Managing Conflict

Ch. 12Mrs. Curry

Conflict: a struggle between two or more

parties who sense interference in achieving their goals.

Understanding Conflict

Benefits: The frustration of a conflict situation

often motivates people to confront and solve problems that face their relationships or working environment. By working through conflict, you are likely to learn something about yourself and the others around you. Sometimes the process of conflict can provide a solution to the initial problem.

Understanding Conflict

Destruction: If a conflict is not managed

effectively, it can damage or destroy relationships

Understanding Conflict

Conflict can occur on any of the five levels of

communication: Intrapersonal Group Environmental Interpersonal Organizational

Determine the Level of Conflict

Hockey team example

Long term group of friends v the new guy

Interpersonal conflict: one person v another person

Group conflict: one person v whole group

Group Conflict

Example: Employees v. Management/policies Unsafe, outdated, crowded, or otherwise

ineffective conditions at a work site. Changes in policy- causes retraining, etc.

Organizational Conflict

Example: work space in biology lab

Conflict doesn’t result from the person you are working with, but rather the lack of work space you have.

Environmental Conflict

Fact: disagreement over something that can

be proven to be true or false. Easiest to resolve

Values: disagreement over priorities; deeply personal and rooted in what someone believes Most difficult to resolve

Policies: disagreement that deals with differences over how to best complete a task Usually requires a third-party

Types of Conflict

Roles: Some conflicts may be caused by roles.

The role you play in a particular situation tends to give you a perspective that is different from that of someone in another role. Ex: employees v employer; ex: teacher v student; ex: coach v athlete

Power Struggle: Competition Unclear Guidelines Personal Style External Stress

Sources of Conflict

Strategies:

Avoidance Accommodation Coercion Compromise Negotiation Collaboration

Resolution

Keeping away from or withdrawing from

something. Avoidance can be physical or psychological. Physical: You actually stay away from the

person you might have conflict with; if you can’t then you choose to “live with” the situation at hand

Psychological: Deny that there is conflict; ignore the topic of conflict

Avoidance

Maintaining harmony with others by giving in

to their wishes. This is a variation of avoidance. Positive effect: If you made a mistake, you

admit your error and move on, rather than trying to cover it up.

Accommodation

Trying to force others to go along with your

wishes. Negative: When people are forced into an

agreement, they won’t like it and may eventually retaliate or rebel against you.

You might “win” now, but it’ll come back to bite you.

Coercion

Settling differences by having each party give

up something. Each person makes small sacrifices

Compromise

Bargaining with others to gain what you want.

You determine what you are willing to give up and what you are not willing to give up in the final solution.

Negotiation

Working together to achieve some result.

Does not involve competition/conflict

Collaboration