Handbook of Principles of Organizational Behavior - Soltanieh ...

MANAGE CONFLICT THROUGH NEGOTIATION AND MEDIATION
SUMMARY: THIRD PARTY CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND MEDIATION
PRINCIPLES AND RECOMMENDATIONS
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Below is a summary of several principles from managers ’ use of third party conflict
resolution modes at work:
1. When managers choose to mediate the dispute between parties at work, employees
or peers, many favorable results occur from the mediator approach. They include
high, shared perceptions of fairness in the process, an acceptance of a proposed
settlement, and a settlement that reflects the interests of both parties. In addition,
parties ’ fairness perceptions positively affect the nature of their relationship with the
mediator, and decrease the likelihood that confl ict will recur.
2. Nevertheless, managers show strong tendencies to question parties about the causes
of the conflict, to challenge their approaches to resolving it, and to unilaterally
decide the dispute if parties can’t resolve it themselves – all behaviors that deliver
3.
poorer results than does well - implemented mediation.
Managers ’ tendencies to unilaterally solve disputes between employees increase
when time is scarce, the conflict has implications for the rest of their unit or for the
organization, and disputing parties will not have to work together in the future.
Thus, we recommend that managers interested in pursuing a mediation mode of confl ict
resolution should act assertively and use:
1. Diagnostic interventions that increase each party ’s trust of the manager ’s fairness,
also increase the likelihood of the manager ’s identifying the underlying causes of
2.
3.
4.
the confl ict, and his or her display of behaviors most likely to result in settlement.
Contextual interventions that facilitate communication between parties, help to
diffuse anger and other intense emotions, assist in identifying the most important
issues of dispute, provide for the systematic discussion of issues and incremental
agreement, and develop a joint, unbiased process for locating information needed
to resolve the confl ict.
Substantive interventions that propose solutions to the conflict that may have
escaped the attention of the parties while also assuring them that the choice of solu­
tions will be left up to them.
Contextual and substantive interventions to first address the within - group confl ict
when it is internal to the organization within groups of employees.
EXCEPTIONS TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS
There are notable exceptions to the recommendations provided within this chapter for
enhancing the effectiveness of managers ’ negotiation and mediation skills. For negotiations,
the recommendations are limited to parties who rationally seek out solutions that
will enhance and maintain their own interests. When conflicting parties act irrationally
by showing little concern for important interests, earlier recommendations provided in
the negotiation section of this chapter are unlikely to prove effective. Irrational behavior