Conflict Resolution Strategies

Conflict Resolution Strategies

Conflict resolution strategies will help to identify concerns and problems and

motivate people to work together as a team. No matter what the problem is, conflicts can

be resolved. Conflict should not become a source of hard feelings and broken

friendships.

Boundaries should be set because boundaries are not rules. Rules come from a

place of power. When setting boundaries, they should be clear and specific. Boundaries

respect and consider the need of others. Boundaries should be used for building

cooperation in relationships and for letting your other team members know what you

want and for letting them know the options that are available for getting what they want

also. Boundaries allow you to change negative and stressful behaviors. It considers the

need of the other person but does not accommodate them. “My way or the highway” is

bulling and not boundary setting. Setting boundaries can encourage cooperation and

mutual respect without depending on fear, disempowerment, or manipulation.

Everyone needs to communicate and maintain positive contact. Many conflicts

can be solved by sitting down and talking about the problem. People in the conflict need

to talk to each other and give positive feed back. Rather, the team members meet

together to talk about their individual views on the topic that is at the center of the

conflict; identify what is important to them; propose a solution that meets their needs;

listen to what others in the team have to say and they attempt to reach an agreement.

(Managing Conflict in Learning Teams, Shelia Porter, J. D.) Good listening helps each

person understand what the other person is thinking and feeling. It is also a good idea to

be focused and stay calm. If everyone remaining calm in conflict, means that the

situation will not escalate. Recognizing facial expression, eye contact, tone of voice, and

posture can be clues to avoid conflict before they occur. Being playful and knowing

when to apply humor, can avoid conflict situations.

Another common cause of conflict is that we don’t listen carefully enough to the

Content. Ancient wisdom tell us, “Everyone should be quick to listen, and slow to speak

And slow to become angry.” If we listen, we will know why we are listening and we

will be able to listen to the content of the message. Our poor listen can lead to a number

of things like miscommunication and errors. People get things confused and messages

get crossed,