Conflict Management
Rachel and Simon have been running a restaurant business together for 15 years. Rachel manages
front-of-house operations and staffing, while Simon is a trained chef who looks after the kitchen.
Rachel is growing frustrated because Simon has decided to spend a large portion of the profits on
redecorating the restaurant, while Rachel wants to save most of the profits but spend a little on
advertising. Conflicts regarding money are very common. Let’s see the numerous ways that Rachel
and Simon could address this problem.
Question: 1. how you can resolve the above conflict by using each Conflict Management Style?
Question: 2. According to your point of view which Conflict Management Style will be most effective?
Answer no: 1
Conflict
management style:
Competition style:
The competing style indicates a high concern for self and a low concern for other. Rachel could try to
persuade Simon to spend on advertising by showing him the positive return on investment (ROI) that
the restaurant received on their last advertising campaign, or by showing him that customer numbers
are steadily falling, and arguing that they need to advertise for continued viability of the business.
Avoiding:
The avoiding style of conflict management often indicates a low concern for self and a low concern for
others. When Rachel leaves the account statement on the desk in hopes that Simon will realize the
impact he would make on the restaurant’s finances if he spent a lot of money on redecoration, Simon
may simply ignore it or even get irritated with Rachel for not putting the statement with all the other
mail.
Accommodating:
The accommodating conflict management style indicates a low concern for self and a high concern for
others. If Rachel keeps telling Simon, “It’s OK this time,” their business may be short on profit at the end
of the year. At that point, Rachel and Simon’s conflict may escalate as they question each other’s
motives, or the conflict may spread if they direct their frustration at other staff members.
Compromising:
The compromising style shows a moderate concern for self and others and may indicate low investment
in the conflict and/or the relationship. Rachel and Simon could decide to paint the restaurant but work
with the furnishings they have, take out an advertisement in the local newspaper and keep the
remainder of the funds in the bank. They are both giving up something, but getting part of what they
each wanted. If the pair agrees that the advertising funds should come out of Simon’s food budget,
however, the compromise isn’t as equitable, and Simon, although he agreed to the compromise, may
end up with feelings of resentment.
Collaborating:
The collaborating style involves a high degree of concern for self and others, and usually indicates
investment in the conflict situation and the relationship. Rachel and Simon may agree to do the
redecorating themselves rather than paying a decorator, and to advertise using social media because
they can manage these themselves for minimal cost. This way, they can bank the profits minus the small
expenditures incurred.
Answer no 2:
According to my point of view, the collaborating style is more effective, it involves a high degree of
concern for self and others, and usually indicates investment in the conflict situation and the
relationship. Although the collaborating style takes the most work in terms of communication
competence, it ultimately leads to a win–win situation in which neither party has to make concessions
because a mutually beneficial solution is discovered or created. The obvious advantage is that both
parties are satisfied, which could lead to positive problem solving in the future and strengthen the
overall relationship
