Organisational Behaviour Conflict Management
Organisational Behaviour Conflict Management
COLLEGE
TOPIC :
Example
An example would be choosing between two different cars, each
with differing pros and cons. One car gets great gas mileage and has
lots of fancy stuff (approaching) but is very expensive and expensive
to maintain (avoidance). The other car is cheap and cheap to
maintain (approaching) but very boring and won't last long term
(avoidance). Your mind will weigh these different options and
eventually come to a decision based on the information you
considered. As humans this is a very common internal debate that
we use daily, from choosing what food to eat (healthy food vs. tasty
junk food) to where we will live (country vs. city).
RECOGNIZING INTERPERSONAL
CONFLICT
While common, interpersonal conflicts are not always
obvious. It’s not as simple as two people screaming at
each other, though it can escalate to that point.
Common signs of interpersonal conflict include:
• Aggressive body language
• Conversations are sullen or apprehensive if they
happen at all.
• Gossip
• Heated arguments
• Negative facial expressions
• Lack of candor, openness or honesty.
STRATEGIES TO RESOLVE
INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT
• SATISFACTION FOR ALL
The issue must be resolved to the full satisfaction of all parties
involved. If one person feels that he or she has been cheated out of
their deserved resolution, they will continue to cause conflict,
making the situation even more complicated. If the problem cannot
be fully solved, then a compromise must be reached that everyone
involved is happy with.
• DON’T INTERRUPT
This is one of the hardest things to enforce when resolving a
conflict. People feel the need to interrupt the other speaker when
they believe that they are being maligned or misspoken of. They
feel the need to defend themselves and this often manifests as an
interruption that will often cause even more conflict.
• ENCOURAGE LISTENING
A good number of the problems you will experience will be caused by poor or
insufficient communication. Make it a point to teach active listening to your team
members. Active listening involves gathering information from what you hear that
can be applied later in the conversation. This is an essential skill for painless
conflict resolution.
• EQUAL FOOTING
This can be difficult to obtain because of the inherent chain of command that
exists within most companies, but your team members need to, at least in matters
of conflict resolution, be able to maintain equal footing with the other people
involved in the situation. A person who feels he is being treated as a subordinate
where conflict is concerned is likely to become resentful, making the resolution
more difficult.
• DON’T HOLD GRUDGES
As the great monkey, Rafiki once said: “It doesn’t matter, it’s in the past!” It does
not matter what sort of past history the conflict participants may have. Don’t
linger on things that have happened in the past, and don’t allow either party to
use these things as ammunition for their conflicts. Grudges can be nasty things
and they make it hard to find common ground.
• FOCUS ON COMMON
No matter how dramatic the conflict, you should always be able to find
some form of common ground. It could be related the conflict or it could
be something as far-removed as a mutual hate for a single sports team.
Focus on these pieces of common ground as a foundation for finding a
solution to the conflict at hand.
• NO WINNER
Conflicts should not be looked upon as competitions, where one person
has to win and the other is left with nothing. The conflict should be
resolved to the satisfaction of both parties. If one party is left unsatisfied,
then nothing has been resolved. This is where compromise will become
essential and should be encouraged and embraced where possible.
• FACTS ONLY
When it comes to interpersonal conflict, there is no room for your opinion
on the conflict. The only thing that should be considered are the facts
resolving the incidents. Opinions are too changeable and cannot be relied
upon as a source of information for conflict resolution.
• DON’T JUMP
Jumping to conclusions or making assumptions about one or both
parties involved in a conflict can make it nearly impossible to find
an acceptable solution. Don’t assume you know what is being
thought or felt by either party, because this will put you at a distinct
disadvantage. Instead, allow each person involved to express
themselves however they see fit and simply move on from there.
• WALK AWAY
While this might seem a little counterintuitive, it is important to
walk away from a situation if you are angry. Nothing can be
accomplished through anger and if one or both parties are furious,
all that will be achieved is more conflict. Remove yourself until you
are able to calm down enough to have a rational conversation. If
you get mad again, don’t hesitate to remove yourself multiple
times.
Most of these may seem like common sense to you right now, but
it’s surprisingly easy to forget common sense and rationality when
you are furious over a real or perceived slight.