Avoidance Approaches to Conflict Conflict Management

Question: Discuss about the Avoidance Approaches to Conflict of Conflict Management. Answer: Project Title Avoidance Approaches to Conflict Conflict resolution mode for an effective conflict management. Project Description The project explains the avoidance approach used in the conflict management. There are scenarios that are bound to happen during a project timeline wherein there is difference of opinion in the parties involved. When these parties fail to reach a consensus, conflict arises which may be due to difference in ideology, ethics, perception or any other reason. Project Aim The aim of the project is to understand the avoidance approach to conflict and also to determine the advantages and disadvantages associated with the same. Project Background Conflict is something that in inevitable, whether, in professional world or personal life. There are a number of approaches to deal with and manage the conflicts that arise during the timeline of the project. The approach to decide on the conflict management style is based upon a number of factors such as conflict intensity, number of parties involved, impact on the project and many more. One such conflict management style is the conflict avoidance. It suggests that the conflict must not be considered for management and the normal work cycle shall continue (Bercovitch, 2016). Research Questions Conflict is a scenario that is bound to appear at some point of time in a project. On one hand, avoidance approach to conflict attempts to create peace between the team members and the other parties involves, but on the other hand, it may result in a number of disadvantages as well. This is due to the fact that conflict avoided at one stage may grow and hamper the project progress at a later stage. The research on the topic attempts to find out the scenarios where avoidance to the conflict is favorable and the ones in which it may result as an issue (Roth Cohen, 2016). Significance of Conflict Avoidance Approaches used in Conflict Avoidance The decision of conflict avoidance is often not easy to make as it includes the possibility of dispute later on. Conflict avoidance mostly includes an attempt to achieve consensus by various techniques such as negotiation, mediation or conciliation. These help in understanding the intensity of the conflict and also allow the administration to understand the impact of the same in the later stage. Advantages of Conflict Avoidance There are a number of advantages that are associated with conflict avoidance which are as listed below: Proactive planning around the conflict avoidance and timely handling of the same will result in avoidance of the disputes which may slow down the project progress It helps in building of up the essential skills such as team spirit, cooperation and improved coordination as well Conflict avoidance allows the management to re-assess the progress and validation of the same against the requirements. It helps in understanding of the issues that were ignored earlier and also aids in risk assessment It aids in the effective project management along with improved client management (Gould, 2016)Disadvantages of Conflict Avoidance There are also a number of disadvantages that are associated with the avoidance approach to the conflicts. Negative individual behavior may result out from the conflict avoidance for the parties involved in the conflict. This is because the individuals may not feel that the justice has been done and the due importance has been given to the concerned issue. Conflict avoidance may allow the same conflict to emerge as a serious dispute in the project lifecycle and the same may become extremely difficult to resolve at an advanced stage. Project progress may also negatively suffer due to conflict avoidance (Hekman, 2016) Conditions where Conflict Avoidance must be adapted All the conflicts cannot be managed by the approach of conflict avoidance. However, there are a few conditions wherein this approach may prove beneficial. Scenarios wherein the relationship is highly valued and cannot be risked at any cost When the organization believes in harmony enhancement and is certain that conflict avoidance will not result in dispute in future (Tjoslold, 2016) When the impact of the conflict is low or negligible When there is a similar conflict already reported and is being managed by the administration Gantt Chart Team Charter Purpose Statement The purpose of the team is to decide on the conflict to be avoided or not. If yes, the team will also develop a strategy to perform and implement the same. SWOT Analysis Strengths The team has been a part of a number of projects to understand the impact and details associated with the conflict Efficient project management and client management techniques are applied Weaknesses The team may find it difficult to decide on the conflict involving third parties Opportunities Strengthening of the relationships between the team members of the project in which conflict has developed by improving skills such as team collaboration and cooperation Harmony enhancement Threats Conflict may appear as a dispute in the advanced stage Project progress may be compromised Team Process Management The team will rely upon emails and meetings for any sort of communication and will follow the process as defined below during the meetings: Advanced circulation of meeting agenda Following of code of conduct during the meeting Prior information by the team member in case of absence Recording of the minutes of meeting by the team members in a round robin fashion (www.teamhelper.com, 2016) Roles and Responsibilities Project Sponsor: Responsible for funding the project and providing with the list of conflicts on which the decision has to be made Project Manager: Responsible for providing project deliverables and allocating the resources Senior Advisor: Responsible for analyzing and evaluating the conflicts Senior Associate: Responsible for assisting the senior advisor and project manager Communication Resource: Responsible for circulating the decision on the conflict to all the concerned parties. References Bercovitch, J. (2016). CONFLICT AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS: A FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYSIS. Retrieved 27 July 2016, from https://legacy.earlham.edu/~chriss/ConflictRes/pdf%20files/Conflict.Conflict%20Management%20in%20Organizations.pdf Gould, N. (2016). Con ict avoidance and dispute resolution. Retrieved 27 July 2016, from https://www.fenwickelliott.com/files/nick_gould_-_conflict_avoidance_and_dispute_resolution.indd_.pdf healthnet.org,. (2016). Conflict Management. Retrieved 27 July 2016, from https://www.healthnet.org.np/downloads/manual/Conflict_management.pdf Hekman, K. (2016). The Hidden Costs of Conflict Avoidance. Retrieved 27 July 2016, from https://www.hekmangroup.com/articles/CArticle_HiddenCostConflictAvoid.pdf Roth, S. Cohen, L. (2016). Approach, Avoidance, and Coping With Stress. Retrieved 27 July 2016, from https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.455.6019rep=rep1type=pdf Tjoslold, D. (2016). UNDERSTANDING CONFLICT AVOIDANCE: RELATIONSHIP, MOTIVATIONS, ACTIONS, AND CONSEQUENCES (1st ed.). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235261470_Understanding_conflict_avoidance_Relationship_motivations_actions_and_consequences www.teamhelper.com,. (2016). Team Charter. Retrieved 27 July 2016, from https://www.teamhelper.com/sample/TC_GuideSample.pdf