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Organizational Behavior

Key Terms

Organizational BehaviorKey Terms

Key Terms

Administrative orbiting
An ineffective strategy for resolving conflict.
Affective conflict
Seen in situations where two individuals simply don’t get along with each other.
Assertiveness
Can range from assertive to unassertive on one continuum.
BATNA
An acronym popularised by Roger Fisher and William Ury which stands for ‘Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement’. BATNA answers the question: ‘What would you do if you weren’t able to agree a deal with your negotiation counterparty?’ Your BATNA is the alternative action you’ll take should your proposed agreement fail to materialize.
Behavioral conflict
Exists when one person or group does something that is unacceptable to others.
Character assassination
An ineffective resolution technique where the person with a conflict attempts to discredit and distance an individual from the others in the group.
Cognitive conflict
Can result when one person or group holds ideas or opinions that are inconsistent with those of others.
Conflict
The four types of conflict are goal conflict, cognitive conflict, affective conflict, and behavioral conflict.
Constructive confrontation
A conflict that leads to a positive result.
Cooperativeness
The extent to which someone is interested in helping satisfy the opponent’s concerns.
Distributive bargaining
Where the goals of one party are in fundamental and direct conflict with those of the other party. Resources are fixed and limited, and each party wants to maximize its share of these resources.
Due process nonaction
The strategy of wearing down a dissatisfied employee while at the same time claiming that resolution procedures are open and available. This technique has been used repeatedly in conflicts involving race and sex discrimination.
Frustration
May be caused by a wide variety of factors, including disagreement over performance goals, failure to get a promotion or pay raise, a fight over scarce economic resources, new rules or policies, and so forth.
Goal conflict
Can occur when one person or group desires a different outcome than others do. This is simply a clash over whose goals are going to be pursued.
Integrative bargaining
A negotiation strategy in which parties collaborate to find a "win-win" solution to their dispute. This strategy focuses on developing mutually beneficial agreements based on the interests of the disputants.
Intergroup conflict
Usually involves disagreements between two opposing forces over goals or the sharing of resources.
Interorganizational conflict
Disputes between two companies in the same industry, two companies in different industries or economic sectors, or two or more countries.
Interpersonal conflict
Where two individuals disagree on some matter.
Intrapersonal conflict
A conflict within one person.
Jurisdictional ambiguities
Situations where it is unclear exactly where responsibility for something lies.
Negotiation
The process by which individuals or groups attempt to realize their goals by bargaining with another party who has at least some control over goal attainment.
Resistance price
The point beyond which the opponent will not go to reach a settlement.
Status inconsistencies
Situations where some individuals have the opportunity to benefit whereas other employees do not. Consider the effects this can have on the nonmanagers’ view of organizational policies and fairness.
Task interdependencies
The greater the extent of task interdependence among individuals or groups, the greater the likelihood of conflict if different expectations or goals exist among entities, in part because the interdependence makes avoiding the conflict more difficult.
Third-party consultation
An outside consultant that serves as a go-between and can speak more directly to the issues because she is not a member of either group.
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