Strategies for manager behavior in conflict situations. Describe the main strategies for a manager’s behavior in conflict situations

Conflict management is an activity carried out at all stages of their occurrence, development and completion. Conflict management includes their prevention and constructive resolution.

Conflict is a complex phenomenon that has many divergent and opposing foundations. Conflict is a dynamically developing process that has not only forms of manifestation, but also stages of development. At the same time, the conflict can and should be managed, and managed in such a way that its negative, destructive consequences can be minimized, and constructive opportunities enhanced

There are several effective ways conflict management. They can be divided into two categories: structural and interpersonal. A simple difference in character should not be considered the cause of conflicts, although, of course, it can become a cause of conflict in a particular case.

Conflict management is a conscious activity in relation to it, carried out at all stages of its occurrence, development and completion of the conflict. It is important not to block the development of a contradiction, but to strive to resolve it in non-conflict ways. Conflict management includes their prevention and constructive resolution.

The manager must begin by analyzing the actual causes and then use the appropriate methodology. In order to avoid conflicts with employees and between employees, it is necessary:

when communicating with subordinates, use a calm tone and politeness combined with firmness, avoid rudeness in dealing with employees, because rudeness cannot achieve the desired effect, on the contrary, the manager most often receives a negative result, since the subordinate, instead of working, becomes fixated on resentment and delays;

· scold an employee for poor quality work only face to face, since a backstage conversation saves him from shame, and in return the manager can count on gratitude and assurances that this will not happen again; otherwise, the employee, instead of correcting the mistake, will waste time worrying about the shame he experienced;

· praise an employee for quality work in front of the entire team, since a person is always pleased when his efforts are noticed by a manager, and even more so when he does this in front of all employees; otherwise, he will begin to believe that no one needs his successes, and in the future he will not try to work efficiently;

· do not allow familiarity in relations with subordinates; observance of subordination is necessary, otherwise it will become impossible to demand anything from your subordinates;

· be objective in relation to all employees, which means that the manager must promote or demote, fine and dismiss employees fairly, treating all employees equally (the criterion for promotion can only be the consistently successful work of an employee, and for punishment - consistently bad), having favorites and unloved employees is unacceptable.

· to act as an arbitrator, and not a lawyer for one of the parties, it is best to objectively listen to both sides, and then make an objective decision;

· be out of conflict, do not participate in squabbles and squabbles, do not pass on gossip, since, being out of conflict, it is easier to eliminate it in time;

· resolutely suppress squabbles, gossip and sneaking, for which you can first fine the employee caught in this and strictly warn him about the inadmissibility of such behavior, and if this does not help, then this employee must be fired so as not to create precedents; the same should be done with those who are accustomed to “speaking out” on any occasion, thereby preventing others from working;

· if reconciliation between two employees is impossible, do not
it is necessary to oblige them to communicate on business, since work should not
suffer because of someone's emotions.

Conflict prevention is the creation of objective, organizational, managerial and socio-psychological conditions that prevent the emergence of pre-conflict situations and the elimination of personal causes of conflicts.

Managers must spend their working time resolving conflicts. Since managers inevitably work in conditions of intergroup conflicts, they are forced to resolve them. Failure to do this can have disastrous consequences. Conflicts can make employees feel alienated, reduce productivity, and even lead to resignations.

The manager must remember that conflicts can be resolved through official bodies of a third party. The third party may be a larger organization that simply orders an end to controversial behavior under threat of dismissal (as in the case of government prohibitions on strikes and lockouts in labor disputes that threaten the national interest), or it may be mediators.

Managers must recognize that since the causes of conflicts vary, the methods for resolving them also vary depending on the circumstances. The choice of an appropriate method for resolving conflict depends on many factors, including the reasons for its occurrence and the nature of the relationship between managers and the conflicting groups.

Measures to minimize conflict include: taking time to pause and think before acting; measures to build trust; efforts to understand the motives behind the conflict; listening to all stakeholders; maintaining a position of equal exchange; sensitive training of all participants in techniques for working with conflicts; willingness to admit mistakes; maintaining equal status for all parties to the conflict.

A leader can influence the development of a conflict in the following ways:

As a result of negotiations with opponents and reaching a compromise, the basis of the conflict may disappear.

The leader has the opportunity to change the subject of the conflict, and therefore change the attitude towards it.

Separate disputes between conflicting parties from the problem that needs to be solved. It is necessary to concentrate on the benefits, evaluate alternative solutions and choose the best one at the moment, mutually acceptable to the parties to the conflict.

4. Strive to create ideal jobs. After all, where order and good mood reign, where well-coordinated work is in full swing, there is little room for conflicts. Workplace should radiate joy and peace for the employee himself. Managers must create such conditions within the organization that it becomes a second home for the employee.

5. A systematic integrated approach to minimizing conflict situations, namely:

Prevention of conflict situations by increasing the reliability of the personnel management system;

Development of conflict resolution algorithms on a scientific basis and a clear scheme of administration actions in specific situations (conciliation procedures in conflict situations);

Creation of an adequate system of mental self-regulation and high emotional stability of personnel; application of psychotechnologies for positive impact on personnel;

Conflict-free procedures for relocation (redistribution), part-time employment and dismissal (reduction) of personnel.

If the conflict is based on objective conditions, then its simple interruption without taking effective measures to eliminate the causes can put the manager in an even more difficult situation, since after the conflict is interrupted, the conflict situation persists. In this case, the conflict simply fades away, but can flare up with renewed vigor.

6. An important way to prevent conflict is to make compromise decisions. Compromise can be achieved in four ways through: mutual understanding that among the possible solutions there is not a single one acceptable to all interested parties; achieving mutual concessions for all interested parties; suppression of the needs and interests of one of the parties; preliminary consideration and satisfaction of the key needs and interests of all interested parties.

Only an integrated approach to conflict prevention can achieve sustainable, good results. Below is an example of a conflict resolution algorithm (Table 1).

Table 7. Conflict resolution algorithm

Introduction... 3

The relevance of research. Conflicts are one of the most important phenomena of modern social and political life. Everyone is well aware that human life in society is complex and full of contradictions, which often lead to clashes of interests of both individuals and large and small social groups.

Conflict (from the Latin “confluctus”) means a clash of sides, opinions, forces.

In entrepreneurial activity, conflict resolution, that is, resolving the clash of opposing interests, views and aspirations, has great importance. Serious disagreements between businessmen, sometimes a sharp dispute that arises, leading to a fight - all this can cause undesirable phenomena in entrepreneurial activity.

Confrontation and contradictions between the forces operating in business, especially in its early stage, are determined by the nature of the activity and the circumstances surrounding this activity, spheres of influence and the opposition of opposition forces.

However, a leader or manager has to resolve conflicts not only in a business form, but also in the personal and emotional sphere. When resolving them, other methods are also used, since in them, as a rule, it is difficult to identify the object of disagreement and there is no conflict of interests. How should a manager with a “conflict personality” behave? There is only one way - to “pick up the key”. To do this, the manager needs to try to see in him a friend and the best features (qualities) of his personality, since it is no longer possible to change either the system of his views and values, or his psychological characteristics and features nervous system. If they were unable to “find the key to him,” then there is only one remedy left - to transfer such a person to the category of spontaneous action.

In a conflict situation or when dealing with a difficult person, you should use an approach that is more appropriate to the specific circumstances and in which the manager would feel most comfortable. The best adviser in choosing the optimal approach to conflict resolution is life experience and the desire not to complicate the situation and not bring a person to stress. You can, for example, reach a compromise, adapt to the needs of another person (especially a partner or loved one); persistently pursue the realization of one’s true interests in another aspect; avoid discussing a conflict issue if it is not very important to you; use a collaborative style to satisfy the most important interests of both parties. That's why the best way resolving a conflict situation is a conscious choice of the optimal strategy of behavior, as well as creating mutual trust and cooperation. This can be facilitated by showing trust in the subordinate through a willingness to open up the desire for agreement and mutual understanding, and a reluctance to use the subordinate’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

Purpose of the study: to consider the characteristics of a manager’s behavior with subordinates in a conflict situation and conflict management.

Object of study: management activities.

Subject of research: strategies and styles of conflict interaction.

Research objectives:

Study various approaches to conflict interaction strategies;

Study the manager’s behavioral styles in a conflict situation between subordinates;

Analyze relationships in the group for fruitful work.

Research methods: study and analysis of scientific literature on the problem of strategy and styles of conflict interaction.

The practical significance of this work is due to the fact that its materials can be used by managers of various enterprises in resolving and managing conflict situations between subordinates.

Structure of the study: the work consists of an introduction, two chapters, a conclusion and a bibliography.
...

Chapter 1. Theoretical aspects of the study of conflict interaction... 6

1.1. Ways to resolve conflicts... 6

Chapter 2. Conflict Management... 8

2.1. Causes of conflicts and conflict management... 8

2.2. Structural methods and interpersonal styles of conflict resolution... 12

Conclusion... 18

Based on the analysis of scientific literature, it was revealed that researchers have different points of view regarding the management of conflict situations, strategies and styles of conflict interaction, and methods of conflict resolution. It was put forward that in order to resolve conflict, it is important to have different approaches at your disposal, to be able to use them flexibly, to go beyond the usual patterns and to be sensitive to opportunities and to act and think in new ways. At the same time, you can use conflict as a source of life experience, self-education and self-learning.

It has been proven that every manager must have the ability to effectively resolve disputes and disagreements so that the fabric of social life does not tear with each conflict, but, on the contrary, strengthens due to the growth of the ability to find and develop common interests. The main styles of behavior of a manager in a conflict situation between subordinates include: identifying the parties’ desire to positively resolve the conflict situation; supporting and maintaining balance in the power relations that have developed in a given situation; solving the problem is possible only after a thorough study of the specific complaints and opinions of both parties; providing conditions conducive to the development of openness; ensuring reliable communication.

Conflicts can also be turned into beautiful educational material, if in the future the manager takes the time to remember what led to the conflict and what happened in the conflict situation. Then you can learn more about yourself, about the people involved in the conflict, or about the surrounding circumstances that contributed to the conflict. This knowledge will help you make the right decision in the future and avoid conflict.

As a result, it was revealed that fruitful work in a group requires cooperation, not competition, between group members. It is very important for a manager to take into account a person’s personal qualities, which always manifest themselves more clearly in an unusual, non-standard environment, which naturally affects interpersonal relationships.
...

Bibliography... 20

1. Albastova L. N. Technologies of effective management, 2001.
2. Antsinova D, Ya., Shapilov A. I. Conflictology, 2003.
3. Antsupov A.Y., Shipilov D.I. Conflictology. Textbook. Unity, 2002.
4. Borodkin F.M., Koryak P.M. Attention: Conflict. - Novosibirsk, 2000.
5. Boulanger M. Personnel development at the enterprise, 2001.
6. Vesnin V. R. Fundamentals of management - Moscow 2000.
7. Voikunsky D, I say, we speak: Essays on human communication. - M: Progress, 2003.
8. Gerasimov B. N., Chumak V. G., Yakovleva N. G. Personnel management - Rostov-on-Don, 2004.
9. Karmin A.S. Conflictology. Textbook. - Peter, 2002.
10. N.I. Leonov. Conflicts and conflict behavior. Study methods: Textbook
-2005 year

Price: 10 points

Course work

Topic: Managing behavior in conflict situations

Introduction

1. Theoretical basis conflict management

1.1 Definition and characteristics of conflict

1.2 Conflict as a process

1.3 Types of conflicts

2. Ways and methods of behavior in conflict situations

2.1 Characteristics of role conflicts

2.2 Styles and strategies of behavior in conflict

2.3 Conflict resolution methods

2.4 Behavior and actions of a leader in conflict situations

Conclusion

The causes of a conflict are not always amenable to logical reconstruction, because they may include an irrational component, and external manifestations often do not give an idea of their true nature. The reasons that underlie any conflict can be organizational, industrial and interpersonal.

Organizational conflicts arise due to a mismatch between formal organizational principles and the actual behavior of organization members. For example, an employee for some reason does not fulfill the requirements imposed on him by the organization (performs his duties poorly, violates labor discipline, etc.).

Any manager is interested in ensuring that a conflict that arises in his organization or division is suppressed as quickly as possible, since its consequences can cause considerable moral or material damage. Therefore, he must carry out all possible actions for this. First of all, it is necessary to recognize the existence of a conflict, accepting the situation as it is, and try to show opponents that conflict is a common life phenomenon, although not always desirable, and it can and should be overcome, or at least look for ways to this. This process can occur both without direct participation by the parties themselves, and with active intervention and management.

Conflictologists have developed and continue to develop ways to prevent conflicts and methods for their “painless” resolution. Ideally, it is believed that a manager should not eliminate conflict, but manage it and use it effectively.

The conflict can be resolved as a result three types actions: unilateral carried out by each participant at his own peril and risk; mutually agreed upon, the result of which is a compromise; joint, or integrative. They may be based on the coincidence of opinions of the participants, the superiority of one of them, or the intervention of a third force.

As a result, three behavioral models of participants are formed. One of them - destructive; another - conformal, associated with unilateral or mutual concessions and the third - constructive, which involves a joint search for a solution beneficial to all parties.

The first step in managing conflict is to understand its sources. The manager should find out: is this a simple dispute about resources, a misunderstanding on some problem, different approaches to people’s value systems, or is it a conflict that has arisen as a result of mutual intolerance or psychological incompatibility. After determining the causes of the conflict, it should minimize the number of participants. It has been established that the fewer people involved in a conflict, the less effort will be required to resolve it.

In the process of conflict analysis, if the manager himself is not able to understand the nature and source of the problem being solved, then he can involve competent persons for this. The opinion of experts is often more convincing than the opinion of the immediate supervisor. This is due to the fact that each of the conflicting parties may suspect that the manager-arbiter, under certain conditions and for subjective reasons, may take the side of his opponent. In this case, the conflict does not “fade out”, but intensifies, since the “offended” party needs to fight against the manager.

There are three points of view on the conflict:

1) the manager believes that the conflict is unnecessary and only harms the organization. Since conflict is always bad, it is the manager’s job to eliminate it in any way;

2) conflict is an undesirable but common by-product of an organization. In this case, it is believed that the manager must eliminate the conflict wherever it arises;

3) conflict is not only inevitable, but also necessary and potentially useful. For example, it could be a labor dispute, as a result of which the truth is born. No matter how an organization grows and is managed, conflicts will always arise, and this is a completely normal phenomenon.

Depending on the point of view on the conflict that the manager adheres to, the procedure for overcoming it will depend. In this regard, there are two large groups of conflict management methods: pedagogical and administrative.

It is especially difficult for a manager to find ways to resolve interpersonal conflicts. In this sense, there are several possible strategies of behavior and corresponding options for managerial actions aimed at eliminating the conflict.

A manager's behavior in a conflict has two independent dimensions:

1) assertiveness, perseverance - characterize the behavior of an individual aimed at realizing one’s own interests, achieving one’s own, often mercantile, goals;

2) cooperativeness – characterizes behavior aimed at taking into account the interests of other persons in order to meet their needs halfway.

End of work -

This topic belongs to the section:

The nature of socio-economic conflict

Introduction.. the nature of socio-economic conflict, the concept of socio-economic conflict, the consequences of the conflict, its practical use..

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All topics in this section:

Concept of conflict
Conflict is a clash of contradictory or incompatible forces. A more complete definition is a contradiction that arises between people and teams in the process of their joint work.

Consequences of the conflict. Its practical use
The modern view of conflict is that many of them are not only acceptable, but also desirable. It should be borne in mind that conflict, along with problems, can also bring

Causes of conflicts
The causes of a conflict are not always amenable to logical explanation, since they may include an irrational component, and external manifestations often do not give an idea of their true nature.

Elements of a conflict situation
The elements of a conflict situation are, first of all, its participants. These can be opposing sides, or opponents, each of whom has a specific

Phases of conflict development
Conflict can be viewed in a narrow and broad sense. In the narrow sense - a direct collision of the parties, in the broad sense - a process consisting of several stages, within which the collision

Ways to resolve interpersonal conflicts
The combination of these parameters with varying degrees of severity determines five main ways to resolve interpersonal conflicts.

1. Evasion, and
Stages of industrial conflicts

Like an ordinary conflict, a production conflict goes through several stages in its development. At the stage of its inception, it is still outwardly hidden, developing at the psychological level, but with
Four groups of persons involved in industrial conflict

For many people, participation in conflicts may not be driven by any personal dissatisfaction, but by a sense of solidarity. Some participants in the conflict, pursuing their goals, become
Forms of industrial conflicts

Industrial conflicts can take place in basic forms: clique, strike, sabotage, intrigue.
A clique is a group of employees who oppose themselves to the official

Decoding of the product range
Wood products and packaging workshop Elements of sides and floors for all modifications of cars with a wooden platform; wooden parts of thermal bodies; plywood and fiberboard parts for cars

1. “Practical management” manual on personnel work 2. V.R. Vesnin, M.: LAWYER, 1998 3. “Management” V.E. Grebtsova, Rostov-on-Don: PHOENIX, 2000 4. “Os

Organizational conflict can also arise as a result of poor quality job descriptions(when requirements for an employee are contradictory, non-specific), ill-considered distribution of job responsibilities."

Industrial conflicts, as a rule, arise as a result of a low level of labor organization and management. The reasons for this kind of conflict may be obsolete equipment, poor work premises, unreasonable production standards, insufficient awareness of the manager on a particular issue and unqualified management decisions, low qualifications of workers, etc.

“Interpersonal conflicts mainly occur due to a mismatch of values, norms of behavior, attitudes, personal hostility towards each other, etc. These conflicts can occur both in the presence and absence of objective organizational or intra-production reasons, and can also be a consequence of organizational or an industrial conflict. In this case, disagreements on a business basis turn into mutual personal hostility."

This type of conflict can also manifest as a clash of personalities, where people with different personality traits, views and values are unable to get along with each other. Such people work poorly together and spend a lot of time developing this conflict and defeating the enemy.

Organizational and industrial conflicts are often constructive in nature and cease as soon as the problem that caused the conflict between the parties is resolved. Interpersonal conflict, as a rule, takes a more severe form and is more protracted.

In management theory, there are also the following types of conflicts: intrapersonal, interpersonal, between the individual and the group, and intergroup.

“Intrapersonal conflict is a unique type of conflict that does not seem to correspond to the definition of conflict given above. But if an employee receives contradictory or mutually exclusive tasks, then he has an internal conflict.

There are other forms of intrapersonal conflict. For example, it may arise in a situation where a goal or methods of achieving it conflict with the values or certain moral principles of an individual. In this case, achieving a goal and satisfying a significant need is accompanied by negative experiences and remorse. In general, with an intrapersonal conflict, a person is characterized by mental tension, emotional dissatisfaction, split personality (struggle of motives), etc. The painful emotional state experienced and irritability form the basis for an emotional explosion, the cause of which can be any trifle. Intrapersonal conflict is often a precursor to interpersonal conflict.

“Conflicts between an individual and a group include conflicts between a leader and a group, a group member and a group. When analyzing such a conflict, it is necessary to take into account the specifics of the group as an enemy in the conflict.”

Examples of situations in which this type of conflict arises may be the following: a manager comes to a department from the outside or takes over leadership of an already established team. In these cases, conflict can arise for various reasons:

a) if the team has reached a high level of development, and the newly appointed manager does not correspond to this level;

c) if the management style and methods of the new manager differ sharply from the working methods of the previous manager.

Conflict may arise between an individual and a group if that individual takes a position different from that of the group. As is known, informal groups monitor the behavior of their members and require them to comply with the norms and rules adopted in the group; violation of these rules can lead to conflict,

“Intergroup conflict can have a very detrimental effect on the results of an organization’s activities and cause great damage to the company, since this conflict involves representatives of structural units, departments, managers at different levels, creative groups, etc. These opposing groups can consist of a significant number of people and activities organizations may be paralyzed as a result of the conflict."

A striking example of intergroup conflict is the conflict between a trade union and the administration.

All conflicts have several reasons, the main ones being the limited resources that need to be shared, differences in goals, values, ideas, differences in the level of education, behavior patterns of organizational members, etc.

The question of the causes of the conflict is one of the important and difficult ones, because often main reason Conflicts are layered with secondary and secondary ones, and it can be difficult to understand the problem.

You should always look for genuine, underlying reasons and not confuse them with an external reason for the conflict. Positive conflict resolution involves finding out what the parties to the conflict want and achieve.

The main types of intrapersonal conflict: motivational, moral, conflict of unfulfilled desire, role, adaptation and conflict of inadequate self-esteem.

Of these, the most common form of role conflict is when one person is presented with conflicting demands about what the result of his work should be, or, for example, when work requirements are not consistent with personal needs and values.

To summarize, we can say that in communicating with people and in business contacts, hidden or overt conflicts may arise due to a lack of understanding of the true motives of behavior. In contacts with people it is necessary to show tolerance and restraint. Very often the motives for behavior are not at all what can be attributed. Arrogance and arrogance can hide timidity, shyness, and vulnerability. Fear and anxiety can masquerade as anger and anger. A bad mood can be explained by fatigue. If a conflict arises in a team, you should not avoid it. It is very important to be able not to transform a conflict situation into a conflict, since the impact of force is usually associated with emotional experiences. If the conflict situation has already developed into a conflict, then it is very important to work with the emotional mood of the participants. The ability to resolve conflicts depends on the ability to transform the mutual understanding of participants from enemies to partners. The inability to defuse a conflict situation and understand mistakes and miscalculations can cause constant tension. It must be remembered that conflict must be skillfully managed before it becomes so strong that it acquires destructive properties. The main reason for the conflict is that people depend on each other, everyone needs sympathy and understanding, the location and support of the other, they need someone to share their beliefs. A conflict is a signal that something went wrong in communications between people or that some significant disagreements have arisen. Many people do not have specific conflict management skills and need guidance and practice. As basic recommendations regarding behavior in conflict conditions, we can point to the following guidelines:

The ability to distinguish the important from the secondary. It would seem that it could be simpler, but life shows that it is quite difficult to do this. Almost nothing except intuition can help a person. It is necessary to analyze conflict situations, the motives of your behavior, if you try to understand what is really a “matter of life and death” and what is simply your own ambitions, and learn to discard the unimportant.

Inner peace. This is a principle of attitude towards life that does not exclude a person’s energy and activity. On the contrary, it allows you to become even more active, to react sensitively to the slightest nuances of events and problems, without losing composure even at critical moments. Inner peace is a kind of protection from all unpleasant life situations, it allows a person to choose the appropriate form of behavior;

Emotional maturity and stability are essentially the ability and readiness to act worthy in any life situations;

Knowledge of how to influence events, meaning the ability to stop oneself and not “pressure” or, conversely, speed up an event in order to “control the situation” and be able to adequately respond to it;

The ability to approach a problem from different points of view, due to the fact that the same event can be assessed differently, depending on the position taken. If you consider the conflict from the position of your “I,” there will be one assessment, but if you try to look at the same situation from the position of your opponent, perhaps everything will seem different. It is important to be able to evaluate, compare, and connect different positions;

Preparedness for any surprises, the absence (or restraint) of a biased line of behavior allows you to quickly adapt, respond in a timely and adequate manner to changing situations;

Perception of reality as it is, and not as a person would like to see it. This principle is closely related to the previous one; following it helps to maintain mental stability even in cases when everything seems devoid of internal logic and meaning;

The desire to go beyond the problematic situation. As a rule, all “unsolvable” situations are ultimately solvable; there are no hopeless situations;

Observation, which is necessary not only for assessing others and their actions. Many unnecessary reactions, emotions and actions will disappear if you learn to observe yourself impartially. It is much easier for a person who can objectively assess his desires, motives, and motives, as if from the outside, to manage his behavior, especially in critical situations;

Foresight as the ability not only to understand the internal logic of events, but also to see the prospects for their development. Knowing “what will lead to what” protects against mistakes and wrong behavior, prevents the formation of a conflict situation;

The desire to understand others, their thoughts and actions. In some cases this means coming to terms with them, in others it means correctly determining your line of behavior. Many misunderstandings in everyday life happen only because not all people are able or do not give themselves the trouble to consciously put themselves in the place of others. The ability to understand (even without accepting) an opposing point of view helps to predict people's behavior in a given situation;

The ability to extract experience from everything that happens, i.e. “learn from mistakes,” and not only from your own. This ability to take into account the causes of past mistakes and failures helps to avoid new ones.

At the same time, you should always remember: Do not expand the conflict zone; Offer positive solutions; Do not use categorical forms; Reduce the number of claims; Sacrifice the unimportant; Avoid insults.

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Course work

Topic: Managing behavior in conflict situations

Introduction

1. Theoretical foundations of conflict management

1.1 Definition and characteristics of conflict

1.2 Conflict as a process

1.3 Types of conflicts

2. Ways and methods of behavior in conflict situations

2.1 Characteristics of role conflicts

2.2 Styles and strategies of behavior in conflict

2.3 Conflict resolution methods

2.4 Behavior and actions of a leader in conflict situations

Conclusion

The psychological essence of the conflict, its main features.

Under conflict is understood as the most acute way of resolving significant contradictions that arise in the process of social interaction, which consists in the opposition of the subjects of the conflict and is usually accompanied by negative emotions and feelings experienced by them in relation to each other.

Prerequisites for the emergence of conflicts are: lack of communication skills, discrepancy in views on events taking place in the organization, the desire to dominate without any reason, a person’s demonstration of selfishness and arrogance, emotional incontinence, the use of brute force, etc.

The conflict has the following essential characteristics: properties:

the presence of a contradiction between interests, values, needs, goals, views, motives;

opposition, confrontation between the subjects of the conflict, the desire to inflict material or moral damage on the opponent by any means;

negative emotions and feelings towards each other.

Depending on the characteristics of the conflicting parties, it is customary to distinguish:

intrapersonal conflict - a clash between approximately equal in strength, but oppositely directed interests, needs, and drives of one person.

interpersonal conflict – two or more members of the same group pursue incompatible goals and implement conflicting values, or at the same time, in a conflict struggle, strive to achieve the same goal, which can only be achieved by one of the parties (one of the most common types of conflicts). Many managers believe that the only reason for it is the dissimilarity of characters. However, such conflicts are based not only on subjective, but, above all, objective reasons;

between individual and group – a collision of conflicting interests, needs, values, goals between an individual and a group of people.

In foreign trade organizations, examples of such conflicts can be conflicts between the head of a department and the team, between an ordinary employee and the team, between a leader and a microgroup; intergroup conflict

– when the conflicting parties are social groups (firms, organizations) pursuing incompatible goals and preventing each other from achieving them. An organization consists of many formal and informal groups, within and between which conflicts may arise (for example, between the administration and the organization’s trade union, between employees of different departments, etc.).

The classification of conflicts according to the last two criteria may look like this:	Realistic (subject)
	Caused by the dissatisfaction of certain demands of the parties to the conflict and aimed at achieving a specific result Functional	(constructive)
	Dysfunctional (destructive)	Contribute to making informed decisions, achieving goals, and developing relationships
Prevents making informed decisions, achieving goals, and developing relationships		Unrealistic (pointless)

The goal is the open expression of accumulated negative emotions. Such conflict is not a means to an end, but an end in itself

The following can be added to the criteria for classifying conflicts:

the scope of the conflict (local or wide);

duration of the flow (short-term or long-term);

the power of influence on the participants in the conflict (affecting the role status of the individual or not affecting the fundamental interests of the individual);

consequences (positive or negative).

Behavioral styles of a manager in conditions of interpersonal conflict: ignoring, adapting, competition, cooperation, compromise.

There are the following five typical styles of human behavior in conflict: as the desire to achieve the satisfaction of one’s personal interests to the detriment of another.

Device, meaning sacrificing one’s interests for the sake of maintaining good relations and peace.

Compromise as reaching an agreement through mutual and approximately equal concessions.

Avoidance, which is characterized by both a lack of desire to satisfy the interests of the partner and a lack of tendency to achieve one’s own goals.

Cooperation when the parties to the conflict come together to a solution to the contradiction that satisfies both parties.

There are the following five typical styles of human behavior in conflict: appropriate when:

the outcome of the conflict is very important to you, and you rely on your solution to the problem that has arisen;

you need to make a decision quickly, and you have enough power to do this;

You are in a critical situation that requires immediate response;

if it is necessary to restore order for the sake of everyone's well-being.

the tension is too great and you feel the need to reduce its intensity;

You need to buy time in order to get Additional information or gain support;

the outcome is not very important for you, the subject of the conflict is not related to your main goals and interests;

time is needed to restore calm and create conditions for a cool, balanced assessment of the situation.

Compromise should be chosen if:

you need to make an urgent decision, but you are experiencing an acute shortage of time and information;

You may be satisfied with a temporary solution;

other ways to solve the problem turned out to be ineffective;

both sides present convincing arguments in favor of mutually exclusive positions;

the decision is not of fundamental importance for you, and you can revise your initial goals without significant losses;

The compromise strategy is characterized by accepting the other party's point of view, but only to a certain extent. The search for an acceptable solution is carried out through mutual concessions.

The ability of one party to compromise in conflict situations is highly valued by the opponent, as it reduces ill will in the relationship and allows the conflict to be overcome relatively quickly. But after some time, the dysfunctional consequences of a compromise solution often appear, for example, dissatisfaction with a “half-hearted” solution. In addition, the conflict in a slightly modified form may arise again, because the problem that gave rise to it has not been fully resolved.

Device has the “right to life” if:

You are not interested or concerned about what happened;

the conflict will resolve itself precisely due to the fact that the parties continue to maintain friendly relations;

Confrontation over minor disagreements adds undue stress to the relationship between the parties;

You understand that the outcome of the conflict is much more important for the other person than for you.

Thus, adaptation (compliance) presupposes a person’s renunciation of his own interests, the willingness to sacrifice them to another, to meet him halfway.

Cooperation possible when:

Your proposals and theirs are extremely important and do not allow for compromise;

the parties involved in the conflict have equal powers of power or are oriented on equal terms to seek a solution to the conflict situation;

You have a close, long-term and interdependent relationship with the other party;

it is absolutely necessary to bring together the opinions of parties with different approaches to solving the problem;

You and the other party are able to listen to each other and work together to resolve the conflict.

The one who relies on cooperation when resolving a conflict does not try to achieve his goal at the expense of others, but looks for a solution to the problem. Briefly, the attitude towards cooperation is usually formulated as follows: “It’s not you against me, but we are together against the problem.” The manager should consider the cooperation strategy to be the main one, since it is this that most often makes the conflict functional and constructive.

Factors influencing a manager's choice of appropriate behavior style.

On the one hand, it is advisable to know what form of behavior in a conflict situation your colleagues, subordinates, and friends are more oriented toward; on the other hand, based on a specific conflict situation, it is necessary to choose the most appropriate option for one’s own behavior in the conflict.

___________________________

*(for reference)

The sequence of actions of a manager when resolving a conflict in which he is one of the participants. Necessary:

a) clearly understand the need and possibility of a non-conflict resolution of the existing contradiction.

b) minimize your own negative emotions associated with the conflict;

c) deeply and impartially assess why the conflict actually arose and is developing.

d) think through several options for resolving the main contradiction.

e) choose a criterion for the fairness of a particular decision.

f) minimize the opponent’s negative emotions towards the manager.

g) have an open conversation.

For a manager at any level, the ability to effectively resolve and prevent production and labor conflicts is a professional competence, and in leading companies the ability to build a constructive conflict even appears among corporate values.

Indeed, knowing the signs of a conflict situation, the patterns of development of conflicts, identifying the motives and goals of the parties to the conflict, realizing their true interests in a particular situation, mastering the methods of analyzing a conflict situation and organizing a joint search for solutions, a manager copes with complex management problems much more effectively.

For many, conflict in an organization is associated with a breakdown in relationships, loss of psychological balance, and emotional imbalance. However, conflict can be beneficial both to the conflicting parties and to the company. The task is to ensure that the conflict from the business context does not shift into the area of personal relationships, does not turn into mutual discredit, and does not destroy the compatibility that has been formed over the years.

An example of a conflict that is “useful” for a company is the so-called positional conflict, when opposing, competing goals are deliberately formed in the structure of the organization for departments, resulting in an objective confrontation. Positional conflict allows management to more objectively evaluate the actions of units, since in confrontation they are looking for more advanced arguments for their viability and developing new technologies. In other words, positional conflict creates constructive tension that is beneficial to the organization.

Therefore, in practice, it is often specifically provided for in the target structure of the organization. The pathology of positional conflicts arises when target tension caused by purely positional reasons is saturated with emotions and turns into interpersonal tension and interpersonal conflict.

In addition, the complete absence of conflicts in an organization looks unnatural; harmony in management always smacks of falsehood, because as the founder of modern conflictology, Georg Simmel, put it, “hostility, along with sympathy, is the basis of human relations.” Obviously, this is why two well-known leaders in the United States - J. Burke from Johnson & Johnson Corporation and E. Grone from Inep - insist on the importance of such a factor as “creative confrontation” in managing organizations. They not only encourage divergent views among managers, they simply require them to do so. They surround themselves with people who are prepared enough to know the truth and independent enough in their judgment to express them openly, especially in cases where the truth does not coincide with the views of senior leaders.

Of course, organizational conflicts need to be managed, and what is important here is not so much the forms of action as their functional or dysfunctional consequences.

Thus, managerial action in many variations is not only acceptable, but also must be perceived as conflicting. It is conflict situations that can be points of growth and development of an organization and can give a significant impetus to the formation of new relationships in it. However, to realize this important function of conflicts, two essential conditions are required: firstly, a change in attitude towards conflicts, the formation of a positive attitude towards them and the ability to “see” a constructive principle in conflicts; secondly, developing the ability to analyze conflict situations, manage them, enrich the “repertoire” of conflict resolution technologies, as well as adherence to the principles that contribute to conflict resolution.

Principles of Conflict Resolution
Institutionalization of conflict (establishment of norms and procedures for resolving or resolving the conflict)	limiting the number of participants and areas of manifestation of the conflict; acceptance by all parties of certain rules for conflict resolution - organizational and (or) ethical standards, clear agreements, etc.; control by third parties ( government agencies, arbitrators, etc.)
Legitimation of the conflict resolution procedure	recognition by all its parties of the legality and fairness of a certain procedure for resolving a dispute, even if the established procedures diverge from some (outdated) legal norms recording procedures in special documents and making them widely known to all parties to the conflict
Structuring conflicting groups	determination of the composition of the participants in the conflict, representatives (leaders) of rival groups, various centers of group influence and their strength
Separating people from the problem	demonstrating willingness to deal with the problem; hardness towards problems and gentleness towards people
Offering mutually beneficial options	development wide range options; search for mutual benefit; finding out the other party's preferences
Focus on interests, not positions	fixation of basic interests; search for common interests; recognizing the opponent's interests as part of the problem
Use of objective criteria	development of objective criteria for each part of the problem; using fair criteria; use of multiple criteria
conflict reduction	consistent weakening of the conflict by transferring it to a softer level of confrontation or confrontation

Conflict resolution– a complex multi-stage process, which, based on the diagnosis of conflicts, is expressed in the prevention, containment, and regulation of conflicts. Conflict management is characterized in the development of strategies conflict behavior, in suppressing or stimulating conflicts, in reducing the level of conflict destruction. The process of conflict management largely depends on the position taken by the participant in the interaction, on his own interests, as well as on what means he resorts to in order to prevent the conflict from escalating. Most people use various conflict interaction strategies quite flexibly depending on the situation, even without having special training. However, knowledge of the characteristics of the main types of behavior in conflict, their advantages and limitations is important for the prevention of conflicts and effective management of people in general, which is why it is advisable to dwell on a short overview of the main conflict resolution strategies (according to Thomas-Kilmann) - confrontation/competition, adaptation/concession, evasion/avoidance, compromise, cooperation.

The strategy of confrontation/competition involves all kinds of demonstration own strength and invulnerability to the enemy, as well as the ability to easily resolve the conflict in one’s favor without his goodwill. This strategy does not deny the possibility of using tactics such as bluffing or cunning.

the outcome is very important to you and you place a big bet on your solution to the problem, the cost of the issue is high, the benefits are greater than the damage;
you have sufficient authority to make a decision;
the decision must be made quickly, and you have enough power to do this;
you feel that there is no other choice and you have nothing to lose;
you are in a critical situation that requires an immediate response.

The accommodation/concession strategy is usually chosen by understanding and accepting the enemy's superior strength. According to this strategy, it is necessary to adapt to the interests of the opponent, to make concessions until one’s own capitulation.

you sacrifice small things for big things;
concessions and even capitulation do you no great harm;
you don't really care about what happens;
you want to maintain peace with your opponent;
do you think it is more important to save a good relationship in the long term than to defend your interests;
you understand that the outcome is much more important for the other person than for you;
you understand that the truth is not on your side;
you have little power and little chance of winning.

The adaptation/concession strategy is ineffective when there is a desire to “get rid” of the conflict as quickly as possible. The delayed effect of such a conflict will be much more destructive, because getting rid of it does not mean solving it.

The evasion/avoidance strategy involves demonstrating to the opponent one’s own lack of understanding of his conflicting intentions. With words, intonation, manner of speaking, and gestures, we show the enemy the following:

there is actually no problem;
it's not my problem;
this is not a matter of the highest importance;
I have no authority, it is not in my power;
conflict is unpleasant and destructive, so it should be abandoned in principle.

it is necessary to ease the tense situation;
you want to gain time;
you know that you will not be able to resolve the conflict in your favor;
there is no clear, active threat from the opposite side;
you collect information about the enemy, deliberately stall for time, prepare counterarguments;
you don't want to take responsibility for the conflict.

This strategy becomes ineffective when a conflict situation begins to pose a real threat to your interests.

The compromise strategy is most effective in cases where both parties want the same thing, but know that it is impossible for them to achieve it at the same time. Understanding the structure and essence of the conflict, the parties agree on partial satisfaction of their desires and partial fulfillment of the desires of the other side, exchanging concessions and bargaining to develop a compromise solution. The reached compromise allows for a different approach to resolving the conflict in the future if the initial compromise eliminated the problem only for a short period of time.

you want to reach an agreement quickly;
both parties have equal power and have mutually exclusive interests;
you want a solution quickly because you don't have time or because it is a more economical and efficient way;
you may be satisfied with a temporary solution;
you can take advantage of short-term benefits;
other approaches to solving the problem turned out to be ineffective;
satisfying your desire is not too important for you and you can slightly change the goal set at the beginning;
compromise will allow you to save the relationship and you would rather gain at least something than lose everything
you are internally ready to make concessions in order to reach an agreement.

A collaborative strategy is the most appropriate approach to identifying and satisfying the interests of both parties, but requires the parties to take the time and skill to explain their desires, express their needs, listen to each other, and then develop alternative solutions to the problem. The absence of one of these elements makes this approach ineffective.

you can only win when your partner wins;
solving the problem is important for both parties;
you have time to work on the problem that has arisen;
you and your opponent are aware of the problem, the desires and needs of both parties are known;
you are able to express the essence of your interests and listen to each other;
you have equal power and are equally looking for a solution to the problem;
solving the problem is very important for both sides, and no one wants to completely get rid of it;
you have a close, long-term and interdependent relationship with the other party;
Cooperation among other strategies is the most difficult, but it allows us to develop the most satisfying solution to both parties in complex and important conflict situations.

It is important to understand that there are no “right” or “wrong” strategies; there are appropriate or inappropriate ones. Each of these strategies is effective only in certain conditions, and none of them can be singled out as the best. An experienced manager must be able to effectively use each of these strategies and consciously make one or another choice, taking into account specific circumstances, as well as taking into account his own preferences in choosing conflict resolution strategies.

In addition, the choice of conflict interaction strategy is also influenced by the fact that the stages of conflict and the stages of conflict management are in a certain correspondence. Taking into account this correspondence makes it possible to determine the priority areas for a manager’s work with conflicts and the choice of an adequate strategy. For example, at the stage of the emergence and development of a conflict situation in the process of predicting or preventing a conflict, the main efforts should be focused on working with subjects who create conflict situations or are prone to creating such situations; the strategy of evasion/avoidance is applicable here. At the stage of awareness of a conflict situation in the course of conflict prevention, it is important not to miss working with subjects who are aware of the conflict situations that have arisen. In this case, it is necessary to keep them from moving to active actions when preventing destructive conflicts or to direct their actions in a legitimate direction when stimulating constructive conflicts (strategies of compromise, cooperation).

In general, when deciding on a conflict interaction strategy, at least two circumstances must be taken into account:

Firstly, the reaction that one or another of the measures taken may cause on the part of both the direct participants in the conflict and the forces observing temporary neutrality;

Secondly, the moral norms, habits and customs that prevail in a particular organization and regulate the behavior of people in a calm environment and in moments of conflict. It is necessary to take into account real possibilities, the specific situation and public opinion, and to avoid both too weak and too strong means of influence.

So, having considered the nature of conflicts, we can draw the following conclusions.

For a manager at any level, the ability to effectively resolve (and prevent) production and labor conflicts is a professional competence. Knowing the signs of a conflict situation, the patterns of development of conflicts, identifying the motives and goals of the parties to the conflict, realizing their true interests in a particular situation, mastering methods of analyzing a conflict situation and organizing a joint search for solutions, a manager copes with complex management problems much more effectively.
Conflicts are inevitable, and there is no need to strive for their absence, since any conflict, including organizational conflict, is a form of manifestation of objective contradictions that arise in the process of social interaction, contributes to their development, the transition to more high level. The task is to minimize the destructive consequences of conflicts, reduce their destructive potential, using methods for their constructive resolution.
Organizational conflicts need to be managed, taking into account their possible functional and dysfunctional consequences.
In order for a conflict management action to be a point of growth and development of an organization, it is necessary to comply with a number of essential conditions and principles that contribute to the resolution of the conflict.
To prevent conflicts and effectively manage people in general, basic knowledge of basic conflict resolution strategies (confrontation/competition, accommodation/concession, evasion/avoidance, compromise, cooperation), types of behavior in conflict, their advantages and limitations are required.

Life practice shows that conflict is an integral part of human relationships, and therefore it exists as long as a person exists. As the American psychologist B. Wool noted, “Life is a process of resolving an infinite number of conflicts. Man cannot avoid them. He can only decide whether to participate in making decisions or leave it to others.” A manager at any level needs to develop skills in rational management of conflict situations, which implies choosing not only an adequate strategy (or combination of strategies), but also a set of optimal tactics and tools for influencing an opponent. It should be noted that the choice of conflict management tools in an organization is largely influenced by the previous experience of participants in conflict interaction, their attitude to the current conflict situation and the main parameters of interaction. The attitudes of the parties to the conflict, in turn, begin to determine such characteristics of the conflict as:

goals pursued,
perception of the partner on the situation,
“scope” of the subject of disagreement,
the nature of interaction with a partner,
the means of influence used on the partner.

Based on a generalization of the results of the analysis of the noted characteristics of specific conflicts, we can distinguish different models of conflict development: a cooperation model, a cooperation model, a competition model:

Based on a certain type of interaction, it is advisable to make a choice in favor of one or another tactic of behavior in a conflict situation. In general terms, tactics of behavior in conflict can be described as a set of techniques for influencing an opponent, a means of implementing a strategy, and the same tactics can be used within different strategies. The German philosopher and sociologist G. Simmel argues that the expression of hostility in conflict plays a positive role, since it allows for the preservation of relationships in situations of stress, thereby preventing the disintegration of the group, which is inevitable in the event of the expulsion of hostile individuals. Thus, for example, threat or pressure, considered destructive actions, can be used in the event of the unwillingness or inability of one of the parties to concede beyond certain limits.

According to V. G. Zazykin, Doctor of Psychology, Professor Russian Academy civil service under the President of the Russian Federation: “The actions of many opponents of the conflict, regardless of its type (with the exception of intrapersonal), are characterized by stereotyping: the tactics and techniques used replace each other in a certain sequence, they themselves are not diverse. Such stereotypical behavior is determined by the “focusing” of the individual on the conflict, the strong influence of negative emotional states, which in a specific way change the perception of reality. Therefore, many conflicts follow the same pattern, using the same techniques and tactics.”

In general, there are hard, neutral and soft tactics of conflict interaction:

The main characteristics of tactics of influencing an opponent are as follows:

Tactics of capturing and holding the object of conflict. Used in conflicts where the object is material.
Tactics of physical violence (damage). Techniques such as destruction of material assets, physical pressure, blocking other people’s activities, etc. are used.
Tactics of psychological violence (damage). Most often, this tactic is used by the stronger party, which also has great opportunities to strengthen its own resources. This tactic causes offense in the opponent, hurts pride, dignity and honor. Its manifestations: insult, rudeness, offensive gestures, negative personal assessment, discriminatory measures, slander, disinformation, deception, humiliation, strict control over behavior and activities, dictatorship in interpersonal relationships. Discredit is achieved through harsh criticism and ostracism. Note that such criticism, in essence, may be fair, but it takes on a form that provokes the opponent to rash actions or statements. This technique is almost always used in emotional conflicts of a vertical orientation. In this case, one of the opponents accuses the other, who defends the interests of a group, collective, or organization, of having hidden purely personal (often selfish) interests, which in fact are supposedly the main ones for him.
Pressure tactics. The range of techniques includes presenting incriminating evidence and blackmail.

effective action

Waiting, “maintaining the previous state.” This tactic, which has the appearance of ending a conflict, is often used in order to obtain additional information about the opposing side, its resources, ways to increase them, and to create the impression of being peaceful. Waiting, the lack of action on the part of one of the opponents creates a kind of situation of uncertainty, and uncertainty generates tension. In this case, the opponents, being in a state of tension due to the conflict itself, are also subject to additional stress due to the uncertainty of the situation. Many cannot withstand such double pressure and take some actions, usually erroneous. This serves as information about the state of opponents and their capabilities. If the process is delayed, then the waiting party itself can initiate some tentative actions, even minor concessions, in order to provoke a certain reaction from the opponent and get necessary information. The technique of waiting is used quite often in conflicts when the resources of opponents are approximately equal. If the opponent believed the misinformation and accepted it as the true state of affairs and balance of power, this prompts him to take active actions, which in fact are provoked, and therefore erroneous. As a result, his chances of success are sharply reduced.

Demonstration of strengthening of own resources. This tactic consists in the fact that one of the parties demonstratively lets the other know about the real possibility of increasing its own resources to such an extent that they will significantly overlap its resources. The tactics are designed to evoke a programmed reaction on the part of the opponent: his way out of a conflict situation, since his real capabilities will seem weaker, or forcing him to negotiate and seek a compromise on conditions unfavorable to him. This is a rather cunning tactic that requires acting skills on the part of the party that uses it. Everything usually unfolds according to the following scenario. In a very friendly, almost paternal tone, the opponent is told: “...I treat you very well, I even sincerely sympathize, so I want to warn you that you have gotten yourself involved in a very bad story. Do you know that I have... that the person on whom he depends... is my loved one...” and so on. The main thing is to convince the opponent of the futility of the struggle, to increase the feeling of threat, hopelessness, and thereby lead him out of the conflict. This tactic is well tested and very effective. It is used constantly.

Demonstration tactics. It is used to attract the attention of others to one’s person (public statements and complaints, strikes, etc.).

Authorization. Influencing an opponent through punishment, increasing the workload, imposing a ban, establishing blockades, failure to comply with orders under any pretext, open refusal to comply.
Coalition tactics. Its goal is to strengthen its rank in the conflict. Expressed in the formation of unions, increasing the support group at the expense of managers, the public, relatives, appealing to the media, various organs authorities. Used in more than one third of conflicts.
Tactics for fixing your position– the most frequently used tactic (in 75-80% of conflicts). Based on the use of facts and logic to confirm one’s position. These are persuasion, requests, criticism, making suggestions, etc.
Friendly tactics. Includes correct address, emphasizing the general, demonstrating readiness to solve the problem, presenting the necessary information, offering help, providing a service, apologizing, and encouraging.

Transaction tactics. Provides for the mutual exchange of benefits, promises, concessions, and apologies.

It should be noted that with the rational development of a conflict (that is, in a conflict that is skillfully controlled), the use of tactics usually goes from soft (fixing one’s position, friendliness, authorization) to more rigid and irrational (pressure, psychological violence). A prominent figure in the field of conflict theory, J. Kakonen, states: “Conflicts are a natural part of social life person, but they turn into a problem only through their solution. The means and methods of conflict resolution determine whether the conflict will be positive or negative.” Representatives of large and medium-sized businesses are convinced that rational management of conflict requires high conflict management competence and managerial skill from the manager. According to Vladimir Boykov, director of the information technology department of Marka LLC (Zaporozhye), problems in an organization are mainly a manifestation of tensions or conflicts between organizational subunits, and this is what determines the arsenal of interventions used by the manager to resolve the conflict. His opinion is supported by the financial director of Stroitel OJSC (Zaporozhye) Dmitry Stanchev, emphasizing that the ideas of demarcation and confrontation, domination and suppression are psychologically much easier for the leader than the idea of compromise and rapprochement, partnership and cooperation. However, often the use of harsh irrational tactics by a manager leads to dysfunctional consequences - employees develop a negative attitude towards the manager, motivation, efficiency and productivity decrease, and the norm of violent methods of solving production and organizational problems is fixed in the minds.

Thus, it is neutral and soft tactics used within the framework of various strategies that contribute to the constructive resolution of organizational conflicts, often based on the strong interdependence of opponents. As is known, for the high-quality implementation of neutral and soft tactics, a leader must possess an arsenal of techniques that help smooth out conflict situations. We will look at several of these techniques in more detail.

Technique “4 steps to a conflict interlocutor”

The “4 steps to a conflict interlocutor” technique is most often used as part of friendliness tactics. It is advisable to use it in the case when the opponent is non-aggressive, ready to cooperate and is able to rationally manage the conflict. The use of this technique involves the implementation of the following steps:

Step 1. Changing the atmosphere of conflict. Listening, empathy, adjustment and others simple ways"détente" situation

Method	Technicians	Example
Clarification (questioning): involves asking the speaker or interlocutor for clarification using questions.	Open questions require additional information to be added to the original message and force the speaker to expand or narrow his or her original message. An open-ended question should not hint at the expected answer.	“I don’t quite understand what you mean?”; “What is your opinion on this issue?”; "What are you offering?"; “What do you think about?..”; “How do you rate it?..”
	Closed questions encourage people to answer using single words such as “yes” or “no” or short phrases. They are appropriate when clarifying a specific fact or circumstance.	“Did you?”, “Did that happen?”, “Will you?”, “Could we?”, “Really?”
Paraphrasing consists of repeating the interlocutor's statement in your own words, the words of the listener. The main thing is to preserve the original thought in an undistorted form.	Retelling: your own formulation of the speaker’s (interlocutor’s) message in detail, detailed.	“If I understood you correctly, then...”, “In other words, you think that...” then comes a retelling of the interlocutor’s words.
	A summary is a response that summarizes the main ideas and feelings of the speaking interlocutor in a generalized, abbreviated form. A summary can be in the form of a generalization of the words of the interlocutor or the main idea isolated from the message, as well as in the form of the main contradiction contained in the information and arguments of the interlocutor.	Examples of an introduction before a summary: “As I understand it, your main ideas are...”; “If I sum up what you said, then...”; “So you think that...”; “In short, you want...”
The development of thoughts is to give direction to the development of thoughts and arguments of the interlocutor so that they become more understandable. In this case, you use the words of your interlocutor as the cause, and your thoughts as the effect.	Logical consequence: You make assumptions about what may follow from the interlocutor's words, while establishing a cause-and-effect relationship.	“Based on what you said, it turns out that...”, then go on to your assumptions.
	Interpretation of the interlocutor’s words: assumptions are made regarding the reasons for the interlocutor’s statements.	“You think so, apparently, because...”, then follow your assumptions regarding the motives, true position, and deeper reasons for the interlocutor’s statements.
Verbalization of feelings (reflection of feelings using words) consists of speaking about emotional state one of the interlocutors at the time of the conversation.	A message about your perception of the interlocutor, his feelings, emotional state.	“It seems to me that you are feeling somewhat alarmed by what you said about...”
	Reporting your emotional state during a conversation	“I am somewhat confused by your words that...”
	Report your perception of the conversation.	“It seems to me that our conversation has dragged on somewhat, we are marking time: we return again and again to the question of...”

Step 2. Localization of the complaint

The essence of the matter: what is the opponent dissatisfied with?
Emotional Disclosure: How does he feel?
Appeal: What does your opponent want from you?
Attitude: how does he treat you?

Step 3. Recognition of facts, fixation of common positions

Step 4. Discuss the problem and find a solution

Once the parties have correctly understood the nature of the claim being made, they are able to make an informed decision about what they can do, whether they want to do it, and whether they will do it.

“Open Door” technique (removing opponent’s aggression)

Technique " Opened door“Most often used as part of the tactics of fixing one’s position. It is advisable to use it in the case when the opponent is overly aggressive, expects active resistance on your part and is not able to rationally manage the conflict. As the German philosopher and sociologist G. Simmel argued, in such irrational conflicts it is not the achievement of a result that is important, but rather the expression of aggressive emotions that cause an explosion.

In this case, the primary task is to reduce the level of aggression and subsequently transfer the conflict interaction into a constructive direction. Note that using this technique involves implementing the following steps.

You should distinguish between objective facts in your opponent’s characterization of your behavior and an assessment of this behavior. You should not react to negative assessments of your personality and to comments of a moral nature.
It is necessary to perceive the interlocutor calmly, not to succumb to feelings of guilt and fear, not to use sarcasm and irony, and to ignore aggression.
In principle, there is no need to defend yourself either by counterattack or by escaping into defense mechanisms: do not explain why you acted this way and not otherwise; do not claim that you were forced by objective reasons, do not deny what actually happened.
If your opponent characterizes your actions in accordance with his moral values, you should not refute his views, but you should not agree with them either.
It is necessary to find out what exactly does not suit your opponent about your behavior.
You should find positive aspects in the conflict. For example, you may actually learn something new and valuable to yourself.
“Compression” of several comments. As the experience of business communication shows, it is advisable not to respond to each comment separately, but, by combining them together, to answer with one thesis or even one phrase.
Approval plus destruction. If objective comments are made to you and in a correct form, then you can reduce their significance by first agreeing with them, and then, developing additional arguments, confirm your previous statement.

Technique "Conflict Map"

The Conflict Map technique is most often used within the framework of friendliness tactics. The value of this technique lies in the orderly, systematic approach to the problem.

The use of this technique involves the implementation of the following steps:

Step 1. Description of the problem in general terms. On at this stage there is no need to delve deeply into the problem or try to find a way out of it.

Step 2. Identifying the main parties to the conflict. These may be individuals or entire teams, departments, groups or organizations. To the extent that the people involved in a conflict have some common needs in relation to a given conflict, they can be grouped together. A mixture of group and personal categories is also acceptable.

Step 3. Determining the true needs of the parties to the conflict. At this stage, it is necessary to list the main needs and concerns for each of the main participants associated with this problem. The motivation behind the participants' positions on this issue should be clarified.

Graphically displaying the needs and concerns of the parties to a conflict allows one to broaden the horizons of conflict interaction and create the conditions for a wider range of potential solutions available after the end of this process.

In addition, the Conflict Map technique has the following advantages:

limits the discussion to a certain formal framework, which usually helps to avoid excessive display of emotions. People can lose their temper at any time, but when making a map they tend to control themselves;
creates a group process during which joint discussion of the problem is possible;
provides people with an opportunity to express their wishes and concerns;
creates an atmosphere of empathy;
allows you to see more clearly both your own point of view and the point of view of others;
gives a systematic character to the views of each side on the problem;
prompts new directions in the choice of solutions.

Technique of delay, expansion of the time horizon of the conflict

The technique of delaying and expanding the time horizon of the conflict is universal and is used in neutral and soft tactics. As follows from game theory, the most dangerous games are characterized by their narrow time horizon. Determining a long-term perspective for the complete resolution of the conflict, as a rule, facilitates its resolution. Since the severity of the conflict decreases over time, it is advisable to use the delay technique. For example: “Let me come back to this issue later...” Quite often, after a certain time, the main causes of the conflict either disappear or lose their significance.

Thus, the competent use of an arsenal of tools, techniques and tactics in the process of conflict interaction must comply with the basic principles of conflict management:

rationalization of the conflict, reducing its emotional coloring. Irrationality and lack of understanding of behavior always makes it difficult to resolve a conflict;
concentration of attention not on stated positions (demands), but on the real interests of the opponent. Very often, official statements by the parties only camouflage their true interests;
expanding communications between parties in order to obtain reliable information and build trust;
segmentation, fragmentation of the subject of conflict into many components. This allows you to see common ground in the positions of the parties and find issues on which agreement, compromise or cooperation are possible;
distinguishing between the participant and the subject of the conflict. Rivalry on certain issues should not escalate into personal hostility and insults;
relativity of rivalry. The opposite side cannot be regarded as the enemy of last resort. A conflict almost never covers the entire range of interests of the parties. Opponents also have common features, and often common interests. It is on them that one should rely in achieving mutual understanding and cooperation;
limiting the sphere of rivalry. It is impossible to affect the main goals and values of the opponent, or to allow the areas of dispute to expand;
temporary (stage-by-stage) limitation of the conflict. The sooner the process of unfolding a conflict is stopped, the easier it is to resolve it, and vice versa, the further the conflict has gone in its manifestation, the more difficult and expensive it is to resolve it;
the desire for a final solution to the conflict is less desirable than for an ameliorative (implying a gradual improvement of the situation) solution. This means that in most cases (though not always) you cannot act on an all-or-nothing basis. In the ameliorative approach, the resolution of a conflict is assessed in terms of whether it is better or worse than the previous state or other alternatives;
the undesirability of unilateral concessions, because the party that made the concessions, as a rule, feels disadvantaged and offended, which undermines the strength of the agreement;
When resolving a conflict, it is important to respect the dignity of the losing party or even give it the opportunity to gain prestige in the eyes of its supporters and others. You can't drive your opponent into a corner. This can cause a sudden surge in his aggressiveness, the transition of the conflict to a new, more dangerous plane using more destructive methods and means;
the resolution of the conflict must be legitimized by culture, that is, based on values recognized by all parties and others. In this case, there will be less mutual grievances, and the solution will be much stronger;
focus on the multi-causality of the conflict and the use of a variety of means. This rule is based on the fact that conflict is often based on several reasons. But even if there is only one cause, the means to eliminate it can be varied. Focusing on the multi-causality of the conflict and the variety of tools for resolving it is also useful because, by targeting the search for many causes and means, it reduces the likelihood of error;
the outcome of the settlement must be based on a clear and precise agreement that allows for effective control;
proper management of the post-conflict period. Formally, at this time the conflict is considered over, but this is not so. The relations between opponents are greatly influenced by the fairness and objectivity of conflict resolution. But at the same time, even after a fair resolution of the conflict, the opponents continue to have worse relations than they had before the conflict. The defeated are dominated by negative emotions, a feeling of resentment, and perhaps humiliation. This, in turn, is fertile ground for the development of a new conflict. Therefore, in the post-conflict period, relations of the “winner-loser” type should not be allowed to arise; this can also provoke a new emotional conflict. The defeated should not be humiliated or “destroyed”; he needs to feel like a winner, at least in some way. To create favorable relations in the post-conflict period, over time, it is advisable to organize cooperation between former opponents in some matter that is very significant for them;
Constant work on developing conflict interaction skills and increasing the conflict management competence of the organization’s employees through corporate trainings. In such trainings, various conflict situations are simulated, in which participants have to perform certain conflict roles. Thus, during the training process, the simulated conflict is objectified, its causes, contradictions, content, motives of opponents, methods of conflict confrontation, etc. are discussed, determined various ways conflict resolution, which are practiced in a game situation.

Of course, all these and some other rules and recommendations for managing conflicts in an organization are not universal. They must be applied creatively, taking into account all the factors of the conflict situation. However, their good knowledge expands the conflict management horizons of the leader, helps him find the right solutions and direct conflicts in a safe direction.