Conflict

I recently disagreed with a cashier at a local retail store over discounted coffee. While I was going around the store, I noticed that the coffee was marked with a discounted sale price on the shelf, which influenced me to add the product to the shopping cart. I was surprised that when the cashier rang the item, I was asked to pay the original price, which was higher than the discounted price. I tried to point out the discrepancy by showing the cashier the original price that was displayed on the shelves, but she disagreed, insisting that the price on the register was the correct one: Conflict.

This led to a back-and-forth argument, and I noticed that she had become defensive even though I did not directly accuse her of wrongfully overcharging me. For instance, I tried to ask her to call the manager to resolve the matter, but she flatly denied having the manager’s contact, which frustrated me. There was a clear communication breakdown, and although the supervisor later showed up, I was already frustrated about the matter.

According to Pfeiffer (2022), poor communication and the lack of authority are some of the factors that can make a situation harmful or destructive during one-on-one conversations. Ordinarily, I expected the cashier to understand the matter and offer a swift solution. However, what seemed like a relatively small matter snowballed into a tense exchange.

Even worse, it took too long to resolve the matter, and this left me frustrated because I had other issues I was had attend to. The store administration also takes the blame for lacking a policy to deal with the matter. I would expect that a supervisor should be available to intervene whenever a customer and store staff disagree.

Personal Conflict Style

Based on self-assessment, I believe that I align with the compromising conflict style. This type of conflict is characterized by finding a solution that partially satisfies the needs of both parties (Chandolia & Anastasiou, 2020). The benefits of this conflict style include pragmatism, which often leads to a deal that is good enough even though all parties do not get what they wish for. Also, a compromise is characterized by speed and expediency, which helps conflicting parties find a resolution quickly.

Besides, compromises ensure fairness since the end solution contains gains and losses for all parties (Chandolia & Anastasiou, 2020). Additionally, such a conflict resolution style allows for the continuation of relationships since parties meet halfway, hence no strain on either party to the extent of destroying relationships.

On the flip side, there are costs associated with the compromising conflict style. Firstly, it is characterized by partially resolved concerns leading to residual frustration. Since the issues are not fully addressed, there is a likelihood that they may flare up again in the future (Chandolia & Anastasiou, 2020). Also, this conflict style leads to suboptimal solutions of lower quality than would be the case if the parties settled for successful collaborative solutions.

Also, this conflict style is characterized by superficial understanding. In other words, the parties involved make statements they do not believe in; hence solutions are not sustainable, but rather an innovative way to get over conflicts.

After interviewing people around me, I realized that they hold different views about my conflict style. For instance, my neighbor and sister think that I align with the avoiding conflict style. Some of the key characteristics of this conflict style include uncooperativeness and unassertiveness, an attempt to sidestep a conflict without necessarily fulfilling the needs of either party (Lim & Yazdanifard, 2012). One of the benefits of the avoiding conflict style is that it enables one to avert stress by avoiding exacting and displeasing people and topics.

The avoiding style can particularly be useful when dealing with people who have no intention of resolving a conflict. Another benefit of the avoiding conflict style is that it enables one to save time and steer away from trouble. If one is dealing with non-cooperative parties who are not interested in resolving a conflict, attempts to negotiate with them will amount to time wastage. Besides, engaging in a conflict resolution process may escalate and incite people against others; hence, avoiding the conflict altogether will suffice.

However, the avoiding conflict style has its downsides and may not be viable in certain situations. For instance, it cannot be applied when dealing with family members, professional partners, and clients (Lim & Yazdanifard, 2012). While it is possible to avoid friends and some people in social situations, the same cannot be said about family and business partners. One will have to put up with some irritations when dealing with family members and business partners to ensure the continuity of the existing relationships.

Nonetheless, avoidance can be the most appropriate for people who deal with anger management issues. If one knows that they cannot control their anger, avoiding conflict situations or the people who trigger such conflicts will come in handy (Lim & Yazdanifard, 2012). Avoiding will be better than letting a few moments of rage cause substantial damage to oneself and those around them.

Reflection on Destructive Conflict

While I still maintain that I was justified to be irritated at the store for charging me an original price instead of a discounted price, I think I would have handled the situation better. I would have leveraged the accommodating style to engage the cashier to reach a win-win outcome. One of the key characteristics of the accommodating conflict style is politeness and calmness (Coburn, 2012). Instead of outrightly pointing out the mistake, I would have politely proclaimed that I believed there was a mistake with pricing and requested the cashier to recheck the price against any current discounts.

Also, acknowledging the situation would have prevented escalation (Coburn, 2012). To avoid making the cashier feel like I was accusing her of defrauding me, I would have told her that I understand that it is easy to overlook discounts and that it is not her fault. The accommodating style is vital, especially in restoring harmony where any further engagement can stir troubled waters.

Moreover, using an accommodating style in dealing with the cashier would have been a good way to help her out. It is possible that the discrepancy in implementing the discounted prices was a result of technical errors with the store’s network system which can be corrected to avoid the problem from recurring.

The accommodating style fosters a positive environment that helps the conflicting parties engage in a positive conversation meant to understand one another’s pain points, with a focus on retaining the relationship (Coburn, 2012). In the end, both parties will agree on a solution with minimal tension. To that end, instead of aggressively pushing for a refund, I would have asked the cashier to work with me toward a mutually acceptable resolution.

References

Chandolia, E., & Anastasiou, S. (2020). Leadership and conflict management style are associated with the effectiveness of school conflict management in the region of Epirus, NW Greece. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 10(1), 455–468.

Coburn, C. (2012). Negotiation conflict styles. https://hms.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/assets/Sites/Ombuds/files/NegotiationConflictStyles.pdf

Lim, J., & Yazdanifard, R. (2012). The Difference of Conflict Management Styles and Conflict Resolution in Workplace. Business & Entrepreneurship Journal, 1(1), 2241–2312. https://www.scienpress.com/Upload/BEJ/Vol%201_1_9.pdf

Pfeiffer, J. W. (2022). Conditions that hinder effective communication. The Pfeiffer Library, 6. https://home.snu.edu/~jsmith/library/body/v06.pdf

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Conflict is a multifaceted problem that takes understanding its parts and how each individual approaches it such that you can make a constructive solution. This assignment requires you to assess a destructive conflict, your own conflict style, and how to appropriately resolve it.

Write a paper (1,100-1,500 words) doing the following:

• Describe a recent conflict you experienced and explain the factors that made it harmful or destructive. At minimum, your discussion should utilize any one model outlined in Chapter 1.
• Use the conflict styles assessment from Chapter 5, Application 5.1, to discover your conflict style. Then, informally interview two persons close to you about their perceptions of your personal conflict style. Discuss the differences between your own and others’ perception of your style. Include both positives and negatives of your style.
• Reflecting on your destructive conflict, what other style could you adopt to constructively resolve that conflict? Ensure you justify your rationale by citing scholarship that supports your solutions.

This paper should include four additional academic sources that support your position. These are outside the textbook.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.