Page 312 - Effective Communication Soft Skills Strategies For Success by Nitin Bhatnagar, Mamta Bhatnagar

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THE COLLABORATIVE VERSUS THE COERCIVE APPROACH

In conflicts we experience and observe, we witness the inability of parties to be
open and co-operative. They treat each other like nations at war. Sometimes,
however, the parties are able to engage in open and well-regulated approaches.
In other words the issue or the problem is dealt with in a collaborative way so
as to serve the interests of all the parties in the best possible way. Roger Fisher
and Cot Brown have provided a seven-point summary contrasting a collab-
orative approach with what they term a coercive approach (Fisher and Brown
1989). This approach to conflict management is often termed as ‘win-win’ or
integrative negotiation.
• Attacking the individual vs attacking the problem: Instead of criti-
cizing the other concentrate on the problem. It is better to be hard on
the problem and soft on the people. A simple technique to help this is
to be by the side rather than being head on.
• Winning a contest vs solving a problem: Making an assumption that
we are in a contest immediately leads us to conclude that someone is
going to win and someone lose. It is better to treat negotiation as a
joint problem-solving effort.
• Making an early commitment vs remaining open: The often-used
tactic of locking oneself into a particular solution so as to try to force
the other to negotiate on one’s own terms sometimes works but may be
disadvantageous in the long-term. People often resent such tactics. It is
usually better to remain open to persuading and alternative solutions.
• Focus on positions vs exploring interests: Instead of trying to settle
the matter too early by stating a position, it is better to try to under-
stand the issue. Instead of trying to find a solution by bargaining over
respective positions, concentrating on interests can bring the parties
closer together.

• Worsening their outcomes vs improving ours: Instead of concentrat-
ing on threatening, hurtful, or ‘either/or’ outcomes, it i s better to think
about one’s ‘Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement’ (BATNA)
which is what one could achieve or get if the negotiation fails.

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT SKILLS IN PRACTICE

Attitudinal change, having clear communication, being empathetic, brain
storming, negotiating, and working out the agreeable and best compromise
are the basic strategies one can use to resolve the conflict. One may follow
the below outlined guidelines to effectively manage the conflict.

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