1. CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
Dr. Murali Vemula
Associate Professor of English
Vidya Jyothi Institute of Technology
Hyderabad
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2. Introduction
• Conflict Management is the process of limiting the negative
aspects of conflict while increasing the positive aspects of conflict.
• The aim of conflict management is to enhance learning and group
outcomes, including effectiveness or performance in an
organizational setting.
• Strong conflict management skills are an advantage in most
positions, as conflict is virtually impossible to avoid. It is human
nature to disagree, and disagreements are in fact healthy when
approached correctly.
• Eliminating conflict entirely would cause its own problems: there
would be no diversity of opinion and no way for us to catch and
correct flawed plans and policies.
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3. • But poor communication or interpersonal
tension can easily cause simple
disagreements to flare up into resentment or
worse.
• Conflicts that are allowed to fester and grow
will ultimately diminish productivity and
damage staff morale.
• That is why employers seek employees with
the skills to manage and diffuse conflict.
Here are some ways to judge a conflict and choose an
appropriate conflict management strategy:
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4. Questions to Ask Before
Choosing a Conflict Management Style
How much do you value the person or issue?
• It may influence to choose one strategy over another based
on how much you value the person with whom you have a
conflict or the issue over which you are conflicted.
• It may not seem worth it to continue a long-term conflict if
you're worried about ruining your relationship with
someone, but it also may make your relationship stronger
to come to a consensus.
• In addition, you can judge the importance of the conflict
based on how close to home the issue sits. Perhaps it's a
matter of your morals or personal values, in which case it
may be essential for you to prolong the conflict.
• If the issue is of little significance to you, though, it may be
easier to let it go.
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5. Do you understand the consequences?
• You should be prepared for whatever consequences may entail
either entering or not partaking in the conflict. Especially in a
professional environment, there could be serious consequences
for continuing a conflict with a higher-up.
• As long as you are made aware of the potential risks, you can
decide whether or not to prolong the conflict.
• Similarly, you may feel consequences if you don't enter the
conflict. Perhaps, those will be personal, moral consequences for
not standing up for your beliefs. Or, maybe, a wrong decision is
made and executed because you didn't bring in a conflicting
perspective. Regardless, give yourself a clear overview of all the
positive and negative consequences beforehand
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6. Do you have necessary time and energy to contribute?
• By entering a conflict with a firm stance, you are preparing
yourself for what could be a long-term ordeal requiring
research, presentations, conversations, and stress. Before
diving in, ensure that you have the time in your schedule to
dedicate yourself to the conflict.
• In addition -- and more importantly -- ensure that you care
enough about the conflict that it's worth the energy you
will need to pour into it every day. Going back and forth on
a topic with others can be exhausting if it's not meaningful
to you.
• Based on these questions, you can determine which of the
following conflict management styles you want to assume
for the situation at hand.
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7. Conflict Management Styles
1. Accommodating
• An accommodating style forsakes your own needs or
desires in exchange for those of others. You would be
putting the concerns of others before your own. This
style usually takes place when you either simply give in
or are persuaded to give in.
2. Avoiding
• An avoiding style completely evades the conflict. You
would neither pursue your beliefs nor those of the
others involved. Simply, you would continuously
postpone or completely dodge the conflict whenever it
comes up.
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8. 3. Compromising
• A compromising style attempts to find a solution that will at least
partially please all parties. You would work to find a middle ground
between all the needs, which would typically leave people
unsatisfied or satisfied to a certain extent.
4. Collaborating
• A collaborating style attempts to find a solution that will meet the
needs of all parties. Rather than trying to find a middle ground
solution, you would aim for a solution that actually satisfies
everyone and ends up being a win-win situation.
5. Competing
• A competing style takes a firm stance and refuses to see the
perspectives of the other parties. You would keep pushing your
viewpoint at others or keep rejecting their ideas until you get your
way.
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