Page 90 - DMGT519_Conflict Management and Negotiation Skills

Conflict Management and Negotiation Skills

Notes come with an option contrary to the others, but there is a willingness to generate other options
and agree on them to create mutually utilitarian outcome. The gain of one individual/party is
not at the cost of the others. There is a mutuality of understanding and an attempt to satisfy the
concerns of each other.
Bazerman (1990) suggests that to be able to achieve integration in negotiation the negotiators
need to safeguard against the following pitfalls:
1. There is no fixed pie. It could be expanded and/or utilised to the maximum advantage of
all parties.
2. The process of negotiation can become non-relational. The focus may shift from issue to
position, ego, and face saving.

3. Overconfidence in one’s own position may lead to neglecting the need of other people.
Integrative bargaining is difficult to achieve for various reasons. If the history of past
relationship has not been very harmonious and if the parties have still to bargain with
each other because of uncontrollable circumstances, it becomes difficult to find integrative
solutions. Most of the time is spent on pointing out the problems and losses and in all
negotiations there is always an element of distributive win-lose situation. No one would
like to be a loser, thus the parties try to get as much as possible from the negotiation
situation. Often compromise is made in such situations that leads to both parties making
sacrifices. Compromise takes place because the parties want to avoid conflict or extended
negotiation. The parties feel that the cost of conflict or extended negotiations is larger than
the gains to be had from it

4. The integrative conflict resolution style directs the energies of the conflicting parties at
defeating the problem and not at each other. Attempts are made to clarify the problem by
exploring facts and expressing personal feelings. Although time consuming, this approach
allows people to disagree, work on those disagreements in light of facts, and help achieve
a better understanding of each other (Filley, 1975).
This approach to conflict resolution is based on certain beliefs and attitudes that provide
the foundation for the interpersonal communication skills that must be used. Filley (1975)
suggested that following beliefs would be conducive to the problem-solving approach:
(i) Belief in the availability of a mutually acceptable solution that will achieve
everyone’s goals.
(ii) Belief in cooperation rather than competition.
(iii) Belief that everyone is of equal value-no status or power imbalance is involved.
(iv) Belief in the view expressed by others as legitimate statements of their position.

(v) Belief that differences of opinion are helpful.
(vi) Belief in the trustworthiness of the other member.
(vii) Belief that the other party can compete, but chooses to cooperate.
The skill of establishing open and mutual trust is critical for conflict resolution (Deutsch, 1973;
Doolittle, 1976). A trusting atmosphere encourages individuals to take the existential risk involved
in open, constructive confrontation. Trust is also conducive to the maintenance of the relationship
between the conflict parties (Deutsch, 1973). Trust can be demonstrated by a conflict party
through the use of congruent verbal and non-verbal communication channels (Gahagan &
Tedeschi, 1968; Satir, 1964). Conflict parties must speak and behave in ways that demonstrate
trust, thereby encouraging the other conflict party to respond in a trusting and cooperative

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