Conflict in Communication

When I put on the hat of a wife, mother or grandmother, I did not like conflict and so I worked very hard at making sure situations were handled promptly. I have 5 children and as they grew we worked through a lot of situations. For my family I would always show them empathy and listen to their situations without making assumptions. We would sit down and I would get a clear picture of what was happening. Sometimes that took a long time but we worked through the situation.  I think my children probably got tired of me using I statements but they learned I was going to call them out on their conflict and we would come up with a solution whether it was in their favor or not. 
 

Conflict at the workplace can take place daily.  I have 25 employees and it seems like there is always some sort of conflict going on.  One major cause of conflict in my workplace is the mixed messages staff gets from the owner who is my supervisor and me. My supervisor always says, well I do not know what you are going to do about…… but then steps in before I can do anything. The information in the book listed three conflict strategies. I think when dealing with my supervisor, I tend to be the escapist. I do not want to have conflict with her so I avoid her until I know her mood has changed and she becomes approachable. It is a very hard situation to be in. 

As a supervisor I work very hard to address conflicts as soon as they happen. My role becomes that as a mediator if it is with two employees.  I am objective and do not take sides. I make sure the environment is non-threatening. I do not judge the employees but I make sure they both have the opportunity to give their side of the situation. Then I hope the parties involved can come to a compromised conclusion such as being in a win win situation.  

During my employment as a Head Start teacher we were given a training from the book, “7 Habits of Highly Effective People “by Stephen Covey. In the book he talks about 7 habits that can make people highly effective by following seven certain techniques. Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood (Covey, 2003). I think this is a great strategy for conflict. What this does is take you personal feelings out of the situation and lets you concentrate on the conflict at hand. Just as the Platinum Rule.  From following these seven habits Covey has developed  people are able to be in win win situations. 

The information provided from the Conflict Resolution Network suggests that a win/win approach rests on strategies involving:

1                     1.)      Going back to underlying needs

2.)     Recognition of individual differences

3.)     Openness to adapting ones position in the light of shared information and attitudes

4.)     Attacking the problem, not the people. (http://www.crnhq.org/pages.php?pID=12#skill_3)

References

Covey, Stephen R., and Stephen R. Covey. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Personal Workbook. New York: Fireside, 2003. Print.

Content Resolution Network. (http://www.crnhq.org/pages.php?pID=12#skill_3)