• Think of a conflict you were involved in; describe it in writing (along paragraph of about 10 lines or more); review the threeSOCIOLOGICAL SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT ON CONFLICT discussedearlier; write a paragraph (of about 10 lines) explaining which ofthese best reflects or describes your approach to such conflict. Inaddition, you can just talk about the three schools of thought inrelation to your conflict and talk about how you could/should havereacted if you had been aware of these different approaches toconflict. Then write a final reflection (of about 5 lines) putting itall together.
CONFLICT Professional Development & Competencies? To learn the nature of conflict and its relationship to negotiation ? To assess your personal approach PERFORMANCE to conflict COMPETENCIES FOR THIS CHAPTER ? To use systems thinking to diagnose and analyze conflict ? To understand the difference between managing, resolving, and avoiding conflict 2• Conflict is the antecedent of negotiation. We seek to change someone’s opinion because it conflicts with ours. We seek to change someone’s behavior because it conflicts with what we want. 3 • Our view and analysis of conflict, therefore, directly affects negotiation approach and strategy. • As with most things in life, individuals develop attitudes and ways of thinking that often result in habits or patterns of behavior when dealing with conflict. • Before it is possible to develop an effective negotiation strategy, it is necessary to correctly diagnose the conflict. Before it is possible to correctly diagnose the conflict, it is necessary that we recognize our predispositions for dealing with conflict. • Armed with self-knowledge and basic conflict assessment tools, we may proceed to develop personal strategies that work to solve the right problem. • In this chapter you will have the opportunity to examine your approach to conflict. The strategies discussed in this chapter will serve as a foundation for integrating your personality and temperament with effective negotiation techniques.
