Understanding the source and stage of conflict is a critical skill for any project manager seeking to pass the Project Management Professional (PMP)® examination. According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), conflict is an inevitable part of any project, and managing it effectively requires the ability to interpret its origin and progression.
Source of Conflict
A primary responsibility of a project manager is identifying the source of the conflict. The source can constitute any stimuli leading to a disagreement. Collected under the acronym OPTIONS, these sources can be:
- Objectives: Misalignment regarding project goals.
- Priorities: Conflict over task importance.
- Time: Disagreement over timelines and deadlines.
- Interpersonal: Personality clashes or communication style differences.
- Operational: Disagreements over procedures or methods.
- New Ideas: Resistance to change or innovation.
- Stress: Tensions stemming from heavy workloads or job pressures.
Stages of Conflict
Replicating the five stages of conflict development discovered by behavioral scientist Louis Pondy.
- Latent Stage: The potential for conflict exists due to underlying situations, but has not yet become apparent.
- Perceived Stage: Parties are aware there is a conflict but have not yet engaged in it.
- Felt Stage: Emotional responses to the conflict begin to develop.
- Manifest Stage: Conflict is openly acknowledged and visible. Behaviors may change as a result.
- Aftermath Stage: Long-term outcomes of the conflict resonate.
Interpreting the stage of conflict can lead to more effective conflict resolution. For example, at the Latent Stage, preemptive actions might prevent conflict, while at the Aftermath Stage, it might involve reconciliation and team-building activities to repair damaged relationships.
Let’s consider the scenario of two team members, Alice and Bob, working on the same project. The source of their conflict is a disagreement over the prioritization of certain tasks (Priorities). At the Latent Stage, Alice and Bob’s manager might notice that they consistently disagree during team meetings. The manager might not interpret this as conflict at first, but it indicates potential for conflict. At the Perceived Stage, both Alice and Bob recognize their disagreement but have yet to engage further. They are both anxious about the upcoming project deadline and resentful of the other’s disagreement, indicating the Felt Stage. The Manifest Stage finds Alice and Bob arguing openly about the task order, impacting the project’s progress, and causing friction within the team. After a conflict resolution meeting with a project manager where a mutual compromise is reached, they move to the Aftermath Stage where their relationship slowly returns to normal.
When a conflict arises, project managers must interpret both its source and stage to address the issue effectively. A thorough understanding of these concepts is critical not only for passing the PMP® exam but also for achieving excellence in project management in practice.
Conclusion
All projects encounter conflict—it’s the nature of people working together under stress towards shared goals. A chunk of a project manager’s job, and a focus of the PMP exam, involves understanding and intuitively managing these conflicts. Recognizing the source and stage of conflict empowers managers to take a strategic approach, reducing the negative impact and even harnessing conflict as a force for good.
Practice Test
True or False: Conflict is always detrimental to a project
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Conflict is not always detrimental. It can stimulate creativity and problem-solving and lead to improved project outcomes if managed correctly.
Multiple select: Which are the potential sources of conflict in project teams?
- a) Schedule conflicts
- b) Resource allocation
- c) Personal issues
- d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above
Explanation: Conflicts can arise from various aspects within a project team, including over schedule constraints, resource allocation, and personal issues between team members.
Single select: The stage of the conflict where parties understand that there is a conflict and emotions might start to be involved is known as:
- a) Latent stage
- b) Perceived stage
- c) Felt stage
- d) Manifest stage
Answer: b) Perceived stage
Explanation: The perceived stage is when parties acknowledge that there is a disagreement and feelings start to get involved.
True or False: During the ‘Felt Stage’ of conflict, the disagreement becomes visible to others.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: The felt stage is when personal attitudes start to get affected. The disagreement becomes visible to others during the manifest stage.
Multiple select: What are the five stages of conflict?
- a) Latent stage
- b) Perceived stage
- c) Felt stage
- d) Manifest stage
- e) Aftermath stage
Answer: a) Latent stage, b) Perceived stage, c) Felt stage, d) Manifest stage, e) Aftermath stage
Explanation: These are the universally recognized stages of conflict in any setting.
True or False: During the ‘Latent Stage’ of conflict, the potential for conflict is evident, though parties may not yet be aware of it.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: During the latent stage, conditions ripe for conflict exist, but the parties involved may not yet be aware of the impending conflict.
Single select: The stage in which consequences of the conflict become visible is known as:
- a) Latent stage
- b) Felt stage
- c) Manifest stage
- d) Aftermath stage
Answer: d) Aftermath stage
Explanation: The aftermath stage is the conflict resolution stage where the outcomes or consequences of the conflict become visible.
True or False: In the manifest stage of conflict, the conflicting parties may begin to behave differently.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: In the manifest stage, the conflict becomes visible and changes in behavior among the conflicting parties may start to occur.
Single Select: The stage where conditions are ripe for a conflict but the parties involved may not be aware of it yet is known as:
- a) Latent stage
- b) Perceived stage
- c) Felt stage
- d) Aftermath stage
Answer: a) Latent stage
Explanation: The Latent Stage is the earliest stage of conflict where conditions exist for potential conflict but the individuals involved might not be aware yet.
True or False: It’s possible to pinpoint the exact source of any conflict
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Conflict can arise due to multiple reasons, and sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint a single exact reason. Often, various factors work together to create conflict.
Interview Questions
What are the five stages of conflict in project management?
The five stages of conflict in project management are: Potential opposition or incompatibility, Cognition and personalization, Intentions, Behavior, and Outcome.
What is the importance of identifying the source of a conflict in project management?
Identifying the source of conflict in project management is crucial to understand the root cause of the issue. It helps to find effective solutions, to prevent similar issues from occurring in future and to maintain a healthy team environment.
What types of sources can cause conflict in a project?
There are various sources of conflict in a project, including: different priorities, resource allocation, scheduling, technical opinions, administrative procedures, cost, personality clashes among team members, and miscommunication.
In which stage of conflict is the problem most easily recognizable?
The problem is most easily recognizable during the ‘Behavior’ stage of the conflict when the parties involved in the conflict start acting out their intentions.
What strategy should a project manager use to control conflict at an early stage?
To control conflict at an early stage, a project manager should use the ‘Avoiding’ strategy. This involves ignoring the conflict and hoping it resolves on its own or becomes less significant over time.
What action should a project manager take when conflict moves to the ‘Outcome’ stage?
The project manager should take corrective measures depending on the resolution or outcome of the conflict. If the conflict outcome is dysfunctional, it may be necessary to discipline or even remove some individuals from the project team.
What is the ‘Collaborating’ conflict management technique?
The ‘Collaborating’ conflict management technique is a win-win solution where the project manager attempts to satisfy all parties involved in the conflict. It may involve compromise, or finding a creative solution that benefits everyone.
Which of the conflict resolution techniques is considered to be a win-lose strategy?
‘Forcing’ is a win-lose conflict resolution technique where the project manager imposes a decision favoring one party at the expense of others.
What is the ‘Compromising’ conflict resolution technique?
The ‘Compromising’ technique involves negotiating and finding a mutually acceptable solution where each party gets something but neither gets everything they want. It’s a middle ground strategy that requires give-and-take from both sides.
In which conflict stage does ‘Cognition and Personalization’ occur?
‘Cognition and Personalization’ occur in the second stage of conflict. It is when the parties involved understand that there is a conflict and it can affect them personally.
What happens in ‘Potential Opposition or Incompatibility’ stage of conflict?
In the ‘Potential Opposition or Incompatibility’ stage, conditions that could become a source of conflict arise. They may include diverse goals, ambiguity in roles, or limited resources.
Which conflict resolution technique is considered the best for maintaining relationships?
The ‘Collaborating’ conflict resolution technique is considered best for maintaining relationships as it involves finding a win-win solution that satisfies all parties involved.
What conflict resolution technique is often used when a quick or temporary solution is necessary?
The ‘Compromising’ conflict resolution technique is often used when a quick or temporary solution is needed.
Once the conflict reaches the ‘Intentions’ state, what should the project manager do?
Once the conflict reaches the ‘Intentions’ state, the project manager should implement conflict resolution techniques based on the severity of the conflict and the outcome desired.
What does the ‘Behavior’ stage in the conflict process involve?
The ‘Behavior’ stage in the conflict process involves the conflicting parties actively engaging in behavior that either escalates or de-escalates the conflict, based on their intentions identified in the previous stage.
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