The modern workplace is a melting pot of people with different backgrounds, skill sets, and visions of success. Show
Diversity in the workplace is a beautiful thing. It brings about new ideas and perspectives that certain groups would otherwise never consider. However, when all of these people are in the same place, conflict is bound to arise. Before and after that happens, conflict management strategies and styles should be on the minds of every employee, no matter their ranking. Conflict management refers to the process of eliminating the negative results of conflict while also highlighting the positives that come along with it. When working on any team, conflict management is a necessary skill. Your business can run like a well-oiled machine, but conflict will persist. Contrary to what most would think, conflict in the workplace doesn't necessarily mean you're dealing with a difficult employee. When coworkers experience conflict, it not only means they are comfortable enough to express their opinions, but lessons in internal communication are learned on both ends during the conflict management process. While some personality types might stick with one method in particular, there is more than one way to resolve a conflict. Actually, there are five. No matter the cause or the effort put into resolving it, if a conflict exists, one of these styles is used to manage it. 5 conflict management stylesThe five conflict management styles all have the goal of bringing the involved parties to a resolution. They just have different ways of getting there. Each style exhibit different levels of cooperativeness and assertiveness. Let’s take a close look at each one and when they should be used.  AccommodatingAn accommodating conflict management style is used when you set aside your own wants or needs and focus on those of others. You leave your own concerns behind and accommodate for those of someone else.
This style can often be seen as weak, but this is not the case. A big part of conflict management is realizing when elongating the resolution process will only make things worse. AvoidingAn avoiding conflict management style ignores the situation altogether. Either one or both of the people involved in the conflict steer clear of it.
CompromisingA compromising conflict management style tries to find a way to partially satisfy people on both sides of the argument. Adjustments are made on both ends to resolve the conflict at hand.
CollaboratingA collaborating style includes finding a solution that will completely appease all involved parties. A win-win situation, if you will.
CompetingA competing style is for all you headstrong folks. With this approach, you take a firm stance and refuse to budge until you get what you want. You are unmoved by the perspectives of the other parties involved in the conflict.
Now that you know what each conflict management style is, it is time to pick one to help resolve your current conflict. While it might seem obvious, it is worth taking the extra time to ask yourself these questions to make sure you make the right decision: How familiar am I with this issue? What are my viewpoints on this issue? What are my current priorities? Is resolving this conflict one of them? Is it possible to find a middle ground here? Is there a way for both parties to be completely satisfied? Is it possible to see the other side of this argument? This quick analysis will help you better understand the situation and determine which conflict management style would be best in resolving it. One size does not fit allEvery conflict is different, meaning there is no one right way to manage them all. A lot of factors play into which method is best for resolving conflict. Consider them all before deciding on which one to use. Choosing the right conflict management style can be the difference between resolution and uncertainty.
There are a lot of different instances that call for effective communication, but no matter what, use these etiquette tips to be heard -- without being offensive. Struggling with conflict as a leader? Check out our resource on conflict management strategies for tips from real-life managers.
Does your organization encounter a lot of team conflict? Do team members struggle to communicate effectively? There are many different types of conflict styles, and choosing the right style is critical to managing conflict effectively. Learn how to best utilize the five conflict handling styles and how to reduce interpersonal conflict in the workplace with simple conflict resolution strategies. What Are Conflict Styles?Conflict styles, sometimes called conflict resolution styles, conflict management styles, or conflict handling styles, are the ways in which people choose to deal with conflict. There isn’t one perfect way to deal with conflict, as not every conflict we face is exactly the same. The way we might resolve a conflict with our romantic partner is likely quite different from the way we might manage conflict with a coworker or client. We need to alter our conflict style depending on a number of different considerations.
It’s also important to note that conflict doesn’t need to be negative. It’s a good thing if the people on your team feel comfortable enough with each other to express their opinions and stand behind them. Conflict is a natural outcome of group decision making, as every group and every team is made up of individuals with individual opinions and worldviews. Conflict is necessary to achieve consensus. There are five conflict management styles: avoiding, accommodating, compromising, collaborating, and competing. Some are better than others for dealing with conflict, but there are situations for every style. Resolving a conflict about what to order for lunch doesn’t hold as much importance, for example, compared to resolving a conflict about a team project. If you’re on a team of five and four people want mushrooms on their pizza, you may choose the accommodating conflict management style and accept the wishes of your four teammates. After all, if you really don’t like mushrooms, you can remove them from your slice.
What to consider when choosing a conflict style:
The 5 Conflict Handling Styles
Just like the name suggests, the avoiding conflict style sidesteps the conflict entirely. A person using this style wouldn’t take either side of a conflict and choose instead to ignore it. This would be an inappropriate style to choose when dealing with a serious issue, such as an employee harassing another employee, but not all situations are so serious. If coworkers are bickering about who they think should have won The Bachelor and you don’t watch that show, it would be pointless for you to get in the middle of it. The conflict will fizzle out or resolve itself without your involvement. If a conflict has nothing to do with you, you don’t have time to deal with it, or you don’t have a strong opinion either way, the avoiding conflict style is an appropriate one to choose.
The accommodating conflict management style sacrifices your own needs in order to accommodate the needs of others. You leave your own wants and needs at the door in order to do what someone else wants. You could be persuaded into choosing this style, you may choose it because you realize there’s no point in arguing any further, you may not care about the issue as much as the other person, or your focus may be on keeping the peace. Every situation is different, and while it’s easy to dismiss this conflict style as weak, that’s not necessarily the case. Conflict resolution isn’t about ensuring you win every conflict you enter—it’s about accurately reading the situation and minimizing negativity. If prolonging the conflict is only making things worse, sometimes it’s best for someone to be accommodating.
The compromising conflict management style attempts to partly satisfy both sides of an argument, meaning both opposing parties will have to adjust in order to find a reasonable middle ground. This style doesn’t leave everyone completely satisfied, but it becomes necessary when finding any solution is more important than finding the perfect solution, such as when you’re faced with a rapidly approaching deadline, the compromise is only temporary, or when you’ve reached a stalemate.
The competing conflict management style refuses to compromise or see the perspectives of others involved. People choosing this style take a firm stance and refuse to budge until they get what they want. While it’s important to be a team player and get along with team members, there are times when it’s necessary to choose this style, such as when you’re standing up for your morals, rights, or values, or when a terrible decision is about to be made, and you have exhausted the other less forceful conflict styles.
The collaborating conflict style attempts to find a solution that will completely satisfy all parties involved in the conflict. As opposed to finding a middle ground that requires both sides to compromise, this style seeks to find a win-win solution that both sides find mutually acceptable. It’s necessary to adopt this style when the relationship between the parties is important, the views of multiple stakeholders must be represented, or when the final solution carries too much weight to afford a compromise. Interpersonal Conflict Resolution StrategiesChoose the Best Conflict Style Based on the SituationThere’s not a single conflict style that can be applied to every situation, which is why it’s important to assess the situation objectively before rushing in like a bull in a china shop. When choosing a conflict style, first consider the consequences of the conflict, how much value you place on the issue, and whether or not you have the requisite time and energy to invest in what could be a long and tedious process. Understand Different Personality Types and Communication PreferencesIn an ideal world, everyone would understand their own tendencies and be able to objectively assess the most appropriate conflict style. However, all too often, most people jump into conflict using the style that feels most natural to them. Everyone has their own communication preferences and understanding these preferences can help you navigate conflict and choose the best conflict management style. For example, your loud and assertive coworker may steamroll over you if you choose an avoiding or accommodating conflict style. This may be alright if you’re not that invested in the situation, but if the conflict does hit close to home, you may need to take on a more competing conflict style in order to get their attention and make your needs heard. A shy and introverted coworker may struggle to be heard during a conflict. To ensure the conflict is amicably resolved, you may need to focus on being more accommodating than usual. Jumping into the conflict with a competing style could scare them into agreeing with you and prevent them from actually speaking their mind, meaning the situation will never truly be resolved in their eyes. How do you determine communication preferences? We chose to utilize the DiSC personality assessment at Blue Summit Supplies to better understand each others’ preferences. We’re also big fans of the Enneagram personality assessment and how Enneagrams can be utilized to better understand workplace personalities.
Build a Culture of Trust in the WorkplaceTrust is an essential element of resolving conflict in the workplace. Conflict is a necessary part of effective decision making, no matter how tight-knit your team is. Without conflict and discussion, ideas are never challenged. And if ideas are never challenged, they’ll never improve. Trust between team members ensures that conflicts about ideas or the direction to take a project don’t descend into bickering and negative emotions. Team members need to trust that everyone on the team has their best interests as well as the best interests of the company at heart. Trusting teams are better at collaborating, communicating, and making effective decisions. Intentionally cultivate a culture of trust in your workplace by giving team members the time and space to resolve conflicts as well as the tools they need to do so. Help teams understand the different ways conflict can be resolved and provide time for team members to get to know each others’ natural communication preferences. 📚 Learn How to Build Trust in the Workplace. Bring Conflict Management to Team BuildingTeam trust doesn’t just happen. Trust must be built intentionally, especially if you manage a remote team. A great way to intentionally build trust is through team building activities. Team building activities boost employee wellbeing and team morale, increase productivity, and attract and retain employees. There are a wide variety of interesting and educational team building activities out there for both in-person and remote teams. It’s important to provide opportunities for your team to have fun together, but it’s just as important to plan some conflict resolution exercises or an entire conflict management workshop to get your team on the same page about how to resolve conflicts within the team.
Provide Conflict Resolution TrainingIf you want to go deeper than a few exercises or if your team frequently struggles with conflict resolution, consider investing in workplace conflict resolution training. Don’t overlook the power of investing in training. Everyone on your team has a different frame of reference and level of experience when it comes to conflict management. Use proper training to get everyone aligned on the best practices surrounding collaborative conflict resolution so that your team can continue to expand the trust and comfort they have working with each other. More from Blue Summit Supplies💡 Transparent Communication in the Workplace 💡 Actionable Strategies for Better Communication in the Workplace We’re passionate about understanding communication preferences to improve workplace efficiency, trust, and collaboration. Follow our office supplies blog for the latest office trends, team building strategies, communication advice, and more. If you have any questions or want to talk to someone about office supplies, send us an email or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
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What are the 5 conflict management styles?
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