Disputes and collisions are a part of everyone’s life regardless of the chosen career path. It is crucial to gain knowledge on conflict management as it provides fundamental principles to facilitate conflict resolution avoiding tension and developing unity.
This article explores what conflict management is, why it bears so much importance, its styles, and guidelines to choosing the right strategy.
What is Conflict Management?
“Conflict management simply refers to the aspect of dealing with and resolving disputes and rivalry in a way that achieves least harm and most benefit.”
Conflict is a result of differences in opinion, value or aims and involves abilities which enable individuals to solve such differences. On the whole, properly addressed conflict stimulates innovation, enhances the quality of relationships, and is the generator of effective decision-making.
The Importance of Conflict Management
Effective dispute management is essential because it helps to:
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Prevent escalation of matters and blowing them up so as to worsen their effects in the long run.
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One of the major steps is to reconcile with people, emphasising on either developing or enhancing mutual courtesy, as well as comprehension.
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Improve efficiency through making individuals able to work on a certain job without the extra burden of some unresolved conflict.
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Share ideas boldly and embrace the thinking of other people differently.
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Create a positive climate of the organisation with mutual trust and respect that employees within the teams recognise.
5 Conflict Management Styles
5 conflict resolution styles have been identified relating to conflict resolution, each appropriate in given circumstances. Knowing these styles can help individuals choose the right approach for any given conflict:
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Avoiding:
In this style, people avoid talking about the conflict in question, which can be helpful when the dispute is not very serious, or when feelings need time to calm down. It gives some sort of solution which is actually temporal and might not effectively solve the problem. Avoidance should be utilised in situations of low risk assessment.
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Accommodating:
An organisation complies with the other’s desires to avoid conflict. While it avoids conflicts in relationships, it may cause resentment if overdone thus denying other’s needs. It is most suitable when the relationship is more significant than the problem.
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Competing:
This approach focuses only on one’s own needs and refers to situations that demand attention and prioritisation. It also helps in fast decision-making, and if used frequently can be detrimental to relations. Competing is useful when assertiveness is needed.
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Compromising:
Both partners have to give some ground in order to reach a compromise. On the disclosure of conflict, this style is useful for moderate levels where both the conflicting individuals are willing to compromise. Compromising therefore presents a real, though only a temporal, solution.
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Collaborating:
In this style, both the organisations collaborate to locate the best possible solution that would satisfactorily solve all the problems. Most appropriate when dealing with complicated problems, cooperation ensures that people have respect for one another hence arriving at enduring solutions. It calls for the flow of information and this can only be possible if the partners agree to trust each other.
5 Strategies for Conflict Management
To apply conflict handling effectively, consider the following strategies:
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Understand the situation thoroughly: Don’t hasten to a decision, see all its aspects and refer to all the circumstances.
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Encourage open dialogue: Learn how to be receptive to what each party has to say without feeling cold or angry about it.
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Focus on interests, not positions: Avoid getting bogged down on a party’s particular position and instead figure out what exactly that party wants.
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Be assertive, not aggressive: Frame your requirements in assertiveness while at the same time not being aggressive towards the other person.
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Look for win-win solutions: Seek win-win situations that benefit all parties, and which demonstrate respect for all.
5 Tips for Choosing the Right Conflict Management Style
Choosing the right style depends on the environment and potential consequences. Here are tips for choosing the right conflict resolution style:
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Assess the relationship: If the relationship is relevant, it is better to choose the collaborative or compromise strategy.
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Consider the urgency: In case of urgency, competitive style may help to make decisions faster.
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Evaluate the impact: As for the small misunderstandings, avoiding or accommodating can help to avoid conflicts.
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Reflect on past interactions: If prior disputes have been solved through collaboration technique, then carry on with it.
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Adapt to the other party: In turn, a compromising or collaborative approach may offset the assertiveness of the other party in the conflict.
Conclusion
Fundamental skills for conflict resolution are crucial to building friendly cooperation in both personal and work-life experiences. It is shown that people can change conflicts into types of cooperation and creativity using the right types of working styles and methods. An individual should be able to learn how to avoid meaningless conflicts in order to foster good working relationships.
By attaining these skills, organisation fosters respect, open communication and staff embrace appropriate solutions which is the key for future prosperity. Cultivating people's conflict resolution skills can enable people to improve their professional ways of dealing with conflicts, enhance team cohesiveness and lead to a positive working climate.
If you would like to know more about the topic you are welcome to take Conflict Management Training Courses from the British Academy of Training and Development to develop these skills.
FAQs
What are the 5 steps of conflict management?
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Identify the Conflict
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Understand Each Perspective
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Explore Potential Solutions
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Agree on a Solution
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Implement and Follow Up
What are the 5 C's of conflict management?
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Communication
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Collaboration
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Compromise
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Commitment
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Control
How do you deal with conflict in the workplace?
Conflict management at the workplace entails one expressing oneself, actively listening to and focusing on finding a solution that meets both the needs of the parties. Using a collaborative or compromising approach facilitates the sustaining of a positive organisational climate.
