An Insight in the Strategies of Conflict Resolution in Business

Although completely aware each person I have encountered was unique and handled conflict differently, I had never considered that there are different styles of conflict nor have I considered what mine may be. After reading Style Matters (1) by Ron Kraybill, PhD. I now have a better understanding of not only my styles of conflict but also strategies to effectively deal with styles of others. This is such an important skill to have personally as well as professionally and it is unfortunate that it is not taught early in life.

I appreciate that I will now be able to make conscious choices to respond to others and understand what my strengths and weaknesses are so I can become more successful when dealing with conflict.

The Kraybill Conflict Style Inventory (2) found my top two strategies in a Calm setting as being Cooperative and Compromising. Surprisingly, it categorized the same two strategies a Storm setting. It gave me a 3 for the Storm Shift. I would agree with the inventory that I am more apt to be Cooperative and Compromising than I am Avoiding especially in a Calm setting; however, I would not have guessed that I use the same strategies in a Storm setting, I was sure it would find me to be more Directive.

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The relatively low number of 3 for the Storm Shift is also a surprise because I have always seen myself as someone to quickly lose my patience and direct the conflict in the way that would most benefit my point of view and not be too concerned with the relationship.

Following my top two styles in a Calm setting, my styles were shown to be Harmonizing, Avoiding then Directing in descending order. I thought Directing would be rated above Harmonizing but especially above Avoiding.

I have never seen myself as a person that avoided in any situation let alone in conflict. Then in a Storm setting my styles in descending order were Directing, Harmonizing then Avoiding. I am not as surprised by those ratings except to say that I expected Directing to be above them all. My Insights gained from the inventory include that although my top conflict styles have many positives, they can also have negatives. In general, when someone mentions cooperating and compromising they are seen as positive characteristics; however, Kraybill described that the styles are not effective to use in all situations and I found this surprising. Apparently the Cooperating style is not useful when time is short because it can be a time waster. Compromising is less useful if you are in a situation where you are not able to deal with getting less than what you had walked in wanting or needing. I can now see how both of these styles can be detrimental in those instances and would have never considered it.

I also learned that I have a tendency to automatically use Cooperating and Compromising in all conflict situations and therefore I have a tendency to overuse them, this sets me up for even more adversity. Sol see the importance of learning about the other styles so that I may use them when necessary. It had never occurred to me that I could make a conscious choice about the conflict style I should use depending on the situation and person. I was also very surprised that the Directing style was not rated higher at least in my Storm phase. It goes to show you that you may not really be able to effectively evaluate yourself and skills without an unbiased opinion, or in this case, inventory.

I asked a coworker to take the inventory about me. Incredibly, their results match mine almost entirely. Their inventory also put Cooperation and Compromising as my top styles in both Calm and Storm but Directing was rated higher in their inventory for both phases than my inventory rated it. Their Storm Shift rated as a 3 also. Interesting. I am truly amazed that their inventory results could come so close to mine because I did not believe people saw me as compromising and cooperating. As far as what I want to improve, there are many items I could address but specifically I would address my Storm Shift. Although my Storm Shift is considered relatively low at 3, it is imperative to improve so that others do not misinterpret me or feel overwhelmed. This will allow more to be accomplished sooner and will benefit everyone in the long run. Also, I would like to improve my knowledge of each style in detail so that no matter the situation I am in or the person I may be dealing with, I am able to use the conflict style that is most effective for that moment. Kraybill stated that one would be considered flexible if they were knowledgeable of all styles and used each skillfully.

I hope to achieve flexibility. Following this, I would like to improve style transition so that it is seamless and unrecognizable by others allowing me to improve my dynamic in groups. In future negotiations I can use the information I gained from this inventory in many ways. Firstly, I now understand where I am coming from and so will better be able to predict how a conflict situation may affect me and therefore plan ahead critically. Understanding the different conflict styles will help me to bring out the best in the person I may be dealing with so I negotiations will be more streamlined, allowing for less misunderstandings and hurt feelings. Also, knowing that I need to pay attention to my Storm Shift and sense it is happening I will be able to adjust accordingly to make the negotiations more successful. This will make me more effective in teams also. I have come to understand that conflict resolution is an art, not something innate in each of us.

The Kraybill Conflict Style Inventory (3) provided a unique view of my conflict style. It quickly and effectively delineated my most prevalent styles, Cooperating and Compromising, in order for me to concentrate on the positive aspects as well as learn when not to use these styles. Choosing the correct conflict style to use is not black and white, there are many factors to consider such as specific issues being addressed, different stakeholder positions, relationships, environment, and group dynamics. However, having the knowledge that I can make a conscious choice in the conflict style I might use is actually empowering because it means I can improve my skills in conflict resolution and be more successful in the future. Overall, the inventory will make me a more effective manager/leader because I can prepare, understand and adapt to the conflict at hand in any situation and with any person. I look forward to using the techniques described.