Managing Groups and Teams: Styles of Conflict Management (Essay Sample)

Managing Groups and Teams: Styles of Conflict Management
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Managing Groups and Teams: Styles of Conflict Management
Conflict management refers to the process of limiting the negative outcomes of a conflict while increasing the positive results from the conflict. A conflict manager deals with a dispute in a rational, balanced, and in the effective way. The five styles of conflict management include competing, collaborating, compromising, accommodating, and conflict avoidance (Kim, 2012). The reaction of a leader towards a conflict limits or enables the success of the organization. Effective conflict management in an organization involves effective communication, problem solving skills, and good negotiating skills with the aim to restore the focus to the organization’s goals.
My primary conflict management style is collaborating. Collaborative style of conflict management involves being assertive and cooperative (Lussier, 2008). In many situations, I collaborate with the other party, seeking to achieve both of our goals. Instead of using the win-lose paradigm, collaborative style uses the win-win paradigm, where the parties involved in a conflict settles their differences without finding the winner or the loser. Collaborative style of conflict management becomes effective in complex situations where none of the conflicting parties gives in to their mistakes (Mossanen, 2014). This calls for a consensus between the conflicting parties. The downside of the collaborative style of conflict management is that it requires a high degree of trust between the conflicting parties and reaching into a consensus can take much time to get everybody on board and combine all ideas.
My least preferred conflict management style is competing. The competing style uses the "win-lose" approach, where both parties act in a very assertive way with the aim to achieve their personal goals or interests (Rahim, 2011). The parties involved in the competing style do not seek to cooperate with each other. Each party considers their own interests. The competing style of conflict management applies during emergency, when time is of the essence or when the parties need quick and decisive action. However, this style requires awareness and support from the people.
My primary conflict management style, collaborative style, applies in situations where the complex involved is complex and the parties can reach into mutual agreement. A collaborative style applies the terms, "I win-you win" (Schermerhorn, 2011). This style of conflict management makes sure that both parties have their needs met in the most efficient way. Collaborative style is the primary style used in business-to-business negotiations, where both parties have mutual benefits from each other. Collaborative style is dysfunctional in the conflicts where the parties involved cannot reach into consensus under all circumstances. In business, collaborative style is dysfunctional when selling something once. For example, when selling a home to a stranger, collaborative style may not be appropriate.
My lesser-preferred conflict management styles include competing, and avoiding. The type of conflict situations handled by these styles involves the situations where the parties involved have no mutual benefits from each other and none of them seems to give in to the other party. The parties involved in this situation focus on their short-term gains. The conflict involved may not be negotiable and may require immediate compliance.
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