S T R AT E G Y A N D M A N A G E M E N T

OF CONFLICT

HELEN PENG
CONTENTS

 Strategies for interpersonal conflict resolutions

 Management of conflict
 Styles of conflict management
(a) Five conflict management styles
(b) Contingency approach to conflict management
STRATEGIES FOR INTERPERSONAL
CONFLICT RESOLUTIONS

• Lose-Lose
• Win-Lose
• Win-Win: Energies and creativity are
aimed at solving the problems rather than
beating the other party.
**Ineffective techniques: Non action is doing
nothing in hopes that the conflict will
disappear. Like non action, this technique
leads to frustration and resentment.
MANAGEMENT OF CONFLICT

• It’s better to go for prevention and proact ion than reaction and fire-fighting.
• There may be two approaches for managing the organizational conflict:
(1) Preventive measures
(2) Curative measures
MANAGEMENT OF CONFLICT

Preventive measures
1. Establishing common goals 7. Use of superior authority
2. Reduction in interdependence 8. Reorganization of groups

3. Reduction in shared resources 9. Expanding resources

10. Changing personnel
4. Trust and communication
11. Changing structure
5. Coordination
12. Confronting and negotiating
6. Exchange of personnel
MANAGEMENT OF CONFLICT
Curative measures of resolving conflict
Two questions are involved:
1. What are the different conflict resolution
modes
2. How can the manager know which type of
conflict resolution style should be
adopted under what kinds of
circumstances?
• Example: If two groups or parties X and Y
experience conflict, each could be more
concerned about their own self or they
could experience more concern for the
other. When concern for the self is very
low, they could be very unassertive and if
concern for the self is high, they could be
very assertive. If their concern for the
other is low, they would tend to be
uncooperative, and if it is high, they would
be very cooperative.
STYLES OF CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

Five conflict management styles

1. Avoiding
2. Accommodating
3. Competing
4. Compromising
5. Collaborating
STYLES OF CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

Five conflict management styles

1. Avoiding
2. Accommodating
3. Competing
4. Compromising
5. Collaborating
CONTINGENCY APPROACH TO CONFLICT
MANAGEMENT

Three main strategies of conflict • Effectiveness of the styles

management • Managing implications: Creating a
1. Power play conflict-positive organization
2. Bargaining
3. Collaboration
• Approach-Avoidance
• Four-Avoidance Styles
• Four Approach Styles