CONFLICT AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

 

CONFLICT AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT:

Conflict refers to some form of friction, disagreement, or discord arising within a group when the beliefs or actions of one or more members of the group are either resisted by or unacceptable to one or more members of another group. It may also be defined as a disagreement through which the parties involved perceive a threat to their needs, interests or concerns.

Types of conflict

Content conflict

This is where individuals disagree about how to deal with a certain issue or task.

Relational conflict

This is where individuals disagree about one another. It stems out of interpersonal incompatibility.

Process conflict

This refers to disagreement over the groups approach to a particular task

The 5 conflict management styles

When it comes to conflict, there is no one solution that will work in all situations. Each situation will be different, from the trigger of the conflict to the parties involved. A manager skilled in conflict resolution should be able to take a birds-eye view of the conflict and apply the conflict management style that is called for in that specific situation.

A. Accommodating

This style is about simply putting the other party’s needs before one’s own. You allow them to ‘win’ and get their way. Accommodation is for situations where you don’t care as strongly about the issue as the other person, if prolonging the conflict is not worth your time, or if you think you might be wrong. This option is about keeping the peace, not putting in more effort than the issue is worth, and knowing when to pick battles. While it might seem somewhat weak, accommodation can be the absolute best choice to resolve a small conflict and move on with more important issues. This style is highly cooperative on the part of the resolver but can lead to resentment.

B. Avoiding

This style aims to reduce conflict by ignoring it, removing the conflicted parties, or evading it in some manner. Team members in conflict can be removed from the project they are in conflict over, deadlines are pushed, or people are even reassigned to other departments. This can be an effective conflict resolution style if there is a chance that a cool-down period would be helpful or if you need more time to consider your stance on the conflict itself. Avoidance should not be a substitute for proper resolution, however; pushing back conflict indefinitely can and will lead to more (and bigger) conflicts down the line.

C. Compromising

This style seeks to find the middle ground by asking both parties to concede some aspects of their desires so that a solution can be agreed upon. This style is sometimes known as lose-lose, in that both parties will have to give up a few things in order to agree on the larger issue. This is used when there is a time crunch, or when a solution simply needs to happen, rather than be perfect.

D. Competing

This style rejects compromise and involves not giving in to others viewpoints or wants. One party stands firm in what they think is the correct handling of a situation, and does not back down until they get their way. This can be in situations where morals dictate that a specific course of action is taken, when there is no time to try and find a different solution or when there is an unpopular decision to be made. It can resolve disputes quickly, but there is a high chance of morale and productivity being lessened.

E. Collaboration

This style produces the best long-term results, at the same time it is often the most difficult and time-consuming to reach. Each party’s needs and wants are considered, and a win-win solution is found so that everyone leaves satisfied. This often involves all parties sitting down together, talking through the conflict and negotiating a solution together. This is used when it is vital to preserve the relationship between all parties or when the solution itself will have a significant impact.