1. Basics of Conflict Management CRETE Day 2 Training Tricia S. Jones, Ph
Basics of Conflict Management CRETE Day 2 Training Tricia S. Jones, Ph.D., Dept. of Psychological Studies in Education

2. Critical Tools for Constructive Classrooms
Understanding Needs Based Conflict
Positive Discipline
Conflict Styles
Collaborative Negotiation

3. Basic Needs
Love and Belonging
Power
Freedom
Fun
Safety

4. The Nature of Conflict
Conflict is “a disagreement between two or more people who have differences in goals or methods for dealing with a situation”
Normal
Natural
Necessary

5. Functional and Dysfunctional Conflict
Functional (helpful or constructive)
Open
Honest
Calm
Focused
Flexible
Energizing
Creative
Dysfunctional (not helpful or destructive)
Closed
Deceitful
Tense
Proliferation
Rigid
Draining
Stupifying

6. Conflict Styles
Conflict styles are the predominant ways that people deal with conflict.
Most people rely on one or two styles that are often defined by emphasis on concern for the self or concern for the other.
The goal of an effective conflict manager is to be able to use any conflict style when the situation demands.

7. Conflict Styles Five Styles of Conflict Competing Collaborating
Concern
for Self
Compromising
Accommodating
Avoiding
Concern for Other

8. Thomas and Kilmann’s styles
Avoiding: Avoidance can be either physical and/or psychological
Accommodating: meeting the needs of the other person but ignoring your own needs.

9. Thomas and Kilmann’s styles
Competing: a win-lose orientation in which you try to maximize your gains
Compromising: “Split the Difference”
Collaborating: Problem-solving style in which the parties work together against the problem.

10. When Each Style is the Best
Avoiding
When the issue is trivial to you
When there is no long-term relationship
When you are the low power party in a serious power imbalance
Competing
When the other will be very competitive
When important others expect you to compete
AND when the stakes are high

11. When Each Style is the Best
Accommodating
When the issue is trivial to you
When harmony in the relationship is all important
When you are the low power party in a serious power imbalance
When you want to build trust in the other by demonstrating a protection of their interests
Compromising
When there are truly finite resources
When there are no means to increase the divisible resources

12. When Each Style is the Best
Collaborating
When the issue is complex and requires creativity
When there is a long-term relationship
When their implementation of the decision is necessary

13. Principled Negotiation
Scholars from the Harvard Negotiation Project have suggested ways of dealing with negotiation from a cooperative and interest-based perspective. They call this approach “principled negotiation” because it rests on four assumptions or principles.

14. Separate the People From the Problem
As you identify the problem, make sure you can distinguish between the issues to be solved and the people involved. Try to:
understand their perceptions
monitor their emotions
communicate effectively

15. Focus on Interests NOT Positions
A position is a tangible outcome that someone argues for. An interest is the reason why that outcome is desired and an underlying concern about the problem.
there are usually multiple interests for any issue
you don’t have to have common interests to find a solution that meets them all
the more you understand your interests and the other party’s interests, the better able you are to find a solution or solutions that will produce mutual and lasting satisfaction.

16. Invent Options for Mutual Gain - Brainstorm
This is a process of creating as many solutions as possible BEFORE you evaluate them to decide which are the best options.
Otherwise, good ideas never have a chance to be suggested and discussed because people are too busy arguing over the first ideas introduced.

17. Find Good Criteria
Choosing a good solution or solutions (remember you can have more than one), depends on making sure that the criteria for solutions are considered legitimate by the parties. The criteria come from
interests already identified by the parties, especially common interests shared by all parties
external rules or policies that must be followed