Conflict Management

Sources of Conflict Structural: Limited resources; unequal or unclear power & authority; Role definition; Unequal control of resources; Time, space or distance (privacy) Interests/Needs: Basic human needs including Procedural – fair hearing for all, fair decision-making process; Psychological – treatment with respect, safety, belonging, power

Sources of Conflict Data/Information: Lack of information; Incomplete or incorrect information; Differences of interpretation; Different views of which data is most important; Contradictory statistics Values: Personal belief systems; Group beliefs Relationships: Poor or miscommunication; Strong emotions; Misperceptions; Stereotypes; Personality mismatch; Something from the past? And, are the right people trying to resolve the issue?

Conflict Resolution Styles (techniques) People respond to conflict in different ways. We even use different styles in different situations or with different people The Avoidance Style… Avoidance means that a person knows there is a conflict but chooses not to deal with it. An avoider walks away from the problem and may avoid the person with whom he or she is having a conflict. The Accommodating Style… The person who always accommodates puts aside their own needs and concerns in order to satisfy the needs of another person.

Conflict Resolution Style? Continued: The Competitive Style… This person is trying to win or make the other person lose by giving in. In this style, a person defends his/her position or pursues his/her own goals without regard for the needs of the other person. The Compromising Style… This person is simply giving up something in order to get something. It is an attempt to seek middle ground. The Collaborating Style… This is where two people work together in order to satisfy the need of both people. It involves problem solving and assumes that both people can get their needs met. One party does not have to win at the other’s expense. It is win-win problem solving!

The 8 Essential Steps to Conflict Resolution Create an effective atmosphere -determine an appropriate time and place (i.e. do not meet in your office) -establish ground rules (i.e. take risks, maintain confidentiality, listen w/ respect) Clarify perceptions -talk to the right person, agree to be direct, open and honest Focus on individual and shared needs -allow for give and take Build positive shared power -use “I” messages and practice active listening Look to the future, then learn from the past -talk about dealing with conflict in advance Generate options Develop “Doables”: The stepping-stones to action Make mutual-benefit agreements

Types of Conflict Within an individual Between two individuals Within a team of individuals Between two or more teams within an organization Institutional conflict International conflict Societal conflict

Causes of conflict Conflict of aims- different goals Conflict of ideas- different interpretations Conflict of attitudes - different opinions Conflict of behavior- different behaviors are unacceptable

Conflict resolution, management, and settlement Conflict resolution attempts to get to root causes of conflict and eliminate them Conflict management aims at moderating or ‘civilizing’ the effects of conflict without necessarily uprooting its causes Conflict settlement interrupts hostilities for the time being without either identifying their underlying sources or creating a system of conflict management Conflict resolution, as opposed to conflict management and conflict settlement, points to an outcome that, in the view of the parties involved, is a permanent solution to the problem Because it seeks to get to the cause of problems, conflict resolution aims not merely to resolve the immediate social conflict, or the immediate family or ethnic dispute, but also to provide insights into the generic nature of the problem and thus to contribute to the elimination of its sources and the prevention of other instances. It is, in short, analytical problem-solving.

Preventing Conflict Assess positive and negative personality traits of people involved Determine personality type Aggressive Submissive Assertive Assess if people are introvert or extroverts...

Preventing Conflict Review past conflicts Assess communication skills of those involved Read body language of participants