NPD Resources

5 Ways to NPD Team Harmony

How to Apply Conflict Management Styles for Team Success

WHAT IS CONFLICT? “Conflict is inevitable, and it can be destructive or useful (1).” One of the foremost researchers of Conflict Management, Kenneth Thomas, has defined conflict as “the process which begins when one party perceives that another has frustrated, or is about to frustrate some condition of his (2)”. In short, conflict is any situation where one person’s concerns or desires differ from another person’s.

Conflict can occur because of either a real or perceived concern. Among other factors, in work or personal settings, the source of conflict may be due to:

Unclear boundaries,
Scarcity of resources,
Communication barriers,
Need for consensus,
Limited options,
Personality / Conflict of interest, or
Unresolved prior conflict(s).

Conflict can be sensed as a positive or a negative experience. In the case of positive conflict, debate can sharpen perceptions, build cohesion or trust within a team, and may draw attention to clarifying issues of concern. On the other hand, the negative aspects of conflict involve excessive time and emotional energy not dealing directly with the problem as well as a cause for misperceptions, and judgment, by the parties. Therefore, if the conflict is not addressed, it can fester and grow until the parties reach a stalemate, as we have observed in our example of the X1D1 Project Team at A1BC Battery Corporation.

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT Conflict Management can be generally viewed at the intersection of three inter-related events (3):

1. Perceiving or experiencing an unacceptable (negative) conflict,
2. Diagnosing the sources and parties of the conflict, and
3. Intervening for problem resolution.

Teamwork is both a communication- and coordination-intensive effort characterized by complex group dynamics and the potential for conflict. Research has shown that conflict management behavior is an important determinant for group performance and team processes (4). Professionals working in new product research and development are attracted to working in organizations that allow them to use their creativity in effective, cross-functional team environments (5).

THOMAS-KILMAN (TKI) MODEL The Thomas-Kilman (TKI) Conflict Modes are perhaps the most widely known behavioral descriptors used to categorize individuals’ conflict management styles. These behavioral instincts establish boundaries on the range at which individuals participating in team activities can be effective (3). TKI presents five conflict management behavior modes on a 2x2 matrix where the dimensions of assertiveness and cooperativeness are phrased in intentional terms – attempting to satisfy one’s own and other’s concerns (2). Studies have shown significant congruence between self-reported TKI styles and individual’s perceptions of their own behaviors across varying sets of simulations (6). The TKI matrix (see figure) shows the five conflict management behavior modes as:

Read more about Conflict Management modes here or download the full white paper here.

REFERENCES
1. Bennis, Warren. Managing People is Like Herding Cats. Provo, UT : Executive Excellence Publishing, 1997.
2. Conflict and Conflict Management: Reflections and Update. Thomas, Kenneth W. 3, May 1992, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Vol. 13, pp. 265-274.
3. Four Perspectives on Conflict Management: An Attributional Framework for Organizing Descriptive and Normative Theory. Kilman, Ralph H. and Thomas, Kenneth W. 1, January 1978, The Academy of Management Review, Vol. 3, pp. 59-68.
4. Getting It Together: Temporal Coordination and Conflict Management in Global Virtual Teams. Montoya-Weiss, Mitzi M., Massey, Anne P. and Song, Michael. 6, December 2001, The Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 44, pp. 1251-1262.
5. People Solutions for R&D. Kochanski, James, Mastropolo, Paul and Ledford, Gerry. January-February 2003, Research Technology Management, pp. 59-61.
6. Bargaining Styles and Negotiation: The Thomas-Kilman Conflict Mode Instrument in Negotiation Training. Shell, G. Richard. April 2001, Negotiation Journal, pp. 155-174.

And see how an understanding of the Conflict Management modes has helped the X1D1 Project Team has moved forward here.