Personal Definition of Conflict and Approach to Conflict

Personal Definition of Conflict and Approach to Conflict
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Personal Definition of Conflict and Approach to Conflict
How I approach Conflict
When faced with a conflicting situation, I tend to collaborate. Collaboration is suitable where the conflict entails something significant, commitment is needed from all the parties and relationships need to be maintained. I believe that people conflict on important issues. When people consider their view to be the most important, they may fail to see the perspective of others. The failure to acknowledge the perspective of others can make it challenging for people to reach an agreement. As a result, collaboration becomes critical to create a win-win outcome. Instead of relying on my perspective alone, I tend to incorporate the insight of others and find the best way of addressing the issue at hand. Collaboration requires the conflicting parties to possess strong interpersonal skills. This is because the method needs a lot of engagement between conflicting individuals. Additionally, the parties must trust each other while remaining open to new ideas. When I engage people in a conflict, I remain open to integrative possibilities.
I use collaboration more often because of its numerous benefits. Firstly, it results in high-quality decisions. In the workplace, decision-making is required because it determines the way forward. Solving a conflict through collaboration leads to seeking incentive solutions that are more advanced compared to each individual’s initial position. The approach allows me to understand the best of the other person, as I also allow them to understand my view on the issue. Secondly, collaboration facilitates communication. It allows communication which leads to discovery through an open exchange of information. As I communicate with someone else. I discover more about them because of the open dialogue. Additionally, collaboration enhances resolution and commitment. When I use the approach, I work towards meeting their concerns, which improves my commitment to the decision made. Lastly, I have seen collaboration strengthen my relationships with other people. After a conflict, it is possible for relationships to be strained, even when the issue has been resolved. However, when I use the collaboration approach, I build trust and respect by addressing the issues in-depth.
Approach and Situation
While collaboration is the major approach I use in conflicts, I can also apply other approaches depending on the situation. At home, I tend to be more accommodating. The approach is unassertive and cooperative. When engaging with family members, I tend to neglect my concerns and address those of other people. Since I consider family important, I have no problem sacrificing for the benefit of the other person. For instance, when I have a conflict with my parents, I obey their orders, when ordinarily I would prefer not to do so. I yield to others’ points of view by accommodating their beliefs. I use accommodating to understand the perspective of others and hence give up my view so that we can agree. I believe that for people I value like family, it is important to sacrifice my interests to solve a conflict. Because of being accommodative, I find it easy to go along with my family members.
However, in the workplace, I tend to shift to compromising. In most cases, workplace conflicts emerge where parties have different approaches to an issue. In such cases, I believe that compromise is the most effective approach to dealing with an issue. Here, I encourage the parties involved to find mutually acceptable solutions, which partially satisfy both parties. Compromising is instrumental because it falls on a middle ground between competing and accommodating. Unlike avoiding, compromising in the workplace addresses an issue more directly, but without attaining the depths of collaborating. Since workmates want to feel that someone understands their view, I encourage a situation where I meet halfway with the other party. Through compromise, I split the difference and seek a middle ground where everyone feels satisfied. I take time to listen to the problems a colleague has and work towards seeing what I can compromise while asking them to do the same thing. I use compromise to ensure that workmates feel that I care about their point of view.
Confidence in Conflicts
Before undertaking the class, I used to fear getting into conflict. I would do whatever it took to avoid getting into an issue with anyone. Sometimes, a friend or schoolmate would wrong me and I would keep it to myself to avoid getting into a conflict with them. Even where someone was wrong, I would avoid disagreeing with them if I felt that the engagement is likely to be a source of conflict. Whenever conflicts emerged I felt that I could not handle the process and the outcome. In particular, I avoided conflicts with people I felt had high power. I would be careful to avoid any form of conflict with people with authority. For instance, I would be careful when engaging with a supervisor or any senior person. In the case an issue escalated to a conflict, I felt less confident to handle it. I did not consider myself capable of handling an issue amicably.
However, through the weeks, I have realized that conflict is normal. I discovered that it is normal for teams or groups to disagree on various issues. While I used to perceive conflict as negative, I now appreciate healthy conflict as instrumental in an organization’s growth. I have learned that people are different and perceive issues from different perspectives. Hence, instead of looking at conflict as destructive, it is more like a situational opportunity. According to Singleton et al. (2011), a situational opportunity implies that people can articulate their past, present, and future ideas, situations, and issues that offer room for resolving issues and understanding their cause. I have learned that through conflict, an organization becomes more creative and innovative. When employees disagree, they are merely presenting different perspectives about an issue, and when these opinions are factored in, an organization comes up with an effective way of addressing an issue. In the process, such an organization becomes more innovative. In organizations where employees have the same kind of thinking, they will always produce the same results. However, conflict comes to bring different perspectives, which leads to creative solutions.
As a result, I feel more confident when I enter conflict situations. I have a better understanding that conflict is normal and expected. When I encounter conflicting issues, I do not shy away and try to avoid them. Instead, I approach conflict boldly because I know that resolving it would be instrumental for the success of an organization. I no longer fear disagreeing with people around me. I understand that they are entitled to think differently just as I am. Hence, I no longer fear entering into conflict because I know that handling the issue well will bring an innovative solution. I feel that my behavior leaves something that others can desire. When in a conflict, I am accommodative of other people’s opinions. I seek to understand their view and appreciate that they have something important to communicate. Further, I am honest when dealing with others. Because of honesty, people can trust what I say. They understand that my actions are meant for the good of everyone. Additionally, I employ excellent communication skills to articulate my issues. I believe that communication is key to achieving an amicable solution.
Personal behaviors
The following behaviors and skillsets are instrumental in enhancing conflicting situations. Firstly, communication is key when engaging in a conflicting situation. It is through communication that people exchange information and get feedback. Without good communication, it is impossible to arrive at a solution (Lewitter, Bourne & Attwood, 2019). Parties in a conflict need to engage each other to address the issues affecting them. When I get into a conflict, I use effective communication to reach out to others. I take note of who I am communicating with and adjust my language and nonverbal skills. I normally refrain from using inappropriate language. I ensure that my communication remains respectful so that the other party can feel comfortable engaging me.
Secondly, problem-solving skills are important in assisting people to approach challenges objectively and consider more possible solutions. Problem-solving skills enable people to tackle a problem, rather than deny it (Aydin Güç & Daltaban, 2021). Without such skills, a conflict will escalate to harmful levels. I have developed problem-solving skills which I use to address conflict situations. For instance, I can evaluate the different solutions and consider multiple interests and points of view. In such a case, I look at the different proposals from others and see what can work best in the current situation. I do not make decisions in a conflict without considering what others think about the same. Because of my problem-solving skills, I am willing to confront issues rather than avoid them. In the case I do not arrive at a solution, I am willing to revisit the unresolved issues and identify another approach that can work.
Thirdly, conflict management needs stress management skills. In the workplace, stress can create stressful situations for workers. The inability to manage emotions makes it impossible for workers to address issues affecting them. I can manage my emotions well and hence cope with conflicting situations. Conflict is frustrating, which increases the level of stress (Lee, Huh & Reigeluth, 2015). With more stress, people are unable to calm down and work with others to resolve the underlying issues. When stress increases, I take well-timed breaks to calm down and reduce my temper. I also encourage my teammates to take a break and focus on other less stressful things. When emotions are released, then people can collaborate more toward finding an amicable way of addressing contentious issues. Because of my conflict management skills, I can engage in highly stressful issues and find a solution.
Additionally, maintaining a positive attitude when in a conflict is instrumental in addressing the underlying issue. Building a more cohesive workplace means maintaining a positive attitude towards the rest of the workmates. I appr...