Conflict Management

Conflict Management

Conflicts are part of human life; people often disagree, argue, and even fight over certain issues. One recent conflict I encountered was with my workmate, Peter. Our boss had asked us to look for a good carpenter who would fix some furniture in the office. This contract would last for two weeks; hence, the boss needed someone who understood the job well since the work had a reasonable budget. My workmate Peter suggested that he would contact his friend Marcus to come and take the contract. I knew Marcus and knew that he was not a qualified carpenter; therefore, he would not deliver excellent work as required by the boss. Several people I knew had also complained about Marcus’ poor workmanship. I asked Peter not to consider Marcus, but Peter had a hidden agenda of advocating for his friend Marcus, who would later give him a fraction of the pay as an appreciation. Thus, a conflict emerged between Peter and me over the issue.

Five Stages of Constructive Conflict Management

According to the textbook “Managing conflict through communication” by Cahn and Abigail, there are five stages of constructive conflict management. The first stage is the prelude to the conflict; this stage consists of the factors or variables that contribute to a conflict (Cahn & Abigail, 2014). In other words, a conflict does not just emerge abruptly; prior factors lead to the conflict. The second stage is the triggering event, behavior, or action that triggers the conflict (Riaz & Junaid, 2013). One party acts and the other party reacts to the action; thus, a conflict emerges between the parties.

The third stage of constructive conflict management is the initiation of the conflict. The initiation, also known as the response phase, happens when the disagreement between the parties becomes obvious, and each party takes a firm stand on what they believe in or want (Riaz & Junaid, 2013). It happens if one party makes known to the other party that a conflict exists, and the response can be an upsetting comment, bad body language, being unresponsive to the questions, and more. The fourth stage is the differentiation stage, characterized by constructive or destructive tactics by either party to escalate or de-escalate the conflict (Cahn & Abigail, 2014). The fifth stage is known as the resolution stage and happens when the parties to the conflict accept some outcome and reach a consensus. In any conflict, the parties may reach or may not reach a consensus, meaning that the conflict will go underground and will reappear later until it is solved.

Application of the Five Stages of Constructive Conflict Management

The five stages of constructive conflict management can apply well to the conflict I had with Peter. The prelude stage in our conflict was the prior reasons I had about Marcus, the carpenter. I knew that Marcus was not a fine carpenter, and many people had complained about his poor work. Secondly, I knew that Peter advocated for Marcus so that he could be given something for appreciation. Thus, my prior knowledge was the prelude to the conflict (Cahn & Abigail, 2014). The triggering event, which is the second stage of our conflict, was the suggestion by Peter that he would pick Marcus to come and take the contract when it was well known that he was not a fine carpenter. Therefore, Peter’s emphasis on picking Marcus triggered a conflict between us.

The initiation stage in our conflict is when Peter reacted negatively to my objection to Marcus. Peter insisted that his friend Marcus must get the contract rather than give it to other unknown people who cannot appreciate us for linking them to the job. From his argument, it was obvious that he opted for Marcus because he was his friend, and he would appreciate linking him to the job. I objected that Marcus did not understand this job well and thus would do a shoddy job, and the boss would be disappointed in us. The constructive, destructive tactics in the fourth stage manifested in the conflict when Peter tried to convince me to accept his proposal of picking Marcus, but I responded by refusing and insisting that Marcus was not fit for the job. To resolve the conflict, I knew that it would be hard for Peter to change his mind, and the only thing I could do was to inform the boss so that he could look for his carpenter. I informed him without notifying Peter, so the boss picked another carpenter; thus, the conflict was resolved.

References

Cahn, D. D., & Abigail, R. A. (2014). Managing conflict through communication (5th Ed.) Pearson. [Electronic version].

Riaz, M. & Junaid, F. (2013). Workplace Conflict: Constructive or Destructive. Research Gate. SSRN Electronic Journal. DOI:10.2139/ssrn.2247886

Tjosvold, D & Wong, A. & Chen, N. (2019). Managing Conflict for Effective Leadership and Organizations free. Oxford Research Encyclopedias. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190224851.013.240

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In Chapter 1 of the text Managing Conflict Through Communication, the five stages in a constructive conflict process are explained. Write a paper in which you identify a conflict that you or someone you know has had and has already been resolved. Identify and describe the five stages of a constructive conflict process. Then, apply each of the five stages of a constructive conflict process to your example. Your paper should clearly identify each stage and provide details or examples for each stage. You can review Examples 1 and 2, located in Section 1.3 of the text, for ideas on how to organize this assignment.

Conflict Management

The paper must be one to two pages in length (excluding title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style. You must use at least two scholarly resources (at least one of which can be found in the University of Arizona Global Campus Library) other than the textbook to support your claims and sub-claims. Cite your resources in the text and on the reference page. For information regarding APA samples and tutorials, visit the Writing Center (Links to an external site.).

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.