Topic Progress:

OVERVIEW OF CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

Conflict management is the ability to navigate problems that arise between individuals or among groups and effectively defuse or alleviate tensions. Not only does it help students handle problems with their peers, family members, and co-workers, it also allows them to thoughtfully engage with societal issues, have healthier relationships, and has been shown to enhance academic achievement and improve retention of subject matter when integrated with school subjects that inherently deal with conflict (Johnson & Johnson, 2004).

Besides miscommunication, negative interactions between individuals can be caused by limited resources and also by differences in rank, objectives, views, and traditions (Ayas, Deniz, Kağan & Kenҫ, 2010). Without appropriate conflict resolution skills, school students may experience social isolation and academic decline (Davis & McCoy, 2016). The degree of conflict can range from minor disagreements to bullying and physical violence.

Key Points

  • Learning conflict management skills can enhance academic achievement and improve retention of subject matter.
  • Conflict can range from minor disagreements to bullying and physical violence.

UNPACKING OF OF CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

A number of interventions and programs have been used successfully to teach students the application of positive approaches to lessen or resolve conflict. Integrating training into class content, e.g., having students analyze how characters in a novel handle conflict, or study examples of conflict in history and science, is one method that also has been shown to increase academic achievement and improve subject matter retention.

The following three-step process can guide students when resolving conflicts (Gaumer Erickson, Soukup, Noonan, & McGurn, 2015).

What is your usual conflict reaction?

Understand your natural response to conflict. When dealing with conflict, some battle for dominance and try to win through intimidation. Others might ignore a problematic situation, or make a quick fix. Students who can understand their typical response to conflict can better determine a response’s benefits and drawbacks.

How does the other person view this conflict?

Understand the context of a conflict, including the perspectives of all involved. Helping students understand the underlying cause of the conflict enables them to differentiate between constructive conflict management that can lead to stronger relationships and destructive conflict management that can potentially result in violence. Taking into consideration others’ perspectives also encourages students’ development of empathy.

What conflict management approach should I use?

Apply a conflict management approach appropriate to the situation. Ideally conflict can be resolved by meeting the needs of each individual. In some cases, the situation will result where one or no one benefits. For example, avoidance may be appropriate if the source of the conflict is small and relationships may be at stake. If someone is trying to take advantage of another, an assertive approach through confrontation may be in order. Once students learn about appropriate conflict management options, they can work through a conflict and use those in specific situations.

Conflict Management Approaches

Helping students understand the five basic conflict management approaches helps them get along better with others:

  1. Accommodating: Emphasizing cooperation instead of assertiveness, one opponent allows another to have what is wanted because the other’s victory is insignificant and non-threatening.
  2. Avoiding: One opponent avoids communication or problem confrontation hoping it will go away and a resolution won’t be actively sought.
  3. Collaborating: Both opponents work together with win-win attitudes.
  4. Compromise: Opponents identify some interests they are willing to compromise on to bring about a resolution.
  5. Confrontation: One or both opponents establish positions and employ assertiveness to get what is wanted (Thomas, 1992).

The following video (4:59 minutes) presents information discussed in this unit.

William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was given as a story to analyze conflict management in this video. What management approaches did characters use in this story? How did those relate to the perspectives of individual characters?