Conflict Management
CONFLICT is inevitable in any interpersonal relationship or among members of any group. While we encounter various types of conflict in many of our life situations, we often feel a lack of confidence and vision of what is really appropriate to do. Most students find the conflict in their personal relationships already quite stressful, thus any conflict within student organizations becomes overwhelmingly unbearable. Those who have lower tolerance level for anxiety often choose to leave the organization.
WHY do we shy away from dealing with our conflict? It is often because many of us were raised to believe that conflict is something to be avoided, an experience of failure. However, conflict does not have to lead to failure, or even to the termination of a relationship. We all come to see and experience the world in a different way, and we all have different ideas about what is best for "my group" or "our group". Recognizing this fact can help free us from the negative conclusion that conflict is a signal of failure. It is actually a signal that change is needed, and even possible.
The ability to manage conflict is probably one of the most important social skills an individual can possess.
There are several styles of conflict management that people use, some of which are more effective than others.
COMPETING - An individual pursues his or her own concerns at the other person's expense. This is a power oriented mode, in which one uses whatever power seems appropriate to win one's own position: one's ability to argue, one's rank, or economic sanctions. Competing might even mean standing up for your rights, defending a position which you believe correct, or simply trying to win.
ACCOMMODATING - The opposite of competing. When accommodat ...