Managing Conflict & Strengthening. Montana State University November 3, 2010

Transcription

1 Managing Conflict & Strengthening Work Relationships Prepared For Montana State University November 3, 2010 Suzanne McCorkle, Ph.D.

2 What happens when conflicts To the work group?? are not managed well? To the individual???? Copyright McCorkle

3 Causes of Conflict Emotions Information Style Relationships Values Substance Copyright McCorkle

4 About data Information Misinformation Conflicts Having different information Which data to use Not having enough information Withholding information Copyright McCorkle

5 Emotion conflicts About feelings, ego, self-esteem, feelings of entitlement Arise when other conflicts get too ripe Lead L d to exceptionally narrow thinking Emotions short-circuit the ability to reason and to listen Copyright McCorkle

6 Vl Value conflicts About deeply rooted beliefs and feelings Religion, politics, work ethics In some ways, easiest to manage in work context Copyright McCorkle

7 Relationship conflicts About who we are to each other Boss/subordinate, working relationships Who has what authority? Are we friends? Can co-workers, students/professors have deep relationships? Do we have the same goals about our relationship? Copyright McCorkle

8 About how to do things, how to communicate, which way to act is best Common with strong personalities Frequent cause of annoyances Causes conflict when style difference is seen as obstruction Style conflicts Copyright McCorkle

9 About real or perceived scarce resources Money, time, space, equipment. Amenable to regular problem solving once the issue is isolated Substance conflicts Copyright McCorkle

10 Quick kchat What about other people s communication really irritates you?

11 When styles clash, conflict often results. Copyright McCorkle

12 Common Style Differences Meeting management style Single-taskers vs. multi-taskers Verbal conversational style Dialect Rapport vs. Report Pause Gap Personality y style Conflict style Escalators/Fractionators General Conflict Style Cultural style Copyright McCorkle

13 What s Your Conflict Style? 1. Competitors 3. Collaborators 2. Compromisers 5. Avoiders 4. Accommodators Copyright McCorkle

14 What are the Problems with Relying on One Style????? Copyright McCorkle

15 What is the First Response to Information Emotion Substantive Valuesl Relationship Types of Conflict? Copyright McCorkle

16 Smart Negotiation Recognize the positive power of multiple perspectives p and styles Always start with interests Copyright McCorkle

17 Check Perception Differences Perception is not objective Copyright McCorkle

18 What do you see? Copyright McCorkle

19 In Stress or Conflict.. People revert to their basic style. Make Self-Serving evaluations. I am thoughtful; you take all day and can t make a decision. Copyright McCorkle

20 Recognizing Perception Differences is a Skill Copyright McCorkle

21 Perception Differences Cause Misunderstandings: Make Negotiation Harder Moral = Copyright McCorkle

22 Quick Quiz: What s Your Decision- Making Preference? Long Term Short Term Fact Gut By the Book Just Do It Slow Fast Copyright McCorkle

23 What s Your Work Preference? Social Task-Oriented Agenda Free-form Agreeable Argumentative ti Critical Creative Copyright McCorkle

24 What s Your Cultural Style? Loud Soft-spoken Passionate Controlled Confront Indirect Say What You Think Concern for Other s Feelings Copyright McCorkle

25 Go back and mark the style of your boss (or a co-worker). Are there style differences? If unrecognized, do these differences make negotiation harder? Copyright McCorkle

26 Quick Chat 1. Do you have a significant ifi style difference with a boss or co-worker? 2. What can you do (mentally or in discussion with the other) to prevent the style difference from hindering work happiness, productivity, or making negotiations more difficult? Copyright McCorkle

27 Smart Negotiation #2: Always Work From Interests Positions and demands are on the Surface Interests or needs lurk under the waterline Working at the position level is inefficient and may harm relationships. Copyright McCorkle

28 Conflict itself is normal. It is what we do during conflicts that makes it beneficial or harmful. Copyright McCorkle

29 Positive Responses to Difficulty Understand what to do first in each type of conflict. Give up being the center of the universe. Don t help others improve their personal style. Understand how unrecognized perception differences can make conflict and negotiations crazy Copyright McCorkle

30 Copyright McCorkle

31 For Further General Reading Personal Conflict Management: Theory and Practice (textbook) Edition: 1st Authors: McCorkle, Suzanne; Reese, Melanie J. ISBN10: ISBN13: Format: Paperback Pub. Date: 1/1/2010 Publisher: Allyn & Bacon Available at your personal favorite on-line book purchasing site. Copyright McCorkle