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International researchers in conflict management agree that work disputes, and the styles we use to manage them, can exist at individual, group and organizational levels. There are individual conflict resolution styles that can be understood and modeled, thus learned and selected for use through written and spoken language. According to the well-researched Thomas-Kilmann model (1976), there are five styles for managing conflict, as represented by these names:
The descriptions above are simple, while we all know that conflict can be complex, especially when the conflict exists at greater than individual levels. The idea that all five of the individual styles respond to social conditions means that styles, and learning to use them flexibly, will develop through experience. Each style is a bonus in certain situations and work environments.
As adults, we are constantly learning and evolving so that we can learn to think about situations, flex styles, and choose resolution language and behaviors that work most effectively in particular situations. Could you identify all five styles if you saw/heard people operating with them? Can you identify the one that you use most often?
The following is a case study to test your knowledge about conflict management styles:
Work has been stalled for two weeks on the project due to no meeting of the minds. Jim will not see Maya's way, and she will not agree to his although she will include some large corporations on her list. They have both threatened to resign over the dispute. Jim and Maya both had excellent records of job performance prior to being assigned as co-chairs of the fundraiser. Can you identify each of their predominant styles in this case, based on the five styles described above?
Conflict management skills are important to use when a worker feels that someone else has frustrated, or is on the verge of frustrating, his/her concerns or goals. There are free online tools to help you identify your own conflict management style. Dunson & Associates provides conflict management training that helps employees to identify and mediate conflict, as well as improve conflict management styles.
For More Information
Click here for a glimpse of information on a course that will reveal the strengths and weaknesses of your own style and the details of the style(s)s described in the case study above. Learn to understand the benefit of conflict through practical exercises, and how to flex your own response style to great advantage. Get information on relevant coaching and skills training through our seminar, "Responding to Conflict...in a Day".
To share your comments on the case study above, or for more information on Dunson & Associates, contact Debi@dunsonandassociates.com or call (937) 854-5940, ext 7.
©2019 - Debi Ford is HRD Liaison at Dunson & Associates. Contributing to organizations as a psychotherapist, corporate trainer, and psychology professor, Debi cultivates maximum effectiveness through a rich understanding of human behavior.
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