BPS201 Conflict Management

Conflict is destructive when it:

diverts energy away from important work or other issues (consider, much scientific and social progress has been made during war times. This is not to say that war is good, but that conflict can encourage progressive thought and action)
destroys morale
polarises groups
deepens differences in values
produces violence

Conflict is constructive when it:

opens up and clarifies important issues and helps solve them
increases involvement of individuals in important issues
makes communication more authentic
releases pent-up emotion, stress or anxiety
helps build group cohesiveness
helps individual growth, provided there is reflection on the conflict

People are continuously engaging in conflict in all walks of life for a whole host of reasons. Conflict is a major cause of stress and illness. Whilst we may be aware of its existence we are not always well equipped to deal with its course, let alone to produce favourable outcomes. Conflict handling is an important area of expertise which may be called upon in many different situations and careers from law enforcement, to personnel, human resources, management, teaching, social work, counselling and many more.

This course will enable you to recognise conflict situations and to negotiate or mediate change in order to resolve those conflicts without making the situation worse.
Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

Conflict Management and Anger
Listening
Negotiation
Mediation
Facilitation
Balance of Power
Discussion and Group Work
Crisis Analysis and Responses

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Aims

Describe the nature of human conflict and ways to manage it.
Explain the importance of listening when dealing with conflict situations, and appreciate different listening techniques
Define negotiation and discuss the process of negotiation
Define mediation and discuss the process of mediation
Define facilitation and discuss the process of facilitation
Discuss problems that may arise through negotiation, in particular, balance of power and its connotations
Explain the importance of working in groups as a means of learning how to deal with group conflicts
Explain ways of understanding and dealing with different types of crisis

What You Will Do

Five conflict handling styles
Dealing with Anger
Controlling listening and Traps for listeners
Empathic listening
Negotiation between community and establishment
Practical suggestions for negotiation, breaking the rules, alternatives
Responsibilities of a mediator, mediation processes, agreements, team work, settling behaviours
Factors influencing the balance of power
Role play
Conducting structured experiences in small groups

Some Sample Course Notes -

Conflict handling is an important area in many different situations and careers. From law enforcement, to personnel, human resources, management, teaching, social work, counselling and many more.

CONFLICT HANDLING TECHNIQUES

In many conflict situations we can choose how to behave and how to respond. It is well worth reflecting on some of the most common ways of handling conflict because this will increase our awareness of possible responses. It will also enable us to check out our usual reactions and consider whether they are appropriate for what we are trying to achieve in a particular situation.

There are five main styles which can be adopted to handle conflict: competing, soothing, avoiding, compromising, or joint problem solving.

Competing is assertive and uncooperative. It involves an individual pursuing their own concerns at another person’s expense. This is a power oriented mode in which one uses whatever power seems appropriate to win one’s own position – one’s ability to argue, one’s rank, or economic sanctions. Competing might mean standing up for your rights, defending a position which you believe is correct, or simply trying to win.

Soothing is unassertive and cooperative; often tantamount to giving in. A soothing individual attempts to preserve the relationship at all costs, emphasising areas of agreement and failing to confront thorny issues.

Avoiding is unassertive and uncooperative. The individual does not immediately pursue his/her own concerns or those of the other person. He/she does not address the conflict. Avoiding might take the form of diplomatically sidestepping the issue, postponing the issue till a later/better time or simply withdrawing from a threatening position.

Compromising is intermediate between assertiveness and cooperativeness. The objective is to find expedient, mutually acceptable solutions which partially satisfy both parties, it falls in the middle ground between competing and accommodating. It addresses issues more directly than avoiding, but it doesn't explore it in as much depth as in joint problem solving. Compromising might mean "splitting the difference", exchanging concessions, or speaking a quick middle ground position.

Joint Problem Solving is both assertive and cooperative - the opposite of avoiding. It involves an attempt to work with the other person to find some mutually satisfying solution. It means digging into an issue to identify the underlying concerns of the two individuals and to find an alternative which meets both sets of concerns. Joint problem solving might take the form of exploring a disagreement, in order to learn from each other’s insights.