What are the 5 conflict management styles?

What are the 5 conflict management styles?

Disagreements are bound to occur and are not exclusive to intimate relationships. In some vane of life, be it at the workplace or in personal life, people meet other people whose interests, needs, or values contradict the ones they embrace. It is therefore important that we learn how to manage these conflicts and the way that we do it dictates whether the relations will be more soluble or insoluble. There are 5 main conflict management styles that people tend to use:

1. Avoiding
   This conflict style aims at avoiding any unpalatable conflict. Individuals applying this style may avoid overt confrontation and may shift the conversation or delay discussing a certain issue or may avoid confrontation all together. If the conflict is small or if the timing is not good then avoiding should not be leaped on as it does not solve the problems, but it does not create them either. Although chronic avoidance however, usually increases the level of concerns.

2. Accommodating
   This style values the relationships with the people against individual objectives. A common aspect of the interaction between the participants is that they seek to meet the needs of others while not paying attention to the self. While this approach can serve as a way of gaining favor, it is unwholesome to constantly sacrifice one’s own wants and needs as this creates resentment. This is because accommodation is effective when one changes their mind or when the perceived issue is much bigger than one or the other party.

3. Competing
   The competing style advocates for self-interest over the rights and freedoms of others’. Competitors seek to achieve their goals at another’s expense using aggressive tactics: being aggressive, dominating, and impulsive while speaking or when others are speaking. This assertive behavior is beneficial when fast and clear decisions need to be made and it is effective in emergency situations. It can be harmful to relationships though, if, it is used to the extreme.

4. Compromising
   The compromising style obtains solutions that are satisfactory to both the flowing and contains some goals of the opposing party. Hence, an important characteristic of this style is that it involves giving in to the other parties in order to solve problems together. It is most useful when each party has the same amount at stake or where there are multilateral solutions. While the conflict is never resolved to a point where each party achieves their goals, ongoing compromise can result in discontent however.

5. Collaborating
   The Collaborators combine their efforts to find a solution that would be satisfactory to everyone involved. This integrative conflict style resolves the conflicts by defining the causes of the conflict through communication. It is not a search for compromise, while one side wins and the other loses, instead it is the search for outcomes that benefit everyone and deepen their respective bonds. There are, however, certain drawbacks associated with the collaborative approach; it consumes a lot of time and people have to build trust with one another. If the situation is pressurized, then the quick resolution style may be necessary.

That means that there is no optimal strategy fitting each situation. Realizing these styles and the kind of situations they are applicable, we will be in a position to manage interpersonal conflicts with empathy and efficiency. Exploring patterns in relationships in terms of conflict style can also be helpful when trying to correct or alter the communication.