Sooner or later there will be an explosion: no one can live without conflicts. One common form is when a person disagrees with a group. But if squabbles get out of hand, cohesion and, at some point, success will be at stake. Conflict resolution techniques are needed. How can you learn to find compromises with a company? What are conflict resolution strategies?
In this article:
Why resolve conflicts with a group? Conflict resolution strategies and their assessment Different types of conflicts How to recognize conflicts in a group Reducing the likelihood of conflict: 4 important factors 8 questions about conflict resolution
Why resolve conflicts with the group?
Photo by Angela Roma: Pexels
It’s cruel but true: in this world, conflicts are more normal than exceptional. For example, in the workplace. Harmony and harp sounds? Rarely seen. The good news is that many conflicts disappear on their own.
It is not necessary to settle every dispute by turning to a mediator. Other conflicts flare up regularly - or swing so high that an explanatory conversation over tea and cookies is no longer enough to resolve them. However, resolving disagreements is important for the health of the participants and the success of the entire group.
Forms of manifestation
Conflict between groups can occur in different scenarios:
- rivalry - when communities need to achieve the same goal;
- clash - in this case, groups seek to cause harm to each other;
- domination - one group tries to dominate and control another, while the second puts up resistance;
- avoidance - a group or individual tries to withdraw, to avoid interaction by any means;
- suppression - one group gains an advantage and begins to impose its own rules;
- adaptation is the desire of one group or individual to adapt to another group for the sake of maintaining status, peace of mind, life.
The form of manifestation depends on the size of the group, the strength and capabilities of its participants, the likely degree of punishment that will follow upon submission, and the willingness to take risks.
Conflict resolution strategies and their assessment
Dispute mediation is the best form of conflict resolution. But there are different, more or less reasonable, conflict resolution strategies:
The escape
Those who run away follow an avoidance strategy. This can be useful when the enemy is much stronger. At the same time, this is not a real solution to the conflict, because the “refugee” has no room for maneuver.
Struggle
He who fights can win an argument or discussion. However, this is not always satisfactory—the law of the strong does not necessarily lead to the best solutions. But this is especially important when it comes to collaboration.
5 Ways to Resolve Conflict
Resignation
The other side of the coin is to give up early. So, you have peace of mind, but again you cannot voice your ideas and desires. Thus, resignation is not suitable as a permanent conflict resolution strategy.
Mediation
If the battles are completely bitter, a neutral perspective can help resolve the conflict. This can be done through mediation or observation.
Compromise
To compromise, the conflicting parties need significantly greater tolerance. This is only a partial agreement, as the parties are giving up some aspects. Moreover, the cause of the conflict has not been fully resolved. So this is also not an ideal option.
Agreement
Agreement or cooperation can be reached if both parties to the conflict find common solutions. The point is not to unilaterally force something, but to develop a constructive solution to the conflict.
Coordinating a conflict situation
Every clash that could turn into confrontation can be extinguished. If it is no longer possible to stop, then you should treat it as evenly as possible and try to come to a denominator that satisfies both opponents.
When starting to resolve tensions, it is necessary to do preparatory work and identify your tasks. When you plan to resolve the situation through negotiations, you should choose the right time for the meeting.
For sound conflict management, it is necessary not to forget about your interests and understand the benefits of your opponent. During the meeting, calmly voice your interests and clarify whether your opponent is ready to make efforts to resolve the conflict. Offer several options. And if they deviate, then you will have to work on resolving the confrontation on your own.
When the conflicting party is ready to resolve everything peacefully, decide which side you are on, yours or your opponent’s. The main thing is to understand, not to win at any cost.
The reasons that caused the clash should be calmly discussed and identified what led to the conflict:
By offering the best, there is no need to blame and attack. When defending your judgment, you should not put pressure on your opponent
Pressure is not the right behavior; it only leads to limiting the capabilities of those in conflict. It is important to watch your speech. And do not use words that humiliate a person. Avoid using the words “never” and “no way”
And remember the proverb “the word is silver, but silence is gold.” Sometimes it’s easier to leave things unsaid than to launch into a tirade that could escalate the conflict. When discussing a situation, there is no need to attack a person. You need to talk about the problem, not about personality traits. Do not cling to trifles, but solve the main issues. It is better to express your thoughts and feelings openly. Honesty and sincerity will enable your opponent to better understand and, perhaps, accept your point of view. Tell us what worries and worries you. Voiced concern is one of the stages of defending your views.
Different types of conflicts
There are different types of conflicts. These are, for example, value conflicts, power conflicts, goal conflicts, relationship conflicts or perception conflicts. The causes of the conflict may be specific:
- Personal animosity.
- Different values (politics, religion, society, etc.).
- Envy and jealousy among colleagues.
- Tension due to increasing pressure from competitors.
- Mobbing.
Giphy
- Weak leadership.
- Stress and excessive demands.
- Fuzzy assignments and task distribution.
- Health problems.
Knowing these types of conflicts can be a step towards resolving them. Because a vigilant observer can recognize a problem through certain premises.
Kinds
What is group conflict? Group conflicts are divided into subjects and objects. They are also distinguished by the method of confrontation, the size of the group, and reasons. Therefore, it is difficult to identify a single classification.
By subject:
- national;
- territorial;
- class;
- class;
- professional;
- generations;
- related.
By object:
- socio-economic;
- political and legal, when there is a division of power and influence;
- ideological.
Conflicts can be distinguished by the way they manifest themselves - obvious or hidden. To what extent are they understood by group members and are they adequately perceived?
Conflicts can be aimed at constructive goals or destructive ones. They also differ in their methods of regulation.
Read about pedagogical conflicts and ways to resolve them here.
How to recognize conflicts in a group
Resolving conflict is not always easy. But first you need to recognize it as such. This is not always so simple, especially in large, extensive companies and groups. Signs of impending conflict may include (for example, at work):
- The number of reports of illness is increasing.
- There were requests from employees for transfers.
- Employees quit.
- The error rate is increasing.
- The tone becomes noticeably rougher.
- Employees just dump work on each other.
- An individual changes his behavior noticeably.
Reducing the likelihood of conflict: 4 important factors
How to reduce the likelihood of conflict between an individual and a group? These four factors help:
- Communication: one-on-one conversations, rationale for decisions.
- Transparency: keep things informed, explain processes.
- Appreciation: Take into account the wishes of each group member.
- Participation: search for solutions together, give freedom of choice.
Conflict resolution:
Protection
If the conflict has already fully escalated, immediate action must be taken. Especially when you, as a manager, feel that one of the employees is in danger - because he is constantly being insulted or even threatened, or his health is in poor condition.
Photo by Monstera: Pexels
Spatial separation of brawlers is often the first step. Even warnings to fire individual employees may well be an option. But this is the last resort - if all else fails.
Mediation
Otherwise, you should first clarify who is responsible. Who should be the mediator between the fighters? Someone has to fill this role, otherwise no one will feel responsible. This could be a team leader or the HR department at work.
It is important that he or she actively guides the process from start to finish, for example by holding individual discussions and suggesting compromises. Basically: keep the pool of participants as small as possible. Otherwise, the confrontation between two people threatens to escalate into a street fight involving everyone in the group.
Connection
During the conversation, you can explore the main questions: how did the conflict arise? What are the positions of the two opponents? Who or what contributed to the dispute? It is best to ask each applicant to tell his or her side of the story and listen to his or her point of view.
Photo by Anna Shvets: Pexels
It is important for the mediator to maintain a neutral position, calmness and objectivity. Anyone siding with one of the two sides increases the risk of escalation. The moderator must focus on resolving the conflict - and therefore on the future. How can we get out of this together? The reasons and the question of guilt are important, but the solutions are more important. It is best to find a solution that is fair for both parties to the conflict and for the group as a whole. The emphasis is on honesty.
Monitoring success
Conflict resolution is a matter of trial and error. If it was possible to physically separate two rivals, but conflicts continue to flare up at the next meeting, the problem is not solved.
Therefore, it may also be appropriate to insist on compliance with the (newly established) rules. According to the motto: “We agreed that we will act one way or another if something is unclear. Please stick to it!”
What is conflictology?
Conflictology is a discipline that studies the patterns of processes such as the emergence, development, resolution and completion of conflict.
One of the people who laid the foundations of the general theory of conflict was Karl Marx. He developed the doctrine of contradiction and developed a model of social change. After him, the foundations of the doctrine of conflict were formulated by the American sociologist Jonathan Turner. In addition, the American sociologist Lewis Coser and the German sociologist and philosopher Georg Simmel made a huge contribution to the development of conflictology science. If we study other sources, we can conclude that mainly sociologists, psychologists and political scientists took part in the development of conflictology in general, both in our country and abroad.
However, several significant circumstances allow us to draw a line between domestic and foreign conflictology:
- Abroad, attempts to create a theory of conflict were made back in the 19th century.
- Abroad, more approaches are used to study conflicts
- Abroad, conflictology is taught at the largest universities
- Bachelor's and Master's degrees in conflict management are available abroad
- Abroad, conflictology is a science, mainly of an applied nature.
As for domestic conflictology, the first publications on this topic appeared only in the 20s of the 20th century (the first work dates back to 1924; its authors are M. I. Mogilevsky and P. O. Griffin). In these works, the problem of conflicts was first identified as an independent one, and the term “conflict” already appears in the titles themselves. And as a separate science, conflictology took shape in Russia in the early 90s. At present, Russian researchers are paying more and more attention to conflictology and the problem of conflict.
Now the time has come to say a few words about the central concept of conflictology - conflict.
Conflict in its general understanding is the most acute way to resolve contradictions in views, goals, and interests that arise during social interaction. The essence of the conflict lies in the confrontation between its participants, accompanied by negative emotions. Often this confrontation goes beyond social norms and rules.
But conflictology distinguishes between two main types of conflicts - social conflict and intrapersonal conflict.
Social conflict is the most acute way of developing and resolving contradictions that are important for people that arise during their interaction. The essence of such a conflict is similar to the essence expressed in the above definition of conflict.
Intrapersonal conflict is an acute negative experience caused by a long-term struggle of the internal psychological structures of the individual, reflecting the contradictory connections of a person with the social environment, and also complicating and delaying decision-making.
The ability to recognize and prevent the occurrence of conflict, as well as to manage and neutralize it, opens up enormous opportunities for a person. It allows any person not only to effectively resolve problematic situations and successfully get out of difficult situations associated with conflicts, but also to anticipate potentially dangerous situations and take appropriate actions to suppress them. By and large, such a skill can make a person’s life more harmonious, painted in brighter colors and filled with predominantly positive emotions. Of course, we should not idealize, but if all people on the planet applied the principles of effective conflict prevention and resolution in their lives, then, for sure, there would be less disagreement, hatred, and wars in the world.
Here is a simple example at the everyday level: if, for example, two family members do not know conflict resolution skills, then if a dispute, misunderstanding, or disagreement arises, the situation with a high degree of probability can develop into a serious family scandal, the result of which can simply be negative emotions of people towards to each other, and complete discord and even a break in family relationships. But when at least one person has the skills of conflict management, he is able, firstly, to prevent the situation from getting out of control and leading to devastating consequences, and secondly, to make sure that it does not appear at all, because he can recognize it before it even appears. And this can be applied not only to the area of family relationships, but also to any other.
