18.4 Conflict management

Question 1

Functional conflict

Question 2

Dysfunctional conflict

Question 3

Assertiveness

Question 4

Passive aggression

Question 5

Aggression

Question 6

Avoidance

Question 7

Accommodating management style

Answer 7

• High in co-operation but low in assertiveness.
• Conflict is resolved by putting the wants and needs of the other party above your own.
• Useful when the conflict is trivial or small for you rather than important and needs to be moved on from quickly or where the relationship is more important than being right.
• Although highly co-operative, it can also lead to resentment.

Question 8

Advantages of accommodating management style

Answer 8

• Small disagreements are handled easily
• Build a reputation as easygoing
• People can speak freely without fear of consequences.

Question 9

Disadvantages of accommodating management style

Answer 9

• Seen as weak if used too often
• Not helpful for important issues or larger issues as it doesn’t result in meaningful solutions

Question 10

Avoiding management style

Answer 10

• Low in both assertiveness and cooperativeness
• An attempt not to engage in conflict
• Appropriate when:
  1. More time is needed to think through the disagreement
  2. There are more pressing issues that need to be dealt with first
  3. The are more risks than benefits to confronting the problem
• Often not effective as:
  1. it can create the impression that you do not care
  2. Unresolved conflicts can escalate

Question 11

Advantages of avoiding management style

Answer 11

• Allowing time to calm down can often result in the resolution of a number of issues, as well as providing perspective.
• It demonstrates trust in the parties involved to solve issues and act like adults.

Question 12

Disadvantages of avoiding management style

Answer 12

• If used inappropriately, can worsen conflicts.
• Can appear incompetent if overused by creating the impression that they are incapable of handling disagreements.

Question 13

Compromising management style

Answer 13

• Requires moderate levels of cooperation and assertiveness from all parties involved.
• Everyone gets something that they want or need
• Although appropriate when issues are time-sensitive:
  1. Often the outcome isn’t as creative as collaboration
  2. Not everyone feels satisfied to the same degree

Question 14

Advantages of compromising management style

Answer 14

• Allows for quick resolution
• Increased understanding about the other party’s perspective and feeling heard
• Can allow for further collaboration at a later stage
• It is hands on and facilitates agreement

Question 15

Disadvantages of compromising management style

Answer 15

• No one is completely satisfied
• A party that feels that they have compromised too much will be less willing to do so in the future
• Can destroy goodwill and leave the impression that you are unable to successfully collaborate

Question 16

Competing management style

Answer 16

• High in assertiveness and low in co-operation
• Also called “forcing”
• Putting your own needs and desires above those of the other parties
• Sometimes appropriate when you are in a position of authority/power and resolution is needed quickly.

Question 17

Advantages of competing management style

Answer 17

• Demonstrates strength and that you won’t compromise on your principles.
• Quick resolution as there is no space for any discussion or disagreement.

Question 18

Disadvantages of competing management style

Answer 18

• May appear authoritarian and unreasonable.
• Can lead to the other party not feeling happy or willing to invest if they are not heard.
  -Often does not result in the best solutions.

Question 19

Collaboration management style

Answer 19

• Requires high levels of co-operation from all involved
• Coming together to find a respectful solution than benefits everyone
• Works best when :
  1. people are in similar positions of power/authority
  2.Issue is not time sensitive

Question 20

Advantages of collaboration management style

Answer 20

• Everyone is satisfied.
• The solution actually solves the problem of the conflict.
• Seen as a skilled resolution.

Question 21

Disadvantages of collaboration management style

Answer 21

• Time-consuming.
• May impact on deadlines or rule out certain time sensitive solutions.

Question 22

Factors that influence the type of management style

Answer 22

• How important are your needs and wants in the conflict?
• What will the outcome be if your needs and wants aren’t met?
• How much do you value the relationship with the other party?
• How much importance do you place on the issue involved?
• What would the consequences be of using each style?
• Do you have the time, resources and energy to address the situation right now?

Question 23

Interpersonal styles

Answer 23

• Passive/Avoidant
• Passive-Aggressive
• Aggressive
• Assertive

Question 24

Passive/avoidant

Answer 24

• Payoff : avoiding conflict!!!
• Do not value their own rights, feelings or opinions.
• Their needs are rarely met.
• Negative beliefs about themselves/their abilities.
• Often feel exploited or as if they have little say in what happens.
• Long-term: can lead to resentment for placing extra demands on you which you cannot meet.
• Less likely to achieve goals and objectives.
• You cannot expect that others will know what you think, need and feel if you do not express them.
• Can also lead to being passive-aggressive, and the bottling up may eventually lead to exploding in anger.

Question 25

Passive-aggressive

Answer 25

• Shifts responsibility without being directly confrontational
• No responsibility for your own contribution including feelings, opinions and actions.
• Often used due to lacking the skills to be assertive- instead, it is manipulative.
• May also display anger to get a specific need met.
• Long term: it makes people less likely to want to deal with you or trust you.

Question 26

Aggressive

Answer 26

• May get you what you want…at a cost!!!
• Little regard for the rights, feelings or perspectives of the other party
• Many people confuse this with assertiveness and some people euphemistically refer to aggressive people as assertive.

Question 27

Aggressive people:

Answer 27

• Value themselves more highly than others.
• Look down on others.
  -Little or no respect for the needs, rights and feelings of others

Question 28

Aggressive (2)

Answer 28

• Rigid and defensive.
• Payoff: achieves goals in the short term and immediately.
• Cost: alienating people around you, which may eventually result in not getting what you want.
• May make you feel stressed due to needing to always be defensive.
• It can lead to feelings of guilt when your behaviour impacts on a loved one or someone whom you value.
• Can lead to negative feelings about yourself.

Question 29

Assertiveness (1)

Answer 29

Assertiveness is about :

Making your point heard in a manner that is clear and respects the relationship and the other parties point of view while resisting the urge to go into relationships of dominance and submission.

Question 30

Assertiveness (2)

Answer 30

• Linked to healthy self-esteem
• Emphasises co-operation
• Acknowledge and express opinions clearly without being antagonistic or defensive
• Being able to say ‘’no” and ‘’I don’t know’’
• Acknowledge and express feelings without being antagonistic or defensive

Question 31

Assertiveness (3)

Answer 31

• Make decisions for yourself and deal with the consequences
• Accepting that you won’t always get what you want
• Acknowledging that you can make mistakes and that you can change your mind
• more flexible and less rigid (unlike being aggressive- which is defensive and rigid)

Question 32

Assertiveness (4)

Answer 32

• Intimately linked to boundaries.
• Requires empathy and context dependent.
• Important implications for relationships with clients/patients, colleagues and other service providers and thus is directly relevant to practise.

Question 33

Assertiveness(5)

Answer 33

• Start off in neutral situations and
• Work towards more difficult ones
• Expect it to go wrong occasionally.
• Assertiveness is NOT a guarantee that you will get the outcome that you want. It is not coercive or manipulative!

Question 34

What is assertiveness?

Answer 34

Assertiveness: confident and self-assured without being aggressive.

Skill/mode of communication which can be learned.

Quality of communication- attitude as important as skills

Acting in a way that allows both parties to feel respected

Balancing immediate goals with the good of an ongoing relationship.

Question 35

Characteristics of assertive people

Answer 35

• free to express thoughts, feelings and needs
• able to initiate and maintain relationships with others
• awareness of their rights and boundaries
• control how they express their anger. - They do not repress their anger, but express it in an appropriate manner,
• Are willing to compromise rather than wanting their own way at any cost
• Have good self-esteem
• Enter relationships from the perspective of awareness of other’s needs and respectful of them.
• Do not see their needs, feeling or ideas as more important that those of other people.
• Value others without having to agree with them.