Its long been said that the root of all conflict is unmet expectations.
In today’s complex world where we are faced with increasing challenges to do more with less, and to perform duties and meet goals faster with the use of technology, we are naturally faced with many more opportunities where conflict can arise due to unmet expectations.
What if you were able to head off future conflict? What if you could look at conflict differently, taking a deeper perspective? Whether for your personal situation or for a client you are coaching or doing consulting work with, mastering newer, faster ways of resolving conflict can lead to a stronger work-life balance as well as a long list of satisfied clients.
Beginning with the most basic definition of conflict is a great point to start at in resolving conflict:
Conflict is defined as any situation in which incompatible goals, attitudes, emotions, or behaviors lead to a disagreement or opposition between two or more individuals.
When examining your conflict situations, its important to really understand the differences in the source and symptoms of conflict.
Conflict can generally be broken into two types – functional and/or dysfunctional. Functional conflict results in positive benefits to individuals, a group, or the organization. This type of good conflict can raise awareness of important issues so that they can be addressed. Good conflict carries the potential to be a win-win. Dysfunctional conflict, on the other hand, can damage group cohesion, promote hostilities among those involved, and create an overall negative experience for all associated with the situation.
Conflict generally stems from two sources – internal and/or external.
There are many models to conflict resolution, but try these 4 steps as a revolutionary new way to approach conflict resolution:
1- Determine the nature and sources of conflict- functional or dysfunctional, internal or external
2- Identify the expectation breakdown
3- Evaluate consequences
4- Break the cycle of escalation
Want to learn more about this revolutionary 4 step approach to resolving conflict? Join us for RESOLUTIONIZING ™ CONFLICT. This is an ICF certified course for 6 CCEUs in core competencies but is open to anyone that wants to work on their techniques. Register here today! RESOLUTIONIZING CONFLICT
