The Different Approaches to Conflict Management
Conflicts come in many shapes and sizes, and so do conflict management practices. Imagine conflict management as a toolkit, with different tools for different situations. We’ll explore these tools and equip you with the skills to choose the right one for the job. Let’s take a look at some of these models and approaches now!
How you handle conflicts depends on how much you care about both your own outcomes and the outcomes of others. When you’re dealing with a conflict that needs to be resolved, you might care more or less about how the result affects you. For example, if a co-worker is granted holiday during the week you wanted off, you may want to fight to claim that time off for yourself (high concern for self) or you might forfeit the time off knowing that it will allow you to take a longer vacation next year (low concern for self). At the same time, you may have more or less concern for how the outcome is for the other party. Following the same example, you may want to claim that time off for yourself because you remember the same thing happened last year, and you don’t think your colleague should get that week off again (low concern for other). Or, you may want your colleague to have the time off because you learn that they have a sick parent they need to care for (high concern for other).
While one’s conflict management approach may change depending on each situation, in general we have relatively consistent preferences and approaches to conflict. There are five such approaches defined by different levels of concern for self and concern for other: accommodation, avoidance, competition, collaboration/integration, and compromise.
Go through the following cards to learn more about the different approaches to conflict management:
Now that you have reviewed these principles, take some time to reflect on what you have learned.
Reflection
Take some time to think about the following question and discuss your answer with a colleague or think about it privately.
- Which of the five conflict management approaches are you most likely to use in the workplace?
- Why do you think this is and what are the benefits and drawbacks to this approach?
These five conflict approaches are commonly taught in North American business schools. They outline the most popular ways to handle conflict in Canadian companies. Both Canada and the U.S. emphasize individual needs and view people as separate from the group. On the other hand, in cultures that value the group over the individual, people see their own success as linked to the success of others. Studies show that in these group-focused cultures, people usually prefer resolving conflicts in ways that promote harmony, while in individual-focused cultures, people often choose more competitive ways to resolve conflicts.
But what about Indigenous cultural values and conflict management preferences?
This is what we will be exploring next!
