Conflict Resolution

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Conflict Resolution
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• People dont get along
• because they fear each other.
• People fear each other
• because they dont know each other.
• They dont know each other because they have not
  properly communicated with each other.
• Martin Luther King, Jr.

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What is Conflict?

• Main Entry
• 1conflict
• Pronunciation
• \'kän-?flikt\
• Function
• noun
• Etymology
• Middle English, from Latin conflictus act of
  striking together, from confligere to strike
  together, from com- fligere to strike more at
  profligate
• Date
• 15th century
• 1 fight, battle, war ltan armed conflictgt
• 2 a competitive or opposing action of
  incompatibles  antagonistic state or action (as
  of divergent ideas, interests, or persons)
  b mental struggle resulting from incompatible or
  opposing needs, drives, wishes, or external or
  internal demands
• 3 the opposition of persons or forces that
  gives rise to the dramatic action in a drama or
  fiction

Courtesy of the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary
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Conflict and Process

• Conflict will be part of the process of any group
  unless everyone agrees on everything all of the
  time (which is very unlikely).
• Conflict is a necessary and creative dynamic in
  most relationships.
• When conflict in a group becomes destructive and
  causes hurt feelings, it can destroy efforts
  toward a common goal or inhibit participation by
  members who are afraid to express disagreement,
  or who fear being misunderstood.
• Conflict is also destructive when people feel put
  down for their opinions. It is not surprising
  that conflicts, either real or perceived, are
  usually the basis for groups falling apart.

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Seven Potential Causes Of Conflict

• Diversity and Differences
• Needs
• Perceptions
• Power
• Values and Principles
• Feelings and Emotions
• Internal Conflicts

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Defining the Five Conflict Styles

• Competing
• Avoiding
• Accommodating
• Compromising
• Collaborating

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Competing

• Creation of win-lose situation
• Use of rivalry
• Use of power plays to get ones ends
• Forcing submission
• Outcomes favor self

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Avoiding

• Ignoring conflicts and hoping that theyll go
  away
• Putting problems under consideration or on hold
• Invoking slow procedures to stifle the conflict
• Use of secrecy to avoid confrontation
• Appeal to bureaucratic rules as a source of
  conflict resolution

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Accommodating

• Giving way
• Submission and compliance
• Deference to another

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Compromising

• Negotiable levels of gains and losses
• Looking for deals and trade-offs
• Finding satisfactory or acceptable solutions

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Collaborating

• Problem-solving stance
• Respect for one anothers ideas
• Searching for integrative solutions
• Confronting differences, sharing ideas and
  information
• Outcome and future-oriented

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Fostering Effective Communication Skills

• Learn to listen
• Ask the right questions
• Respect differences
• Dont judge people because of accent or grammar
• Avoid hot buttons
• Communicate clearly and fairly
• Use simple language
• Remember that when misunderstandings arise, a
  difference in communication styles may be the
  problem

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Keys to Resolving Conflict

• Use ground rules
• Name what is happening
• Describe how the situation is affecting you
  and/or the process
• Propose a solution
• Refocus and reframe interests
• Allow people to save face
• Take a break and speak to the person in private
• Explore the interests behind a persons problem
  with the process

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The Roles of the Conflict Resolution Committee

• Reviews all potential conflicts of interest,
  grievances and other disputes as might be brought
  before the Committee by any Consortium member.
• Develops and maintains policies and procedures
  relating to how grievances and conflicts within
  the Consortium are addressed.
• Also be responsible for facilitating activities
  including meetings and hearings related to the
  removal of Consortium Members.

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• You have two ears and one mouth.
• Its best to use them in that proportion.