In a Nutshell
It's important to remember
that there are many strategies we can use in conflict situations, but each
of us tends to habitually use some strategies more often than others.
To most effectively resolve a conflict, we should use the strategy that
is most appropriate for that particular conflict situation. However,
that strategy might not be the strategy that we habitually use.
The Wrong Strategy for Shaun Williams
How often do we make the
mistake that Shaun Williams (celebrating in the photo above) made on Sunday;
i.e., responding to a conflict situation the way we feel like responding
rather than the way we should respond? The incident occurred
at the end of a very close game--a time when his team could not afford
any penalties. When tempers flared between one of Williams' teammates
and an opponent, Williams ran across the field and began to fight.
Predictably, his team was penalized and he was ejected. The penalty
was very unfortunate as his team, the Giants, narrowly lost the game.
The loss brought their season to an end. Williams' poor choice of
a conflict management strategy was a giant blunder.
To manage conflict well,
we have to remember that there are several conflict management strategies.
The key to managing conflict well is choosing and executing the strategy
that best fits the situation.
Conflict Management
Strategies
There is a menu of strategies
we can choose from when in conflict situations:
Matching Strategies
to Situations
There are a few key variables
that define conflict management situations and determine which conflict
management strategies are likely to be effective. Time
pressure is an important variable--if there were never any time
pressures, collaboration might always be the best approach to use.
In addition to time pressures, some of the most important factors to consider
are issue importance, relationship importance, and relative power:
Photo Credit
AP Photo/Bernie Nunez:
e-mailed to me from Yahoo! News, (www.news.yahoo.com)
Sources and Additional References
Aldag, R. J., & Kuzuhara,
L. W. (2002). Organizational behavior and management: An
integrated skills approach. Cincinnati, OH: South-Western Thomson
Learning.
Hellriegel, D., Slocum,
J. W., & Woodman, R. W. (2001). Organizational behavior,
(9th ed.). Cincinnati, OH: South-Western Thomson Learning.
Whetten, D. A., & Cameron,
K. S. (2002). Developing management skills, (5th ed.).
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
About the Newsletter
and Subscriptions
LeaderLetter is written
by Dr. Scott Williams, Department of Management, Raj
Soin College of Business, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.
It is a supplement to my MBA 751 - Managing People in Organizations class.
It is intended to reinforce the course concepts and maintain communication
among my former MBA 751 students, but anyone is welcome to subscribe.
In addition, subscribers are welcome to forward this newsletter to anyone
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E-mail Your Comments
Whether you are one of my
former students or not, I invite you to share any insights or concerns
you have regarding the topic of this newsletter or any other topic relating
to management skills. Please e-mail
them to me. Our interactions have been invaluable. Every
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Let's keep the conversation going.
Kid Quotes
A three-year-old went with his dad to see a litter of kittens. On returning home, he breathlessly informed his mother there were 2 boy kittens and 2 girl kittens. "How did you know?" his mother asked. "Daddy picked them up and looked underneath," he replied, "I think it's printed on the bottom."
On the first day of school, the Kindergarten teacher said, "If anyone has to go to the bathroom, hold up two fingers." A little voice from the back of the room asked, "How will that help?"
A mother and her young son returned from the grocery store and began putting away the groceries. The boy opened the box of animal crackers and spread them all over the table. "What are you doing?" his mother asked. "The box says you can't eat them if the seal is broken," the boy explained. "I'm looking for the seal."
A father was reading Bible stories to his young son. He read, "The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city, but his wife looked back and was turned to salt." His son asked, "What happened to his flea?"