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Conflict Management Styles
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Abstract
The research document tends to elaborate on various conflict management styles
appropriate and mostly used by organizations in solving conflicts and enhancing practical
cooperation within the organization. It elaborates on the five conflict management styles,
whereby the first one includes a competing technique that involves persuading the interest of one
side of the parties in conflict. It rejects any form of compromise. The Collaborating conflict
management style is considered the most appropriate by many organizations due to its nature.
The assertiveness and cooperativeness of both sides involved in the conflict are combined. The
accommodating style is the third one and is a conflict management strategy through which one
individual or party has to self-sacrifice to satisfy the other party's demand or need. Another one
is the compromising style aiming to get a sensible, interchangeably acceptable conclusion that
partially contains both parties involved in the conflict. At the same time, the last one in the study
document is the avoiding style. It is a strategy whereby an individual or a party ensures that it
does not engage or get involved in a conflict situation by merely avoiding the conflict or ignoring
its existence.
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Conflict Management Styles
Introduction
Conflict is a serious argument that results from a disagreement about important issues of
the matter. In case two people or two parties conflict, they might have had a serious debate or
argument between them. There are various types of disputes in current organizations that affect
effective coordination and communication among the employees. Such conflicts are either
substantive because they are work-related or due to personal issues among the individual
employees. Therefore, it is appropriate for each organization to design an effective conflict
management strategy. The study, therefore, tends to clarify various conflict management styles
that are appropriate. Conflict management is a general process through which organizations or
individuals limit the negative aspect of the conflict. At the same time, they determine to increase
the positive part of the conflict. Most of the organizations do encourage the act of conflict
management to enhance learning and group outcomes, which also include effectiveness or
performance in an organizational setting. There are five basic styles through which conflicts can
be resolved. They include collaborating, competing, accommodating, compromising, and
avoiding technique that helps individuals mold skills and develops conflict in a constructive and
useful manner.
Conflict Management Styles
Competing
One of the effective methods that organizations do apply in managing conflicts is the
competing style. It majorly involves the act of persuading the interest of one side of the parties in
conflict. It rejects any form of compromise, and it consists of taking an uncompromising stand
on what you believe in by not giving in to any other others' viewpoints or wants (Asadzadeh and
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Riasi, 2016). One of the two parties stands firm in a manner that makes negotiation almost
impossible and does not back down until their demand is given in. It occurs when one party in
the conflict considers or emphasizes their position as that of the organization as that of the senior
within the organization, thereby giving no room for negotiation with the other opposing side
(Asadzadeh and Riasi, 2016). This style is highly possessive because it involves a minimal or
zero cooperativeness (Lies and Branje and Koen and Petegam, 2018). That kind of style is used
in conflict management when urgent action is highly required. It is also used when handling
some of the organization's critical issues that can affect its general performance. In making
adequate preparation for such a style, it is more advisable for individuals or both parties to
develop their arguing and debating abilities (Ada, 2018).
In most competing styles, high morale is required to make an appropriate decision or
dictate a specific course of action to be taken. Most organizations apply it when time is limited to
engage in in-depth consultation of argument that can enable them to develop a better option (Lies
and Branje and Koen and Petegam, 2018). Even though competing style enables organizations to
resolve disputes more quickly, there are high chances that morale and productivity can be
lessened. However, it provides no room for disagreement or discussion. It is one of the styles that
managers apply to show or indicate their authority by illustrating that they cannot bow down on
their principles (Lies and Branje and Koen and Petegam, 2018). The most significant
disadvantage of this style is that managers who apply it are mostly referred to as unreasonable
and authoritarian. Additionally, it affects employees' motivation as it acts as a clear sign that
their contribution or view is less significant. As a result, it affects their general productivity.
There is a high possibility that the organization will reach an appropriate solution through a
competing style.
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Collaborating
The collaborative conflict management style is considered the most appropriate since
both sides' assertiveness and cooperation are combined. It assists in providing the best and most
relevant results. However, at the same time, it is the most difficult and time-consuming to reach a
definitive agreement between the two parties. In such a case, both parties try to find an average
solution that will make both parties come out satisfied. The conflicting parties majorly base their
argument on finding a better solution for both parties without a loser or winner scenario. (Meng,
Y. & Haiyun and Zhenzhong and Zhiyong, 2018). Collaborative conflict management style
majorly involves combining perspectives and views, learning, and integrating solutions.
Additionally, it also involves obtaining commitment and enhancing relationships between the
two parties or individuals in a conflict situation (Lu and Wang, 2017).
This style, collaborating, is fundamental because it enhances open discussions about
issues, equality at work, task proficiency, and better innovations and improves problem-solving
skills in the workplace or within the organization (Muxiao and Yin and Liao, 2020). It is very
appropriate and worth recommending since it enables managers to prove their solving skills
without any party feeling shortchanged or case of bias. However, it is disadvantageous in the
sense that it is time-consuming. Based on that, there is a high possibility that it might cause the
organization to extend some of the deadlines that may delay productivity depending on the
parties involved. That can lead to a loss on the side of the organization (Meng, Y. & Haiyun and
Zhenzhong and Zhiyong, 2018).
Accommodating
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Accommodating style is a conflict management strategy through which one individual or
party has to self-sacrifice to satisfy the other party's demand or need. It is the direct opposite of
the competing kind. It majorly involves putting the other party's condition before one's own by
allowing them to win and get their way out. The urge majorly facilitates a peaceful relationship
between the two parties (Redmond and Jameson and Binder, 2016). It occurs when one of the
parties in a conflict situation does not care much about the issue than the other party. It can also
happen if that other party considers that raising the conflict is not worth considering other factors
like their personal relationship. They might decide to give peacefully to allow peace to prevail or
avoid the unnecessary argument that might, in return, tarnish their relationship or create other
issues. Such style can also be applied when one party thinks they are wrong on the subject being
argued out (Jehn and Suzanne and Nailah and Wafa, 2017). Even though this method may
sometimes be considered weak, it is the absolute best choice to resolve small conflicts between
individuals or two parties, thereby enabling them to go on with other more critical issues.
Because the supporting style is too cooperative on the resolver's side, there is a high possibility
that it can lead to resentment (Parmer, 2018).
It is mostly considered a generous form of conflict resolution style; however, there is a
high possibility of the weak being oppressed since it is mainly affected by personality traits
(Redmond and Jameson and Binder, 2016). It needs a very high level of cooperation and
assertiveness to satisfy other parties' needs. It is mostly useful or applied when an individual or
party wants to prove that they are more reasonable. The most important or significant part of this
conflict management style, accommodating, is that it enabled organizations to handle small cases
of disagreement quickly and quickly with a minimum effort. It also allows organizational
managers to build a reputation as easygoing individuals, thereby enhancing practical cooperation
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with the rest of the staff. Employees will feel free to speak out their minds about some of the
issues affecting them without reprisal (Jehn and Suzanne and Nailah and Wafa, 2017). As a
result, it is worth noting that the style is more effective in enhancing high performance and
establishing goodwill within an organization. Managers can also maintain a peaceful working
environment through accommodating (Jehn and Suzanne and Nailah and Wafa, 2017).
However, the most significant disadvantage of this form of conflict management style is that the
mediators might be considered weak personalities because they often accommodate them.
Accommodating conflict management style is not that appropriate to handle complicated or
extensive issues in a meaningful way and is advised to be avoided in such instances. In making it
more effective, there is a need for individual personal skills such as selflessness, self-sacrifice,
hard work, and obedience (Parmer, 2018).
Compromising
The compromising style is one of the most effective conflict management styles that
organizational managers apply to resolve complicated issues. It aims at getting a sensible,
interchangeably acceptable conclusion that partially contains both parties involved in the conflict
(Bordia and Nerina and Kristen and Jimmieson, 2016). The method or style sustains some
assertiveness and cooperativeness. It seeks to find a middle ground by engaging both parties to
concede some of their desires or concerns to reach a solution. The method is sometimes referred
to as lose-lose. That is because a conclusion is arrived at without a clear winner among the two
parties in the conflict. Both parties have to give up or in some of their demand to enable them to
reach out on large issues (Malgorzata and Hillie and Martin, 2020). However, the process
compromising style is most appropriate when there is enough time crunch. It is also very relevant
or should be considered when there is a high need for a solution to be reached rather than a
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perfect solution. A compromising conflict management style is also utilized and more
appropriate when both parties involved in the conflict are equally powerful and similarly
committed to their different perceptions (Masa'deh and Zaid and Nussera, 2016).
The compromising conflict management style is mostly applied when there is a serious
argument or conflict that might cause severe damage to the organization. For instance, it is good
at solving a dispute between two prominent or executive members of organizational
management. Such individuals are people with high social status; therefore, it sometimes
becomes hard handling them; the best way is to engage them and convince them to drop their
tough stand and give in some of their demands and reach an agreement (Bordia and Nerina and
Kristen and Jimmieson, 2016).
However, some advantages are attached to this form of conflict management. For
instance, it is a quicker style or method of resolving conflict, and both parties or individuals will
be able to understand the person's perspective better. Through compromise, the organization can
set a stage for effective collaboration down the road, thereby allowing both parties to feel heard.
It is also a straightforward method of determining managers' ability to facilitate an agreement
and exercise their problem solving skills through finding a solution. Despite the several benefits
attached to this kind of conflict management system, compromising, also has certain drawbacks
or disadvantages that include a high possibility of both parties or one of them leaving
unconvinced or unhappy (Masa'deh and Zaid and Nussera, 2016). That is because they are forced
to give in some of their concern that they might consider being very significant. In some cases,
one side might assume they have sacrificed too much; therefore, they might be unwilling to
compromise again in the future. Additionally, another critical disadvantage of this style is that
managers who rely on the technique have a high possibility of destroying the good will of their
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employees' goodwill, therefore, portraying them as unable to execute collaboration (Masa'deh
and Zaid and Nussera, 2016).
Avoiding
Another prominent style through which conflict can be managed is by avoiding. It is a
conflict management strategy whereby an individual or a party ensures that it does not engage or
get involved in a conflict situation by merely avoiding the conflict or ignoring its existence. By
avoiding conflict management style, individuals can also achieve it by simply ignoring a row;
through that, it will easily pass without engaging in an argument (Saibo, 2016). Through this
style, individuals or parties have to sacrifice their concern to avoid confrontation or engage in a
discussion that might result in other issues like a poor relationship. Avoiding conflict
management style is characterized by low cooperation and self-assertiveness that delay or ignore
the dispute (Meeus and Hale and Luyckk and Branje and Missotten, 2017). Avoiding style is
mostly preferred by organizations or individuals in situations where there are complications of
low importance; therefore, it will be much easier for one party to sacrifice their concern for the
cause of peace or avoid an unnecessary argument. In an organization, conflicts can be managed
through avoidance. Individuals or parties can sometimes be removed from the project they
conflict over, or they can also be reassigned to other departments to avoid conflicts. To some
extent, the organizational management might even decide to push or extend the deadline to cater
to the time taken reallocating the conflicting teams or individuals.
Avoiding style can only be an effective conflict resolution style if there is a chance or
high opportunity that a cool-down period would be helpful or when the parties involved or one
feels it should be given a little more time to consider their stance conflict. Through that, they
might lower or change their perspective or given in to the other group or party's concern.
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However, such a style cannot be applied when both parties have maintained a tough stand and
are not ready to give in, mostly when there is no more time (Meeus and Hale and Luyckk and
Branje and Missotten, 2017). It is worth recommending for organizational managers to avoid
using avoidance as a substitute for proper resolution. That is based on the fact that pushing back
conflict can and will lead to more and more significant disputes down the line.
Avoiding the style of conflict management has got various benefits that the organization
as a whole can experience. For instance, it is instrumental in resolving a surprising amount of
issues or declining tension since it provides people with an opportunity to calm down and even
reconsider their stand on the conflict (Pervaiz and Ashgar, 2019). Enough time and space are
adequate to give individuals or parties involved much-needed perspective, and some issues will
get to resolve themselves in the process. Additionally, avoiding style is the only way managers
can trust employees to act maturely in resolving an issue. Despite the benefits attached to the
type, it also has some disadvantages that include a high possibility of making the conflict worse,
mostly when used in the wrong situation. Avoidance style might portray managers as
incompetent and individuals who lack good problem-solving skills, which is a good manager's
critical factor. That is likely to occur when they overuse the style; employees might consider
them incapable of handling disagreement. Misuse of avoiding conflict management style can
cause decreased input level, default decision making, and allowing issues to fester and
deteriorate. Additionally, it can cause a communication breakdown among the same
organization, thereby affecting effective collaboration and organizational performance (Pervaiz
and Ashgar, 2019).
Conclusion and Recommendation
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Conclusively, Conflict resolution styles are very significant to individuals and
organizations because it saves them from destruction and incurring losses. Conflicts are
widespread in any organization; therefore, it is reasonable or more appropriate for organizations
to design better conflict management styles to enhance better performance ad practical
cooperation among the staff. Five basic conflict management styles are more relevant, and
management should consider which applications to use to make the right decisions. They include
Competing, Collaboration, Compromising, Avoiding, and Accommodating styles of conflict
management.
Organizations do determine the style of conflict management to use depending on various
factors, for instance, period, social status of the individuals, or the position they hold, the
urgency of the issue, or complexity, among other factors. Organizational managers should,
therefore, choose the right style depending on the situation. They also need to have good
problem-solving skills to enable them to handle conflicts more effectively and appropriately.
Some of the common challenges that they are likely to face while applying these styles include
poor workplace relations where some of the parties in the conflicts might feel shortchanged or
have been forced to give in unnecessarily. They might also experience a loss of much time,
mostly when negotiation takes a long to conclude. However, some of the expected benefits
attached to the five conflict management styles include effective collaboration and better
performance of the organization. It can also help determine managers' problem-solving skills and
employees' or the parties engaged critical thinking ability through their argument. Therefore, it is
work to recommend that organizational managers engage in the necessary thinking process to
develop an appropriate conflict management style that is more appropriate to their current
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situation. That is because they both have advantages and disadvantages attached to them
depending on the issue or problem.
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