MANAGERIAL PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT

ON INTERVIEW&

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

GUIDED BY : : Prof. JAGBIR ALAWAT NAME : Sayon Das COURSE:BBA (B&I) 5th SEM.

EnrollmentNo:02921201810

BATCH :2010-1013

Maharaja Surajmal InstituteAffiliated to GGS Indraprastha University, Delhi

Table Of Contents

Topics PAGE NO.

INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW MEANING

ASPECTS OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH INTERVIEWS

TECHNIQUE

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

PREPARATION FOR INTERVIEW

TYPES OF INTERVIEW

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH INTERVIEW

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT MEANING

CAUSES OF CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

TYPES CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

STAGES CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

REACTION CONFLICT MANAGEMENT APPROACHES

MANAGEMENT

STRATEGIES

THEORIES

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11-12

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2021

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INTERVIEW

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INTERVIEW

An interview is a conversation between two or more people where questions are asked by the interviewer to elicit facts or statements from the interviewee.

Interview as a method for qualitative research

Definition - The qualitative research interview seeks to describe and the meanings of central themes in the life world of the subjects. The main task in interviewing is to understand the meaning of what the interviewees say.

(Kvale Interviewing, when considered as a method for conducting qualitative research, is a technique used to understand the experiences of others. Interviewing differs from other methods of data collection in that it is often more exploratory in nature, and allows for more flexibility. Interviewing stems from the desire to know more about the people around us and to better understand how the people around us view the world we live in: “At the heart of interviewing research is an interest in other individuals’ stories because they are of worth.”

Thus interviewing is most effective when the goal of said research is to gain insight into the “subjective understanding”of those around us. By asking participants “why” we are enabled to not only observe their behavior but to subsequently understand the meaning that underlies that behavior, and to have this meaning explained to us in the participant’s own words

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ASPECTS OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH INTERVIEWS

Interviews are completed by the interviewer based on what the interviewee

says.

Interviews are a far more personal form of research than questionnaires.

In the personal interview, the interviewer works directly with the interviewee.

Unlike with mail surveys, the interviewer has the opportunity to probe or ask

follow up questions.

Interviews are generally easier for the interviewee, especially if what is sought

are opinions .

Interviews are time consuming and they are resource intensive.

The interviewer is considered a part of the measurement instrument and

interviewer has to be well trained in how to respond to any contingency.

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TECHNIQUE

When choosing to

interview as a method for

conducting qualitative

research, it is important to

be tactful and sensitive in

your approach. Interviewer

and researcher, Irving

Seidman, devotes an entire

chapter of his book,

Interviewing as Qualitative Research, to the import of proper interviewing technique

and interviewer etiquette. Some of the fundamentals of his technique are summarized

below

Listening: According to Seidman, this is both the hardest as well as the most

important skill in interviewing. Furthermore, interviewers must be prepared to listen

on three different levels: they must listen to what the participant is actually saying,

they must listen to the “inner voice” or subtext of what the participant is

communicating, and they must also listen to the process and flow of the interview so

as to remain aware of how tired or bored the participant is as well as logistics such as

how much time has already passed and how many questions still remain. The listening

skills required in an interview require more focus and attention to detail than what is

typical in normal conversation. Therefore it is often helpful for interviewers to take

notes while the participant responds to questions or to tape-record the interviews

themselves to as to be able to more accurately transcribe them later.

Ask questions (to follow up and to clarify): While an interviewer generally

enters each interview with a predetermined, standardized set of questions, it is

important that they also ask follow-up questions throughout the process. Such

questions might encourage a participant to elaborate upon something poignant that

they’ve shared and are important in acquiring a more comprehensive understanding of

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the subject matter. Additionally, it is important that an interviewer ask clarifying

questions when they are confused. If the narrative, details, or chronology of a

participant’s responses become unclear, it is often appropriate for the interviewer to

ask them to re-explain these aspects of their story so as to keep their transcriptions

accurate.

Be respectful of boundaries: Seidman explains this tactic as “Explore, don’t

probe,” It is essential that while the participant is being interviewed they are being

encouraged to explore their experiences in a manner that is sensitive and respectful.

They should not be “probed” in such a way that makes them feel uncomfortable or

like a specimen in lab. If too much time is spent dwelling on minute details or if too

many follow-up questions are asked, it is possible that the participant will become

defensive or unwilling to share. Thus, it is the interviewer’s job to strike a balance

between ambiguity and specificity in their question asking.

Be wary of leading questions: Leading questions are questions which

suggest or imply an answer. While they are often asked innocently they run the risk of

altering the validity of the responses obtained as they discourage participants from

using their own language to express their sentiments. Thus it is preferable that

interviewers ask open-ended questions instead. For example, instead of asking “Did

the experience make you feel sad?” - which is leading in nature - it would be better to

ask “How did the experience make you feel” - as this suggests no expectation.

Don’t interrupt: Participants should feel comfortable and respected

throughout the entire interview - thus interviewers should avoid interrupting

participants whenever possible. While participants may digress in their responses and

while the interviewer may lose interest in what they are saying at one point or another

it is critical that they be tactful in their efforts to keep the participant on track and to

return to the subject matter in question.

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Make the participant feel comfortable: Interviewing proposes an unusual

dynamic in that it often requires the participant to divulge personal or emotional

information in the presence of a complete stranger. Thus, many interviewers find it

helpful to ask the participant to address them as if they were “someone else, such as a

close friend or family member. This is often an effective method for tuning into the

aforementioned “inner voice of the participant and breaking down the more

presentational barriers of the guarded “outter voice” which often prevails.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

When considering what type of qualitative research method to use, Qualitative

Interviewing has many advantages. Possibly the greatest advantage of Qualitative

Interviewing is the depth of detail from the interviewee. Interviewing participants can

paint a picture of what happened in an specific event, tell us their perspective of such

event, as well as give other social cues. Social cues, such as voice, intonation, body

language etc. of the interviewee can give the interviewer a lot of extra information

that can be added to the verbal answer of the interviewee on a question. This level of

detailed description, whether it be verbal or nonverbal, can show an otherwise hidden

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interrelatedness between emotions, people, objects unlike many quantitative methods

of research.

In addition, Qualitative Interviewing has a unique advantage in its specific

form. Researchers can tailor the questions they ask to the respondent in order to get

rich, full stories and the information they need for their project. They can make it

clear to the respondent when they need more examples or explanations.

Not only can researchers also learn about specific events, they can also gain

insight into people’s interior experiences, specifically how people perceive and how

they interpreted their perceptions. How events affected their thoughts and feelings. In

this, researchers can understand the process of an event instead of what just happened

and how they reacted to it.

Another advantage of Qualitative interviewing is what it can give to the

readers of academic journals and papers. Research can write a clearer report to their

readers, giving them a “fuller understanding of the experiences of our respondents and

a greater chance to identify with the respondent, if only briefly.”

Now Qualitative Interviewing is not a perfect method for all types of research.

It does have its disadvantages. First, there can be complications with the planning of

the interview. Not only is recruiting people for interviews hard, due to the typically

personal nature of the interview, planning where to meet them and when can be

difficult. Participants can cancel or change the meeting place at the last minute.

During the actual interview, a possible weakness is missing some information. This

can arise from the immense multitasking that the interviewer must do. Not only do

they have to make the respondent feel very comfortable, they have to keep as much

eye contact as possible, write down as much as they can, and think of follow up

questions. After the interview, the process of coding begins and with this comes its

own set of disadvantages. First, coding can be extremely time consuming. This

process typically requires multiple people, which can also become expensive. Second,

the nature of qualitative research itself, doesn’t lend itself very well to quantitative

analysis. Some researchers report more missing data in interview research than survey

research, therefore it can be difficult to compare populations

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ADVANTAGES 

1) Motivational

            IEE more likely to take questions seriously.            Can be a new experience, a break in the daily routine.            Most people would rather talk than write. 

2) Flexibility

            Allows greater flexibility in wording, sequence and direction.            IER able to clarify or paraphrase questions if IEE confused.            Easier to explore highly complex or abstract topics.

3) Additional information.

            Allows the monitoring/evaluation of:                Interpersonal skills.                Nonverbal and paralinguistic behavior.                Emotional tone.                Behavior under stress.                Internal consistency of IEE's answers.

4) Technical reasons.            May not want IEE to return to previous questions.            May want to limit the amount of time IEE has to respond.            Nature of the material may require a more personal touch (e.g., terminating an employee)   

DISADVANTAGES 

1) Training and practice requirements.

            IER must simultaneously:                Listen (process verbal and nonverbal information).                Guide direction.                Take notes or remember.

 2) Time and cost

 3) Confidentiality

 4) Potential to cue, bias or distort IEE responses.

            IER may unintentionally influence IEE's answers.            IER may consciously or unconsciously misinterpret or distort IEE's responses.

5) IER characteristics can influence IEE responses.

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PREPARATION FOR THE INTERVIEWER

SELF PREPARATION FOR THE INTERVIEWEE

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TYPES OF INTERVIEWS

Informal, conversational interview - no predetermined questions are asked, in order

to remain as open and adaptable as possible to the interviewee’s nature and priorities;

during the interview the interviewer “goes with the flow”.

General interview guide approach - intended to ensure that the same general areas

of information are collected from each interviewee; this provides more focus than the

conversational approach, but still allows a degree of freedom and adaptability in

getting the information from the interviewee

Standardized, open-ended interview - the same open-ended questions are asked to

all interviewees; this approach facilitates faster interviews that can be more easily

analyzed and compared.

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Closed, fixed-response interview - all interviewees are asked the same questions and

asked to choose answers from among the same set of alternatives. This format is

useful for those not practiced in interviewing.

Qualitative Research Interviews

Compared to something like a written survey, interviews allow for a significantly higher degree of intimacy, with participants often revealing personal information to their interviewers in a real-time, face-to-face setting. As such, this technique can evoke an array of significant feelings and experiences within those being interviewed.

On the positive end, interviewing can provide participants with an outlet to express themselves. Since the job of interviewers is to learn, not to treat or counsel, they do not offer participants any advice, but nonetheless, telling an attentive listener about concerns and cares can be pleasing. As qualitative researcher Robert S. Weiss puts it, “To talk to someone who listens, and listens closely, can be valuable, because one’s own experience, through the process of being voiced and shared, is validated.” Such validation, however, can have a downside if a participant feels let down upon termination of the interview relationship, for, unlike with figures like therapists or counselors, interviewers do not take a measure of ongoing responsibility for the participant, and their relationship is not continuous. To minimize the potential for this disappointment, researchers should tell participants how many interviews they will be conducting in advance, and also provide them with some type of closure, such as a research summary or a copy of the project publication.

On the negative end, the multiple-question based nature of interviews can lead participants to feel uncomfortable and intruded upon if an interviewer encroaches on territory that they feel is too personal or private. To avoid crossing this line, researchers should attempt to distinguish between public information and private information, and only delve deeper into private information after trying to gauge a participant’s comfort level in discussing it.

Furthermore, the comparatively intimate nature of interviews can make participants feel vulnerable to harm or exploitation.This can be especially true for situations in which a superior interviews a subordinate, like when teacher interviewers his or her student. In these situations, participants may be fearful of providing a “wrong answer,” or saying something that could potentially get them into trouble and reflect on them negatively. However, all interview relationships, not just explicitly superior-subordinate ones, are marked by some degree of inequality, as interviewers and participants want and receive different things from the technique Thus, researchers should always be concerned with the potential for participant feelings of vulnerability, especially in situations where personal information is revealed.

In order to combat such feelings of vulnerability and inequity and to make participants feel safe, equal, and respected, researchers should provide them with information about the study, such as who is running it and what potential risks it might entail, and also with information about their rights, such as the right to review interview materials and withdraw from the process at any time. It is especially

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important that researchers always emphasize the voluntary nature of participating in a study so that the participants remain aware of their agency.

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

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WHAT IS A CONFLICT?

A state of disharmony between incompatible or antithetical persons, ideas, or

interests; a clash.

Opposition between characters or forces in a work of drama or fiction,

especially opposition that motivates or shapes the action of the plot.

A psychic struggle between opposing or incompatible impulses, desires, or

tendencies.

CAUSES OF CONFLICT:

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1. Security

2. Inability to control self and others

3. Respect between parties

4. Limited Resources

5. Frustrations

TYPES OF CONFLICT

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1. Intrasender – conflict originates in the sender who gives conflicting

instructions

2. Intersender – arises when a person receives conflicting messages from one or

more sources.

3. Interrole – occurs when a person belongs to more than one group.

4. Person-role – result of a discrepancies between internal and external role.

5. Interperson – between people whose positions require interaction with other

persons who fill various roles in the same organization or other organizations.

6. Intragroup – occurs when a group faces new problem, when new values are

imposed on the group from outside, or when one’s extragroup role conflicts

with one’s intragroup role.

7. Intergroup – common when two groups have different goals and can only

achieve their goals at the other’s expense.

8. Role Ambiguity – condition where an individual do not know what is

expected of them.

9. Role Overload – individuals cannot meet the expectations placed on them.

STAGES OF CONFLICT

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1. Latent conflict – phase of anticipation It exists whenever individual, groups, organization or nations have differences that bother one or the other but those differences are not great enough to cause one side to act to alter the situation. There is not yet an outright conflict present but a number of factors exist that create the conditions that could result in a conflict.

2. Perceived conflict – indicates cognitive awareness of stressful situationIt exists when there is a cognitive awareness on the part of at least one party that events have occurred or that conditions exist favorable to creating overt conflict. Groups recognizes that a conflict is emerging and starts to look for possible explanation.

3. Felt conflict – presence of affective states such as stress, tensions, anxiety, anger, hostility. Organization, groups or individual become more internally cohesive. Other group in the organization are viewed with suspicion as outsider. Us versus them mentality begins to really take hold.

4. Manifest conflict – overt behavior resulting from the above three stages.At this stage the conflicting parties are actively engaging in conflict behavior which is usually very apparent to non-involved parties. Feelings of conflict are now translated into actions and words which could either be constructive obstructive to problem solving process.

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Reactions to conflict

1. Sublimation- a defense mechanism by which the individual satisfies a socially

prohibited instinctive drive through the substitution of socially acceptable

behavior.

2. Vigorous physical exercise

3. Increase efforts

4. Identification- a person’s association with or assumption of the qualities,

characteristics or views of another person or group.

– Attribution to yourself (consciously or unconsciously) of the characteristic of

another person.

5. Re-interpret goals

6. Substitute goals – setting another goal

7. Rationalization- a defense mechanism by which your true motivation is

concealed by explaining your actions and feelings in a way that is not threatening.

8. Attention getting

9. Reaction formation- a defense mechanism by which an objectionable impulse is

expressed in an opposite or contrasting behavior.

10. Flight into fantasy

11. Projection- the attribution of one’s own attitudes, feelings or desires to someone

or something as a naïve or unconscious defense against anxiety or guilt.

12. Displacement- unconscious defense mechanism whereby the mind redirects

emotion from a dangerous object to a safe object.

13. Fixation- a strong attachment to a person or thing especially such an attachment

formed in childhood or infancy and manifested in the immature or neurotic

behavior that persists throughout life.

14. Withdrawal- detachment as from social or emotional involvement.

15. Repression- the classical defense mechanism that protects you from impulses or

ideas that would causes anxiety by preventing them from becoming conscious.

16. Conversion- repressed ideas conflicts or impulses are manifested by various

bodily symptoms, such as paralysis or sensory deficits that have no physical.

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APPROACHES TO CONFLICT RESOLUTION

1. ACCOMMODATING - the person neglects personal concerns to satisfy the

concerns of others. It is cooperative but unassertive.

2. COMPROMISING – the individual attempts to find mutually acceptable

solutions that partially satisfy both parties in reflects assertiveness and

cooperation

3. COLLABORATING – the individual attempts to work with others toward

solutions that satisfy the work of both parties it is both assertive and

cooperative

4. COMPETING – the person pursues personal concerns at another’s expense.

It is a power oriented mode that is assertive but uncooperative. the competition

is aggressive and pursues one’s own goals at another’sexpense.

Conflict Management

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NEGOTIATION – is a strategic process used to move conflicting parties toward

an outcome.

PROCESS/PHASES OF NEGOTIATION:

PHASE 1 Establishing the issue and agenda

PHASE 2 Advancing demands and uncovering interests

PHASE 3 Bargaining and discovering new options – inflict resolution to both

parties; options to resolve

PHASE 4 Working out an agreement

PHASE 5 Aftermath – is the period following an agreement in where parties are

expending the consequences of their decisions.

Collaboration – is achieved through a developmental process. It is sequential yet reciprocal and characterized by seven strategies and activities.

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1. Awareness – makes a conscious entry into a group process, focus on goals of

convening together, generate definition of collaborative process and what it means

to team members.

2. Tentative exploration and mutual acknowledgement

a. Exploration – disclose professional skills for the desire process;

disclose areas where contribution cannot be mace, disclose values

reflecting priorities; identify roles and disclose personal values,

including time, energy, interest and resources.

b. Mutual acknowledgements – clarify each members potential

contributions; clarify member’s work style, organizational supports

and barriers to collaborative efforts.

3. Trust building – determines the degree to which reliance on others can

achieved; examines congruence between words and behaviors; set

interdependent goals; develop tolerance for ambiguity.

4. Collegiality – defines the relations of the members with each other; define the

responsibilities and tasks of each; defines entrance and exit conditions.

5. Consensus – determine the issues for which consensus; determine the process

for reevaluating consensus outcomes.

6. Commitment – realize the physical; emotional and material actions directed

toward the goal; clarify the procedures for reevaluating commitment in light of

goal depends and group for deviance.

7. Collaboration – initiate process of joint decision making reflecting the

synergy that results from combining knowledge and skills.

Strategies of Conflict Resolution

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1. Win Lose

a. Position Power

b. Mental or Physical Power

c. Failure to respond

d. Majority rule

e. Railroading

2. Lose-lose

a. Compromise

b. Bribes

c. Arbitration

d. General Rules

3. Win-win

a. Consensus

b. Problem-solving

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THEORIES AND MODELS

Dual concern model of conflict resolution

The dual concern model of conflict resolution is a conceptual perspective that

assumes individuals’ preferred method of dealing with conflict is based on two

underlying themes or dimensions.

1. A concern for self (i.e. assertiveness),

2. A concern for others (i.e. empathy).

According to the model, group members balance their concern for satisfying personal

needs and interests with their concern for satisfying the needs and interests of others

in different ways. The intersection point between these two dimensions ultimately

lead individuals towards exhibiting different styles of conflict resolution (Goldfien &

Robbennolt, 2007). The dual model identifies five conflict resolution styles/strategies

that individuals may use depending on their dispositions toward pro-self or pro-

social goals.

1. Avoidance conflict style

Characterized by inaction and passivity, avoidance conflict style is typically

used when an individual has reduced concern for their own outcomes as well

as the outcomes of others. During conflict, these avoiders adopt a “wait and

see” attitude, often allowing conflict to phase out on its own without any

personal involvement (Bayazit & Mannix, 2003). Unfortunately, by neglecting

to address high-conflict situations, avoiders risk allowing problems to fester

out of control.

2. Yielding conflict style

In contrast, yielding or “accommodating” conflict styles are characterized by a

high concern for others while having a low concern for one’s own self. This

passive pro-social approach emerges when individuals derive personal

satisfaction from meeting the needs of others and have a general concern for

maintaining stable, positive social relationships.[1] When faced with conflict,

individuals with a yielding conflict style tend to give into others’ demands out

of respect for the social relationship (e.g., to maintain group unity) because

they believe being “agreeable may be more important than winning” (Goldfien

& Robbennolt, 2007).

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3. Competitive conflict style

Competitive or “fighting” conflict style maximizes individual assertiveness

(i.e., concern for self) and minimizes empathy (i.e., concern for others).

Groups consisting of competitive members generally enjoy seeking

domination over others, and typically see conflict as a “win or lose”

predicament.[1] Fighters tend to force others to accept their personal views by

employing competitive, power tactics (e.g., argue; insult; accuse; violence)

that foster feelings of intimidation (Morrill, 1995).

4. Cooperation conflict style

Characterized by an active concern for both pro-social and pro-self

behavior, cooperation conflict style is typically used when an individual has

elevated interests in their own outcomes as well as in the outcomes of others.

During conflict, cooperators collaborate with others in an effort to find an

amicable solution that satisfies all parties involved in the conflict. Individuals

with this type of conflict style tend to be highly assertive and highly

empathetic at the same time.] By seeing conflict as a creative opportunity,

collaborators willingly invest time and resources into finding a “win-win”

solution. According to the literature on conflict resolution, a cooperative

conflict resolution style is recommended above all others (Sternberg &

Dobson, 1987

5. Conciliation conflict style

Conciliation or “compromising” conflict style is typical of individuals who

possess an intermediate-level of concern for both personal and others’

outcomes. Compromisers value fairness and, in doing so, anticipate mutual

give-and-take interactions. By accepting some demands put forth by others,

compromisers believe this agreeableness will encourage others to meet half-

way, thus promoting conflict resolution (van de Vliert & Euwema, 1994). This

conflict style can be considered an extension of both “yielding” and

“cooperative” strategies.

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