Question

Conflict occurs when two or more individuals perceive a situation differently and at least one person’s perception is that he or she has been negatively affected. In fact, conflict can occur at any time, in any situation, and often at the worst possible time. When a group or team is working toward a goal and conflict erupts, the process can come to a halt until the conflict is resolved. For the following questions, take into consideration a conflict that you have experienced in your workplace:

• What role do differing behavioral styles play in a conflict?
• Discuss the 5 methods of conflict resolution discussed by DuBrin.
• What are the pros and cons of each of the following (DuBrin, 2001)?
  • Confront the issue directly.
  • Receive criticism objectively and dispassionately while seeking clarification.
  • Recognize all parties' points of view.
  • Mentally convert negative aspects to positive ones.
  • Negotiate and bargain.

Answer 1

1.   The differing behavioural style plays a vital role in a conflict. Conflict itself arises due to differing personality and behavioural styles. In my place of work, my team mate kept a note with a chewing gum on my desk. My team mate is a witty person and keeping this chewing gum was fun for him. However, for my character, it was very offending as I was seeking a professional career growth in the organization. Hence, I expected others to respect me at all times. This differing behavioural style created serious conflict in the workplace. I reacted to his act immediately and before everyone I took a serious call to action. This made my team mate and other team members to be offended which controlled my career growth as a Team Lead.

2. The pros and cons of each of the following are:

• Confront the issue directly- Provides immediate feedback however the main disadvantage is that it creates a negative vibe if the feedback is not constructive.
• Receive criticism objectively and dispassionately while seeking clarification- This method provides clarification to the problem however people tend to be disrespectful when they are dispassionate about what they are doing. This strains the association as a whole.
• Recognize all parties' points of view- This method is trying to reach at an amicable decision which includes all parties’ point of view though it might be not feasible at times due to the complexity of including all views.
• Mentally convert negative aspects to positive ones- This method helps to remove stereotypes and pre-conceived notions by replacing negative aspects with positive ones however it is time consuming and might not lead to solving the conflict right away.
• Negotiate and bargain- This method is commonly used as the two parties try to share their feelings and thoughts to arrive at a solution however the drawback is that the negotiation and bargaining might not work at times and the issue might be escalated at times

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