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this is going to be chapter 5 of my thesis:the conclusions and
recomendations.the main questions are to conclude on are:what is the
best way of conflict resolution and why in the project enviromnet.
and what role conflict management plays in project success or failure.
and recomendations .
the work should be based on the first 4 chapters
Here are first 4 chapters:THE ROLE OF THE CONFLICT MANAGEMENT WITHIN
THE PROJECT ENVIRONMENT Chapter 1: Introduction In project management
a project is defined as an endeavor undertaken to come up with a
distinct or unique product or service in both public and private
sectors. The discipline of project management has the sole aim of
making sure that project resources are utilized both efficiently and
effectively by planning and organizing these resources to make sure
that project objectives are met in the best way possible and in the
most measurable way. This is achieved by organization through the
project planning process which distinctively involves processes such
as project definition, development of objective statement, selection
of planning teams, estimation and budgeting of resources required,
risk planning and the eventual approval. Successful project completion
in any given organization is likely to be achieved through proper
project management. However, Successful project completion is not easy
as there may be inadequate resources to achieve the perceived project
objectives and thus conflicts arise out of this. Conflict in real
sense arises out of disagreements in opinions, interests, values and
needs of the project team involved. Conflict in project management may
be brought by factors such as conflicting project objectives and lack
of adequate project definition notes Mitchell (2003). Due to the fact
that conflicts are likely to arise in the carrying out of any project
either in the public or private sector there is dire need of the
existence of a conflict management framework which is able to resolve
the underling differences in opinions, interests, values and needs.
These conflicts need not only be solved objectively but also
constructively and in a very timely manner so as to avoid ambiguities
in the project and subsequent delays respectively. The structure of a
project management team is formulated in a way that it is encompassed
by individuals who are able to work together and concentrate with the
sole objective of efficient project delivery in the long run. At the
epicenter of this project management team is the project manager. He
or she is the leader of the project and should exercise all leadership
skills to ensure that overall success of the project is achieved in
the most effective way possible and in a timely manner. One of the key
responsibilities that this project manager will be charged with is
conflict management. However, it is quite unfortunate that in many of
the projects undertaken most of the managers are not keen to note the
existence of conflicts due to ignorance, lack of experience and the
domineering effects of lack of enough certification. It is therefore
vital for any organization’s project manager to be in a position to
identify any existence of any conflict within the carrying out of the
project. Conflict identification in good enough time is very important
as it enhances the solving of conflicts at the earliest time possible
notes Mitchell (2003). The next step after identification is that the
project manager should be able to assess the extent of the conflict so
as to know what level of attention is needed. In this analysis of
conflict behaviors is efficiently looked into. At this point the
project manager should be in the best position to know the best means
and ways to resolve these conflicts and to prevent them from occurring
in the future. In a greater sense this helps in reducing the negative
impact that these conflicts would have on the project level of
performance and delivery. A project manager should understand
conflict. Conflict can be very healthy for an organization whether it
is in the private or public sector. A conflict would be healthy if it
is able to inculcate growth and development of individuals, if it is
able to unearth pertinent issues that would have otherwise been left
out or if it is able to bring out the best solution by pointing out
the drawbacks or defects in the existing solution notes Mitchell
(2003). Therefore critical analysis of the conflict at hand is very
vital to ensure that the project delivery and success is achieved. The
approach used by the project manager in assessing whether a conflict
is constructive or deconstructive determines just how effective
project performance and delivery will be achieved. In a broader sense
for any given organization effective conflict resolution and coherence
of attitudes is of great importance to the specific stakeholders for
the eventual goals to be achieved. The greatest concern in this part
is how well, timely and adequately the underlying conflict is likely
to be identified, assessed and resolved In the current global
situation there is an insurgence of conflicts due to factors such as
business process reengineering, amalgamations and globalization which
are part of the major current trends in business. This calls for
greater attention as integration of business makes the whole issue of
project management complex and diverse. A factor such as globalization
has led to incorporation of different backgrounds and cultures and
therefore different views of people due to respect of cultures and
therefore the conflict management tool to be applied must be carefully
selected notes Mitchell (2003). The main objective of this thesis is
to carefully and critically analyze the theoretical basis for the
concept of ��conflict’: to consider the types of conflicts the
form it takes, approaches to conflict resolution, consequences of
conflict resolution to project delivery and success, to consider the
mistakes done by managers or unavoidable aspects. In a greater sense
it is very vital to identify the causes of project failure and their
underlying consequences. However the greatest concern in this thesis
is the question ��what role does infective conflict management
play in lack of project delivery or project failure or what role does
effective conflict management play in eventual project delivery and
success ?’ In a general view this paper aims at the analysis of the
role played by conflict management within the eventual carrying out of
the project, the direct impact to the delivery and success of the
project, approaches to conflict resolution used by project managers
and the assessment of project managers views on the importance of
effective project management with direct comparison from previous
researches carried out in the past by different professionals. Chapter
2: Literature Review. Different projects fail to succeed due to poor
conflict resolution methods. This is because conflict resolution is
geared at solving the problem at hand. “One key factor that project
managers should consider is the conflict resolution model to use since
there exists different models of approaches to conflict resolution in
the project environment,† says Mitchell (2003). Otherwise if the
wrong conflict resolution model is adopted project completion and
eventual delivery might not be very successful. In this regard
adequate attention details the existence of a lee way that would
suitably address the issue at hand. It also calls for proper analysis
and detailed review. Basically at this phase it is vital for the
manger to have a clear understanding of the ways to solve conflicts.
Generally, there are five ways to solve conflicts: forcing, smoothing,
compromise, confrontation and withdrawal as illustrated by Mitchell
(2003). Smoothing is a very important process as it involves
accommodating and bridging the gap created in the conflict. This
involves emphasizing on the areas that have absolute agreement. In
this regard, managers will be geared on to concentrate on the areas
that bring about minimum disagreement. In this context too smoothing
as a process is also concerned with downplaying the areas that bring
about constant disagreement and in this context the main question that
project managers should ask themselves is what area is prone to
disagreements. This style is commonly applied in non-governmental
organization. For example the food and agricultural organization has
used this method to solve the problem of food crisis in developing
countries. This is done by downplaying the politics involved by the
political leaders of these countries. By this, food aid projects are
run efficiently and effectively. In any organization be it in the
service or product industry or even in the private or public sector
the issue of concern in this mode of smoothing should be when it can
be most appropriate. Therefore the project manager should make sure
that he or she identifies the most opportune time to apply smoothing
notes Helderman (2005). Smoothing is most appropriate when: no
complicated solution is involved, stakes are low, the liability of the
parties involved is limited, goodwill or harmony is the primary goal
and when you want to waste no time in solving disagreements Forcing is
also another key concept applied in this model. Forcing involves a
dominative way of conflict resolution in project management. Forcing
generally applies competing and controlling as the key strategies
Helderman (2005). It occurs when the dominating party ignores the
needs or concerns of the project team and instead concentrates on what
he or she thinks is right. Forcing is commonly applied in areas where
it is a “do or die† situation for example in the case of medical
practitioners whereby a patient is on the verge of death. It is also
commonly applied when: stake is high and of vital important,
relationship among individuals is not important and when a quick
decision is to be made. Most private sector heads apply this kind of
style in order to reach their desired project goals. A good reference
for this is federal bank agencies especially in the United States. A
bank like city bank has used this style in rolling out its extensive
branch networks. In this regard projects have been completed in a
timely manner. Avoiding comes about when withdrawal exists. This
involves procrastination of the contentious issue for later attention
or the eventual withdrawal from the issue. This is not in any way a
permanent solution for any organization since the conflict will
continue to reoccur. It is mostly used where there are no chances of
winning, when stakes are low, when there is complete surety that the
problem will not occur again and when in ones view maintenance of
reputation is vital notes Mitchell (2003). A good case reference
whereby avoiding has been used in conflict resolution is development
projects by religious organizations and charitable organizations. In
this regard managers of these projects use this mode to avoid conflict
as possible. Compromising though seen as a competition oriented style
of conflict resolution is also another style of conflict resolution.
This is commonly referred as a give and take style. In this detailed
analysis of the facts of the conflicting parties is tabled and they
both bargain in order to come up with one common solution.
Satisfaction is not the issue here. Due to existence of different
conflicting scenarios this form of conflict resolution is commonly
applied by managers whereby both parties have equal desire to win,
when the is a complete deadlock, when the time frame is not
sufficient, when stakes are moderate and where there is no gain if
compromise is not reached. Confrontation in project management is
applies the concepts of integration and collaborating of key concepts.
According to Kerzner (2009) this involves the adoption of a win-win
style. In this case the conflicting parties meet and collaborate
through problem solving and integration so as to reach a common
agreement which would favors and restricts the principles upheld by
both parties. Communication that is both open and direct is very vital
in this style. It most appropriate when both parties are entitled to
win, when cost minimization is the goal, when there is trust and when
there is enough time left. Perhaps one key feature to note of this
style is that it significantly enhances learning of both parties. The
above style characterizes conflict resolution in three basic models
namely interactive bargaining, interactive problem solving and
distributive bargaining. Interactive bargaining is applied in
collaboration or confrontation and this has been applied in the
railway project by companies such as LUL. Interactive problem solving
is applied in avoiding and compromising whereby problems are solved
through interaction of conflicting parties in the project team. The
project manager is faced with the responsibility of choosing the best
cause of action. One of the capital projects that is currently run by
the BAA Company is Preparing for the A380 at Heathrow. With a very
high stake of around £105 million (excluding the aircraft stands)
means that high stakes were in question and therefore interactive
bargaining would be one of the models that would be best suited tom
make sure that wrong causes of actions are not taken. This method
would also be suitable as it involves major groups with a massive
project team. Distributive bargaining integrates the use of
negotiations as its key element. In this model project teams explain
the suitability of their propositions from which the final resolution
is adopted. This is also known as claiming value unlike the
integrative bargaining which aims at creating value. Lax and Sebenius
claim that negotiations necessary include both integrative bargaining
and distributive bargaining. Big companies such as BAA should apply
this model as it yields higher results in conflict resolution although
it results to delay in decision making and conflict resolution. Game
theory is also another model that is used in conflict resolution. In
this model, that was developed by major game theorists such as A
Raiffa and Alexander Morgestein there exist distinct number of players
in the project team and they have different strategies on which to
adopt. There exists a conflict especially where the payoffs of the
different players are not equal. In this regard the multiobjective
conflict that arises must be solved. There exist two kinds of
solutions which are the nonsymmetrical Nash solution or the
Symmetrical Pareto solution. In the Pareto solution the pay offs are
equal and therefore the conflict is resolved mutually and therefore no
player benefits at the expense of the other. The non Symmetrical
solution is where the conflict is resolved at the expense of one of
the players. In this regard the recommendations of one player are
ignored. A good major reference to the application of game theory to
solve project management conflicts is the case of application of game
theory for a ground water conflict in Mexico and its application in
the modeling of water management projects, listing and listing of
endangered species as evidenced by Prato (2005). One clear cross
cutting feature of project management is the presence of distinct
number of people. These people are known as the project team and their
number determines the size of the project team in hand. Smaller
project teams are easy to manage since their likely hood of existence
of conflicts is minimal as compared to big project teams Out of the
presence of different group sizes it is important to consider the
communication strategies to adopt in order to effectively and
efficiently solve conflicts notes Mitchell (2003). The challenges of
globalization contribute to these. Big project teams have the likely
hood of having project teams that are drawn from extremely large
cultural diversities. In this regard the style adopted for conflict
resolution must be one that accommodates the specific needs of each
and every individual in the project. Resolution of these intergroup
conflicts in the carrying out of projects leads to workgroup
effectiveness which in turns leads to project delivery and success
illustrates Kerzner (2009). At a closer look of group management and
the corresponding group size, findings in quantitative research have
evidently shown that big groups stand a higher chance of lack of
coherent conflict resolution than small groups. This research also
puts it across that the presence of intergroup conflicts reduces the
effectiveness of the group in the project management process as a
whole. There is also prevalence in the type of conflicts which is
another factor that affects conflict resolution by a project manager.
In this regard identification of the effect likely to be impacted by a
certain conflict is a key step in the choice of the style of conflict
resolution and eventual management. Major conflicts have a huge impact
on the organization while in quantifiable terms minor conflicts have
little or no impact on the organization as noted by Helderman (2005).
Major conflicts are characterized by factors such as upholding of high
stakes in hand, cause very big delays in project delivery and success
and may lead to eventual collapse of the project at hand. In this
regard it is very important to identify the processes involved in the
project and the likely hood of any domineering major conflict that
would otherwise compromise the delivery and success of the project as
noted by Kerzner (2009). Big companies like BUPA have instituted
controls that detect and identify major conflicts before they impact
negatively to the business since the health and insurance industry is
a very sensitive. A point to note is that major conflicts like the one
experienced in Jubilee line Extension project can delay the project
and lead to the eventual lack of completion of the project. However in
this case the eventual course of the project was undertaken but it led
to massive cost overruns and delay. Though seen as a traditional
approach to the issue of conflict management, scrutiny of employees
through research methods such as questionnaires is very vital
especially in most of the growing organization. This is because the
manger is able to identify in advance areas that are likely to cause
any conflicts and in this regard resolution of conflict in project
management becomes easy. Conflicts do have advantages in the project
undertaking process. However, this is only achieved if the appropriate
problem solving model is adopted. Success and delivery of projects
calls for effective conflict resolution measures through proper
project management notes Kerzner, (2009). There are various techniques
to manage conflicts within the construction projects, however,
partnering, which is the same as confrontation and negotiation has
been identified as a best method to manage conflict within
construction project. To enhance greater understanding on the methods
to manage conflicts within construction project, the study discusses
different methods of managing conflict within construction projects in
the next section.

Different methods of managing conflict within construction projects.
Studies have identified construction projects as being propensity for
disputes, and risks, and essential management of these conflicts is
very critical. (Kumar, Kumar, Rao). Typically, non- timely
intervention to resolve disputes not only affect the production of
construction project, this can also affect the efficiency of
construction project. In the UK, it is not surprising to find an owner
of a project demanding a contractor to complete a very complex project
without providing the detail in the contracting document. Sometimes,
an owner may require a contractor to execute complex project with
limited capital resources. The effect of this may lead to
non-completion of a project or project completion with lower quality.
Under these circumstances, many disputes have been emanated between
contractors and projects’ owners, and the disputes may lead to the
litigations of court order. (Kumar, Kumar, Rao). However, the conflict
resolution through litigation could only bring only one winner, with
other party losing. This approach could only lead to the destruction
of the whole project. To effectively manage conflicts that might have
arisen in the construction project, several methodologies have been
proposed. Mustapha (2009) argued that partnering approach through
consultation and gentle confrontation has been an effective method to
manage conflicts in the construction projects. The partnering approach
is a powerful tool to bring about the improvement of work relationship
among the project team. Partnering involves employing consultative
manner among parties in the construction projects to achieve
win-to-win collaborations. Partnering is employed to achieve long-term
commitment between two or more parties to achieve specific business
objectives. A fundamental feature of partnering is that the approach
comprises of mutual and agreed problem resolution process.
Essentially, the partnering approach is effective because the
interested parties identify the problems and clarify the problems with
the parties involved, and the parties determine the time limit to
resolute the problem. Thus, the parties ensure that the problems are
solved through the series of consultation. The unique benefit of
partnering approach is that it employs preventive approach, and the
problem is solved within the project team. (Stephenson, 1996, (
Loosemore, Uher, 2003).
Another benefit of partnering approach is that the project team could
be able to avoid destructive approach of solving problem through court
litigation where there will be only one winner. Typically, partnering
approach for managing conflict in construction project produces
productive approach. It should be noted that US Army Corps of
Engineers employed partnering to managing several projects’
conflicts that have been emanated, and the US Army Corps employed
Partnering Program to enhance conflict management. (Bramble,
Cipollini, American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Official, et al, 1995). Despite the significant importance of
partnering as a method of conflict resolution in construction
projects. Study has revealed that there may be barriers with
implementation of partnering. (Ohlendorf, 2001).The impendent may
arise because of lack of understanding among parties on the importance
of partnering approach for conflict management in the construction
project. This may result into lack of understanding in translating
partnering approach into real application.
Contrary to partnering, Cheung (1999) argued that the Alternative
Dispute Resolution (ADR) has gained ground as a potent method of
managing conflicts in the construction projects. Many project teams
are recognising ADR as a method of conflict resolution because the
formalised dispute resolution such as arbitration and litigation have
been known to take lengthy period to resolve conflicts. Thus, many
project teams are employing ADR as a method to resolve the
construction conflicts. The ADR involves structured negotiation, which
includes mediation, adjudication and the use of dispute resolution
advisor to resolve conflicts. The ADR does not involve legal procedure
before settling disputes and the method of solving disputes involve
the intervention of expert determination, advisor, senior executive
appraisal, and structured reconciliation. The ADR as a mean to settle
disputes has gained ground in the UK because of the several advantages
that the project teams stand to gain from ADR. The use of ADR saves
project team legal fees that they would have incurred if settling
their disputes through court procedures. The other advantage of ADR is
that the parties could resolve the conflicts fairly without crippling
the projects. (Robert, 2000). An only of shortcoming of ADR is that
the decision of the ADR is not binding on parties. It is essential to
realise that all parties should agree that ADR decision would be
binding on them. On the other word, the binding of ADR decision
depends on the agreement of all the project team. (Cheung, 1999).
Similar to ADR, Bramble, et al (1995) proposed Dispute Review Board
(DRB) as a method of managing conflicts in the construction projects.
The DRB is an on site technique of dispute resolution on a specific
project. This involves selecting pre-selected neutral body to hear and
settle a dispute that has been emanated. For example, the Eisenhower
tunnel in Colorado USA employed DRB to resolve the conflicts emanated
in a project in 1975. Essentially, the parties opted for DRB because
of the complexity of the project, and if project team decided to
resolve their conflict through court litigation, this option would
have led to waste of time and huge costs. The only shortcoming of DRB
is that DRB is only suitable to resolve disputes that involve large
and complex projects.

Summary
This chapter reviews literatures on conflict management within project
environment. The chapter reviews overview of project and several
methods of managing conflicts within the project environment. Several
methods of conflict resolution in the private and governmental
organisations are reviewed. The conflict resolution techniques such as
smoothing, forcing, avoiding, compromising and confrontation,
bargaining and game theory are reviewed. Finally, the literature
reviewed the conflict resolution within construction project and
several methods of managing conflict in the construction project.
Thus, the thesis provides research methodology in the next chapter to
validate the reviews of literatures on the role of conflict management
within project environment.

American Society of Mechanical Engineers. (2002). ASME names new
executive director. ASME News, Vol. 21 (no. 5). Retrieved March 10, 20
from 2010 http://www.asmenews.org/archives/backissues/may02/features/carter.html
American Society of Mechanical Engineers. (2002). ASME names new
executive director. ASME News, Vol. 21 (no. 5). Retrieved March 10, 20
from 2010 http://www.asmenews.org/archives/backissues/may02/features/carter.html
D. Lax and J. Sebenius, `The Manager as Negotiator: The Negotiators
Dilemma: Creating and Claiming Value,` in Dispute Resolution, 2nd ed.,
edited by Stephen Goldberg, Frank Sander and Nancy Rogers, (Boston:
Little Brown and Co., 1992), p. 49-62. Heldman, K. (2005) PMP: Project
management professional: study guide 3rd edition. Wiley Publishing,
Inc. Kerzner, H. (2009) Project management: A systems approach to
planning, scheduling, and controlling, 10th edition, John Wiley and
Sons, New Jersey. Mitchell, B. (2003) Jubilee Line Extension: from
concept to completion Thomas Telford Ltd 10th ed. NJ Wiley and sons.
American Society of Mechanical Engineers. (2002). ASME names new
executive director. ASME News, Vol. 21 (no. 5). Retrieved March 10, 20
from 2010 http://www.asmenews.org/archives/backissues/may02/features/carter.html
Milosevic, D.Z., Martinelli, R.J., & Waddell, J.M. (2007). Program
management for improved business results. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &
Sons. Project Management Institute. (2006). The standard for program
management. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute, Inc.
Prato, T. (2005): Accounting for uncertainty in making species
protection decisions, Conservation Biology, 19, 806-814. Ready, R.C
and R.C. Bishop. (1991): Endangered species and the safe minimum
standard D. Lax and J. Sebenius, `The Manager as Negotiator: The
Negotiators Dilemma: Creating and Claiming Value,` in Dispute
Resolution, 2nd ed., edited by Stephen Goldberg, Frank Sander and
Nancy Rogers, (Boston: Little Brown and Co., 1992), p. 49-62. Chapter
3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND METHODOLOGY As stated in the introduction
part of this assignment, a project is an endeavour which is carried
out in order to come up with a distinct or unique service or product
in both private and the public sectors. In this perspective, the
project management discipline has the sole purpose of ensuring that
the utilization of resources is both effective and efficient by
organizing and planning these resources to make sure that the
objectives of the project are met in the most measurable and best way
possible. In connection to this, the success of a project is therefore
possible through effective processes of planning which encompasses
such activities as objective statement development, planning teams’
selection, budgeting and estimation of the required resources as well
as eventual approval and risk planning. In view of the above, a
successful completion of a project requires more than just the above
mentioned aspects of project management, but it also calls for
effective and efficient conflict management within the project
environment. It is imperative to realize that in project management,
conflict is inevitable. The potential for the occurrence of conflicts
in the project environment is brought by the fact that different
individuals with diverse views, experiences and tasks are involved in
the undertaking of the project. It the same perspective, the resulting
causes of conflicts in the project environment can also be associated
with the diverse attitudes, values, expectations, needs, resources,
perceptions and personalities which different individuals involved in
the project posses. In this regard, proper conflict resolution skills
are paramount to assist the managers and other stakeholders to
effectively handle and resolve the conflicts which might arise in any
given project environment which would obviously lead to a more
successful and productive project. The purpose of the research
methodology is to provide more light into the appropriate procedures
and steps which need to be undertaken in order to achieve effective
resolution in the project environment. In this perspective, this
section will seek to discuss the research programme required for this
assignment. Among the methods which have been advocated for carrying
out research programmes include sampling and population required to
carry out a research study in any given field, instrumentation, time
frame and procedure, the analysis plan, reliability and validity and
the assumptions which will be made in the research study. In light of
the research questions raised at the end of the lite