Managing Conflict
Constructively
EDHE 6730
Organization and Administration of Student
Development Services
By Lisa S. Estrada-Hamby
Conflict on campus
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Managing conflict is one of the most
frequently called for skills in daily
interactions on a college campus.
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Many of us feel uncomfortable and
unskilled in responding to conflict
situations and experience the negative
result of conflict.
Conflict Assumptions
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One’s view of conflict is influenced in part
by cultural values about conflict and
interpersonal relationships.
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Those whose values resemble mainstream
America have learned the values of
Western culture.
Western Culture
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Culturally-biased assumptions includes
that everyone has the same definitions of
“good” and “bad,” of “right” and “wrong.”
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Common view of human behavior is “more
or less universal across social, cultural,
economic, and political backgrounds.”
Viewing Conflict
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When we view conflict, we see the conflict
from our worldview that may not include
positive experiences.
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Whatever the view may be, we do not
recognize the existence of other
worldviews of the same conflict.
Values on a Continuum
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Competition
Egalitarian
Admission of Error
Individualistic
Youth-Oriented
Emotional Responses
Deadline Intensive
Casual Behavior
Authoritative Decisions
Contractual
Openness to Change
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Collaboration
Hierarchical
Saving Face
Collectivistic
Respect for Age
Controlled Responses
Time Not an Issue
Formal Behavior
Consensus
Implied Agreement
Reluctance to Change
Knowledge about Conflict
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Conflict may be defined as “a situation
between two or more parties who see
their perspectives as incompatible.”
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Power imbalances between parties to a
conflict may significantly affect the range
of approaches that might be used to
address conflict.
Approach to Conflict
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The range of approaches moves from conflict
avoidance to direct action in the form of
violence.
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Includes: avoidance, informal discussion and
problem-solving, negotiation, and mediation are
characterized as involving private decisionmaking by the parties involved in the conflict,
with low potential for coercion or win-lose
tactics.
Range of Approaches
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Based on mutual willingness to participate
in addressing the conflict, depends on
identifying mutually acceptable solutions
and, in the case of mediation, results in a
mutually agreed-upon approach to
resolving or reducing the conflict.
Mediation
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Defined as “the intervention into a dispute
or negotiation by an acceptable, impartial,
and neutral third party who has no
authoritative decision-making power to
assist disputing parties in voluntarily
reaching their own mutually acceptable
settlement of issues in dispute.”
Mediator’s Role
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Helping the parties communicate more clearly with one another
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Identifying misunderstandings or misconceptions that seem to be
impeding communication
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Helping to sort out multiple issues related to the conflict and
assisting the parties to agree on which issues need attention first
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Offering ways to improve the parties’ skills in discussing solution,
and
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Helping to sort out perceived incompatibilities from actual
differences
Attitudes Toward Conflict
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Models of managing conflict seem to be built on
an assumption that doing something is better
than doing nothing at all
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Or that collaboration is always better than
compromise when it comes to managing conflict
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Previous characterizations of approaches add an
unrealistic and limiting attitude toward conflict
management, namely that certain approaches
are never as good as others.
Thomas and Kilmann (1974)
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Begin with the assumptions that the
situation shapes approaches to conflict,
and that based on the situation all
approaches have value.
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Developed the Conflict Mode Instrument
(CMI)
Conflict Mode Instrument
(CMI)
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A self-report instrument used in
workshops on conflict to help participants
understand their typical approaches to
interpersonal conflict
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The resulting scores are displayed as a
combination of two dimensions
CMI Two Dimensions
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The extent to which the approach satisfies
the individual’s needs or concerns related
to the conflict, and
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The extent to which the approach satisfies
the other person’s needs or concerns
CMI Five Conflict Modes
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Competing
– Power-oriented and focused on winning
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Collaborating
– Full acknowledgment of both the individual’s and the other’s
needs or concerns and a focus on finding common ground within
a conflict on which to base some mutually agreeable approach
to the conflict
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Compromising
– Characterized as a more expedient approach to conflict that
partially responds to both parties. It usually involves giving up
something in order to solve the problem, seeking a middle
ground
CMI Five Conflict Modes con’t
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Avoiding
– Characterized as responding to neither the individual
nor the other person. Might take the form of
diplomatically sidestepping an issue, postponing an
issue until a better time, or simply withdrawing from
a threatening situation.
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Accommodating
– Characterized as responding entirely to the other’s
needs or concerns while neglecting or ignoring one’s
own. Might include obeying another’s order when
one might prefer not to, or yielding to another’s
opinion
Conflict Mode Instrument
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Is then used to assess an individual’s
tendency to rely too much on certain
approaches or to avoid using other
approaches
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The message of the instrument and its
interpretation is that all approaches have
value, depending on the situation
surrounding the conflict
Situation-Based Approach
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Concept that a clear idea of the outcomes
sought will help those involved in a
conflict to select approaches that match
these outcomes
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The work of finding outcomes that the
parties can agree on is often the most
important action in managing conflict
Skills in Managing Conflict
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Come from Counseling
– Active listening
– Clarifying statements made by others
– Expressing empathy,
– Building trust, and
– Basic skills of problem solving
Skills Developed in Leadership
Education Programs
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Summarizing
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Reframing comments to reduce negative perceptions of the ideas of
others
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Helping group members respond to issues and ideas and not to
personality
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Assuring that all have the opportunity to state their opinions and
thoughts
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Identifying power imbalances among group members that seem to
be a potential detriment to clear communication, and
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Being aware of nonverbal communication
Intercultural Communication Skills
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Being aware of our own frame of reference as
well as that of others
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Identifying and checking with the other person
assumptions and inferences made about that
person’s perspective, and
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Paying attention to the variety of meanings
assigned by different cultures to nonverbal
behaviors.
Pedersen’s (1994) Development of
Skills
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Accomplished effectively through modeling and
demonstration
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The use of videotaping to provide students with
feedback about their skill level
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Supervising students in the application and use
of skills, and
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Practicing the skills and behaviors in as many
settings and different situations as possible
Summary
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Establish the notion that conflict is
inevitable, and that its lack of constructive
management is both common and
problematic
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Learning to deal with conflict is one of the
most important and difficult skills SA
administrators can develop
Summary con’t
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Graduate preparation programs and staff
development programs need to provide frequent
opportunities for practicing the skills of conflict
management, add opportunities for discussing
case studies involving conflict, and include more
systematic study of knowledge about conflict as
part of professional development
Summary con’t
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Practitioner should address management of conflict as
part of a campus culture change
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Students need skills workshops on managing conflict
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Peer educators can be a very effective means of
delivering these workshops
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Student leadership development programs should
contain workshops and case studies about conflict
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Students conduct skill-building among parties involved in
conflict
Summary con’t
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Senior SA officer must endorse and exemplify flexibility in
approaches to conflict and serve as a spokesperson with other
campus constituencies about the importance of developing conflict
management skills
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Employee grievance procedures should include skills-building in
managing conflict
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Staff evaluations should speak directly to an employee’s conflict
management capabilities
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Members of the campus community should know where to go on
campus to find information, support, and education on matters
related to conflict
Reference
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Barr, M. J., Desler, M. K., and Associates.
(2000). The handbook of student affairs
administration. Jossey-Bass Publishers.