Conflict Resolution Strategies, Resolution and Compromise
conflict resolution
All of us have faced conflicts at some point or the other in our lives. We could get into conflicts at home, with our parents, spouses, siblings or children. Conflicts can occur while commuting to our work places, at the office itself or while dealing with clients. Conflicts are known to occur even while we are at play.
The effects of these conflicts are serious and far reaching. In our home conflicts lead to strained relations with our near and dear ones. Over time this results in an inability to communicate and inevitably leads to the breaking up of the family.
In offices conflicts with co-workers leads to a lack of cooperation among employees and this makes work difficult for everybody. The consequence of having a conflict with one’s boss could be the holding back of increments and promotions or even the loss of the job. As a manager, the upshot of having a conflict with an employee could be the loss of the worker who may have been good in his job in other ways. The outcome of a conflict with a client could be disastrous both for the employee as well as the company. All these types of conflicts ultimately lead to a loss of productivity in the work place.
Conflicts that occur while we are playing or otherwise relaxing negates the very purpose of recreation. We find ourselves getting all tensed up while we should in fact be unwinding.
The ill effects of a conflict are felt for a long time. A conflict, for example, in the office may continue to play on the mind of a person with the result that he is very likely to snap at his wife when he gets home.
How does one tackle conflicts? The best way obviously would be to prevent or otherwise avoid conflicts. However this is not always possible and conflicts will always occur. Over the years management gurus have realized that most of the techniques used to control conflicts at home can be applied to conflicts in other places.
One of the most important strategies of dealing with conflicts is Communication. While regular verbal communication is of prime importance at home, the use of memos and e-mail is preferred in the work place as oral communication can be forgotten or misunderstood, leading to conflicts. Even after a conflict has risen, repeated and positive communication can lead to a solution.
Being Supportive of the conflicting parties is another method used to resolve conflicts. Give a patient and non-judgmental hearing to both sides in a disagreement. A good listener will be able to help a great deal in solving a problem.
Setting limits or boundaries for a person’s behavior is one important strategy in conflict resolution. Boundaries which are used in a home situation are much better than rules which are usually used in offices.
Always be positive while trying to resolve problems.
Compromising is also one strategy to deal with conflicts. A good compromise is when both parties feel they have got their way. To resolve a conflict make both parties feel that they are in a win-win situation.