team work 3

210

Let’s use the model to analyze a conflict that occurred at Columbia Sportswear company (see Exhibit 8-4). Before Neal Boyle (husband and father) died, his wife and son were engaged in a long-standing stalemate in which they did not engage or interact very much. When Neal died, Tim and his mother, Gert, competed, each intimidating the other. However when they focused on a higher-order goal, cut their salaries, and rebuilt the com- pany, they were engaged in collaboration. When the question of off-shoring came up, Gert capitulated to Tim and accommodated his desires. It is fortunate for the company that Tim and Gert moved from avoidance to collaboration at a critical stage in their company’s life.

Concern for the other person (empathy)

C on

ce rn

fo r

O ne

se lf

(s el

f- in

te re

st ;

se lf-

pr es

er va

tio n)

Avoidance (stalemate)

Compromise

Collaboration (win-win)

Accommodation (capitulation)

Competition (intimidation)

Exhibit 8-3 Conflict Modes Based on Thomas, K. W. (1992). Conflict and conflict management: Reflec tions and update. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 13, 265–274, © Leigh L. Thompson.

Outdoor retailer Columbia Sportswear, Inc. founders Tim Boyle and his mother, Gert, had spent more than three decades arguing about the best ways to run their company. In 1970, after the sudden death of Neal Boyle—Tim’s father and Gert’s husband—the two had to scramble in an attempt to save the small company. Shortly before he died, Neal had taken out a $150,000 small business loan using the family home as collateral, thereby tying the family’s survival directly to the company. The first year was a disaster. Sales shrank 25 percent and many core employees quit. Tim and Gert admitted that, because of their inexperience, they quickly made many bad business decisions. Business was bad in the first years of the company and continued to decline. Mother and son even tried to sell the company for $1,400 (Columbia reported revenues of $1.7 billion in 2011), but balked when the potential buyer came up with a list of additional demands. Tensions mounted between mother and son, but by collaborating, working long hours, and agreeing to cut their salaries significantly, they slowly rebuilt the company. However, as Columbia grew, Tim and Gert again butted heads. When Tim pushed to expand the company and arranged deals with mass-market retailers such as J. C. Penney & Co., Gert opposed him. Having been a part of the company from its beginnings, spending time in the sewing shop, stitching together some of Columbia’s first fishing vests, Gert feared that big retailers would pressure the company in undesirable ways. Tim, however, was never good at explaining the reasoning behind his decision making to his mother. During the 1980s, Tim insisted on moving manufacturing offshore to cut assembly costs, but his mother resisted. She personally knew many of the company’s seamstresses and didn’t want to see them lose their jobs. The two finally compromised and agreed to enlist the help of advisers to mediate the dispute (something they continued to do

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