Conflict Resolution Styles

Brubaker, Noble, Fincher, Park, & Press (2014) assess the workplace conflict management trends in the United States over the past three decades and predict the future direction of conflict resolution.

Conflicts take place in all aspects of life and are part of consciousness of all human beings. No one can totally avoid conflict whether it takes place in the office, at home or in public. In today’s institutions, conflicts in the workplace are far-reaching and can affect relationships at work and at home. In addition, although at times conflicts help organizations be more open and diverse, their complex nature can adversely influence operations of these enterprises. The paper examines workplace communication conflicts and analyzes an actual conflict scenario. It provides a background of the conflict, its analysis, conflict resolution recommendations, and finally explains the manner in which the assignment is important terms of ensuring better understanding of workplace conflict resolution strategies.

I have read, evaluated, examined and summarised the main secondary research resources that helped me understand my interpersonal communication topic, Conflict Management, and how theories, relevant skills and strategies can play a big role throughout the resolution and frequency of conflict among my peers.

Listed below are five different ways of dealing with conflict (when you and another person have a serious disagreement). Using the following scale, please circle the number that best represents how frequently (often) you use each behavior when confronted with a conflict.

As a manager - Be aware of your underlying conflict-handling style - Be judicious in selecting the conflicts that you want to handle - Not every conflict is worth your time and effort to resolve. While avoidance might appear to be a ‘cop-out’, it can sometimes be the most appropriate response. You can improve your overall management effectiveness, and your conflict-management skills in particular by avoiding trivial conflicts. Choose your battles judiciously, saving your efforts for the ones that count. - Evaluate the conflict players

Conflict is something that each person will have to deal with sooner or later. Our text described the Conflict Resolution Cycle and Ten Principles of New Thinking that can resolve conflicts in a less costly manner (Levine, 2009). Brown (2011), points out that a chance of goal conflict is somewhat low between groups that have their own resources and perform entirely different tasks. In other words, if your task is separate the chances of conflict are extremely low. However, if there is any type of dependency, or common task and frequently pursue incompatible goals, the chances of conflict are greater (Brown, 2011). Levine (2009) explained that although the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is growing, the cost of conflict is a resource drain of huge proportion, and a source of great unhappiness and discomfort.

Conflict is an inevitable part of our lives. Especially within an interpersonal relationship. Conflict occurs whenever there is a difference in the needs and goals of two people. This might create tension between two people. As of right now, one of my most major conflicts is held within an interpersonal work relationship. The current conflict is in need of a resolution and consist of two main conflict management styles; in which I participate in an accommodation conflict management style, whereas my co-worker participates in a competition conflict management style.

Conflict that naturally occurs within every organization, while there is no way to completely end conflict you can learn to manage it. Conflict is very tricky, it is on most cases a necessary evil, conflict coexists with order and coordination in an organization (Liu & Inlow & Feng, 2014). However, the more you know about conflict, such as, the different types or why it occurs, the better prepared you become once you are presented with conflict.

Effective managers are successful within the workgroup and organization when a style is used to resolve a conflict. People do experience conflict in their lives. There has always been a lot of interest in how to manage conflict once it appears in the open, and that is important. What is not so common is a concern for preventing unnecessary conflict, so it does not start in the first place. Managers are capable of using all five resolutions skills to deal with conflict in the workplace.

Finally, the chapter discusses conflict and how to resolve it. Keeping anger under control is of utmost importance. The writers give a few time honored tips for doing this, like relaxation techniques or physical exercise. The book suggests that conflict should be truly resolved, and that our goal should not be just to keep peace. By keeping to the facts, being assertive, and non-judgmental, conflict can be handled in a way that fosters the growth of quality in relationships.

3. Use conflict to improve how you react to a situation." (Cox, 2005). Even though conflict is not always negative, there should still be effective steps in place to manage and resolve the conflict. There are many lessons that can be learned during the process of conflict resolution.

 "Effective conflict resolution requires dealing constructively with disagreements rather than pushing them under the rug, letting them break into open warfare, or attempting to eliminate them completely.  Successful resolution of a conflict may include the following: accurate diagnosis of the nature and source of the conflict, a clear understanding of how each party is contributing to the conflict, skills and processes for defining alternatives, constructively negotiating outcomes, and creatively developing win-win resolutions" (Hagberg Consulting Group, 1).

Learners, this is an article from Fast Company (www.fastcompany.com). It is also a magazine, but many of the articles are available on the website. It has articles about management, leadership, design, business, government/non-governmental organizations and more. Just click the magnifying glass in the upper-right portion of the page, type in your topic and hit enter. While the articles are not peer-reviewed, many of them are from reputable sources. This article identifies the ways we react to conflict. It stresses the importance of remaining cool and logical (Edmondson, 2012). Please read this short article about the psychology of conflict. Send me a short email by Saturday, 3/11/2017, at midnight CST to inform me that you have

“Conflict is part of the humanity makeup, and so deeply inserted in people’s basic nature that from early childhood out interactions with others are full of disagreements. There is no difference of life at work, and as people use nearly half our waking life at work, it is not surprising that conflict is an ever-present feature in all organizations” (Evans, 1995, 591). That tells us, conflict can not disappear in the normal life, but can be managed using properly ways.

In many cases, effective conflict resolution skills can make the difference between positive and negative outcomes. The good