“All men have an instinct for conflict: at least, all healthy men.”
-Hilaire Belloc

Conflict is healthy, unavoidable, and necessary.

Conflict is almost always misunderstood as a war type game that has a winner and a loser. In the workplace it is not surprising to find people with different principles and goals. In fact, different perspectives are necessary for continued growth and productivity. The healthiest way to approach conflict is to view it as an opportunity to discover new ideas and broaden imaginations.

There are four different conflict resolution styles that have their own separate behaviors and explanations.

• Avoidance behavior characterizes a non- confrontational person that ignores problems to not further damage a relationship. This may just be postponing the inevitable.

• Accommodating resolution style shows a cooperative behavior but this can occur at the expense of individual objectives. Also the person being accommodated may simply think you agree.

• Compromising personalities feel that it is important that all parties get something out of a conflict situation. Be careful that you don’t compromise so much that no one is happy.

• Consensus builders feel it is a necessity for all parties to discuss their issues and discover mutually favorable solutions. This takes the most time!

Each approach has its advantages and drawbacks. No one resolution is better than the other but it is important to choose the correct approach for each different scenario.

(Taken from Conflict Management by Dr. Mimi Hull)