Conflict Management - Part 2 ‘Collaborating’
Leadership July 10th, 2007Since the #1 reason most people quit their jobs is because of conflict with their boss, I see Conflict Management as an important leadership and career issue.
We all tend to handle conflict predominately with one out of five methods. The first method I wrote about last week (under leadership) that some people tend to use is ‘competing.’ Competing is when one person is assertive and uncooperative so that their concerns are satisfied at the other person’s expense. There are proper times for us to handle conflict with the competing method. (For more info, look under my last blog on leadership for last week.)
The second method I’m sharing now is on ‘collaborating.’ Collaborating is trying to find a win-win solution that completely satisfies both people’s concerns. 
The benefits of collaborating are:
- High-quality decisions
- Learning and communication
- Resolution and commitment
- Strengthening relationships
Costs…
- Time and energy required
- Psychological demands
- Possibility of offending
- Vulnerability risk
There are appropriate times to choose to handle conflict with the competing or collaborative method. I will be writing on the last three methods of conflict management in my next leadership blogs. If you have any questions or comments, please write me a comment!
This information comes from “Introduction to Conflict Management” by Kenneth W. Thomas. I will be giving a presentation on Conflict Management and these five methods on December 4th at the Chamber of Commerce, Business & Education Track.
