BUS605: Strategic Project Management

Conflict arises everywhere communication occurs and can be very costly. Effective communicators can predict, anticipate, and formulate strategies to address conflict in order to successfully resolve it. How you choose to approach conflict influences its resolution. Conflict can be cognitive or affective.  Cognitive conflict is productive and constructive.  As we discussed, during the storming stage of team formation, there is often conflict.  However, the conflict is focused on the tasks, responsibilities, and roles and often serves to clarify these variables and create a clearer vision for the team when the conflict is resolved.  Affective conflict, however, is destructive.  Here, disagreements are about personalities, personal choices, and feelings.  This sort of conflict can lead to permanent group division and disharmony.  

Five conflict resolution strategies are presented below.

Competitive Style (Win/Lose):  a desire to advance one's own concerns at the expense of the other party and to dominate.  People with this style often resort to blaming or seeking a scapegoat rather than assuming responsibility.  People with this style will also resort to threats.

Collaboration (Win/Win):  desire to make both people happy.  People who have this style are other oriented and view conflict as a set of problems to be solved. Collaboration is best used when those involved in the conflict need new, fresh ideas and perhaps a different direction.

Compromise (½ win, ½ lose): Parties meet somewhere in the middle.  People who use this style find a solution that meets the needs of all concerned.  When people compromise, they don't get exactly what they want.  Each person gives up a bit of what he/she wants.  Compromise can bring about quick solutions and reinforces equality.

Accommodate (Lose/Win): Desire to satisfy the other's concerns over one's own concerns.  Therefore, people with this style will give in to the demand of others to avoid conflict, rejection, or disruption.  Typically, people with this management style like to people please.

Avoidant: Party is indifferent to everyone's concerns including his/her own.  Avoidance is a healthy or unhealthy response to conflict depending on its severity. Rising above trivial bickering is wise, whereas ignoring a serious conflict that threatens to pollute the work atmosphere and hinder productivity just contributes to the toxicity.