Communication's Effect on Effective Conflict Management

A meeting with all involved parties to discuss the issue is also another good way to resolve conflict. Everyone will have a chance to speak; this is a good opportunity to hear all sides of the story and gain a full understanding of the conflict.

Conflict is something that each person will have to deal with sooner or later. Our text described the Conflict Resolution Cycle and Ten Principles of New Thinking that can resolve conflicts in a less costly manner (Levine, 2009). Brown (2011), points out that a chance of goal conflict is somewhat low between groups that have their own resources and perform entirely different tasks. In other words, if your task is separate the chances of conflict are extremely low. However, if there is any type of dependency, or common task and frequently pursue incompatible goals, the chances of conflict are greater (Brown, 2011). Levine (2009) explained that although the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is growing, the cost of conflict is a resource drain of huge proportion, and a source of great unhappiness and discomfort.

The five strategies for managing conflict management are competing, avoiding, compromising, collaborating, and accommodating. Competing is a method that acts only in favor of your point in the argument. This style does not seek any cooperation with the other individual involved and the only focus is for your side of the argument to be the winning side. This approach can be selfish as it does not take the other individuals intentions, views, or feelings on the conflict into consideration.

Conflict management involves acquiring skills related to conflict resolution, self awareness about conflict modes, conflict communication skills, and establishing a structure for management of conflict ( “Understading”, n.d.). According to K. Thomas (1992) there are five conflict-handling modes : competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, and accommodating. They are classified based on assertiveness and cooperativeness (Thomas, K., 1992). After taking the Conflict Handling Assessment, my preferred conflict-handling mode is compromising which has a moderate assertiveness and moderate cooperation. I want to find a middle ground for the group to agree of the strategies and formulas that are suggested, negotiate to the members of the team to find solution to the problem so that both parties can agree . The value of engaging in conflict with others are important. Understanding conflict and how to handle it will give us choices on how and when to engage in conflict. We learn from our experiences be it personal or professional on how to handle conflict it can either be positive that we can worked with or negative that we avoided and ignored

Conflict can be resolved through team members making efforts to communicate, share feelings, research, adjust, consider others, and create alliances. If conflict is handled correctly, it not only provides win-win scenarios, but also allows creativity to flourish. Therefore, when you encounter conflict understand that being proactive is the best idea. However, if problems do become major, talking with coworkers about problems, solutions, and support is vital. Always hear out the other party and be open to their insight, even if you are emotionally attached to your opinion. For with a little openness, research, and flexibility you and the other team members may discover a solution that is better than the original plan anyone

To manage conflict effectively you must be a skilled communicator. That includes creating an open communication environment in your unit by encouraging employees to talk about work issues. Listening to employee concerns will foster an open environment. Make sure you really understand what employees are saying by asking questions and focusing on their perception of the

To resolve the conflict, both parties should follow certain rules that will help make the conflict resolution process go smoothly. It is recommended that both sides used clear, concise languages. Both sides should take the time to listen to each other 's concern. The parties should not feel threatening by the situation or forced to do anything that they do not want to do. After the discussion, both parties should be able to leave the room content with the decision they agreed on(book).

According to McShane & Von Glinow (2013), the three strategies to minimize relationship conflict during constructive conflict episodes are as follows:

Attempting to create a new layout of how our schedule is made, I received hesitation from my co-workers and direct boss. “I don’t see how this can work and we have tried something like this in the past.” I asked them, “What did not work in the past?” After hearing the outcomes from the previous schedule, I was able to adjust my ideas and thereafter create a layout that was accepted and established.

Once the team is ready to resolve the situational conflict, the next stage is to understand the situation and each team member's point of view. Additionally, each leader and team member should take the time to make sure that everyone’s position is heard and understood. In the meantime, strong emotions are at work here, so everyone should bond through the emotion and reveal the true nature of the conflict such as clarifying positions.

Our consulting firm, Conflict Professionals, specializes in training all levels of managers (executive, mid- and entry-level) in the art of managing conflict within their teams and organizations. What is conflict and how does it arise? Typically, it occurs when two or more people oppose one another because their needs, wants, goals, or values are different. It is almost always accompanied by feelings of anger, frustration, hurt, anxiety, or fear. An individual may also have internal conflict issues causing stress and incapacitating him or her

According to Spiroska (2014), with all the studied procedural options, there is none that are best intervention strategy for all situations. Generally, the common methods are negotiation and mediation which are found almost in all cultures. However, different cultures approach conflict management in different ways.

Conflict resolution is an integral aspect of human interaction, but many people fail to navigate through it successfully. This course covered the many components that can lead to successful resolution. Two segments specifically differentiated themselves from the rest; the discussion focused on interests, not positions, and the section on the use of objective criteria. My behaviors have been positively altered by the aforementioned concepts and I have experienced higher success as a result.

Even though people think conflicts will not arise in their team, it is vital to have conflict resolution strategies in place in order to avoid conflict and maintain a strong level of team communication. When becoming part of a team, obstacles are common, and they can come from outside of the group, as well as from within. There are many different steps that team members must go through in order to avoid conflicts getting out of hand. Teams must have a common goal that they are working toward in order to overcome these obstacles.

Conflict resolution is a challenging task. Typically for the participating parties it is an experience beyond the physical world; it is about an emotional state. Emotions run high and the facilitator’s role takes on different forms as the process moves forward towards the finish line.