Question

You and your roommate live in a dorm room on campus. Your roommate has a friend who is on fall break at a different time than your school. She wants to invite her friend to visit and stay for two nights. You know that you have three tests and a paper due that week. You would rather not have a guest that week.

How will you work out this situation with her?

What conflict management style did you use?

What would you do if your roommate did not want to use this style?

Answer 1

Answer 1:

This is a very delicate situation which needs to handled in a manipulative way. Saying a direct no can be offensive. I would rather talk to my friend and explain my situation to her. I would try to negotiate with her and ask her if she can postpone her plan. If even that does not work out, I would ask her to make sure that they do not create much noise. Also, I would try and finish some of my work before time so that I am not much loaded with work when her friend comes.

Answer 2:

I would use the compromising technique. Compromising is a big step toward conflict resolution. Both courage and consideration are used when both parties look for common ground. You agree to negotiate larger points and let go of the smaller points; this style expedites the resolution process. This will help me in balancing both the things.

Answer 3:

If my roommate is not comfortable with this style, I would use the collabrating style. Collaboration plays a major role within conflict resolution and requires great courage and much consideration. Collaborating with the other party involves listening to their side, discussing areas of agreement and goals, and ensuring that all parties understand each other. Collaboration requires thinking creatively to resolve the problem without concessions. Collaborators are usually admired and well-respected. This will help us avoid conflict in the best possible way because both me and my roommate will be heard equally.