Conflict Resolution

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Non-confrontational conflict resolution strategy is the easiest one to use since it concentrates on avoidance of the cause of conflict. Avoiding a confrontation is very easy to use especially after understanding that the other party is hurt by certain things and will always want to be on top or be heard in every circumstance. Letting the other party have his or her way may greatly help in avoiding conflict. Control strategy is the most difficult to apply as it focusses only on winning or selfish achievement without paying attention to the other party’s needs or desires. The other party in most cases remains unsatisfied and always thinks that the rules and regulations put in place are unfair to him. It may be heard to convince the other party that he or she has lost simply because the law or rules do not favor him. Control strategy normally leaves the other party unsatisfied thus prompting fresh conflicts perhaps intended to challenge the existing rules. I use solution oriented strategies more often by focusing on the issue causing dispute and avoiding victimization of the parties involved. I always love when everyone has come out of the conflict without thinking that they are the major instigators.

If the other person is a friend, I would always want to retain friendship but discontinue the problem or the issue causing dispute between us. I would therefore use the solution oriented strategies as this ensures that I do not victimize the friend and keep the friendship strong instead of doing more harm to the relationship between us. The solution oriented strategies will ensure that both of us mutually benefit from the solution arrived at without any of us feeling as a winner or a loser. Similarly, I would use solution-oriented technique if the other party was a family member. Family relationship is very important and solving a dispute based on the conflict itself rather than individualizing or victimizing the other party would retain the relationship. Using the solution-oriented strategies would ensure that the solutions provided are of benefit to both of us and that everyone involved will come out satisfied with the dispute in question. However, when the other party is a co-worker, control strategies would work best since it focusses on the rules and regulations put in place. A co-worker may sometimes act as a competitor, which may prompt him or her to initiate a conflict that would see me losing and him gaining. I would therefore use rules and regulations put in place to correct him and solve dispute between us.

The kind of conflict as well as the intention of the dispute is very significant in deciding on what strategy to use. The relationship between the two parties should be considered in deciding the best strategy to use in dealing with a conflict situation. Formal and informal relationship amongst the parties involved should be considered. Previous dispute and conflict between the parties involved may also be considered useful. Recurring conflict between two parties may need a different strategy unlike a dispute that occurs just once.