Abstract

A conflict between the "internal architectural office" and the management of an important territorial unit of the Italian Health System has been described and analyzed through the motivational Dual Concern Model and the social/epistemic motivational model proposed by De Dreu and Carnevale (2003). The conflict, which could cost to the territorial unit the loss of national fund for sanitary building weighing a considerable number of millions of euros, was sharpened by the management's decision to constitute a new Administrative Office aimed to press the architectural office. Choices and strategies of the novice manager leading the new Office have been described in terms of social dilemma between competition and cooperation and in terms of motivational management of the counterpart.