Conflict Management – Part I.

Conflict situations are very common in organizations and are often caused by poor communication. It often happens that conflict situations do not resolve on their own, but require intervention. Part of the problem can be solved even before working on it with the other party! The aspects listed under good interpersonal relations are largely “in our hands” – our position that we take when resolving conflict situations is in itself part of the solution!

There are three basic approaches to resolving conflict situations:

• “Fly away”
• Resist
• Unite (harmonize)

Each of these approaches has its advantages and disadvantages:

The “Fly away” method is good when we want to avoid conflict; but if we ignore a conflict situation for a long time, it can hurt us as well as our relationships with other people. The conflict that is not resolved often tends to grow and develop further.

Resisting has many forms in which it occurs in our society: the legal system, an arbitrary approach, debate, and even force. These are situations in which one person always comes out as a loser, with all the accompanying repercussions that such a relationship brings.

Harmonizing is a situation in which we want to resolve the conflict in a way that both parties find a solution that will be satisfactory. Although this approach requires a certain level of self-discipline and is time-consuming, it builds healthy and quality relationships with mutual respect in the long run.

What are the conflict management styles?

Rival

• The parties perceive each other as rivals
• Agreement (in other words – „bargaining“) is based on a defined position of the two parties
• “Facts” are a weapon of the agreement
• Characterized by suspicion and high amount of emotions
• Third parties intervene even before the disputed issues have fully matured
• The authority to make the (final) decision lies with the “judges”
• The parties are often dissatisfied with the solution
• Often present resentment and long-term mistrust

Co-operative

• The parties involved see themselves as joint problem solvers

• Interest-based agreement
• Those involved make a concerted effort to establish the fact
• Joint search for hidden interests
• Face-to-face discussions that are encouraged between all involved
• Applicable options are sought
• Integrating the interests of individuals
• A field of various variants is defined
• Issues to be addressed may also be identified before the positions of each of the participants involved are clear
• The outcome must be satisfactory for all involved in the process
• It promotes mutual trust and positive relationships