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Cloke On Conflict

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In Cloke and Goldsmith’s Resolving Conflicts at Work, strategy 1 gives us an overview of conflict today and the many factors that influence. The authors also explain the many ways nearly every conflict can be handled. Cloke tells us that differing human perceptions keep us stuck in conflict longer than is necessary and productive. Early family development sets the default settings for each person’s perception of the situations they will face for the rest of their lives. Cloke goes on to say that conflict is unavoidable especially because today’s media continually subjects Americans to conflict following a common injunction, “if it bleeds it leads.”
Cloke then challenges his readers to release ourselves from pointless, unproductive cultural patterns. To create a dialogue with opponents to increase awareness and stimulate self-improvement on both sides because victories won in anger lead to long term defeat. Cloke then describes the internal process that takes place within our minds when we are faced with conflict, the fight or flight reflex. Fight or flight can be acted out in many ways and all lead to different outcomes between the aggressor …show more content…

In all circumstances there is a focus either subjectively on the people or objectively on the result. You have to decide what type of relationship you want with your opponent when you choose one of the five methods in responding to a conflict. Cloke firmly believes that collaboration is almost always the best long term solution to conflicts. In collaborative arguments both parties recognize conflict can be positive, use empathy to understand the other’s position, share responsibility and satisfy both sides’ interests, fully resolve issues, are honest with themselves and their opponent, speak and act with integrity and clarity, search for small scale collaborative alternatives that increase

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