CONFLICT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

What is conflict?

It is simply the clash of interest, most especially when the needs, goals or values of parties are not met.

FIVE CONFLICT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES.

The five basic conflict management techniques vary from each other based on the level of assertiveness and co-operation between the parties.

a.Forcing or competition: when the interest of one person tends to override the interest of other parties to the conflict.

b.Collaborating or win-win: the win-win approach sees conflict resolution as an opportunity to achieve a mutually beneficial result.

c.Compromising: in Compromise there is no winner or losers, hence, compromise approach is regarded as a lose-lose style, this is because both parties don’t get everything they want.

d.Withdrawing or Avoiding: as the name implies, it is simply pulling back without any action being taken.

e.Smoothing or Accommodating: this approach is simply the willingness of one party in a conflict to place his opponent’s interest above his own. (it is an act of self-sacrifice)

THINGS TO NOTE ABOUT CONFLICT.

Conflict is inevitable as far as humanity is concerned.

It is not a sign of management incompetence or failure, but an integral part of organizational behavior.

Conflict is endemic in industrial societies.

Without conflict sometimes, growth is limited.

Conflict brings about balance of power and balance of tenor.

Summarily, it should be noted that man acting alone is in capable of achieving much, hence the need to depend on fellow ‘men’ to actualize his potentials. What ‘men’ stand to benefit at every given circumstance spurs conflict, either directly or indirectly. The ability to manage this conflict brings about growth and development at any zone.

Therefore, since humans (skilled workforce) are visible in the production of any organization, there is room for conflict, but what gives conflict beauty is the “Management Technique”.