CONFLICT MANAGEMENT The Psychology of conflict and conflict ...

1. CONFLICT IN THE WORKPLACE 11
department has succeeded in winning board approval to launch new
projects and to recruit the necessary personnel. The R&D department has
two equally sized subunits, one specializing in antidepressants and the
other in pain relievers. Each senior researcher within the subunits now
has to decide how to spend his or her own resources—in time, in effort, by
calling in favors, and so forth. Focusing on a project proposal that nicely
fits within their private interests—let us call it Proposal P(ersonal)—would
offer each senior researcher the greatest possibility of fruitful collaboration
with new colleagues and would result in the greatest personal benefit.
Contributing resources to increase the chances of alternative project proposals
from colleagues (Proposal C[olleague]) within one’s subunit would
be of less benefit personally, but would bring recognition to one’s own
subunit and could translate into a greater share of departmental resources
for one’s subunit as well as some potential for fruitful collaboration with
newly recruited colleagues. Finally, trying to get Proposal O(rganization)
awarded would be of little direct benefit either to oneself or to one’s subunit,
but would clearly yield the greatest benefit of any of the three proposals
for the entire R&D department as a whole—it might increase the
chances of the department acquiring even more and larger grants that
would improve the department’s prestige and financial situation, from
which all employees, including the one submitting Proposal P, benefit.
The example shows that resource-based conflicts of interest emerge not
only between individuals within the same unit, but also between individuals
belonging to different subunits located within the same organization.
Individuals as well as groups thus have overarching, common interests,
and both individuals and groups can face the dilemma of being individually
(or group) rational versus being collectively rational. Interestingly, as
this example clarifies, being rational vis-à-vis the interests of one’s subgroup
is irrational vis-à-vis one’s personal as well as one’s overarching
organization’s interests. Likewise, pursuing personal benefits is at odds
with group as well as with organization goals, and serving organizational
goals hurts both one’s group and one’s personal interests. As Wit and Kerr
(2002) explained, “The question is, ‘How vigorously would you pursue
your private interest, your own subgroup interest, or the collective interest?’
In other words, would your primary concern be for ‘me,’ for ‘just us,’
or for ‘us all’?” (p. 616).
Taken together, because conflicts of interests exist between individuals,
their group, and the overarching organization, conflict over the
access to and distribution of resources is likely to emerge. Conflicts are
built into any organizational structure and will become manifest for
one of two reasons. First, by pursuing their immediate and short-term
self-interests, individuals or groups deliberately or inadvertently hurt
collective interests including those of interdependent others. Such selfish
choices are unlikely to be condoned—“a substantial proportion of
the population is . . . willing to punish non-cooperators (or individuals
who do not make fair offers) at a cost to themselves” (Ostrom, 1998,