Application of Conflict Management Styles to My Own Work Experience
It happened that I have had an opportunity to work at four different branches since I joined the bank about four years ago. Every time I came to a new branch I faced a new group of people with their formal and informal leaders, traditions, rules and conflicts. To me as a new person, every time in every group, it was very interesting to observe what was happening because I was a guy from the outside, unbiased by existing setups. I could compare them with other groups I worked with as well as analyze situations based on my previous management experience.
Moreover, I have had a chance to work with 5 different branch managers, my direct supervisors, during this period
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On one side there were experienced branch managers, on the other side there were very strong individuals as well. One of them was a guy who had worked for the same branch for a very long time and outlasted at least 5 or 6 branch managers. He was the best in Canada in sales of certain products. There were few other banking officers who could be characterized in a similar way. They definitely had power, the ability to influence other people (Nelson & Quick, 2011). The power they obtained was expert power. The banking industry is knowledge based; and because employees’ knowledge became the means of production, it ultimately put some of them outside the control of those who owned or managed the company (McShane, 2006). Managers “M” and “A” in turn had legitimate and reward power. They could not afford or did not want to apply competing, avoiding and accommodating styles, and were not able to collaborate due to time constrains or difficult circumstances, so the compromising approach was appropriate as a back up because it allowed them to achieve temporary settlements to complex issues, and arrive at expedient solutions under time pressure (Nelson & Quick, …show more content…
Manager “L” basically tried to avoid conflict situations altogether. Avoiding is a conflict management style low on both assertiveness and cooperativeness. Avoiding is a deliberate decision to take no action on a conflict or to stay out of a conflict situation (Nelson & Quick, 2011). My manager was passive and willing to postpone her own needs to not be involved in the most arising conflicts. According to Steven L. McShane, avoiding is actually the best approach where conflict has become socioemotional or where negotiating has a higher cost than the benefits of conflict resolution. The second definitely took place in case with the Manager “L” as we would see later. It is worth mentioning that conflict avoidance should not be a long-term solution where the conflict persists because it increases the other party’s frustration (McShane,
This involves working together to generate win-win alternatives for resolving issues (Robin, 2002). Collaborating involves high to moderate skill levels of parties, clear clarity of both goals, strong status of relationships, Win-Win attitude toward authority, low concerns for formalities and traditions, and a high self-concept.
Huan, L. & Yazdanifard, R. (2012). The Differences of Conflict Management Styles and Conflict Resolution in Workplaces. Business & Entrepreneurship Journal. 1(1), 141-155.
Abigail, R. A., & Cahn, D. D. (2011). Managing conflict through communication. 4th Ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
There are 5 different conflict management styles and using them can either negatively or positively affect relationships. I use all the styles of conflict management, but in my most recent conflicts I have been using a competitive style. The competitive style is mainly described as being quick to resolute, upfront, and in my case, fun. Like all the styles, there is drawbacks and benefits, but the competitive style is not too beneficial to everyone in the situation. If things do not go my way, I look to the other conflict management styles to resolve. That may sound self-centered, but that is not always the case.
Hocker & Wilmot, 2007, Poole, & Stutman, 2005 Folger and 2007 Cahn& Abigail. "Interpersonal Conflict and Conflict Management." Devito, Joseph A. The Interpersonal Communication Book. Boston: Pearson, Allyn & Bacon, 2009. 276.
Interpersonal conflict is very common with many relationships. It occurs when two people can not meet in the middle or agree on a discussion. Cooperation is key to maintaining a healthy debate. More frequently; when dealing with members of your own family, issues arise that include conflict and resolution. During this process our true conflict management style appears “out of thin air”. (Steve A. Beebe, 2008, p. 191).
Many people enjoy working or participating in a group or team, but when a group of people work together chances are that conflicts will occur. Hazleton describes conflict as the discrepancy between what is the perceived reality and what is seen as ideal (2007). “We enter into conflicts reluctantly, cautiously, angrily, nervously, confidently- and emerge from them battered, exhausted, sad, satisfied, triumphant. And still many of us underestimate or overlook the merits of conflict- the opportunity conflict offers every time it occurs” (Schilling, nd.). Conflict does not have to lead to a hostile environment or to broken relationships. Conflict if resolved effectively can lead to a positive experience for everyone involved. First, there must be an understanding of the reasons why conflicts occur. The conflict must be approached with an open mind. Using specific strategies can lead to a successful resolution for all parties involved. The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument states “there are five general approaches to dealing with conflict. The five approaches are avoidance, accommodation, competition, compromise, and collaboration. Conflict resolution is situational and no one approach provides the best or right approach for all circumstances” (Thomas, 2000).
Conflict management styles vary from person to person. The five styles are avoiding, accommodating, forcing, compromising, and collaboration. According to the assessment my primary style is compromising and my back up style is accommodating. I am surprised by these results and I do not feel they are accurate. The inaccuracy is most likely due to my lack of strong answers. I believe that my primary style is collaboration. It is collaboration because I do strive to win but still let the other parties win as well. I would agree that my back up style is compromising because I will give something up if it means an overall resolution.
The second style, the avoidance style, is characterized by Hocker & Wilmont (2014) as the “denial of conflict, changing and avoiding topics, being noncommittal, and joking rather than dealing with the conflict at hand” (p. 151). The third style, the competitive style of conflict, has a variety of names, including the dominating style, “power over” style, or the win-lose approach to conflict manage, and involves the process of attaining one’s own goals of resolution at the cost of the expense of the other people involved (Hocker & Wilmont, 2014). The fourth conflict style is the comprising style, which basically involves negotiation between two or more people in order to resolve a conflict by meeting in the middle or finding a common ground. Finally, the collaborative style of conflict, the most revered style of conflict management, is the ability to work together in order to find a solution to the problem that is agreeable to all parties
Furlong, G. T. (2005). The conflict resolution toolbox: Models and maps for analyzing, diagnosing, and resolving conflict. Ontario, Canada: John Wiley & Sons.
Conflict can happen in any organization. It can be viewed as a difference of opinions, ideas or beliefs. Conflict between supervisors and employees can create friction and can be uncomfortable, frustrating, and stressful. It is important to know how to resolve conflicts in the workplace. Not being able to deal with a conflict can jeopardize your job and the organization. “If you understand the cause of a conflict, it can help you resolve the conflict and help prevent similar recurrence” (DuBrin, 2015, p. 199). Dealing with conflict can be stressful and can hinder an employee’s professional growth. Learning how to deal with conflict in the workplace can help build strong relationships, overcome challenges, succeed at work,
Managers struggle daily to effectively manage or resolve conflict. Understanding how the types and sources of conflict differ could how managers in dealing with conflict.
Conflict resolution process requires a skilled mediator. A good communicator can play a role of skilled mediator who encourages the conflicting parties to talk about conflict issues and interests. To describe conflict and conflict resolution, person and team must know conflict situation and issues. Many conflicts are identified but cannot be solved skillfully. Individuals or parties feeling and express should be figured out associate with conflict situation. Emotion acknowledgement also need to be discussed, this might support to state issue, problem, impact, and relationship. Problem identification also support to determine underlying needs of the conflict parties. It clears that the objective of conflict resolution is not to say which person or party is right or wrong rather the priority is to reach an acceptable solution that every person or party can live with. Needs
Conflict is essential for growth inside an organization and within relationships. In order for the strengthening of relationships, parties need to discuss differences of opinion and naturally there will be some disagreements brought forth. Through the process of working out the conflict, it will enable the receiver to see the situation from the perspective of the sender. Although when a discussion of conflicting viewpoints is brought up, it can make certain people uncomfortable and avoidant. This will likely never produce a positive result, because holding back pent-up anger will further frustrate a person. Instead, talking through these issues face to face with a supervisor or subordinate privately can help find a sense of liberation even
that may result in a struggle for power or position. Conflict management, therefore, can be