Conflict is a normal side of life. Even in the most friendly social group, opposing interests can collide. This could potentially turn into conflict. Any difficulties in relationships lead to their development if they are treated correctly.
Conflict between man and woman
Everyone can easily give examples of conflict situations. Even the most peaceful person faces them. History includes two global conflicts that led to the death of a huge number of people, and many small ones. Therefore, the ability to resolve conflicts productively is one of the most important things in life.
Moreover, almost everyone can give an example of a conflict and its analysis if the situation has already been resolved. Unfortunately, few people rely on successes and use their successful experience in subsequent difficulties in relationships.
Concept and psychology of conflict management
Conflict - what is it? In short, this is a clash of interests, opinions and views .
As a result of the conflict, a crisis situation arises in which each participant in the conflict seeks to impose his point of view on the other side.
A conflict that is not stopped in time can lead to open confrontation , in which the subject of the dispute is relegated to the background and the ambitions of the parties come first.
As a rule, as a result of a conflict, there are no losers or winners, since all participants expend effort and ultimately do not receive positive emotions.
especially dangerous when a person is tormented by conflicting thoughts and desires that tear him apart. Protracted states of internal conflicts often end in depression and neuroses.
A modern person needs to be able to recognize a beginning conflict in time, take competent steps to prevent the conflict from growing and eliminate it at the inception stage.
If, however, the conflict cannot be extinguished immediately, it is necessary to be able to build the right line of behavior and competently exit the conflict with minimal losses.
Let's summarize
For any manager, employee conflict is a test of strength, a kind of exam. The boss should take a neutral position and, through negotiations, help employees come to a mutually beneficial solution. There are 5 main strategies for behavior in a conflict situation: conflict avoidance, concession, competition, cooperation and compromise. Compromise and cooperation are considered constructive ways out of conflict; they should be strived for in resolving controversial situations. But this does not mean that other strategies should be rejected. Taking into account all the circumstances of the conflict, weighing all the pros and cons, choose the optimal solution in a particular situation.
Separate from work conflicts is the phenomenon of bullying in a team - psychological pressure directed at a specific person. The manager must be aware of the problems of the team and prevent such phenomena.
Conflicts negatively affect work - tension increases, instead of working, employees find out who is right and who is wrong, orders are lost, profits fall. If the team is conflictual, staff turnover occurs, a lot of resources are spent on training new employees and getting them up to speed.
At the same time, some disputes can improve the company's performance. If there are conflicts regarding the division of responsibilities, this is a reason to refine business processes and draw up a clear algorithm for employee actions. If unfair wages cause negativity, you need to create a system of evaluation criteria, bonuses and fines. If disputes arise because workers are overworked, a time and attendance system can be installed to analyze the situation.
Often conflicts are a result of the growth of an organization; it is better to overcome them while the organization is small, so that when the business scales, these problems no longer interfere.
How does it arise?
As a result of numerous studies, it was determined that most conflicts arise without the corresponding intentions of their participants .
Often people involuntarily react to the conflictogens of other people, or they themselves are a source of conflictogens, as a result of which a stressful situation arises.
Conflict triggers are words, actions, deeds that lead to conflict. They arise when the participants have any psychological problems, or are used purposefully to achieve their goals.
Most conflictogens manifest themselves for the following reasons:
- thirst for superiority . The desire to prove one's worth;
- aggressiveness _ Initially aggressive behavior towards other people caused by a negative emotional state;
- selfishness . The desire to achieve your goals at any cost.
How do conflicts arise? True reasons and solutions:
In what situations should you not conflict?
Before entering into conflict, you need to think carefully about whether you really need it. Very often people start to sort things out in cases where it makes no sense at all.
If your interests are not directly affected, and during the dispute you will not achieve your goals, most likely there is no point in entering into an interpersonal conflict. An example of a similar situation: on a bus, the conductor starts arguing with a passenger. Even if you support the position of one of the disputants, you should not get involved in their conflict without a good reason.
If you see that your opponent’s level is radically different from yours, there is no point in entering into an argument or discussion with such people. You will never prove to a stupid person that you are right.
Before getting involved in a conflict, you need to evaluate the pros and cons, think about what consequences it could lead to, how your relationship with your opponent will change, and whether you want this, how likely it is that during the dispute you will be able to achieve your goals. You also need to pay great attention to your emotions at the moment of threat of a quarrel. It may be worth using tactics to avoid the conflict, cool down a little and think carefully about the current situation.
Popular methods for resolving situations
The most effective strategies that are most often used in practice to manage conflict:
- Avoidance . One of the parties withdraws from the dispute, demonstrating reluctance to continue the discussion.
- Changing the subject. The dispute moves imperceptibly into another direction. For example, on a question indirectly related to the main subject of the dispute. As a result, the conflict gradually fades away due to the lack of the previous emotional intensity.
- Collision . Each party insists on its position, which leads to the need to resolve the situation by taking into account the opinions of both parties to the dispute.
- Device . One of the parties is trying to find ways to resolve the situation that will make it possible to eliminate the subject of the dispute.
- Postponement . One of the parties takes a break to think about the current situation.
- Reconciliation . Mutual recognition of the conflict as settled. As a rule, this is only possible through the mediation of a third party.
- Compromise . Achieving a compromise solution as a result of peaceful negotiations.
About ways to resolve conflicts in this video:
Test your knowledge
If you want to test your knowledge on the topic of this lesson, you can take a short test consisting of several questions. For each question, only 1 option can be correct. After you select one of the options, the system automatically moves on to the next question. The points you receive are affected by the correctness of your answers and the time spent on completion. Please note that the questions are different each time and the options are mixed.
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Resolution Methods
From a scientific point of view, there are specific methods for resolving conflict:
Structural
Most often used in the professional field. These include:
- Clarification of requirements . Participants in the confrontation receive clear instructions as to whose competence this or that issue is. The possibility of a conflict is excluded due to the absence of common interests between which a clash could occur.
- Use of special control mechanisms. A clear system of actions is developed and applied in practice when a negative situation arises that can turn into a conflict. The system allows you to identify an emerging dispute at an early stage and eliminate it before moving on to the next stage.
- Setting goals. Bringing parties together to achieve a common goal will require complete reconciliation and the elimination of any differences.
The desire for such a union for the sake of a common goal is observed only with a high level of motivation. That is, the goal must be of high significance for all parties to the conflict. - Application of rewards. The absence of conflicts, the ability to find a common language and reach compromises can be encouraged by a specially designed reward system.
Constructive
How to resist aggression and successfully resolve conflict? Similar methods of conflict resolution are more used in interpersonal communication.
To successfully resolve the situation using constructive methods, it is necessary to form an adequate perception of the situation among the participants , to dispose them to open interaction, to create an atmosphere of goodwill and trust, and to jointly determine the root of the problem.
Construction styles include:
- Liberation from negative emotions. You can free yourself from a negative attitude by using various relaxation techniques, briefly leaving the room, openly expressing your experiences, calmly listening to the opinions of third parties, etc.
- Building a dialogue. Calmed interlocutors share their experiences. Everyone calmly listens to the opponent’s position and then retells in his own words what he heard. This is how a person tries to objectively assess the position of the other side and look at the situation from a different angle.
- Demonstrating a positive attitude . It is necessary to show the other party that, despite the situation that has arisen, there is respect for the opinion of the other person and acceptance of his point of view.
- Analysis of your behavior. You should frankly evaluate the motives of your own behavior, and adequately determine the degree of significance of your own position for yourself.
Often such an analysis leads a person to the conclusion that the essence of the conflict is not so significant for him, and he can easily abandon the dispute that has begun without suffering any losses. - Joint resolution of the situation. The parties together decide to end the dispute (come to a compromise, find ways to solve the problem, etc.).
Integral
Allows each side to feel like a winner . A similar effect is achieved when the parties agree to abandon their original positions, reconsider the situation and find a solution that satisfies everyone.
The method can only be used if the parties to the dispute demonstrate flexibility of thinking and the ability to adapt to new circumstances.
Compromise
The most peaceful, mature way to resolve the situation.
The parties decide on mutual concessions in order to eliminate the negative factors that caused the dispute.
Such behavior of people allows not only to peacefully resolve emerging contradictions without harm to anyone , but also to build long-term communication ties.
Causes
Any disagreement that arises between people has its reasons. The most common causes of conflict situations are the following:
- The participants in the conflict carry out a common cause, but their goals or interests do not coincide;
- A person places certain expectations on another person, and if they are not met, then conflict may arise;
- Relations between people are not very good, and the slightest dissatisfaction with each other can cause discord;
- Misunderstandings and misunderstandings that sometimes arise between people, even strangers, can result in a quarrel.
Way out of the conflict
How to get out of conflict situations? To get out of this unpleasant situation you need to take the following steps :
- Stop using words or taking actions that provoke a negative response from your opponent.
- Do not react to such behavior on the part of your interlocutor.
- Show affection towards another person.
This can be done using gestures, facial expressions, and words. Smiling, patting the shoulder, shaking hands, and using polite phrases all help smooth out arguments. The interlocutor immediately acquires a positive attitude and the situation is soon resolved.
Examples of conflict situations
In society
Social conflicts are best resolved using constructive methods .
For example, neighbors of an apartment building may enter into a conflict caused by the distribution of parking spaces in the courtyard area.
Some neighbors will insist on clear markings, according to which each car is assigned a specific parking space. Other residents will advocate for the possibility of free placement of cars.
In this situation, the most effective methods of resolving a dispute would be to build a dialogue and jointly resolve the situation through compromise.
Residents just need to organize a meeting and decide that part of the area in the yard is allocated for individual parking, and the other part remains for supporters of free parking.
Between employees
Disputes in the field of management are best resolved using structural methods.
For example, employees of the same team may come into conflict due to their inability to work together in the same direction .
Each person defines for himself a range of responsibilities that is not approved by his colleague. The result is the emergence of a conflict situation and ineffective teamwork.
The manager of the employees involved in the dispute needs to apply methods of clarifying requirements, setting goals and assigning rewards.
Each employee will be explained the principle of his work and a clear range of job responsibilities. Colleagues will be given joint goals , upon reaching which they will receive the promised reward (bonus, promotion, etc.).
How to resolve conflicts correctly? Find out from the video:
Completion Forms
What is the form of ending a conflict? A conflict of interest can be resolved as follows:
- Permission . The prerequisites may be that the parties desire to end the dispute and not return to it in the future. To finally resolve the conflict, it may be necessary to involve third parties. This is especially true in the field of professional relationships.
- Attenuation .
The dispute may cease to be relevant for one of the parties or for all participants in the process. In the first case, the second party does not find a response to its own words and actions and is forced to end the conflict. In the second case, the parties simultaneously decide that they do not want to continue the dispute due to fatigue, the end of the arguments, loss of interest in the subject of the dispute, etc. This type of ending a conflict is not always a positive result, since if a new stimulus arises, the dispute may resume with renewed vigor. - Settlement . The parties come to a compromise and reach mutual agreements. As a result, the dispute is resolved through constructive dialogue and effective interpersonal interaction.
- Elimination . The basis of the conflict is eliminated, transformed, modified, etc. In other words, the subject of the dispute ceases to be relevant at the current moment in time and the fact of a conflict of interests automatically disappears.
- Growing into a new dispute . Unexplained contradictions on one issue can become a source of new conflicts generated by the primary dispute. This effect is especially often observed in the sphere of family relationships, when a remark made by one of the spouses on any issue develops into a mutual exchange of reproaches.
