Culture of Conflict Management: Part 1

Conflict occurs when people display opposition or disagreement. Conflict is a normal part of the work environment, as different people will rarely look at situations in the same way. Conflict can occupy up to 1/4 of an individual’s time; therefore, how to handle conflict in a constructive way is important inside a culture. As an organization relies more on team decision making to make better decisions, cultural norms on how to manage conflict becomes increasingly important. While a team environment does yield better decisions, increasing the number of people surrounding an issue raises the possibility of conflict around that issue.

Conflict can be viewed on two dimensions:

Dysfunctional/Functional. Dysfunctional conflict occurs when the conflict thwarts the team and/or organization from reaching its goals. Functional conflict occurs when disagreement and opposition leads to a resolution that supports the achievement of team and/or organizational goals.

Problem/Relationship Focused. Resolution of problem conflict focuses on finding a solution that satisfies the parties involved in the conflict. Resolution of relationship conflict focuses on reducing hostility and distrust between the parties involved in the conflict.

Culture of Conflict Avoidance

A conflict-avoidant culture is evident when a members of the culture try to passively ignore a potential conflict rather than resolve it. Culture members may avoid conflict by refusing to take a stand, make a decision, or leave a situation when a conflict may ensue. A perceived advantage to this style is that avoiding a conflict with another person maintains the relationship. A disadvantage is that conflict never gets resolved. The person who overuses this style typically finds himself/herself being walked all over. As a general rule: avoiding a problem usually makes the problem worse, not better.

Appropriate Use of Conflict Avoidance

A conflict-avoidant style may be successful when:

1. The conflict is unimportant
2. You have a small investment in the issue
3. Confrontation will damage an important relationship in the long term
4. There is insufficient time to resolve the conflict
5. The environment is emotionally charged

Culture of Conflict Accommodation

A conflict-accommodation culture is evident when members of the culture try to passively resolve a conflict by giving in to the other party. When using this style, members display cooperative but unassertive behavior. Individuals within a culture that apply this style may satisfy the other party but neglect their own needs. A perceived advantage of this style is that accommodating another person maintains the relationship with that person. A disadvantage is that giving in can be counter productive, particularly when the person doing the accommodating may have a better solution to the conflict. A culture that overemphasizes this style typically allows for members to be taken advantage of and the relationship the accommodator is trying to maintain is typically lost.

Appropriate Use of Conflict Accommodation

A conflict-accommodation style may be successful when:

1. The person prefers being a follower
2. Maintaining the relationship is more important than all other considerations
3. The matter being discussed is not important to the accommodator, but is important to the other party
4. There is limited time to resolve the conflict

I will write more about the Culture of Conflict Management next week in Part 2.