How to engage with conflict
Conflict traditionally meant battling an opposing force. Contemporary version is being antagonistic or in outright disagreement with others. Conflict resolution is the resolve to correct the antagonism by handling disputes efficiently to thwart from deterring growth in leadership. Disagreements are unavoidable, as people have different personalities and expectations. Life in all domains requires negotiation as a basic means of engagement (Fisher et al, 2011). This brands conflict management crucial. Resolution approaches lie in the two major ones; hard and soft negotiations.
The latter perception suggests avoiding personal clash to achieve an agreement with an amicable resolve. Proposers however are later are left feeling subjugated. The hard negotiator perceives all such events as challenges to take extreme stands as hard liners to ensure winning. The principled negotiation methodology, both hard and soft has signaled in a negotiation insurrection. It is an alternative over disagreeing over stands in a situation. This is deemed as inefficient, unwise and still giving in by being gentle in negotiation is ill advised. Adopting the benefits from both is the principled negotiation. It merges all the approaches of peaceful conflict resolution.
Principled negotiation engages the persons or groups in conflict based on four perspectives.
Separating people from the problem is a leading view where depersonalizing the conflict is by pointing only at the issue rather than accusing participants. The issues that raise conflicts are usually highly emotive. Human beings are passionate and take a stand depending on emotions attached to their ego in that situation. This breeds stubbornness and complicates resolution. The negotiator must bring the parties to a level where parties are not antagonizing each other but concentrating on resolving the conflict at hand. Managing calmness amidst the emotive antagonism is critical at this point. Such attitude gives one individual more advantage over the other as they remain tranquil and unruffled. Conflict is escalated in anger as people stop listening to understand but to answer back. Anger is an ancillary emotion usually triggered as a defense mechanism to conceal fear or hurt that one is embarrassed about and it’s all consuming. To diffuse people’s anger, they must be listened to. An example is a conflict in a hospital set up; it can be emotive as it involves persons with a wide range of frustrations, the patients, health workers and management. It is a sensitive environment. They should be allowed to vent until they calm down and begin to feel safe enough to narrate their frustration. Conflicts can’t be effectively resolved till each partaker experiences being fully heard with respective perspective. The negotiator must be soft on the people but hard on the problem.
Another perspective is focusing on interests not positions, in a negotiation the parties state their stands to achieve their benefits which disguises the main goal of resolution. Compromise is unlikely to achieve an agreement that cuts across the said positions. All the interests should be fully explored such that the negotiator has no final say but just facilitate. Elementary commonalities are advanced between the antagonists by the negotiator’s skill of normalizing the situation. The issue is detailed tactfully without apportioning blame. This may only divert from the resolution course and is a costly. If a party feels blamed, they often check out of the discussion delaying the conflict resolution. The trick in resolution searches is to fix eyes on problem unraveling, not finger pointing.
The invention of multiple options to attain mutual gains is appropriate because coming up with optimal solutions while under pressure is difficult. It requires creativity to navigate the pressure points and amicably resolve the issue. The negotiator makes time for the parties to think through and establish way forward. There will be a wide range of possibilities to creatively reconcile the differing interests and achieve mutual level ground. Creativity will be achieved by brainstorming to expound on the options. Proposed ideas however should not be far-fetched. Production of win-win solutions is achievable not by just compromising but collaborating to influence amicable resolutions befitting everyone. Suggestions should be creative solutions that replace broken relationships even after the preliminary dispute.
A negotiator needs to insist that the resolve be founded on an objective standard. In many cases the participants’ interests will be directly opposed hence the antagonism. The negotiator must ensure that the agreement replicates impartial standards independent of the blunt will of either party. The decision should not necessarily be the opinion of the negotiator but a fair standard centered on other factors like expert opinion, custom or law. The principal participants are hence the problem solvers not the negotiator. The guideline is reasoning and being open to an intellectual opinion by yielding exclusively to principles not pressure.
RESOURCES FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Human resource establishments can be developed and stocked with materials availed to find new avenues of conflict management. The priority should be in proactively avoiding the conflict that results from the presence of people of different opinions, attitudes and cultures being together. The emphasis will be on the need to collaborate incase tensions arise. Conflict reduction skills are applied to indicate that solutions are being provided.
The ombudsman can be consulted to get the root cause, of complains against organizations. The antagonists may be either individuals or groups. A good example is in the university setup, where a simple post in social media can cause havoc which can escalate if not handled. The ombudsman’s role will be to stand in between the university, the management and student body to avail a win-win solution.
Involving conflict coaches to resolve a struggle that has intensified to the point that it requires external management is advisable. The coach is a neutral person who is engaged with the main goal to solve the antagonism. They train the parties the skills useful in reducing future difficulties of conflict resolution.
Dispute Resolution Centers are useful in a community for reduction of the cost of conflict. They provide an affordable alternative access to understand and deal with conflict. Skilled pro bono mediators offer expertise training and services on conflict resettlement.
Training organizations provide proactive measures to address and mitigate the inevitable conflict. They provide an environment, in which the individuals and groups develop leadership skills that can be cascaded in conflict management.
Leveraging technology to provide proactive and less of reactive conflict management can be achieved .Through application of communication online, devices can collect data to facilitate predictive and preventive mitigation procedures. This provides real time mitigation on conflict.
METHODS OF PEACEFUL CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Win-win strategy posits that conflicts are basically power struggles so resolving them is crucial in any set up. It’s up to the leaders who are the immediate negotiators to be focused on agreeable solutions. To attain a win-win the participants’ positions and agendas must be changed to achieve the best placed position for all. This strategy is ethical and binds those involved to the action plan.
Creative response strategy where the conflicts are turned into possibilities is another perspective. The parties are facilitated to intentionally extract the best from the situation. Positive attitude is inculcated into the thought system of the parties by adapting discovery over perfection in trouble shooting. The former encourages an attitude of accepting mistakes hence the conflict is resolved faster.
Empathy is a perception that indulges openness, positive energy rapport and active listening for the parties to feel understood. The information is gathered without bias to explore, affirm and acknowledge the conflict.
Appropriate assertiveness is an approach where one party is guided to state their case without arousing the other’s defense. They share their opinion rather than forcing ideas by using “I statements”. The ability to communicate assertively enables delivery of clear information and increases self-esteem of the antagonized. It denotes the attitude of a person and the quality of the feeling being expressed.
The use of appropriate tone as an aspect of communication is a vital driver of conflict incubation or resolution.
CONCLUSION
Conflict is an integral part of life which when well-managed can yield benefits and progressive changes in relationships and productivity. Leaders in sectors like human resource and client relations should adopt negotiation to resolve most disputes and keep out litigation. Utilizing the tools and resources as described cuts conflict resolution costs.