Question

1. Compare and contrast the following conflict resolution strategies

Conflict Resolution Strategy	Characteristics	Example
Avoiding/Withdrawing
Smoothing
Competing/Coercing
Cooperating/Accommodating
Compromising/Negotiating

Answer 1

CONFLICT RESOLUTION STRATEGIES

Conflicts reduce the productivity and generate very a difficult work environment, leading to unwanted turnover in staff and reduced morale.

Conflict resolution is the process by which two or more parties outreach a pleasant solution to a disputation.

Types of conflicts

Conflict may develops in between supervisors, subordinates between co-workers and or between service providers and their clients or customers.

Conflict can also occur between groups, such as management and the labor force, or between whole departments.

Different types of conflict resolution strategy

Compromising/Reconciling

• In this method, there will be a need for the involved parties to decide to give up something and identify a resolution.
• Here both parties do not gain outcome thus this resolution is lose-lose type
• These types of resolution will be temporary only for that specific situation and are not long lasting solution.

Problem Solving / Collaboration / Confronting

• In this method, there is a difference in the opinion in both the parties.
• In this method they focus more on finding the best alternative/solution to the team conflict resolution.
• They focus more on doing good to the team rather than it to the personal emotions Here both parties collaborates and gains some benefit out it thus this leads to a win-win kind of an outcome.

Withdrawing/Avoiding

• In this method one of the parties in the conflict may decide to pull back from the discussion and allows going with the other person’s opinion.
• This works well in situation where one of the parties in the conflict is emotionally charged up or is angry. Hence avoiding any conflict resolution provides a “cooling off” period to the people involved so that they can later come back for meaningful resolution.

Forcing/Competing

• In this method a person with high authority and power can force or compel his/her opinion and resolves the conflict without giving any chance to the other party/person.
• This technique can be used if we see the conflicts are unnecessary and mostly destructive for the team.
• This method leads to a win-lose kind of an outcome. Because someone may end up feeling as a loser while the other person with authority may feel as a winner.

Smoothing/Accommodating

• This is a technique which is used when the atmosphere seems to be filled with lot of anxiety/distrust among the parties involved.
• In this method, And no would come forward for resolving the conflict thus one of the parties can take charge and tries to smooth the surrounding by using nice words and by emphasizing on the points of agreements and playing down on the points of disagreements.
• This can work as catalyst to break the discomfort between the involved parties by creating a feeling of trust and reducing the anxiety and encourages them to come forward and resolve the conflict.