Conflict is a given reality in any organization. So long as there is an organization of human beings, there will always be conflict. This is because any organization has a diversity of individuals. There are Conflict Management Strategies that can be used when in conflict situations.

Some managers use ‘Forcing.’ This seems to augur well with the survival of the fittest in times of conflict. The formal authority or whatever power one possesses is utilized to address one’s concern during conflict, regardless of the party one is in conflict with.

There are strategies that eradicate the concern for the self in the process of resolving conflict. ‘Accommodating’ is when one allows the other party to satisfy their concerns while neglecting your own. On the other hand, ‘Avoiding’ means not paying attention to the conflict and not taking any action to resolve it. In both cases, the conflict is not essentially resolved at all.

The best ways to manage conflict are through ‘Compromising’ and ‘Collaborating,’ two strategies where the point of conflict is more sustainably resolved. When one compromises, he attempts to resolve a conflict by identifying a solution that is partially satisfactory to both parties. It is never possible to have a resolution that is completely satisfactory to both when one compromises. No one party is put in a more advantaged position at the expense of the other party. When one collaborates, he cooperates with the other party to forge an effort in finding a mutually and completely satisfactory win-win solution.

Of all, collaborating is said to be the best strategy because it promotes creative problem solving, and is a way of fostering mutual respect and rapport.  However, collaborating takes time, and many conflict situations are very urgent that there is no luxury of a lengthy period wherein to resolve.

Via Conflict911