While being admittedly unpleasant, conflicts are virtually unavoidable and, therefore, inevitable components of everyday communication. The phenomenon of a conflict is generally defined as “an antagonistic state of opposition, disagreement or incompatibility between two or more parties” (Hussein & Al-Mmaary, 2019, p. 10). Therefore, the notion of a conflict encompasses a rather broad range of issues in personal interactions, from a misunderstanding to the feeling of mutual resentment. Typically, conflicts occur as a result of a mismatch in perspectives of the participants and the following unwillingness to compromise (Hussein & Al-Mmaary, 2019). However, conflicts represent a unique learning opportunity, namely, a chance to understand and accept others’ point of view. Thus, conflicts should be viewed not as the reasons for ceasing to communicate with opponents but, instead, as an opportunity to expand one’s perspectives and create a viable compromise.
In order to understand the nature of and core reasons for a conflict more accurately, one will need a profound theoretical perspective on the issue. Marx’s interpretation of a conflict concerns the problem of social inequality embedded into societal hierarchy and, therefore, leading to misalignment in perspectives (Tabassi et al., 2019). In other words, differences in perspectives, values, and beliefs of participants are seen as the main factors contributing to a conflict (Tabassi et al., 2019). Another theory views conflicts as a product of a mismatch in communication styles and individual differences of the parties resulting in misconceptions (Tabassi et al., 2019). Thus, the lack of mutual understanding appears to be the core premise for a conflict in all theoretical frameworks. Thus, communication behaviors that may lead to a conflict may involve direct aggression, consistent avoidance of specific issues, and the consistent avoidance of recognizing and validating the feelings of the opponents (Hussein & Al-Mmaary, 2019). Each of the specified techniques fails due to the failure to balance between the rational and emotional aspects of conflict management.
The effects that unresolved conflicts produce on relationships in different contexts are mostly detrimental. For instance, in the face-to-face setting, a conflict may cause further aggression and, possibly, physical altercations (Tabassi et al., 2019). In turn, virtual and cyber conflicts may cause instances of cyberbullying (Tabassi et al., 2019). Finally, in group communications, conflicts may cause long-lasting disagreements that cause lasting effects and impede productivity (Tabassi et al., 2019). Therefore, conflicts must be approached rationally and objectively by all participants involved.
In turn, the strategies that lead to the fastest resolution of a conflict require incorporating the acknowledgement of the participants’ emotional response to the subject matter and the development of a rational solution that will represent a compromise of all those involved. Specifically, to resolve a conflict, one needs to introduce a framework based on acknowledging one’s respect for the opponent’s viewpoint and the willingness to cooperate in order to find an option that satisfies all parties involved (Hussein & Al-Mmaary, 2019). Other conflict approaches, which are less successful and often lead to further issues, include accommodating opponents, confronting them, and avoiding a conflict (Tabassi et al., 2019). None of the three approaches above lead to an objective analysis of the situation and the effort to create a long-0lasting solution, which is why they should eb discarded.
By interpreting conflicts as the scenarios that involve a chance to learn more about others’ opinions and rationales for taking a specific stance on a certain issue, one can transform conflicts into unique learning opportunities. Therefore, confrontations and misunderstandings should be represented not as the basis for creating enmity between opponents but, instead, as the vehicle for engaging in cross-cultural exchange and learning about new perspectives and opinions. By engaging in behaviors that allow minimizing the extent of a conflict, one will ultimately achieve the most beneficial outcomes.
References
Hussein, A. F. F., & Al-Mamary, Y. H. S. (2019). Conflicts: Their types, and their negative and positive effects on organizations. International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, 8(8), 10-13.
Tabassi, A. A., Abdullah, A., & Bryde, D. J. (2019). Conflict management, team coordination, and performance within multicultural temporary projects: Evidence from the construction industry. Project Management Journal, 50(1), 101-114.