Styles of behavior observed in conflict situations differ between various people and situations. The collaborative style was used when there was a need to consider the needs and desires of the other party. The purpose of its application was to develop a long-term mutually beneficial solution. There was also a compromise style during the observation, which is that the parties seek to resolve differences through mutual concessions. Additionally, an avoidance style was noticed where the problem was not resolvable for one of the participants.
The characteristics of the situation were key for the choice of the participants regarding the style. The adversarial style seemed to spark when one of the participants had sufficient power in terms of job position and the outcome of the conflict was principled. Another time it was mentioned when an authoritarian style was preferred. Usually, the adversarial style is used when there is confidence that the proposed solution is the only suitable one and the best (Cheng et al., 2020). The style of cooperation was suitable for situations when the parties were able and wanted to hear and understand each other’s position, and when the main goal was to find a common solution.
In conclusion, to successfully resolve the conflict in most cases, it is necessary that both sides, or at least one, show a desire to resolve the conflict. However, for different situations, various approaches such as adversarial, cooperative, and avoidance are acceptable as some of them can provide the desired outcome. In this regard, it is important to understand the specifics of the situation, since this is what allows one to choose the correct style that will be most effective.
Reference
Cheng, F. F., Wu, C. S., & Chang, J. Y. (2020). Interproject conflict management through cooperation in an enterprise system implementation program. Project Management Journal, 51(6), 582-598. Web.