Discussion:
#1
Jeramiah Jones
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Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different styles of approaching conflict. Which approach do you use? Give an example of why you used this approach.
According to the text, there are a few different ways of approaching conflict, some of those include different types of communication. Communication is how people voice their frustration and diagnose the conflict. Another approach to conflict is differentiation, this is something that happens in the beginning of a conflict, and it is used to explain the position that each individual has taken in relation to the other regarding the conflict. Differentiation calls for each person to detail what they feel are the differences of opinion (Northouse, 2018). This type of approach can be difficult because forcing people to listen to each other and the reason they disagree can sometimes cause the conflict to escalate. One advantage to this approach however is that it gets everything out into the open, and it gives everyone a chance to have a better understanding of where each individual is coming from (Northouse, 2018).
Another approach as defined by our text is fractionation which is an attempt of taking a larger conflict, and separating it into smaller segments. This makes the conflict easier to define and gives the individuals a chance to solve their conflict one small part at a time. This helps to make the disagreement more manageable, not just for leadership, but also for everyone involved. While this approach may take longer to solve, it will be less stressful and overwhelming. By working on smaller parts of a larger problem it gives the chance to solve the issues permanently due to being able to focus on one thing at a time (Northouse, 2018).
A third approach to conflict is face saving. Our text describes face saving as an opportunity to let people communicate professionally, and it helps to calm a situation by requiring people to talk to each other with respect. This technique has the possibility to escalate if the people involved are not able to stay focused on the issues and instead attack each other's character instead (Northouse, 2018). This would not be my first go to in conflict resolution. I feel that while trying to stay on task and focus on the conflict only, you may not get to the root of the problem by forcing people to converse with the other in a respectful way.
When dealing with conflict I tend to use the differentiation approach, I run a company that has only male staff at the moment, and I have found that the best way to deal with conflict is to get it out into the open. Most of the time in my experience, and in dealing with people, conflict stems from lack of communication, or just frustration due to some other issue. By letting everyone speak up and voice their reason for frustration it sheds light on something that would have been impossible to know otherwise. People get upset, and instead of staying focused on the original problem it can turn into a thousand other things, so I like to deal with it as early as I see it, ninety percent of the time it is just a misunderstanding.
Northouse, P. G. (2018). Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice (4th ed.). Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/
#2
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A common style of approaching conflict is avoidance. Typically, avoidance is counterproductive and can lead to stress or additional conflict. This particular style is generally seen as ineffective because it does help involved parties reach a resolution (Northouse, 2018). A second common style of approaching conflict is compromise. Compromise is typically seen as a "give and take" approach to conflict (Northouse, 2018). In this approach, involved parties should be assertive and cooperative to ensure that the resolution is balanced and mutually beneficial. Generally, compromise leads to a balance of power between those involved in the conflict. Collaboration is another style of approaching conflict that requires those involved to be assertive and cooperative. A disadvantage to this style of conflict is that it is difficult to achieve (Northouse, 2018). This style is difficult to achieve because it requires involved parties to set aside conflict and work together. In this style, both sides win.
In my work life, I have used each of these approaches to manage conflict. Based on the situation at hand, and how escalated each party is, there are times that each of these works more effectively. My preferred approach to conflict is collaboration, I prefer this style because I believe that when involved parties work together to collaborate on a positive outcome, conflict can be more easily avoided in the future. "Collaboration is the ideal conflict style because it recognizes the inevitability of human conflict. It confronts conflict, and then uses conflict to produce constructive outcomes" (Northouse, 2018). No matter how well a group of people can work together, conflict is always going to happen. This particular approach better prepares individuals to address conflict in a positive manner in the future.