Page 130 - Communication in Organizations Basic Skills and Conversation Models

Conflict management 119

We now describe the five conflict management styles. We should emphasise that these
forms are extremes. In general, people use mixes of these extreme forms, depending on
the situation in which the conflict has arisen. We first give a description of the form at its
extreme and the type of people to whom this style matches in every situation. Then we
describe situations where the conscious choice for that specific style can be effective.

Avoidance
When people have little tendency to promote their own interests and simultaneously do
not attach much importance to the interests of others, we speak of conflict avoidance.
People falling into this category tend to think there is nothing wrong with it. Maybe these
people always avoid conflict because they are not ready to change something in their
situation and are afraid of being turned down if they would try to do so.
Not getting involved in conflict can also be a conscious choice that may be sensible in
specific situations: for example, in situations where people are convinced that they have
no chance of winning or where they are too afraid of the other party; or in situations
where they do not feel responsible for the question, do not find the question important
enough, or do not think that the time has come to tackle the conflict.

Conformity
When one scores low on the dimension own interests and high on the dimension of
others’ interests, there will be a tendency to conformity. This second rather passive
method of conflict management can be based on personality structure, characterized by a
tendency to efface oneself and to be continually focused on others. Such people want to
remain in favour, are afraid of rejection, and find it impolite to promote one’s own
interests. People who usually conform are often very dependent on the judgement of
others and have little self-confidence.
However, there are situations in which people consciously decide to conform: for
example, if they see that the question is of greater interest to the other party than to
themselves. When people want to demonstrate their goodwill, in some situations they
might conform so as to build up social credit in this way. For example, in one situation
they may give in so that they can show less flexibility in another situation and the other
party must then demonstrate their willingness. There are many situations in which it is
important to maintain good relationships.

Negotiation
Negotiation is a style of conflict management where on the one hand both parties strive
for their own interests, but on the other try to maintain a good relationship. So the score is
in the middle on both dimensions (own interests and others’ interests). Negotiation differs
from cooperation (discussed below) in that one is trying to realize the best results for
oneself, whereas in cooperation both parties are striving for the best result for each side.
In some situations it is apparent in advance that a maximum result is impossible for both
parties, and an acceptable solution is striven for: a compromise. Some people expend a
lot of energy negotiating on every question in every situation, however trivial.