Conflict management styles are various approaches that people and organizations use to handle conflicts in different situations.
Normally, there are 5 conflict management stylish used to settle conflicts.
These approaches can vary from avoidance and accommodation, where individuals may try to evade the conflict or give in to the other party’s demands, to collaboration and competition, where individuals may work together to find a mutually beneficial solution or compete to win.
Effective conflict management involves understanding and utilizing the appropriate style, which can help prevent further escalation and lead to successful conflict resolution.
It’s important to note that different conflicts may require different management styles, and individuals and organizations should be adaptable to the unique needs of each situation.
Table of Contents
5 Conflict Management Styles
I will explain all the conflict management styles in detail.
Let’s start!
1. Accommodating:
This style involves putting the other party’s needs before one’s own. It can be useful when you don’t feel strongly about the issue, when the conflict is not worth prolonging, or when you think you might be wrong.
Accommodation can resolve small conflicts quickly and with a minimum of effort, but it can also lead to resentment if overused.
2. Avoiding:
This style aims to reduce conflict by ignoring it or evading it in some manner.
I also written a detailed article on avoiding conflict management style. Read my article on avoiding conflict management style.
Avoidance can be useful if a cool-down period would be helpful, but it should not be used as a substitute for proper resolution. Overusing avoidance can make conflicts worse and make managers seem incompetent.
3. Compromising:
This style involves finding the middle ground by asking both parties to concede some aspects of their desires so that a solution can be agreed upon.
Compromise can resolve issues quickly, but it can also lead to resentment if overused.
4. Competing:
This style involves rejecting compromise and standing firm in what one believes is the correct handling of a situation.
Competing can resolve disputes quickly, but it can also lead to morale and productivity being lessened. This style should not be relied upon heavily.
5. Collaboration
This style is all about working together to find a mutually beneficial solution. Both parties work to find a solution that is better than any option either could have proposed alone. It involves active listening, brainstorming, and problem-solving together.
Collaboration is best used when both parties have an equal interest in the issue at hand, and when time is not a critical factor.
Conclusion
These 5 conflict management styles are used to settle a conflict between two parties. These two parties can be individuals or organizations. The case should be studied in depth before adopting any conflict management style.