Six Steps In Conflict Resolution

In this paper I will discuss the conflict that is occurring at General Hospital, the conflict management styles that are evident in the case, and how General Hospital could have used teams to address the cost reductions needed to stay competitive. I will also describe how the CEO of General Hospital, Mike Hammer can us negotiation skills to get buy-in for the cost reductions and finally I will recommend a strategy for Hammer to resolve the problem.

As time passes in a relationship, it is inevitable that confrontations are bound to occur. Whether small disagreements created from minor issues, to mediocre arguments based on daily matters, to serious incidents that can reflect relationship taboos, it is a couple’s perception and understanding of each other that can strengthen or weaken their union. The poem “How It Will End” by Denise Duhamel portrays two couples involved in similar matters as those previously described. One couple is having, what appears to be, an argument at the beach and the second couple is watching them from afar, as they’re on a boardwalk. As the poem progresses, the second couple’s assumptions of what

Power and conflicts in a relationship, what are they and how do the affect one’s relationship? “Power and conflict both shape communication patterns and decision making, it’s the power to make decisions often through the influences and dynamics in one marriage or relationships” (Jones, ASID, IIDA, IDEC, and Phyllis Sloan Allen, 2009, pg. 282). It’s a way to oblige to others request within their relationship in order to feel superior over the other. Power is a very powerful tool in a relationship which includes love, it’s not just having the power over finances security; it’s being totally committed and eager to fulfill an everlasting relationship with the one you admire. However, it’s a two-way street that both partners need to be actively

When you are in a relationship, arguments or disagreements can arise. They can often trigger strong emotions that lead to hurtful words and uneasiness. If these conflicts are not resolved in a healthy way, resentment and a dissolved relationship could follow. However, when they are resolved in a proper manner, it could promote growth between the couple and fortify the bonds of their relationship (Conflict Resolution Skills).

Interpersonal conflicts are inevitable. Different texts suggest not how to avoid conflict, but rather how to effectively communicate when involved in one. However, the “rules” of constructive communication can completely change in conflicts between people in long-term, interdependent relationships. This paper will focus on analyzing a conversation between a mother and her adult son, while applying ideas from William Wilmot and Joyce Hocker’s Interpersonal Conflict, Deborah Tannen’s I Only Say This Because I Love You, and the “Conflict Styles” lecture.

The topic that I have chosen to discuss throughout this paper is Managing and Resolving Conflicts in a Relationship. This topic is very important to me simply because, I personally see a lot of relationships failing, including some of mines due to lack of resolving and managing conflicts correctly. By the end of this paper I hope that I have helped the reader understand and eliminate any conflicts that confront their everyday lives.

Philosopher Emerson once said “every coin has two sides; so do conflicts”. In the pages of human history, conflicts are unavoidable and while major conflicts such as war have been evil forces in the world it can also produce very positive results. That is not to say conflict is entirely positive. When conflict arises there are those individuals that show unexpected qualities; those assets that are sudden and unforseen. These assets can be seen in the movie The Sapphires through the character Dave and on a global scale through Mandela. Unfortunately there are also those individuals who in the midst of conflict express unexpected negative traits. This can be seen through the

When conflict occurs within a partnership there is oftentimes a withdrawal from intimacy within the relationship before the conflict is resolved and intimacy can occur again. This is known as the intimacy-conflict cycle. In Little Miss Sunshine the parents, Richard and Sheryl, tend to manage their dissatisfactions with cyclic alternation responses, which are instances when one of the partners voices a complaint that prompts the other’s response in order to resolve their conflict (Galvin, et al., 219). This is seen very

Places value on individualism, self-assertion, and competition. Not common in cultures that prioritize cooperation, keep others from failing, finding areas of agreement

Conflict is a fact of life - for individuals, organizations, and societies. The costs of conflict are well-documented - high turnover, grievances and lawsuits, absenteeism, divorce, dysfunctional families, prejudice, fear. What many people don't realize is that well-managed conflict can actually be a force for positive change.

In conflict we often make the mistake of using our power to focus on the relationship or on the issue/  outcome we desire.  The result is that we often attain one at the expense of the other.  Our power may enable us to achieve our goal but damage or destroy the relationship.  Alternatively, we may sustain the relationship at the expense of our needs or desired outcome.  The ideal may be maintaining a healthy relationship while at the same time achieving our goal, but this requires a subtle and complex use of different kinds of power or perhaps not using the power at our disposal.  This requires wisdom, self control and self discipline as well as skilled interpersonal behavior.

p.65). In conflicts relational goals need to be realized and managed because they are the center of all conflicts (Wilmot, 2007. p.67) but they are not easily recognized internally or externally, and they are interpreted differently by each party (Wilmot, 2007. p.67). In the reviewed conflict, the parents feel that the children are becoming more independent, and do not care what the parents think or need. The children believe that the parents do not consider the things that are important to the children to be important. Basically, each seems to seek the respect from the other units. The way that each will react throughout the conflict will express how that person believes the other is thinking about them. They will react to an image that they have created of the other person that probably is not accurate (Wilmot, 2007. p.69). Because relationship goals are not easily determined, these goals will escalate.

In trying to resolve the conflict between Reece and Patel, Edwards used an avoidance strategy. Instead of speaking directly about the root causes, or sources, of the conflict, Edwards focused on the behaviors and treated Reece and Patel like children. Edwards scolded them, and sent them off without bothering to find out what was bothering the two. Of course, this type of conflict resolution is ineffective because it fails to address the underlying issues. As Anderson (n.d.) points out, addressing the problem is key to conflict resolution. "When a conflict does happen, a manager needs to focus the conflicting parties on the issue and have them leave out any personal problems they may be having," (Anderson, n.d.).

Beaton, Norris, and Pratt (2003) support this by claiming that unresolved issues do not necessarily cause tension in the family. “From our perspective, conflict refers to those issues in relationships that couples overtly verbally or nonverbally express continually” (Beaton, Norris, & Pratt, 2003, p. 144). Although they focus on intergenerational communications within the family, they point out that unresolved issues concerning intergenerational differences can create problems in marital relationships. So it is more important to focus on reasons why individuals choose to create continuous conflict, and why it is so important to impose personal opinions and beliefs on other people. Understanding what determines human behavior is the only way to understand why

     The five steps used to complete a conflict resolution are diagnosis, goal setting, negotiation, future strategies, and follow-up.  During the diagnosis and goal setting stages, we would establish the nature, source, and scope of the conflict to better aid us in finding and setting a goal.  During negotiation and future strategy stages, we would enhance individual skills, facilitate meetings, and ensure constructive resolution is reached and then, help the students establish new model and behaviors for resolving future conflicts.  Finally, the