ALDR Flashcards
What is conflict?
Conflict is actual or perceived opposition of needs, values, and interests.
- internal
- external
- can refer to wars, revolutions or other struggles, which may involve the use of force as in the term armed conflict
Sources of conflict
- different attitudes, values, perceptions, opinions, and approaches
- Misunderstandings and disagreement about needs, goals, priorities and interests
- Personality conflicts
- Scarcity of resources
- Poor communication
- Poor or Inadequate organizational structure
- Lack of teamwork
- Lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities
Types of Conflict/Dispute
a. Disputes of Right
- People are groups entitled by law, contracts
- usually settled by legal decision or arbitration and not by negotiation
b. Disputes of Interest
- Opinion
- Entitlement to resources or privileges
- usually solved through collective bargaining or negotiation
Effects of conflict
- Low productivity
- Low morale
- Stress
- Other negative outcomes
Turning Conflict into Opprtunity
- can help see things from diverse perspectives
- lead to innovative and creative solutions
- challenges us to improve ourselves and our relationships with others
- can lead to growth and learning
Conflict Management
The practice of recognizing and dealing with disputes in a rational, balanced, and effective way.
A theoretical concept focusing on limitation, mitigation, and/or containment of a conflict without necessarily solving it.
What are the objectives of conflict management?
- to provide skills to resolve conflict for growth and learning
- to assist individuals in preventing or resolving conflict before it escalates and becomes unhealthy
- Each party has an important role to play in managing conflict.
Conflict Management Strategies
- Collaborate or negotiate
- Avoid
- Compete
- Compromise
- Accommodate
Explain the avoidance strategy
It seeks to put off conflict indefinitely.
- by delaying or ignoring conflict, the avoider hopes the problem resolves itself without confrontation.
- someone who uses avoidance has the ability to side step problems, leave issues unresolved, and allow others to take ownership
- May be the correct strategy if the issue is unimportant.
- Similar to a simmering pot that will eventually boil over :(
- A person who avoids conflict has a low concern for herself and for others. In the two-dimensional space, they are uncooperative and unassertive.
Explain the accommodation strategy
It essentially entails giving the opposite side what it wants.
- often occurs when one of the parties wishes to keep the peace or perceives the issue as minor
- useful when you want to create goodwill or show reasonableness
- When overused, can result in restricted influence, loss of contribution, overlooked ideas and anarchy
- Can also result in low morale and lack of rapport among colleagues.
- Skills of an accommodator are selflessness, obedience and an ability to yield.
Explain the competition strategy
It operates as a zero-sum game, in which one side wins and other loses.
- Good in emergencies or other instances when quick decisions need to be made.
- If overused - lack of feedback, low empowerment, reduced learning
- If underused - indecision or delayed action could have a crippling effect on an organization
- competitor is easy to recognize
- Winning is the name of their game and they are only concerned of their own needs
- High assertiveness and low cooperativeness
Explain the compromise strategy
Typically calls for both sides of a conflict to give up elements of their position in order to establish an acceptable, if not agreeable, solution.
- Each side’s needs are only partially met
- A compromiser demonstrates skills of moderation and negotiation.
- If overused - loss of big picture perspective and lack of trust
- If underused - there may be frequent power struggles and unnecessary confrontations
*Compromiser seeks ways to make a deal and meet halfway.
Explain the collaboration strategy
Integrating ideas set out by multiple people. The object is to find a creative solution acceptable to everyone.
- Ideal alternative - high collaboration on assertiveness and cooperativeness
- Collaborator demonstrates reasonableness and an ability to listen, understand and empathize.
- If insufficient collaboration - lack of commitment, low empowerment and loss of innovation
- When overused - too much time spent on trivial matters and extra work created
- Takes time and energy to correctly execute
What is a state?
A community of persons permanently occupying a fixed territory, and possessed of an independent government organized for political ends to which the great body of inhabitants render habitual obedience.
Essential elements of a state?
- People - inhabitants
- Territory - fixed portion inhabited
COMPONENTS: a. land mass (terrestrial domain) b. inland c. external waters (maritime and fluvial domain) d. aerial domain - Government - agency or instrumentality through which the will of the State is formulated, expressed and realized
- Sovereignty - supreme and uncontrollable power inherent in a State by which that State is governed
a. legal - authority which has the power to issue final commands
b. political - power behind legal sovereign or sum of influences that operate upon it
a. internal - power to control domestic affairs
b. external - independence (power to direct relations)