In any environment where two or more people interact, conflict is unavoidable and is a normal part of everyday life. Learning how to deal with conflict is crucial. When conflict is mismanaged, it can cause destruction in an otherwise functional environment; on the other hand, when handled in a respectful, positive way, conflict provides an opportunity to strengthen the bond between the people involved.
Conflict arises when people disagree over their values, motivations, perceptions, ideas, or desires. Sometimes these differences may appear trivial, but when a conflict triggers strong feelings, a deep personal need is often at the core of the problem. These needs can be a need to feel safe and secure, or a need to feel respected and valued. To ensure that a safe working environment conflict resolution strategies, tools and techniques must be implemented. By learning these skills, you can keep your personal and professional relationships strong and growing.
Successful conflict resolution encourages individuals to work through certain issues; one issue, generational friction can still be a concern. With the newest generation, the Millennials, taking over the office, conflict resolution strategies needs to be revised and aligned to support some of the growing frustration due to misunderstanding of this new generation.
Background Information
This group born during 1980 and 2000 and known also as Generation Y, has never experienced a world without computer technology. Because of this, most Millennials don’t face much of a learning curve in regards to computer skills, software use, or social media application compared to their Generation X, Baby Boomer, and Traditionalist counter parts. The generalization of this generation ...
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Look up the word conflict in the dictionary and you will see several negative responses. Descriptions such as: to come into collision or disagreement; be at variance or in opposition; clash; to contend; do battle; controversy; quarrel; antagonism or opposition between interests or principles Random House (1975). With the negative reputation associated with this word, no wonder people tend to shy away when they start to enter into the area of conflict. D. Jordan (1996) suggests that there are two types of conflict: good, which is defined as cognitive conflict (C-type conflict) and, detrimental, defined as affective conflict (A-type conflict). The C-type conflict allows for creativity, to pull together a group of people with different opinions or ideas, to combine and brain storm all thoughts to develop the best solution for the problem. The A-type conflict is the negative form when you have animosity, hostility, un-resolveable differences, and egos to deal with. The list citing negative conflicts could go on forever. We will be investigating these types of conflicts, what managers can do to recognize conflict early, and what strategies they can use to resolve conflicts once they have advanced.
Conflicts situation can happen at any time. There are many different ways to handle conflict situations. To strengthen our skills in responding to conflicts situation we must understand the various conflict management style. The five styles of conflict management style include: Competing, Avoiding, Accommodating, Collaborating, and Compromising. The competing style is like a shark, a competitive approach to ensure only your views counts. Avoiding is like a turtle, avoiding every situation and giving up. Accommodating is like a teddy bear, working against your own goals to move forward. Collaborating is like an owl, working together with your partner to achieve both your goals. Compromising is like a fox, negotiating half your goals in order
Conflict is something everyone experiences in their daily lives; it can happen amongst person’s and their friends, family, and coworkers. Conflict occurs when individuals have a disagreement on a person’s values and beliefs, which could relate to religious or political views. Each person handles conflict differently depending on their personal values, interpretation, and the environment
The United States Department of Justice and all inferior law enforcement agencies that is umbrella under this hierarchy is not exempt from conflict. Conflict management derives from historical events that have altered the current perception of conflict management and proposes a resolution method for many areas within the justice system. The conflict model is a primary example of the easiest forms of theoretical approaches to conflict management. Additional examples would include that of the consensus perceptive, the pluralist perspective, conflict perspective and restorative justice theories. Although each provides a certain field within the justice system with a more comprehensive approach, not all are equally beneficial in all areas. It is inevitable that the association of conflict is derived from societal change and perception plus approaches are manipulated accordingly as situations evolve.
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Many people enjoy working or participating in a group or team, but when a group of people work together chances are that conflicts will occur. Hazleton describes conflict as the discrepancy between what is the perceived reality and what is seen as ideal (2007). “We enter into conflicts reluctantly, cautiously, angrily, nervously, confidently- and emerge from them battered, exhausted, sad, satisfied, triumphant. And still many of us underestimate or overlook the merits of conflict- the opportunity conflict offers every time it occurs” (Schilling, nd.). Conflict does not have to lead to a hostile environment or to broken relationships. Conflict if resolved effectively can lead to a positive experience for everyone involved. First, there must be an understanding of the reasons why conflicts occur. The conflict must be approached with an open mind. Using specific strategies can lead to a successful resolution for all parties involved. The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument states “there are five general approaches to dealing with conflict. The five approaches are avoidance, accommodation, competition, compromise, and collaboration. Conflict resolution is situational and no one approach provides the best or right approach for all circumstances” (Thomas, 2000).
Interpersonal conflict is very common with many relationships. It occurs when two people can not meet in the middle or agree on a discussion. Cooperation is key to maintaining a healthy debate. More frequently; when dealing with members of your own family, issues arise that include conflict and resolution. During this process our true conflict management style appears “out of thin air”. (Steve A. Beebe, 2008, p. 191).
workplace include greater total resources, greater knowledge band and a greater source of ideas. However, these advantages can also bring on conflict within teams and the entire workplace. Varney (1989) reported that conflict remained the number one problem within a large company. This was after several attempts were made to train management in conflict resolutions and procedures. However, the conflict remained. The conflict possibly remains because the managers and leaders did not pay attention to the seriousness of the issue. In order to maintain an effective team, leaders and team members must know and be proactive in the conflict resolution techniques and procedures.
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We each possess unique ideas, opinions, beliefs, and feelings about specific situations in life. This uniqueness is a large part of what makes us human. Because we all have our own individual way of looking at things, we each have a different viewpoint on what is proper or improper. With all that variation in society conflict is inevitable! Conflict is antagonistic in nature and we all must find ways to work through conflict issues both at work and at home. This paper describes different types of conflict, the influences I personally had in learning to deal with those conflicts, some of the conflicts that I commonly experience, how I go about dealing with those conflicts, and how conflict affects me on a personal level.
Rainer, Thom S. (2011). The Millennials: Connecting to America’s Largest Generation. Edition #1 . Pages 18-24.