Conflict in management and leader behavior in a conflict situation. Strategies for manager behavior in conflict situations
Course work
Topic: Managing behavior in conflict situations
Introduction
1. Theoretical basis conflict management
1.1 Definition and characteristics of conflict
1.2 Conflict as a process
1.3 Types of conflicts
2. Ways and methods of behavior in conflict situations
2.1 Characteristics of role conflicts
2.2 Styles and strategies of behavior in conflict
2.3 Conflict resolution methods
2.4 Behavior and actions of a leader in conflict situations
Conclusion
The causes of a conflict are not always amenable to logical reconstruction, because they may include an irrational component, and external manifestations often do not give an idea of their true nature. The reasons that underlie any conflict can be organizational, industrial and interpersonal.
Organizational conflicts arise due to a mismatch between formal organizational principles and the actual behavior of organization members. For example, an employee for some reason does not fulfill the requirements imposed on him by the organization (performs his duties poorly, violates labor discipline and so on.).
The psychological essence of the conflict, its main features.
Under conflict is understood as the most acute way of resolving significant contradictions that arise in the process of social interaction, which consists in the opposition of the subjects of the conflict and is usually accompanied by negative emotions and feelings experienced by them in relation to each other.
Prerequisites for the emergence of conflicts are: lack of communication skills, discrepancy in views on events taking place in the organization, the desire to dominate without any reason, a person’s demonstration of selfishness and arrogance, emotional incontinence, the use of brute force, etc.
The conflict has the following essential characteristics: properties:
the presence of a contradiction between interests, values, needs, goals, views, motives;
opposition, confrontation between the subjects of the conflict, the desire to inflict material or moral damage on the opponent by any means;
negative emotions and feelings towards each other.
Depending on the characteristics of the conflicting parties, it is customary to distinguish:
intrapersonal conflict - a clash between approximately equal in strength, but oppositely directed interests, needs, and drives of one person.
interpersonal conflict – two or more members of the same group pursue incompatible goals and implement conflicting values, or at the same time, in a conflict struggle, strive to achieve the same goal, which can only be achieved by one of the parties (one of the most common types of conflicts). Many managers believe that the only reason for it is the dissimilarity of characters. However, such conflicts are based not only on subjective, but, above all, objective reasons;
between individual and group – a collision of conflicting interests, needs, values, goals between an individual and a group of people. In foreign trade organizations, examples of such conflicts can be conflicts between the head of a department and the team, between an ordinary employee and the team, between a leader and a microgroup;
intergroup conflict - when the conflicting parties are social groups(firms, organizations) pursuing incompatible goals and interfering with each other on the path to their implementation. An organization consists of many formal and informal groups, within and between which conflicts may arise (for example, between the administration and the organization's trade union, between employees of different departments, etc.).
The classification of conflicts according to the last two criteria may look like this:
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Realistic (subject) |
Caused by the dissatisfaction of certain demands of the parties to the conflict and aimed at achieving a specific result |
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Functional (constructive) |
Dysfunctional (destructive) |
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Contribute to making informed decisions, achieving goals, and developing relationships |
Prevents making informed decisions, achieving goals, and developing relationships |
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Unrealistic (pointless) |
The goal is the open expression of accumulated negative emotions. Such conflict is not a means to an end, but an end in itself |
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The following can be added to the criteria for classifying conflicts:
the scope of the conflict (local or wide);
duration of the flow (short-term or long-term);
the power of influence on the participants in the conflict (affecting the role status of the individual or not affecting the fundamental interests of the individual);
consequences (positive or negative).
Behavioral styles of a manager in conditions of interpersonal conflict: ignoring, adapting, competition, cooperation, compromise.
There are the following five typical styles of human behavior in conflict:
Rivalry as the desire to achieve the satisfaction of one’s personal interests to the detriment of another.
Device, meaning sacrificing one’s interests for the sake of maintaining good relations and peace.
Compromise as reaching an agreement through mutual and approximately equal concessions.
Avoidance, which is characterized by both a lack of desire to satisfy the interests of the partner and a lack of tendency to achieve one’s own goals.
Cooperation when the parties to the conflict come together to a solution to the contradiction that satisfies both parties.
Rivalry appropriate when:
the outcome of the conflict is very important to you, and you rely on your solution to the problem that has arisen;
you need to make a decision quickly, and you have enough power to do this;
You are in a critical situation that requires immediate response;
if it is necessary to restore order for the sake of everyone's well-being.
the tension is too great and you feel the need to reduce its intensity;
You need to buy time to obtain additional information or gain support;
the outcome is not very important for you, the subject of the conflict is not related to your main goals and interests;
time is needed to restore calm and create conditions for a cool, balanced assessment of the situation.
Compromise should be chosen if:
you need to make an urgent decision, but you are experiencing an acute shortage of time and information;
You may be satisfied with a temporary solution;
other ways to solve the problem turned out to be ineffective;
both sides present convincing arguments in favor of mutually exclusive positions;
the decision is not of fundamental importance for you, and you can revise your initial goals without significant losses;
The compromise strategy is characterized by accepting the other party's point of view, but only to a certain extent. The search for an acceptable solution is carried out through mutual concessions.
The ability of one party to compromise in conflict situations is highly valued by the opponent, as it reduces ill will in the relationship and allows the conflict to be overcome relatively quickly. But after some time, the dysfunctional consequences of a compromise solution often appear, for example, dissatisfaction with a “half-hearted” solution. In addition, the conflict in a slightly modified form may arise again, because the problem that gave rise to it has not been fully resolved.
Device has the “right to life” if:
You are not interested or concerned about what happened;
the conflict will resolve itself precisely due to the fact that the parties continue to maintain friendly relations;
Confrontation over minor disagreements adds undue stress to the relationship between the parties;
You understand that the outcome of the conflict is much more important for the other person than for you.
Thus, adaptation (compliance) presupposes a person’s renunciation of his own interests, the willingness to sacrifice them to another, to meet him halfway.
Cooperation possible when:
Your and their proposals are extremely important and do not allow for compromise;
the parties involved in the conflict have equal powers of power or are oriented on equal terms to seek a solution to the conflict situation;
You have a close, long-term and interdependent relationship with the other party;
it is absolutely necessary to bring together the opinions of the parties having different approaches to solve the problem;
You and the other party are able to listen to each other and work together to resolve the conflict.
The one who relies on cooperation when resolving a conflict does not try to achieve his goal at the expense of others, but looks for a solution to the problem. Briefly, the attitude towards cooperation is usually formulated as follows: “It’s not you against me, but we are together against the problem.” The manager should consider the cooperation strategy to be the main one, since it is this that most often makes the conflict functional and constructive.
Factors influencing a manager's choice of an appropriate style of behavior.
On the one hand, it is advisable to know what form of behavior in a conflict situation your colleagues, subordinates, and friends are more oriented toward; on the other hand, based on a specific conflict situation, it is necessary to choose the most suitable option own behavior in conflict.
___________________________
*(for reference)
The sequence of actions of a manager when resolving a conflict in which he is one of the participants. Necessary:
a) clearly understand the need and possibility of a non-conflict resolution of the existing contradiction.
b) minimize your own negative emotions associated with the conflict;
c) deeply and impartially assess why the conflict actually arose and is developing.
d) think through several options for resolving the main contradiction.
e) choose a criterion for the fairness of a particular decision.
f) minimize the opponent’s negative emotions towards the manager.
g) have an open conversation.
Communication between participants, the central point of which is negotiation, is of great importance in resolving conflict situations. When planning to conduct a conversation with his opponent, the leader must first, as completely as possible, analyze the current situation. The tasks of the conflict resolution manager are as follows:
It is necessary to find out the cause of the conflict;
Determine your opponent's goals;
Outline areas of convergence of points of view with the opponent;
Clarify the behavioral characteristics of your opponent.
A study conducted in this way makes it possible to draw up general idea about all aspects of the conflict situation. To do this, you should analyze the situation by asking the following questions:
Cause of the conflict. Do the conflicting parties understand the cause of the conflict? Do you need help to resolve the conflict? Where is the cause of the conflict? Have those in conflict asked for help?
The goal of those in conflict. What exactly are the goals of the conflicting parties? Does everyone strive for these goals equally? How do these goals fit with the overall goals of the organization? Is there a common goal that could unite the efforts of the conflicting parties? Do the parties' disagreements relate to the goal of the activity or the means to achieve it?
Areas of convergence. On what issues could those in conflict develop common views? This concerns problems of the business and emotional atmosphere.
Subjects of the conflict. Who is the leader? How do people treat each other? What are the features of linguistic and non-linguistic factors of communication? Do generally accepted norms of behavior apply among those in conflict?
Preliminary situation analysis is a necessary component effective implementation conversations. When conducting a conversation, the leader must maintain control over the situation, i.e., direct the course of the conversation in the right direction, in accordance with the formulated purpose of the conversation. Negotiations must proceed dynamically. Analysis of the situation, deliberate choice of course of action, effective discussion of the situation with its participants - these are ways to turn an emerging conflict into a tool effective solution problems, search the best solution and even as a means of improving people's relationships.
Let us consider a person’s behavior in a conflict situation from the point of view of its compliance with psychological standards. This model of behavior is based on the ideas of E. Melibruda, W. Siegert and L. Lang. Its essence is as follows. It is believed that design approval conflict depends on the following factors:
Adequacy of the perception of the conflict, that is, a fairly accurate assessment of the actions and intentions of both the enemy and one’s own, not distorted by personal biases;
Openness and effectiveness of communication, readiness for a comprehensive discussion of problems, when participants honestly express their understanding of what is happening and ways out of a conflict situation,
Creating an atmosphere of mutual trust and cooperation.
It is useful for a leader to know what character traits and behavioral characteristics of a person are characteristic of a conflict personality. These qualities may include the following:
Inadequate self-esteem of one’s capabilities and abilities, which can be either overestimated or underestimated. In both cases, it may contradict the adequate assessment of others;
The desire to dominate at all costs where it is possible and impossible;
Conservatism of thinking, views, beliefs, unwillingness to overcome outdated traditions;
Excessive adherence to principles and straightforwardness in statements and judgments, the desire to tell the truth at all costs;
A certain set of emotional personality traits: anxiety, aggressiveness, stubbornness, irritability.
K.U. Thomas and R.H. Kilman developed the most appropriate basic strategies for behavior in a conflict situation. They point out that there are five main conflict styles:
Avoidance, avoidance of solving a problem;
Adaptation, compliance;
Competition, rivalry;
Compromise;
Cooperation;
The classification is based on two independent parameters:
The degree to which one’s own interests are realized and one’s goals are achieved;
Level of cooperation, taking into account the interests of the other party.
If we present this in graphical form, we get a grid that allows us to analyze a specific conflict and choose a rational form of human behavior in it (see Fig. 2).
Fig.2. Forms of behavior in conflict
Let's take a closer look at these behavioral styles.
1. Avoidance, avoidance of solving a problem. Usually the subject acts this way when there is little motivation to participate in the conflict; when winning does not seem very attractive or unrealistic to him, or winning requires too much effort, and the subject does not want to make it, and at the same time he does not see the point of meeting his opponent.
Under such circumstances, the subject pretends that the problem does not exist; he moves away from the conflict. Avoidance makes the conflict one-sided with its subsequent completion, or interrupts it, returning subjects to a state of readiness for conflict.
2. If the subject goes to meet the interests of the opponent at the expense of his own interests; what usually happens when there is some justification for such a sacrifice, there is a form of compliance, adaptation.
In such a situation, the subject either takes into account the special significance of the problem for the opponent while it is of lesser importance for himself, or he does this in order to preserve the relationship or expects to gain the opponent’s favor at such a price, or he understands that he is wrong. The subject can also choose a position of compliance and adaptation if he wants to save strength for more important battles, or hopes in this way to win in public opinion.
One way or another, but this option the subject voluntarily concedes victory to the opponent.
3. Competition, rivalry. This form of behavior in conflict manifests itself when the subject puts his own interests at the forefront, completely ignoring the interests of the partner. In this case, the subject expects his complete victory, but at the same time risks losing.
This option is characterized by maximum mobilization available funds, high emotional-volitional tension. It is in such actions that a struggle “for life and death” occurs, and here most often there is a deviation from the rules of “fair play”.
4. Compromise. This solution to the problem occurs when the subject, having moderated the level of his claims, meets the interests of the opponent, thereby reducing the risk of loss and receiving a partial, compromise solution to the problem. In this situation, you have to act prudently, carefully, show patience, endurance, perseverance and ingenuity in the search for mutually acceptable options.
In the last three forms of behavior: adaptation, competition and compromise, the sum of gains is equal to the sum of losses, i.e. the interests of the winner are entirely satisfied at the expense of the interests of the loser (or voluntarily conceding).
5. Collaboration. In this type of behavior, with harmonious consideration of mutual interests, the opportunity for creative, constructive processes opens up for both subjects. An important condition Such behavior is the presence of a common goal, as well as trust, openness of relationships based on the impeccable reputation of the partners. Often the path to cooperation lies through compromise.
Any manager is interested in ensuring that a conflict that arises in his organization or division is suppressed as quickly as possible, since its consequences can bring considerable moral or material damage. Therefore, he must carry out all possible actions for this. First of all, it is necessary to recognize the existence of a conflict, accepting the situation as it is, and try to show opponents that conflict is a common life phenomenon, although not always desirable, and it can and should be overcome, or at least look for ways to this. This process can occur both without direct participation by the parties themselves, and with active intervention and management.
Conflictologists have developed and continue to develop ways to prevent conflicts and methods for their “painless” resolution. Ideally, it is believed that a manager should not eliminate conflict, but manage it and use it effectively.
The conflict can be resolved as a result three types actions: unilateral carried out by each participant at his own peril and risk; mutually agreed upon, the result of which is a compromise; joint, or integrative. They may be based on the coincidence of opinions of the participants, the superiority of one of them, or the intervention of a third force.
As a result, three behavioral models of participants are formed. One of them - destructive; another - conformal, associated with unilateral or mutual concessions and the third - constructive, which involves a joint search for a solution beneficial to all parties.
The first step in managing conflict is to understand its sources. The manager should find out: is this a simple dispute about resources, a misunderstanding on some problem, different approaches to people’s value systems, or is it a conflict that has arisen as a result of mutual intolerance or psychological incompatibility. After determining the causes of the conflict, it should minimize the number of participants. It has been established that the fewer people involved in a conflict, the less effort will be required to resolve it.
In the process of conflict analysis, if the manager himself is not able to understand the nature and source of the problem being solved, then he can involve competent persons for this. Expert opinion is often more convincing than opinion immediate supervisor. This is due to the fact that each of the conflicting parties may suspect that the manager-arbiter, under certain conditions and for subjective reasons, may take the side of his opponent. In this case, the conflict does not “fade out”, but intensifies, since the “offended” party needs to fight against the manager.
There are three points of view on the conflict:
1) the manager believes that the conflict is unnecessary and only harms the organization. Since conflict is always bad, it is the manager’s job to eliminate it in any way;
2) conflict is unwanted, but common by-product organizations. In this case, it is believed that the manager must eliminate the conflict wherever it arises;
3) conflict is not only inevitable, but also necessary and potentially useful. For example, it could be a labor dispute, as a result of which the truth is born. No matter how an organization grows and is managed, conflicts will always arise, and this is a completely normal phenomenon.
Depending on the point of view on the conflict that the manager adheres to, the procedure for overcoming it will depend. In this regard, there are two large groups of conflict management methods: pedagogical and administrative.
It is especially difficult for a manager to find ways to resolve interpersonal conflicts. In this sense, there are several possible strategies of behavior and corresponding options for managerial actions aimed at eliminating the conflict.
A manager's behavior in a conflict has two independent dimensions:
1) assertiveness, perseverance - characterize the behavior of an individual aimed at realizing one’s own interests, achieving one’s own, often mercantile, goals;
2) cooperativeness – characterizes behavior aimed at taking into account the interests of other persons in order to meet their needs halfway.
End of work -
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The nature of socio-economic conflict
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2. Ways and methods of behavior in conflict situations
2.1 Characteristics of role conflicts
A certain difficulty is created by identifying and managing role conflict, which arises primarily when an individual in an organization receives incompatible commands regarding appropriate behavior.
"A role is what an individual must do in order to establish his right to a particular position in an organization. A role includes attitudes and values, as well as characteristic types behavior. In organizations, each position corresponds to a specific activity, which determines the role of this position from the point of view of the organization."
The organization develops functional responsibilities, which determine the activities of the person occupying this position and the relationship of this position with other positions in the organization. Both formal (administrative and operational) and informal (interest and friendship) groups may not have written established rules, but still the rules are followed by group members. Thus, there are established status hierarchies and corresponding roles that, whether formal or informal, form an integral part of the organization.
Each person performs multiple roles, i.e. carried out simultaneously, as the individual occupies a certain place in various organizations and groups. Each role has an outline, i.e. individual expectations of certain behavior from a person in a particular role, since most groups have their own expectations of the role.
An individual who plays many different roles, each of which has complex outlines, is characterized by the utmost complexity of individual behavior. Multiple roles and role contours represent multiple concepts. The importance of a particular concept is determined by the possible difficulties of a particular role, especially in organizational settings. This can often lead to contradictions in the individual's role.
Different individuals perceive role-related behavior differently. IN organizational structure Accuracy of role perception may have a definite impact on performance. But in an organization there may be three different perceptions of the same role, which may differ greatly and further increase the possibility of role contradiction:
Perception of organizations - the position that an individual occupies in an organization is the sum of the organizationally defined roles of the individual, including the official authority associated with the position held, the power, functions and responsibilities of this position, but all these roles, as defined by the organization, relate to position, and not to any person;
Group Perception - Role perceptions develop that link individuals to the various formal and informal groups to which they belong, but expectations change over time and may or may not coincide with the organization's perception of the role;
Perception of the individual - any individual who occupies a certain position in an organization or group has a clear perception of his role, his perception is influenced by his background and social background, as they influence the basic values and attitudes with which the individual comes to the organization, and on perception of one's role. As a result of multiple roles and role contours, an individual may experience difficult situation when his activities in one role interfere with his activities in other roles. As a member of a group, the individual experiences intense pressure to give up his self and obligations to himself in exchange for in-group loyalty. When this happens, the individual is faced with a situation known as role conflict.
The main problems of individual behavior in groups are associated with the multiplicity of roles and the difficulties of combining them when performing, which leads to role conflicts. Therefore, we will consider the main types of conflicts associated with the roles of individuals in a group.
“Personal-role conflict is a conflict between an individual and a role. It occurs when the requirement to fulfill a role threatens the basic values and needs of the individual. For example: when a disciplined employee is expected to violate the work schedule, discipline or certain labor safety rules.”
Intra-role conflict. The role played by an individual often represents a contradictory system, either in reality or in the individual's perception. In the first case, the cause of intra-role conflict is poorly thought out and unclear job descriptions, in the second - misunderstanding of them on the part of the employee himself due to his weak competence.
Since it is quite difficult to clearly separate one role from another and one expectation from another in terms of their content, the type of conflict under discussion is close next type.
Interrole conflict. When performing certain roles, an individual tries to meet the expectations of some members of the group, but at the same time is forced to violate the expectations of other members of the same group. That is, the degree of “expectation” of a given individual’s behavior is not the same for all group members. Members of insufficiently cohesive groups and workers who combine different organizational statuses in one person often find themselves in this position “between two fires”.
Role conflicts seriously affect the behavior of individuals in the group and their labor potential, causing stress. The manager needs to have an initial understanding of these phenomena and take timely measures to eliminate their causes.
2.2 Styles and strategies of behavior in conflict
IN real life not so easy to find out the real reason conflict and find an adequate way to resolve it.
Any manager is interested in ensuring that a conflict that arises in his organization or division is overcome (exhausted, suppressed or terminated) as quickly as possible, because its consequences can cause considerable damage.
This can be achieved both through the efforts of the opponents themselves (unilateral, coordinated or joint), and with the active participation of a third party (the leader himself or the mediator).
It is legitimate to talk about three models of behavior of conflict participants:
Destructive, focused on achieving personal advantages;
Conformal, associated with unilateral or mutual concessions (not to be confused with non-participation or passive resistance);
Constructive, involving a joint search for a solution beneficial to everyone.
In this regard, interesting are the studies of K.U. Thomas and R.H. Kilmenna.
1.The most typical style is competition, i.e. the desire for one-sided gain, satisfaction first of all of one’s own interests. From this stems the desire to put pressure on a partner, to impose one’s interests, using power through coercion.
This style can be effective if the manager has great power over subordinates, must make an unpopular decision and has enough authority to choose this step; interacts with subordinates who prefer authoritarian style. However, educated staff may resent this style. This strategy rarely brings long-term results, since the losing party may not support a decision made against its will, or even try to sabotage it.
2. The essence of the compromise style is that the parties try to resolve differences by making mutual concessions. The ability to compromise is highly valued in management situations, as it minimizes ill will, which often makes it possible to quickly resolve a conflict, leading to the satisfaction of both parties.
However, the use of compromise at an early stage of a conflict that has arisen over important issue, can reduce the search for alternatives, which in turn increases the likelihood of making the wrong decision. The disadvantage of this style is that one of the parties may exaggerate its demands in order to later appear generous or give in before the other. The compromise style can be used in the following situations:
Both sides have equally binding arguments and have equal power; Satisfying the desires of one of the parties is not very important for her great importance; A temporary solution is possible, since there is no time to develop another; or other approaches to solving the problem turned out to be ineffective; Compromise will allow you to gain at least something rather than lose everything.
3. The accommodation style means that one of the parties does not try to defend its own interests in order to smooth the atmosphere and restore a normal working environment. The most typical situations in which this style is applicable are the following: The most important task is to restore calm and stability, and not to resolve the conflict; The subject of the disagreement is not important to one of the participants; Good relations are preferable to one's own point of view; The participant does not have enough chances to win.
It should also be remembered that with this style, as a result of "forgetting" the problem underlying the conflict, peace and quiet may come, but the problem will remain, and ultimately an "explosion" may occur.
4. Ignoring or avoiding. Typically, this style is chosen if the conflict does not affect the direct interests of the parties or the problem that has arisen is not so important for the parties and they do not need to defend their rights and waste time on solving it. The style is also applicable when dealing with a conflicted personality. The conflicting party uses an evasive style if it:
1) believes that the source of disagreement is insignificant compared to other more important tasks;
2) knows that he cannot or even does not want to resolve the issue in his favor;
3) has little power to solve the problem in the way she desires, and subordinates can resolve the conflict themselves
4) wants to buy time to study the situation and obtain additional information before making any decision;
5) believes that solving the problem immediately is dangerous, since open discussion of the conflict can only worsen the situation;
6) when the conflict involves people who are difficult from the point of view of communication - rude people, complainers, whiners, etc.
If the causes of the conflict are subjective, this strategy is favorable. It makes it possible to calm down, comprehend the situation and come to the conclusion that there is no basis for confrontation, and save for the future a good relationship. If the conflict is objective, then this strategy leads to the loss of the participants, since time drags on, and the reasons that caused it not only persist, but can also get worse. But maintaining the situation for a long time can lead participants to seek psychological release, for example, to aggression against strangers.
5.Collaborative style. This is the most difficult of all styles, but at the same time the most effective in resolving conflict situations. This is a joint development of a solution that satisfies the interests of both parties. In the process, joint experience and broad information are acquired for subsequent integration, and an atmosphere of cooperation is created. The parties acknowledge differences of opinion and are willing to engage with other points of view in order to understand the causes of the conflict and find a course of action acceptable to all. Someone who uses this style does not try to achieve their goal at the expense of others, but rather looks for the best solution.
It has been established that where both parties win, they are more likely to execute decisions made, because they are acceptable to them and both parties participated in the entire conflict resolution process.
To resolve conflict, this style can be used in following cases:
1) if each of the approaches to the problem is important and does not allow compromise solutions, however, it is necessary to find a common solution;
2) the main goal is to gain joint work experience; the parties are able to listen to each other and outline the essence of their interests;
3) there are long-term, strong and interdependent relationships with the conflicting party;
4) it is necessary to integrate points of view and strengthen the personal involvement of employees in activities.
6. If the rank of the interested opponent turns out to be higher, he tries to use a force strategy to resolve the conflict in his favor. In this case weak side ends up losing (“coming to terms with a dead end”). The use of such a strategy is often accompanied by intimidation, blackmail, disinformation, provocations, etc. If this makes it possible to secure a profitable or at least a non-losing position, we are talking about reflexive defense. If the other side manages to force a decision that is unfavorable for it in this way, we are talking about reflexive conflict management.
Since the losing side usually does not accept defeat, the conflict can break out with renewed vigor at any moment and no one knows how it will end. Thus, if one opponent loses, there can be no gain for the other, and therefore for the organization as a whole.
But more often, conflicts do not “resolve themselves,” and if ignored, they grow and can destroy the organization. Therefore, managers have to take the situation into their own hands, develop and implement options for managing them.
To do this, you can use conflict prevention and resolution strategies (the latter, depending on the situation, is implemented in two ways - coercion and persuasion).
7. "The conflict prevention strategy is a set of activities, mainly of an organizational and explanatory nature."
We can talk about improving working conditions, fair distribution of resources, remuneration, changing the structure of the organization, its management system, introducing additional integration and coordination mechanisms, ensuring strict adherence to the rules of internal life, traditions, norms of behavior, work ethics.
8. “The strategy for overcoming a conflict is aimed at forcing or convincing the conflicting parties to stop hostile actions and, by starting negotiations among themselves, to find an acceptable solution that not only excludes someone’s defeat, but also indicates the direction of mobilizing social energy.”
By implementing the overcoming strategy, the leader masters the situation, shows the impossibility of achieving the desired goals through conflict, finds out the reasons for its occurrence, boundaries, positions of the parties (what they insist on), interests (what the parties want to achieve in the end), what they have in common and together with participants are trying to find a way out of this situation, at least on the basis of a compromise. If the parties do not want to follow reasonable arguments, the manager applies administrative measures. More specific methods are used to combat intrigue. For example, those involved in intrigues are threatened with public exposure, but at the same time they are encouraged to solve the problems that push them to such actions.
None of the styles considered can be called the best. Each of them should be used effectively and, taking into account specific circumstances, consciously make a choice in favor of one style or another.
More often than not, conflicts do not “solve themselves,” and if ignored, they can escalate and destroy the organization. Therefore, managers should take matters into their own hands and develop and implement options to manage them.
2.3 Conflict resolution methods
One of the most difficult in practical terms The task facing the leader is conflict resolution. What is important here is both multifaceted knowledge and experience, skill, and the art of finding non-standard solutions.
It is important to focus on managing those conflicts in which the organization’s management is drawn into due to prevailing circumstances, management errors or operational failures. These types of conflicts should be resolved with minimal losses for the organization.
“Conflict management is a process of purposeful influence on the organization’s personnel in order to eliminate the causes that gave rise to the conflict and to bring the behavior of the parties to the conflict in accordance with the established norms of relationships.”
Conflict resolution is possible at two levels:
Partial when only excluded conflict behavior, but the deep psychological reasons and internal motivations for conflict are not eliminated;
Complete, when the conflict is resolved both at the level of real behavior and at the psychological (emotional) level.
Thus, if the conflict situation is transformed in such a way that the parties are forced to stop conflicting actions, but they retain the desire to achieve the original goals, then the conflict is partially resolved. Usually, by introducing administrative prohibitions and sanctions, the manager achieves only a partial resolution of the conflict.
For successful resolution conflicts, the leader should first of all realistically assess the conflict situation, and this presupposes:
Distinguish between the cause of the conflict and its causes;
Determine the subject of disagreement (production or personal relationships of the conflicting parties);
Understand the motives of people entering into conflict. To do this you need to know life path employees, their views and beliefs, main interests, requests;
Determine the direction of specific actions of the parties to the conflict, bearing in mind that the means used by the parties reflect the motives for participation in the conflict.
When managing a conflict, the main attention should be focused on the subject of the conflict and the positions of its participants, without placing emphasis on their personal characteristics; It is important to show impartiality, restraint, and not make premature hasty conclusions.
There is more than one way to manage a conflict situation. All methods can be divided into two categories: structural and interpersonal. Structural ones include:
Clarification of job requirements. The manager conveys them to his subordinates so that they understand what is expected of them in a given situation; explains what results are expected from each employee and each department; who provides and who receives various information, who has what powers and responsibilities;
Coordination and integration mechanisms. This means establishing a hierarchy of authority that streamlines people's interactions, decision-making, and information flows within the organization. The principle of unity of command facilitates the use of hierarchy to manage a conflict situation, since the subordinate knows whose decision he must carry out. Cross-functional groups and interdepartmental meetings are used as integration tools. Such intermediate services coordinate the work of interdependent units between which there is a conflict.
Organization-wide comprehensive goals. Effective implementation of these goals requires the joint efforts of two or more employees, departments, or groups. When setting comprehensive goals, the efforts of all participants are directed towards achieving a common goal, and greater coherence is observed in the activities of all personnel.
Reward system structure. It should be such that, first of all, people are rewarded who contribute to the achievement of organizational comprehensive goals and help other groups in the organization. Rewards can be in the form of bonuses, gratitude, recognition or promotion. It is also important that the reward system does not reward unconstructive behavior by individuals or groups. Conflict management includes interpersonal ways resolving conflict situations based on taking into account the psychology of the parties to the conflict. These include conversation, persuasion, principled negotiations, psychotraining and psychotherapy.
Depending on the situation, taking into account individually psychological characteristics participants in the conflict, the manager applies various ways, conflict resolution styles, but the cooperation strategy should be the main one, since it is this that most often makes the conflict functional.
Here are some suggestions for using this style of conflict resolution:
Once the problem is identified, identify solutions that are acceptable to all parties.
Focus on the problem, not on the other party's personal qualities.
Create an atmosphere of trust by increasing mutual influence and information sharing.
During communication, create a positive attitude towards each other by showing sympathy and listening to the other party's opinion.
2.4 Behavior and actions of a leader in conflict situations
There are several effective ways conflict management. They can be divided into two categories: structural and interpersonal. A simple difference in character should not be considered the cause of conflicts, although, of course, it can become a cause of conflict in a particular case.
"Conflict management is conscious activity in relation to it, carried out at all stages of its emergence, development and completion of the conflict. It is important not to block the development of a contradiction, but to strive to resolve it in non-conflict ways. Conflict management includes their prevention and constructive resolution."
The manager must begin by analyzing the actual causes and then use the appropriate methodology. In order to avoid conflicts with employees and between employees, it is necessary:
When communicating with subordinates, use a calm tone and politeness combined with firmness, avoid rudeness in dealing with employees, because rudeness cannot achieve the desired effect; on the contrary, the manager most often receives a negative result, since the subordinate gets fixated on resentment and worries instead of working;
Scold an employee for poor quality work only face to face, since a backstage conversation saves him from shame, and in return the manager can count on gratitude and assurances that this will not happen again; otherwise, the employee, instead of correcting the mistake, will waste time worrying about the shame he experienced;
Praise an employee for quality work in front of the entire team, since a person is always pleased when a manager notices his efforts, and even more so when he does this in front of all employees; otherwise, he will begin to believe that no one needs his successes, and in the future he will not try to work efficiently;
Avoid familiarity in relations with subordinates; observance of subordination is necessary, otherwise it will become impossible to demand anything from your subordinates;
Be objective towards all employees, which means that the manager must promote, demote, fine and terminate employees fairly, treating all employees equally (the criterion for promotion can only be stable successful work this or that employee, and for punishment - consistently bad), having favorites and unloved employees is unacceptable, since a well-performing employee with an “inconvenient” character is better than a poorly-performing sycophant;
When acting as an arbitrator rather than an attorney for one of the parties, it is best to listen objectively to both sides and then make an objective decision;
To be out of conflict, not to participate in squabbles and squabbles, not to pass on gossip, since, being out of conflict, it is easier to eliminate it in time;
Resolutely suppress squabbles, gossip and sneaking, for which you can first fine the employee caught in this and strictly warn him about the inadmissibility of such behavior, and if this does not help, then this employee must be fired so as not to create precedents; the same should be done with those who are accustomed to “speaking out” on any occasion, thereby preventing others from working;
If reconciliation between two employees is impossible, it is necessary to oblige them to communicate on business, since work should not suffer because of someone's emotions.
Managers must spend their working time resolving conflicts. Because managers inevitably work in conditions of intergroup conflicts, they are forced to resolve them. Failure to do this can have disastrous consequences. Conflicts can make employees feel alienated, reduce productivity, and even lead to resignations.
The manager must remember that conflicts can be resolved through official bodies of a third party. The third party may be a larger organization that simply orders an end to controversial behavior under threat of dismissal (as in the case of government prohibitions on strikes and lockouts in labor disputes that threaten the national interest), or it may be mediators.
Managers must recognize that since the causes of conflicts vary, the methods for resolving them also vary depending on the circumstances. Choice suitable method conflict resolution depends on many factors, including the reasons for its occurrence and the nature of the relationship between managers and conflicting groups. Measures to minimize conflict include: taking time to pause and think before acting; measures to build trust; efforts to understand the motives behind the conflict; listening to all stakeholders; maintaining a position of equal exchange; sensitive training of all participants in techniques for working with conflicts; willingness to admit mistakes; maintaining equal status for all parties to the conflict.
There can be no hard and fast recommendations here. Everything depends on the nature of a particular conflict and the conditions under which it occurs. There are several solutions to conflicts, as well as the results of these decisions, and all of them can be correct. It does not matter which of them will be developed, the main thing is that it satisfies the warring parties to the greatest extent. It should be remembered that intervention in a conflict, even with the best intentions, certainly requires high level professionalism, otherwise you can only complicate it.
Conflict can also reduce the possibility of groupthink and resignation syndrome, where subordinates do not express ideas that they perceive to be contrary to those of their leaders.
Conclusion
To summarize, we can say that in communicating with people and in business contacts, hidden or overt conflicts may arise due to a lack of understanding of the true motives of behavior. In contacts with people it is necessary to show tolerance and restraint. Very often the motives for behavior are not at all what can be attributed. Arrogance and arrogance can hide timidity, shyness, and vulnerability. Fear and anxiety can masquerade as anger and anger. Bad mood may be explained by fatigue. If a conflict arises in a team, you should not avoid it. It is very important to be able not to transform a conflict situation into a conflict, since the impact of force is usually associated with emotional experiences. If the conflict situation has already developed into a conflict, then it is very important to work with the emotional mood of the participants. The ability to resolve conflicts depends on the ability to transform the mutual understanding of participants from enemies to partners. The inability to defuse a conflict situation and understand mistakes and miscalculations can cause constant tension. It must be remembered that conflict must be skillfully managed before it becomes so strong that it acquires destructive properties. The main reason for the conflict is that people depend on each other, everyone needs sympathy and understanding, the location and support of the other, they need someone to share their beliefs. A conflict is a signal that something went wrong in communications between people or that some significant disagreements have arisen. Many people do not have specific conflict management skills and need guidance and practice. As basic recommendations regarding behavior in conflict conditions, we can point to the following guidelines:
The ability to distinguish the important from the secondary. It would seem that it could be simpler, but life shows that it is quite difficult to do this. Almost nothing except intuition can help a person. It is necessary to analyze conflict situations, the motives of your behavior, if you try to understand what is really a “matter of life and death” and what is simply your own ambitions, and learn to discard the unimportant.
Inner peace. This is a principle of attitude towards life that does not exclude a person’s energy and activity. On the contrary, it allows you to become even more active, to react sensitively to the slightest shades of events and problems, without losing composure even at critical moments. Inner peace is a kind of protection from all unpleasant life situations; it allows a person to choose the appropriate form of behavior;
Emotional maturity and stability are essentially the ability and readiness to act worthy in any life situations;
Knowledge of how to influence events, meaning the ability to stop oneself and not “pressure” or, conversely, speed up an event in order to “control the situation” and be able to adequately respond to it;
The ability to approach a problem from different points of view, due to the fact that the same event can be assessed differently, depending on the position taken. If you consider the conflict from the position of your “I,” there will be one assessment, but if you try to look at the same situation from the position of your opponent, perhaps everything will seem different. It is important to be able to evaluate, compare, and connect different positions;
Preparedness for any surprises, the absence (or restraint) of a biased line of behavior allows you to quickly adapt, respond in a timely and adequate manner to changing situations;
Perception of reality as it is, and not as a person would like to see it. This principle is closely related to the previous one; following it helps to maintain mental stability even in cases when everything seems devoid of internal logic and meaning;
The desire to go beyond problematic situation. As a rule, all “unsolvable” situations are ultimately solvable, hopeless situations can not be;
Observation, which is necessary not only for assessing others and their actions. Many unnecessary reactions, emotions and actions will disappear if you learn to observe yourself impartially. It is much easier for a person who can objectively assess his desires, motives, and motives, as if from the outside, to manage his behavior, especially in critical situations;
Foresight as the ability not only to understand the internal logic of events, but also to see the prospects for their development. Knowing “what will lead to what” protects against mistakes and incorrect behavior, prevents the formation of a conflict situation;
The desire to understand others, their thoughts and actions. In some cases this means coming to terms with them, in others it means correctly determining your line of behavior. Many misunderstandings in Everyday life happen only because not all people are able or do not take the trouble to consciously put themselves in the place of others. The ability to understand (even without accepting) an opposing point of view helps to predict people's behavior in a given situation;
The ability to extract experience from everything that happens, i.e. “learn from mistakes”, and not only from your own. This ability to take into account the causes of past mistakes and failures helps to avoid new ones.
At the same time, you should always remember: Do not expand the conflict zone; Offer positive solutions; Do not use categorical forms; Reduce the number of claims; Sacrifice the unimportant; Avoid insults.
Bibliography
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