Psychology of Conflict and Conflict Management in Organizations - Coursework Example

Summary

The questionnaire 5 and Personal Bargaining Inventory gave me an idea of my strength and weaknesses. It also underscored my shortcoming both as a communicator and negotiator. In a way, it enlightened me on the areas that I need to improve which I did not notice had I not taken the questionnaires. The most revealing fact about my communication weakness when I took the questionnaire 5 is that I am too self-centered. Self-centered in a way that I give little concern to what the other person is feeling and talking. I also give little importance of the consequence of my action or what I have said as revealed by my answers in Questionnaire 5.

The result of Communication Competence Scoring Key are Planning Cognition – 19, Reflection Cognition – 21, Presence Cognition – 15, Consequence Cognition – 12 and Modelling Cognition – 11. This means that I score low in recognizing the thoughts and feeling of the other person as I being too focused on myself. I also tend to be oblivious of the consequence of the words that I am saying. I am however a go-getter and could clearly convey my thoughts and ideas.

The result in Personal Bargaining Inventory is not much a surprise to me because the result is consistent with how I perceive myself. For example, I view myself as a fair and honest person and my answers were consistent to how I perceive myself. This is reflected in the question where I was asked if am uncomfortable in situations where rules are oblivious where I answered 5. There are also things which are not that pleasant about me that was revealed by the Personal Bargaining Inventory such as I like power and that I enjoy persuading others to take my own point of view.

Development plan

During the process of answering the Questionnaire 5 and Personal Bargaining Inventory, I noticed that my answers were relatively low on areas when it involves the concern of the other person. It meant that I am too focused on what I have to say and being understood and is less concerned with the thoughts and feelings of others. For example in the presence category of Communication Competence Scoring Key, my score was relatively low with only 15 points and even had a score of 2. This means that I am insensitive to what the other person or saying or the effect of what I am saying to the other person. The same thing happened to the consequence category where I scored a 12 where there is a score of 2 indicating again that I give little care to the consequence of what I am saying.

This is not good because it could become a sparkplug for conflict or misunderstanding when I am too self-centered in communication. Communication after all involves both parties who intends to understand each other and not only to relay information to the other party. A good communicator is not only a good speaker but should also be a good listener.

To improve my negotiation skills, I must improve on my communication skill not in terms of how good I relay my ideas and feelings but rather on how to listen to the ideas and feelings of others. I must understand that communication is not only about the exchange of words or the conveyance of idea. There is also an emotional context to it (Jaffe, David & DeDreu, 2007). It meant being sensitive to what they are actually saying and feeling to become more responsive to the other person. I believe I should now concern myself more on “listening” to the other person rather than being concerned if I have conveyed my ideas well. I should also learn how to interact and build rapport with people so that the context of our communication will be more open. This is consistent with the recommendation of Saracheck to recognize that people are social being and that they have a need to socialize (Saracheck, 1986). I must fulfill that need first to the person or persons I am communicating with for the other person to become more open with me where I will become an effective communicator and negotiator.

I must also strive a two way communication not only in terms of exchange of words but in genuinely interacting with the other person as recommended by The University of Colorado Conflict Research Consortium. That is, first is to recognize the emotions involved in the communication – both my emotion and the other person. Second is to determine the source of emotion to be able to understand people. Third is to talk about feelings not only my feelings but also the other person. This feelings should be conveyed in a non-confrontational way and acknowledge that feelings are legitimate. The expression of feelings must be accompanied by gestures, sympathy notes that would foster harmonious environment and diffuse tension if there are any. And finally, not to react emotionally when there is an emotional outburst from the other person (1998).

Finally, I must be able to manage my emotion because it is key in being effective in dealing conflicts and negotiating. I must learn self-control not to succumb to emotional pressure even if there is a conflict at hand ever remembering that in a human dynamics, rifts and conflicts sometimes arise (Curhan, 2006 pg. 89). The ability to control my impulse and distressing mood will not only improve my social skill but also in negotiation and conflict resolution as it foster harmony and productive behavior and team building” (Mishra, Priti & Das, 2010).

In sum, my development plan would include the recognition that communication is not only an exchange of words and ideas. More importantly, there is also an emotional context to it and I must recognize that people have social needs. The ability to recognize and address that social need significantly enhances my communication and negotiation skills. I must also strive for a two-way communication and that means that it is not only me who needs to be understood, the other party also needs to be understood. I must also manage myself and my emotion to keep a clear head during negotiation.

The strategies that I think would work well for my own negotiation style and after I have considered my communication weaknesses would be the following;

• Manage myself to be able to manage the situation – one of my strongest trait is the ability to keep my cool even in the midst of a tension filled situation. My ability to keep myself cool keeps my head clear on what to do to get what I want and keep me grounded in avoiding any emotional outburst. It also put me in a better position to craft an agreement that is mutually satisfying to both negotiating parties.
• Have a Better Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA) – having a Better Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA) in a negotiation gives me a confidence and ability to get what I want from the negotiation. It also provides me the opportunity to give to the other party what they need for us to arrive at a mutually satisfying negotiation that is free of conflict. Having a BATNA also enables me to avoid disadvantageous situations in a negotiation because it will allow me to walk away if the other party is pushing of a disadvantageous terms to me.
• Talk about interest and feelings – Talking about interest and feelings in a negotiation has a better chance of arriving at a mutually satisfying agreement than talking about position. Exploring interest and acknowledging feelings allow both parties to be creative in finding a mutually satisfying agreement than hardline positions which often result to stalemate and conflict. I will always approach and encourage the other party to talk in terms of interest and feelings so that we will be both amenable in exploring options that could satisfy our interests.
• Think win-win – I am a believer of a productive relationship than winning short-term in a negotiation. I may not be that sensitive to the conveyed words of the other person but I always think of their interest vis-à-vis my interest and explore if we could find a way that both of us could win. I always believe that there is a way where our both interest can be satisfied where we can both leave the negotiation table as winners.
• Think long-term – consistent to thinking win-win, I strive for a long-term benefit and relationship. When I negotiate, my barometer for success is whether the other person would still be willing to negotiate with me in the future after the present negotiation. If the answer is yes, then I believe that my negotiation strategy is just right. Having said this, I avoid, taking advantage of the weakness of the other party just for the sake of short-term benefit. The reason being is that, if the other party will feel taken advantage of, they will become difficult to deal with in the future. Endeavoring to arrive at a mutually satisfying agreement fosters trust and is more beneficial to me in the long run.