Five Ineffective Approaches to Conflict Resolution

The five ineffective approaches to conflict resolution as they are talked about "The Eight Essential Steps to Conflict Resolution" are listed as: conquest, avoidance, bargaining, band aid and role player. I don't think any of these approaches are innately ineffective, as was mentioned in class on April 5th, it is more important to know when to use these for the most effective result.

Conquest

In order for an organization to operate effectively, each member needs to do their job. In order to most effectively do their job, they must be engaged in their tasks, and be empowered enough to complete them. There should be trust and respect going both ways in any relationship, especially in a professional environment. In order for a "conquest" to happen, there must be a winner and a loser, the conqueror and the conquered. In most conflicts, "winning" by conquest may end the conflict in the short term, but will leave the other party bitter and disempowered, making them less effective as an employee.

On the other hand, sometimes hard lines need to be drawn. Such things such as theft, racial discrimination, or sexual harassment are conflicts and need to be handled stiffly. There should be no bargaining, there should be no band aids, and it should certainly not be avoided. I've seen people walked out the door for these things and strongly believe that to be the correct way to handle such situations.

Avoidance

Sometimes it is wise to wait until a more opportune time to discuss an issue. If emotions are running high and discussions won't be civil, or if you are in a public environment and it is a private conversation, perhaps it should be avoided temporarily. Also some conflicts may be so petty, such as someone cutting you off in traffic, that they aren't worth the effort.

Avoidance is ineffective for most conflicts though, as there is by definition a lack of communication between the parties. Issues cannot be resolved if they are not discussed. This occurs frequently at my work; people simply avoid talking to someone about an issue that they are annoyed with them for. Instead, they'll complain behind their back because they are afraid of confronting them, or perhaps because they don't think discussing the issue will bring about change. Admittedly, this is something I do frequently. The outcome results in built up frustration, and the issue ends up being a bigger deal than it needs to be. If the issue were to be discussed sooner, tension could be diffused quicker.

Bargaining

Bargaining is ineffective as it ignores qualitative attributes in favor of quantitative ones. As it states in the book, bargaining may result in both parties ending up with something they do not want. It also creates situations where people will set demands unrealistically