Conflict can cause serious stress for individuals which can lead to a number of health problems. These health costs can be expensive for both employees and their organizations and are included in The Dana Measure of Financial Cost of Organizational Conflict. A recent article in the Conflict Resolution Quarterly suggests that mediation can help reduce stress and its aftermath. In “Mediation’s Potential to Reduce Occupational Stress: A New Perspective,” Tamia Tallodi argues that increased use of mediation can intervene in stress through “communication, reappraisal, problem solving, and relationship change.” As such, when coupled with other constructive approaches to conflict management… Continue Reading Mediation Can Alleviate Stress
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Archives for Uncategorized
The Value of Civility in Conflict
There are remarkable parallels between the costs of poorly managed conflict and incivility in the workplace. Dan Dana’s Measure of Financial Cost of Organizational Conflict instrument and Porath and Pearson’s book , The Cost of Bad Behavior: How Incivility Is Damaging Your Business and What to Do About It, outline a wide range of costs associated with conflict and incivility. Many of them overlap, such as: Absenteeism Wasted time worrying about the issue Avoiding the other person Turnover Lower motivation Both poorly managed conflict and incivility promote poor corporate citizenship behavior. People begin to act badly towards one another and… Continue Reading The Value of Civility in Conflict
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The Problem with Trying to Win at All Costs
Conflict and Resilience
When we ask people to describe conflict, they often use terms like stress or frustration. It is clear that conflict is trying for many people. Conflict often leads to negative emotions which themselves can contribute to stress. They also make it more difficult to use constructive responses to conflict. The model underlying the Conflict Dynamics Profile (CDP) also encourages people to engage rather than avoid conflict. The CDP puts a lot of emphasis on the emotional elements of conflict. It measures hot buttons – behaviors in others that cause us to become upset. The CDP also looks at ways that… Continue Reading Conflict and Resilience
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Conflict, Emotions, and Resilience
Getting Even Comes at a Large Cost
Conflict stirs up strong emotions. When they are not managed well, these emotions can fester and lead us to respond in very destructive ways. One such response is retaliation or getting even with the other person. Researchers suggest that our retaliatory response was an evolutionary development that helped let others know when they were doing something unacceptable (1). When we see someone doing something that offends our values, it is easy to want to stop them from doing it again. Many people also feel a short term sense of satisfaction in getting back at the other person. This usually falls… Continue Reading Getting Even Comes at a Large Cost
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Tips for Maintaining Patience During Conflict
The dictionary defines patience as “the state of bearing pain or trials without complaint; showing self-control; calm.” In times of conflict or negotiation, exhibiting patience can have a powerful impact on the outcome. Many conflicts start because of unfulfilled needs in the areas of control, recognition, affection, or respect. It is common for people to react quickly and fiercely when faced with circumstances that seem to threaten these basic human needs. Patience, though, often involves “not reacting,” at least not immediately, to an uncomfortable situation. Giving yourself (and others) a little time during the process can greatly enhance the possibility… Continue Reading Tips for Maintaining Patience During Conflict
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5 Steps to Control Your Anger
Conflict is rife with emotion. One that we frequently encounter is anger. While it is often a secondary emotion that is initially triggered by fear, anger is more visible and can trigger ineffective responses to conflict. One of the Conflict Dynamics Profile (CDP) active destructive responses is Displaying Anger which involves acting out the inner emotion. Angry displays can include raising one’s voice, swearing, and physical displays like slamming your hand on a table. Suppressed anger can also leak out as demeaning or retaliatory behaviors. In MTI’s Retaliatory Cycle, it is anger that fuels the wrong reflexes of Walk-aways and… Continue Reading 5 Steps to Control Your Anger
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The Role of Emotional Self Regulation
Recent research has found that improved emotion regulation can prevent task conflict from turning into relationship conflict. (1) This means that improving self-awareness of your own hot buttons, learning how to delay your responses, and developing ways to cool down in the heat of conflict can help you resolve conflicts more effectively and avoid exacerbating matters. REFLECT ON YOUR TRIGGERS Learning more about your hot buttons helps prevent you from getting caught off guard when someone acts in a way that pushes one of your buttons. If you have taken time to reflect on why certain behaviors irritate you as… Continue Reading The Role of Emotional Self Regulation
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Take a Personal Time Out
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