver)

3. Location of accident

4. Driver's license number(s)

5. Year, make and models of car(s) involved

6. License plate numbers

7. Name of automobile insurance company and policy number

8. Names, addresses and phone numbers of any passengers and/witnesses

9. Any damage done to your car or the other car(s) involved

Name of automobile insurance company and policy number

4. Consider your deductible

Your deductible is the amount you have to pay from your own pocket when an insurance claim is filed. For

example, if your deductible is Rs.5000, and your car needs Rs.20,000 worth of repairs, you may only receive

Rs.15,000 from the insurance company. You're responsible for the first Rs.5000 of any repair.

5. Contact your insurance company

If you and the other driver decide not to pay for your own repairs, contact your insurance company

immediately. If you don't report the accident to your insurance company, and the other driver does report it

to his or hers, it could work against you if the case ends up in arbitration.

6. Get an estimate and repairs

Take your car to an automotive repair shop and get an estimate for how much it will cost to fix any

problems that resulted from the fender bender. Some insurance companies may require two separate

estimates from two different repair shops.

Conflict Management HRM624

Agent

One standing in the shoes of a disputant during an interpersonal conflict, acting for the disputant is called

an agent.

Principal

The disputant for whom an agent is acting is called principal.

Advocate

An agent having a special obligation to represent the interests of his or her principal vigorously, zealously,

and with a certain standard of competence is known as an advocate.

Constituent

One whom the conflict affects but who is not a disputant, agent, or advocate; sometimes called a

stakeholder

e.g. Disputants' family and friends

Recommended Text Book

Conflict Diagnosis and Alternative Dispute Resolution

Author: Laurie S. Coltri

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