1.0 Introduction
Conflict is part and parcel of human life. Its occurrence brings forth retarded growth and necessitates change for positive development. While conflict dynamics can be complex, personal conflict is usually at the core of all these other levels. A personal conflict can occur within an individual or between individuals. The key determinants of the magnitude of conflicts are the situation within which the conflict occurs and the coping strategies employed by individuals directly and indirectly affected by the conflict. This places an individual as a key player in the conflict. The coping strategies are measured in terms of the perception, mental processing and thinking in relation to conflict as well as behavior exhibited as a reaction to the conflict. It is important to understand how to manage the thinking and behavior in order to effectively manage conflicts. This essay will examine personal conflict styles exhibited in an event of conflict and assess the impact of the styles in effective conflict management. A conflict style for change shall be established coupled with an action plan to manage conflict and then a conclusion shall be provided
2.0 My Personal conflict styles
2.1 Conflict Styles in General
In light of determining my conflict style, I chose from various methods used in accordance with the personality of the individual. Some of the personal styles include the following;
This conflict styles are exhibited with individuals portraying high scores for 7, 8, 9 and 10 o’clock and they view conflict as a threatening. Individuals likely to exhibit this conflict style are those featuring traits like escalators, dominators, competitors and perfectionists (Fink, 1968).
Constructive styles
Individuals exhibiting high scores for 11, 12, 1 and 2 o’clock fall under this category. These are individuals who are capable of effectively dealing with conflicts. Their view on conflicts is that conflict situations provide opportunity for personal evaluation and growth, change and transformations.
Passive/defensive styles
Individuals in this conflict style exhibit high scores for 3, 4, 5 and 6 o’clock and view conflict as unnecessary, threatening and opt to avoid it. These individuals exhibit either avoiding or accommodating mode. Avoiding mode features low assertiveness and low cooperation. The individual fears engaging in conflicts as they do not have confidence in their conflict management strategies.
2.2 My Personal Style
According to the Circumplex, I have three strong possibilities of conflict resolution styles. These include escalator, regulator and avoider. These three styles had the biggest percentile of 99 percent. On the other hand, the weakest style is the pragmatist technique. This implies I can avoid, escalate, or regulate in time of a conflict. However, it is very difficult to adopt a pragmatic approach when it comes to solving a conflict.
3.0 Impacts of styles on effectiveness
Whilst there are three possible personal conflicts I may adopt during conflict resolutions, this essay focuses on avoidance. According to the circumplex, I have high chances of avoiding a conflict. I had a 99 percentile on this conflict resolution style. In essence, avoiders are known to evade the critical aspects of the conflict. Thus, in an event of conflict, avoiders are likely to withdraw from the conflict situation.
Avoider style can be effective in conflicts that arise from minor issues whose effects cannot substantially affect the normal functioning of tasks, goal attainment of need acquisition. For example, in a bid to acquire a new job, an individual can face some discouraged by a friend, but the individual possess all the relevant skills and thus avoiding such argument can be the best course of action.
However, avoiding conflict cannot be effectively utilized in situations where the issue of conflict is so important that warrants attention. For example, a doctor who avoids attending to a patient in critical condition requiring emergency attention will only worsen the condition. Avoider style of conflict resolution is effective in certain conditions, but is also limited in application.
Conflict style for change and action plan for the change
In a bid to effectively manage conflicts, there might be warranted action style that can be adopted to change. The action plan can be applied to individuals falling in constructive, aggressive or passive conflict style. Essentially, self- development can be achieved through a number of actions (US Army, 2008). Different conflicts require different behavior for conflict resolution. This plan is applied to aggressive conflict style, although it can be applied to any of the style.
The first step is self-awareness which entails analyzing personal thoughts, perceptions and behavior in a bid to understand your possible dispositions when exposed ion dynamic situations. It entails identifying your strengths and weaknesses. Strengths can include strong decision making and conviction to goals. Weaknesses include self-centeredness and parochial mind.
Strengths and weaknesses can be identified by watching how others act towards you, gathering feedback from others or performing a self-exam with regard to situation analysis and self-analysis exercise. You can perform this analysis with regard to conflict situations.
Having analyzed the strengths and weaknesses, you need to set a direction for change. The direction for change entails aspects like analyzing your roles and responsibilities, setting your self- development plan that entails activities aimed at learning new knowledge, gaining or enhancing skills and/or changing your attitudes. The plan needs to be specific and measurable, realistic, flexible and time bound.
Opportunities are offered through learning, both intended and unintended. They help develop observation and sensitivity to events and other people’s needs. Finally, assess your progress through objective and subjective measures and with regard to whether the timeline was met.
Reflection of the exercise
Personal conflicts analysis has helped me in enhancing self-awareness and behavior change in order to become competent and accommodative of diverse conflict situations. Indeed, I consider myself to have been ignorant of my approach to conflict resolution. As of now, I have a clearer understanding of the ways in which I approach conflict-based matters. Indeed, self understanding is one of the most crucial aspects, especially when preparing to work with people bearing in mind that conflict is always a prevalent aspects especially in an organizational setting. Importantly, it helped to understand my weakest style in resolving conflict. This is because I will start working to improve it to ensure I develop pragmatic capabilities. In addition, I reduce the aspects of using escalator method is conflict resolution because it can lead to even more intense dissonance between the conflicting parties. I also encourage others to take this analysis for various reasons. To start with, it is not only empowering personal growth, but also allows for effective conflict resolution by being able to employ an effective conflict style depending on the conflict situation so that effective response can be made to each conflict situation. With the right identification of conflict style, self-awareness, action plan, utilization of opportunities and measurement of effectiveness comes empowerment to respond to conflict situation accordingly with the respective style.
References
Fink, C. (1968). Some Conceptual Difficulties in the Theory of Social Conflict. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 12(4), 412-460.
US Army (2008). Self-development handbook department of the Army. United States of America.
