ME3101 / ME3102Mechanical Systems DesignChapter 4Conflict Resolution Techniques

What is conflict?All men have an instinct for conflict: at least, all healthy men

--Hillare Belloc--

Characteristics of conflict

•Conflict occurs when people disagree on something•Conflict is inevitable when people work in groups•Conflict can result in advances, or set the team back

Thus..Learn how to manage conflicts!!

Team conflicts

Managing team conflicts can be hard due to the following:

1. The sheer number of people

2. Lack of ground rules3. Personal bias4. Poor communication5. Digressions

We wil l start by fi nding your

confl ict resolut ion style…

Conflict Resolution Styles

There are 5 primary styles of conflict resolution:

1. The Turtle: Avoidance2. The Teddy Bear:

Accomdating3. The Shark: Competition4. The Fox:

Compromise5. The Owl:

Collaboration

The turtleCharacteristics:

•Manages conflicts by avoiding it.

•In times of stress, a turtle withdraws from it, or retreats.

•Believes that it is impossible to resolve a conflict

Advantages:

•It is better to let trivial matters slide than magnify it

•When resolution achieves little

•When others can resolve the conflict better than you can

Disdvantages:

•Inability to achieve self –satisfaction•Conflicts remains unresolved•Sense of helplessness

The Teddy BearCharacteristics:

•Values the interpersonal relationship more than the issue at hand

•Wants to be well liked by others

Advantages:•Minimal loss of social credits

•Lesser loss of time when faced with time constraints

•More well received by other people

Disdvantages:•May not be the style to achieve the best results

•Very difficult to achieve personal goals

•Might result in unsatisfactory working relationships

The SharkCharacteristics:

•Strong wish to achieve personal goals

•Values goals more than personal relationships

•Tends to be highly aggressive

Advantages:

•Best used in situations where unpopular but critical decisions have to be made

•Cuts down on time losses, thus ideal in situations when faced with time constraintsDisdvantages:

•Builds resentment

•Others members might feel undervalued

•Loss of social credits

The FoxCharacteristics:•Meets the other party halfway to end in a win some, lose some situation

•Goals and social relationships are equally important

•Time consuming style

•Willingness to give up on less important points

Advantages:

•Both parties attain strategic goals while forgoing the less important ones

Disdvantages:

•Often is a time-consuming process to achieve a decision whereby both parties can meet half-way

•Loss of lesser concerns might build some resentment.

The OwlCharacteristics:

•Believes that collaboration is the best way to achieve goals, together

•Solutions are agreeable to all

•All perspectives and grounds are coveredAdvantages:

•Little or no build up of resentment

•Very comprehensive solutions can be arrived at

•True learning can be achieved through sharing

Disadvantages:

•Extremely time consuming style

•Almost impossible when faced with a time constraint

Avoid committing these!

ContemptUnhealthy criticism

Defensiveness

Stonewalling

ContemptSymptoms:

•Verbal attacks on a person aimed to devalue self worth

•Sarcasm

•Facial expressions such as eye rolling

Solutions:

•Do not make snap judgments about a person’s character; Address the behavior instead.

•Think positive! Most often, if you think a person is bad, you will perceive his actions negatively.

Unhealthy CriticismSymptoms:

•Unconstructive statements such as “You ever think about others!”

•Statements designed to make another person feel bad without offering resolution

Solutions:

•Deliver statements with tact

•Used I statements rather than You statements. (Eg. I feel ignored when you do that)

•Never deliver criticisms in public

•Be constructive! After-all, you’re trying to help your team mates become better

…not all criticisms are bad. Only unhealthy ones are

DefensivenessSymptoms:

•A tendency believing that he/she is a victim , and making excuses for own behavior

•A reluctance to accept blame and responds to criticisms negativelySolutions:

•Take it easy! Try to understand from the other party’s perspective, and respond accordingly.

•Understand that the other person is trying to help, and make an effort to reach and understanding with each other.

•Recognize that the project is as equally important to your team as it is to you, and that he/she has a right to partake in the decision making

StonewallingSymptoms:

•A behavior whereby the person retreats/becomes absent from the conversation

•Actions such as breaking eye contact, not responding verbally or even physically leavingSolutions:

•Most people stonewall when they are emotionally overwhelmed. Take a break to let the negativity tide over.

•Re-approach the issue again differently with more tact. As you do not expect different results using the same method.

In conclusion

•Establish:• Ground rules of engagement

with each other and to the project

• Realistic expectations of each other

•Practice:• Respect for team members• Good conversational

techniques• Good body language

Understand that everyone is different. But you want the same thing!!!