Accommodating
Uses:
• When you realize that you are wrong (or less experienced or knowledgeable) - to allow a better position to be heard, to from others and to show that you are reasonable.
• When the issue is much more important to the other person than to yourself - to satisfy the needs of others and as a goodwill gesture to help maintain a cooperative relationship.
• To build up social credits for later issues which are important to you.
• When continued competition would only damage your cause - when you are outmatched and losing.
• When preserving harmony and avoiding disruption are especially important.
• To aid in the managerial development of subordinates by allowing them to experiment and learn from their own mistakes.
If you scored High:
• Do you feel that your own ideas and concerns are not getting the attention they deserve? (Deferring too much to the concerns of others can deprive you of influence, respect and recognition. It also deprives the organization of your potential contributions.)
• Is discipline lax?
(Although discipline for its own sake may be of little value, there are often rules, procedures and assignments whose implementation is crucial for you or the organization.) If you scored Low:
• Do you have trouble building goodwill with others? (Accommodation on minor issues that are important to others is a gesture of goodwill.)
• Do others often seem to regard you as unreasonable?
• Do you have trouble admitting it when you are wrong?
• Do you recognize legitimate exceptions to rules?
• Do you know when to give up?
A General Approach in Minimizing and Resolving Conflict
A good general approach in minimizing and resolving conflicts consists of the following three steps :
• Establish and maintain a low conflict, low stress climate, with co-operation as the norm.
• Isolate each significant conflict to a single, specific task issue or family of issues. Do not accept personality clashes but insist that the protagonists focus on a concrete issue and its rational elements.
• Help the protagonists apply a rational problem solving model or procedure to the issue, go for a workable compromise.
Stimulating Conflict
Under certain circumstances, conflict is necessary and desirable in order to create changes and challenges within the organization. In such situations, management would evolve a policy of conflict stimulation so that it encourages involvement and innovation. Some of the specific techniques for stimulating conflict are as discussed below :
(i) While appointing the managers, change oriented persons should be appointed who are not
conservative in their outlook and who will encourage innovation and change in status quo.
(ii) Competition should be encouraged in the organization because properly managed competition can enhance conflict which is in the interests of the organization.
(iii) Scarcity should be manipulated in the organization so that the individuals and groups compete for these scarce resources. This will cause conflict which will be beneficial for the organization as it will lead to maximum utilization of scare resources.
(iv) Responsibilities should be given to the junior staff members while ignoring the senior members. It will result in a conflict and the senior members will work harder to prove their worth and to prove that they are better than the junior members.
Uses of Five Styles of Conflict Management Conflict-Handling Style (Appropriate situation)
I. Competing
1. When quick, decisive action is vital (e.g., emergencies).
2. On important issues where unpopular actions need implementing (e.g., cost cutting, enforcing unpopular rules, discipline).
3. On issues vital to company welfare when you know you are right.
4. Against people who take advantage of non-competitive behaviour.
II. Collaborating
1. To find an integrative solution when both sets of concerns are too important to be compromised.
2. When your objective is to learn.
3. To merge insights from people with different perspectives.
4. To gain commitment by incorporating concern into a consensus.
5. To work through feelings that have interfered with a relationship.
III. Compromising
1. When goals are important, but not worth the effort or potential disruption of more assertive modes.
2. When opponents with equal power are committed to mutually exclusive goals.
3. To achieve temporary settlements to complex issues.
4. To arrive at expedient solutions under time pressure.
5. As a backup when collaboration or competition is unsuccessful.
IV. Avoiding
1. When an issue is trivial, or more important issues are pressing.
2. When you perceive no chance of satisfying your concerns.
3. When potential disruption outweighs the benefits of resolution.
4. To let people cool down and regain perspective.
5. When gathering information supersedes immediate decisions.
6. When other can resolve the conflict more effectively.
7. When issues seem tangential or symptomatic of other issues.
V. Accommodating
1. When you find you are wrong to allow a better position to be heard, to learn and to show your reasonableness.
2. When issues are more important to others than to yourself to satisfy others and maintain cooperation.
3. To build social credits for later issues.
4. To minimize loss when you are outmatched and losing.
5. When harmony and stability are especially important.
6. To allow employees to develop by learning from mistakes.
