What Is Conflict Management?
Conflict……
* is a disagreement through which individuals identify a threat to their needs, concerns or wellbeing (Johansen, 2012).
* can be unpleasant and cause excessive worrying; it often interrupts people from their personal and professional lives (Haraway & Haraway, 2005).
* is usually far more multifaceted as it includes complex relationships that are grounded in emotion (Johansen, 2012).
Conflict Management....
* As defined by The Hay Group (2008), is “the ability to help others through emotional or tense situations with diplomacy and tact” (p. 21).
* According to Rahim (2002), conflict management involves "strategies to minimize dysfunctions of conflict and enhancing the constructive
functions of conflict in order to enhance learning and effectiveness in an organization” (p.208).
* is a disagreement through which individuals identify a threat to their needs, concerns or wellbeing (Johansen, 2012).
* can be unpleasant and cause excessive worrying; it often interrupts people from their personal and professional lives (Haraway & Haraway, 2005).
* is usually far more multifaceted as it includes complex relationships that are grounded in emotion (Johansen, 2012).
Conflict Management....
* As defined by The Hay Group (2008), is “the ability to help others through emotional or tense situations with diplomacy and tact” (p. 21).
* According to Rahim (2002), conflict management involves "strategies to minimize dysfunctions of conflict and enhancing the constructive
functions of conflict in order to enhance learning and effectiveness in an organization” (p.208).
Not all conflict is negative, the goal is not to eliminate conflict but to productively manage disagreements in such a way to promote and enhance effectiveness and efficiency
(Haraway & Haraway, 2005).
(Haraway & Haraway, 2005).
DiffereNt approaches to conflict management.
Kaufman, 2009.
According to Senior & Swailes (2010), approaches of conflict management will change depending on the managers' frame of reference. The five styles of conflict management include:
- Competing
- Collaborating
- Compromising
- Avoiding
- Accommodating
*Competing - Win / Lose
- A style of conflict management which only suits one party thus potentially causing negative feelings between parties.
*Collaborating - Win / Win
- A style of conflict management which creates a solution to which both parties are amicable and satisfied.
*Compromising - Partial Satisfaction
- This is a relationship of compromise. Both parties are equally satisfied.
*Avoiding - Lose / Lose
- This style of conflict management allows all parties involved to step back and re-evaluate their position. However, this does not allow a decision to be reached.
*Accommodating - Lose / Win
- Both parties are potentially able to maintain a good relationship. One party is able to recognize that their counterpart has a better solution than they do.
(Senior & Swailes, 2010, p. 207)
These five strategies of conflict management referred to above are not the only ways to handle conflict in the workplace environment. Since Senior & Swailes (2010), has explained these five strategies at length this website will focus primarily on other approaches to conflict management.
- A style of conflict management which only suits one party thus potentially causing negative feelings between parties.
*Collaborating - Win / Win
- A style of conflict management which creates a solution to which both parties are amicable and satisfied.
*Compromising - Partial Satisfaction
- This is a relationship of compromise. Both parties are equally satisfied.
*Avoiding - Lose / Lose
- This style of conflict management allows all parties involved to step back and re-evaluate their position. However, this does not allow a decision to be reached.
*Accommodating - Lose / Win
- Both parties are potentially able to maintain a good relationship. One party is able to recognize that their counterpart has a better solution than they do.
(Senior & Swailes, 2010, p. 207)
These five strategies of conflict management referred to above are not the only ways to handle conflict in the workplace environment. Since Senior & Swailes (2010), has explained these five strategies at length this website will focus primarily on other approaches to conflict management.