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As
mentioned above, everyone has their own way of dealing
with conflict. Most fall into one of five patterns: (1)
collaboration; (2) competition; (3) compromise; (4) accommodation;
and (5) avoidance. Each pattern is helpful in certain
situations.
Collaboration - True collaboration means identifying
the underlying concerns and interests of both parties,
and finding solutions that satisfy these concerns. This
approach is appropriate when the concerns of both sides
are too important to be compromised, both parties are
willing to play by collaborative rules, and mutual motivation
is high. It does require considerable time and effort,
so it is not cost-effective for less substantive matters.
| Joe
was a computer software designer with an idea for
a new computer game that he believed would be very
successful, but he knew it would take a long time
to develop, and he needed to earn a living during
that time. He approached Bill, an executive at a
computer company with whom he had gone to college.
Bill liked the idea and offered Joe $10,000, but
Joe estimated that he needed nine months to develop
the game. For nine months of work, he said, $10,000
was not enough. After long negotiation, Joe and
Bill agreed that the $10,000 would be an advance
on future profits, and that profits beyond that
would be split 80:20. In the end, both parties profited
handsomely and felt as though they got a good deal. |
Competition
- The goal of competitive negotiation is to win without
regard for the impact on the other party. It can involve
the use of physical or emotional force, authority, or
pressure, and in short-term emergencies may be the only
approach that will work. It is appropriate, for example,
when others are being threatened, rights are being violated,
there is inadequate time to work through differences,
or all other methods have failed. In general, however,
competitive negotiation may backfire, setting the stage
for resentment. Consistently used over long periods of
time, people suffer and relationships deteriorate; ultimately
rebellion will occur.
| Al,
a consulting environmental engineer, was short of
work when Fred, a project engineer with a large
corporation, asked Al to do some work for him. Fred
knew that Al was short of work, so he offered him
half his usual rate to save some money that he could
use elsewhere in his project. Al objected but ultimately
agreed to work for 75 percent of his usual rate.
After a few weeks, Al got a lucrative contract and
began marginalizing his work for Fred, doing it
in a hurry and at the end of the day. In the end,
the quality of his work suffered; Fred had to pay
another firm to correct Al's mistakes, and the environmental
portion of his budget was higher than he had estimated. |
Compromise - This is when two parties find a mutually
acceptable solution that partially satisfies the interests
of each, without straining their working relationship.
It is similar to collaboration but expectations are lower:
"sorta win/sorta lose." People are used to it and expect
it. Compromise is appropriate when you and your opponents
have equal power and are strongly committed to mutually
exclusive objectives, when the "prize" is divisible, or
when collaboration has been tried and wasn't successful.
| While
on vacation, Marvin saw a carpet in a store window
and went in to inquire about the price. He was willing
to splurge a bit - up to $350. The owner, who knew
the carpet cost him $150, did not answer, trying
instead to distract Marvin. Marvin commented that
the carpet was not actually as nice as he first
thought, so the owner showed him several other carpets;
after looking at the others, Marvin asked for the
price of the red carpet again. When the owner said
$700, Marvin said the price was too high and offered
$200. The owner refused and Marvin headed for the
door, so the owner came down to $650 and Marvin
again turned toward the door. In the end, they settled
on $300. The owner was pleased to earn a 100 percent
profit, and Marvin got the carpet for the price
he wanted. |
Accommodating - If an issue is very important to
your opponents and the outcome has no particular negative
consequences for you or your interests, accommodation
can be a goodwill gesture to maintain a cooperative relationship
and build up social credits for future issues that are
more important to you. Overuse of accommodation can damage
your credibility.
Avoidance - Procrastination is a common strategy,
as is saying "yes" and just not following through. Although
avoiding conflict is not a long-term solution, it is sometimes
appropriate: if, for example, the potential damage of
confronting the conflict outweighs any possible benefits;
if you have no chance of satisfying your interests; if
you and the other(s) involved need space and/or time;
if your differences are trivial; if there are too many
conflicts which you need to sort through and then focus;
if you or the other(s) are unwilling or unable to resolve
your conflicts; you don't care about the relationship;
or you are powerless to effect change.
| Elizabeth
was a senior project engineer in a high-velocity
impact research facility, and over the previous
year, had implemented several design improvements
to the projectile launcher, enabling it to shoot
faster. A new manager was hired who questioned the
modifications to the original component design and
insisted that all modifications be undone, so that
it would be identical to one used at another facility.
Despite Elizabeth's argument and evidence that the
modifications improved the launcher's performance,
the manager insisted, and the situation escalated
into hostility. Knowing that she did not have authority
to go against the manager's instructions, and that
she planned to return to graduate school the following
semester anyway, Elizabeth asked to be assigned
to another project for the duration of her time
with the company. |
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