One does not have to search hard to find conflict. Its everywherein our personal relationships, our communities, our state, our nation, and our world. Conflict is an inevitable part of life. For this assignment, I am asking you to reflect on one interaction you have had recently with someone you interact with regularly (classmate, co-worker, family member, friend, etc.,) which resulted in conflict. It would be best if you considered using the conflict chosen for last week’s discussion forum.
Which (of the five types of conflict (described in our course textbook) did you experience? Can you identify a specific pattern used in the conflict? Did any of the factors that can influence interpersonal conflict (sex and gender, culture, context, etc.) come to play in your scenario? Explain how your conflict style (based on the conflict management assessment posted last week) affected your interpersonal conflict. A summary (4-5 sentences) of the conflict should be included in the introduction of your paper.
Formatting Guidelines:
This reflection paper should be between 2-3 typed pages using double-spaced, normal margins (about 1 inch all around), and a readable size 12 font. Your paper should also follow the essay format: a brief introduction (that includes a well-constructed thesis statement and a summary of the main points of your paper), a body (that includes a response to each assignment prompt supported with details), and a concluding paragraph.
Research is not required for this paper, as your paper should reflect your own observations on this topic. If, however, supporting material is used in your paper’s development, proper citation (following MLA format) is required.
The five conflict management to choose from are:
Competing
Accommodating
Compromising
Avoiding
Collaborating
F I V E C O N F L I C T M A N A G E M E N T S T Y L E S
Here are the five conflict management styles according to Thomas, K.W., and R.H.
Kilmann:
1. Accommodating This is when you cooperate to a high-degree, and it may be
at your own expense, and actually work against your own goals, objectives, and
desired outcomes. This approach is effective when the other party is the expert
or has a better solution. It can also be effective for preserving future relations
with the other party.
2. Avoiding – This is when you simply avoid the issue. You arent helping the other
party reach their goals, and you arent assertively pursuing your own. This works
when the issue is trivial or when you have no chance of winning. It can also be
effective when the issue would be very costly. Its also very effective when the
atmosphere is emotionally charged and you need to create some space.
Sometimes issues will resolve themselves, but hope is not a strategy, and, in
general, avoiding is not a good long term strategy.
3. Collaborating This is where you partner or pair up with the other party to
achieve both of your goals. This is how you break free of the win-lose paradigm
and seek the win-win. This can be effective for complex scenarios where you
need to find a novel solution. This can also mean re-framing the challenge to
create a bigger space and room for everybodys ideas. The downside is that it
requires a high-degree of trust and reaching a consensus can require a lot of time
and effort to get everybody on board and to synthesize all the ideas.
4. Competing This is the win-lose approach. You act in a very assertive way to
achieve your goals, without seeking to cooperate with the other party, and it may
be at the expense of the other party. This approach may be appropriate for
emergencies when time is of the essence, or when you need quick, decisive
action, and people are aware of and support the approach.
5. Compromising This is the lose-lose scenario where neither party really
achieves what they want. This requires a moderate level of assertiveness and
cooperation. It may be appropriate for scenarios where you need a temporary
solution, or where both sides have equally important goals. The trap is to fall
into compromising as an easy way out, when collaborating would produce a
better solution.
By knowing your own default patterns you improve your self-awareness. Once you are
aware of your own patterns, you can pay attention to whether they are working for you
and you can explore alternatives. By using a scenario-based approach, you can
choose more effective conflict management styles and test their effectiveness for you
and your situations.
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