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Managing Conflict

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ieSources of Human Conflict

• Inconsistency• Dishonesty• Inflexibility• Afraid to make decisions• Poor communication• Lack of punctuality• Unreasonableness• Self-interest over others• Superiority viewpoint• Failure to use empathy

• Self-centered behaviour• Lack of trust• Unrealistic expectations• Lack of shared recognition• “Forgetting” of commitments• Attitude of not caring• Lack of accountability• Refusal to admit errors• Refusal to listen• Lack of enthusiasm• Lack of respect for others

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Conflict Management

“Working together isn’t always easy”

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ie What is Conflict?

Conflict is “an expressed struggle between at least two parties who perceive incompatible goals, scarce resources, and interference from others in achieving their goals” (Wilmot and Hocker 1998)

We must remember that:• It is a reality of everyday life

• It does cause us anxiety and stress• It can be minimised, diverted and resolved

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ieSituations that might create

conflict…• Misunderstandings• Personality Clashes• Lack of Cooperation• Frustration and

Irritability• Substandard

Performance• Differences Over Work

Method• Responsibility Issues• Authority Issues

• Value and Goal Differences

• Non-Compliance with Rules and Policies

• Competition for Limited Resources

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ieActivity : How do you deal with

conflict?

• Answer the quiz questions.

• Does it offer you a pattern of your own behaviour in conflict situations?

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Responding to Conflict

Conflict challenges us to learn about ourselves and others, but we will not learn if we cannot control the gut reactions some people and situations set off in us.

(Crawley, J. 1998)

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Conflict Iceberg

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In a Conflict Situation...

• Listen, don’t react or argue• Buy time to think• Summarise and ask interested

questions• Build relationships• Handle the feelings

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Group Activity

Read one of the following scenarios

• As an individual, decide how you would handle the situation

• Share your strategy with rest of group

• Feedback

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It’s all in the mind…

• People will forget what you said

• People will forget what you did

• But people will never forget how you made them feel

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ieCreative Ways to Manage

Conflict• Accept that conflict is going to happen• Deal with one issue at a time• Choose the right time to resolve the conflict• Avoid reacting to unintentional remarks• Avoid quick resolutions • Agree to disagree• Do not insist on being right!• Avoid expanding the problem

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Thank You