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Managing Conflict: Personal Approaches

Conflict, whether in the form of disagreements between intimate partners and friends or on the larger scale of hostilities between countries or interest groups, is challenging and requires careful strategies for management. Communication theorists such as Trenholm and Jensen (352) note that conflicts and differences of opinion are normal elements of all communication contexts. The approach taken to managing conflict and diffusing it may vary from individual to individual but at its heart, conflict management involves the art of negotiation which seeks to diffuse tension, to reach a decision that is mutually acceptable to the parties, and to prevent future disputes covering the same issues. This essay will present a personal assessment of conflict management approaches, using examples to illustrate a style of accommodation that seeks to create a win-win-situation for all concerned.

The five conflict management styles commonly identified in the literature are the competing, avoiding, collaborating or problem-solving, compromising, and accommodating styles (Conflict Management Styles, 1). Each of these approaches, according to Barker and Barker (170) can be useful in managing interpersonal conflicts effectively and efficiently. Each contains an element of rationality and provides an opportunity for the parties to the conflict to express their opinions and, hopefully, arrive at a decision.

However, the competing and problem-solving or collaborating styles have been identified as more assertive. The avoiding and accommodating styles are unassertive whereas the compromising style is perhaps the most moderate combination of a degree of assertiveness and a willingness to refrain from competing. It emphasizes cooperation and both parties give up some of their needs in order to meet other needs.

In my experience, the compromising style seems to work best when the parties have a permanent relationship either through wor...

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Managing Conflict: Personal Approaches. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 02:38, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/2000326.html