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UNDERSTANDING POWER IN CONFLICT
UNDERSTANDING POWER IN CONFLICT
Power can come from:
Roles or authority
Experience or seniority
Control over schedules, resources, or decisions
Fair and safe conflict resolution means recognizing power dynamics and choosing responses that protect people and relationships.
Justice Scales weighing Fairness and Pressure.
Reference: Froemling, K.K., Grice, G.L., & Skinner, J.F. (2011). Communication: The handbook. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Graph showing emotions and power.
POWER DYNAMICS
POWER DYNAMICS
Take a look at the chart on the left; it comes from authors Froemling, Grice, and Skinner who wrote a book called Communication: The Handbook. In it, they identify that the way we manage conflict depends on a variety of factors, but generally, they can be summed up as "concern for self" and "concern for others".
Have you ever found yourself in any of these situations with a supervisor/boss, teacher, parent, sibling, or friend?
Forcing
If we have a high concern for ourselves while also having a low concern for the other person in the conflict, it results in forcing--making the other person do only what we want; this might get results but it could also damage the relationship.
Accommodating
If we have a low concern for ourselves while also having a high concern for the other person in the conflict, it results in accommodating--allowing the other person to get whatever they want regardless of what we want; if we accommodate all the time, we risk being taken advantage of.
Withdrawing
If we have a low concern for ourselves while also having a low concern for the other person in the conflict, it results in withdrawing--avoiding dealing with the conflict; this could result in the conflict becoming a bigger or worse issue without being addressed.
Compromise
if we're willing to meet the other person in the middle, we can develop a compromise--where both parties engage in a give and take; while this is often the best we can do, the potential danger in always compromising is that, since neither party is fully satisfied, frustrations can grow over time.
Collaborating
The best result comes from having both a high concern for ourselves and for the other person, which can result in collaborating--a "win-win" scenario in which both parties have a mutual concern and respect for one another and work together to find a result for which both parties are comfortable. This is not a compromise because no one is giving up anything.
MINDS ON
MINDS ON
💡 Reflection
💡 Reflection
Think about how power dynamics play an influencing role when it comes to handling conflict.
Things to consider:
How can power affect who feels comfortable speaking up?
Why should concern for both yourself and for others be a priority when handling conflict?
Record your answer in your Student Workbook.
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