Conflict Management

1. Conflict Management
SIVATHANU N, TRAINER

2. What is Conflict?
A state of incompatibility of ideas
between two or more parties or
individuals.
Conflict management is the
practice of identifying and
handling conflict in a sensible, fair
and efficient manner.

3. Avoidance Style
(Indirect Communication /
Self Oriented)
Co-operative Style or
Accommodating
(Indirect Communication /
Other Oriented)
Assertive Style or Competing
(Direct Communication / Self
Oriented)
Collaborative Style
(Direct Communication /
Other Oriented)
Degree
of
Assertiveness
Accommodating Approaches
Degree of Cooperativeness
competing Approaches
Low
High
High
Compromise

4. Conflict Management Model
• Assertive Style or Competing
- Work to get your way, rather than clarifying and addressing the issue.
• Collaborative Style
- Focus on working together.
• Compromise
- Mutual give-and-take.
• Avoidance Style
- Pretend it is not there or ignore it.
• Cooperative Style or Accommodating
- Give in to others, sometimes to the extent that you compromise yourself.

5. Why Compromise or Collaborate?
The goal of collaboration is to add, not subtract. Creating something that is more
than each involved has to offer alone.
On the other hand, compromising usually ends with dividing something, giving up
this for that, or taking turns.
Four guidelines to use when collaborating:
• Usually takes longer than Compromising
• Everyone must be included. Collaboration must take
into account all views from those involved in the
decision.
• Utilize differences: Take advantage of diversity and
see differences as an asset. This comes down to
attitude and perspective.
• No one gives up, everyone gives input.
• Everyone is satisfied.

6. Causes of conflicts
• Poorly defined goals
• Divergent personal values
• Lack of cooperation/trust
• Competition of scarce resources
• Unclear roles/lack of job description

7. Effects of conflict in organizations
• Stress
• Absenteeism
• Staff turnover
• De-motivation
• Non-productivity

8. Steps to resolve conflicts
• Assure privacy
• Empathize than sympathize
• Listen actively
• Maintain equity
• Focus on issue, not on personality
• Avoid blame
• Identify key theme
• Re-state key theme frequently
• Encourage feedback
• Identify alternate solutions
• Give your positive feedback
• Agree on an action plan

9. How to prevent conflicts
• Frequent meeting of your team
• Allow your team to express openly
• Sharing objectives
• Having a clear and detailed job description
• Distributing task fairly
• Never criticize team members publicly
• Always be fair and just with your team
• Being a role model

10. Conclusion
• Complexity of organizational relationship
• Interaction among workers
• Dependence of workers on one another
• Conflict is a healthy sign not a negative process
• It reflects dynamics
Poorly managed conflicts
• Unfavorable with counter productive results
• Problems and negative attitude
Well managed conflicts
• Stimulate competition
• Identify legitimate differences
• Powerful source of motivation