Conflict refers to disputes or disagreements between two or more conflicting parties. Clash is inevitable in all areas of life setting, such as social interactions and business environments. In most cases, people are required to pursue common goals in line with the organizational values, beliefs, mission and vision of an organization (Hocker & Wilmot, 2018). However, each individual has to fulfill particular tasks, objectives and should be guided by their priorities and personality traits. Such traits often clash with the interests of their colleagues, leading to disputes, especially in circumstances where people believe that their decisions are the best and should be followed. Conflict may have positive and negative on the outcome depending on the strategies employees to control the consequences of the disagreements. Successful management of interpersonal conflict requires an effective communication process and creating good relationships to minimize negative impacts while maximizing positive results. Communication behaviors and individual differences are the causes of interpersonal conflict.
Communication Behaviors that Lead to Conflict
Verbal communication is one of the communication behaviors that contribute to conflict between parties. For instance, when speaking to another person, there is a tendency to tell your story. In situations where the information is misinterpreted, there is a possibility that conflict will occur. For instance, convincing people to agree to your opinion may require personal sharing experience about the idea (Hargie, 2016). The own story compels people to assume more about your life, thus causing the dispute. In such circumstances, the outcome is likely to be harmful because it creates the beginning of conflicts based on suspicions. Using verbal or written communication can also lead to misunderstanding, especially where the communicating parties have poor communication and listening skills. Additionally, in circumstances where people are interested in sharing opinions, they tend to force their ideas to the other party. Consequently, people are likely to have differences that may spark conflict among individuals.
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Nonverbal communication behaviors also contribute to conflict, especially if there is an absence of consensus on the interpretation of the signs. Nonverbal communication applies communication signs known by people belonging to a particular social group. However, social and organizational interactions are characterized by diversification (Giles, 2016). Consequently, nonverbal communication is known to be the leading cause of conflict as the meaning of a particular symbol differs across cultures. For instance, looking at an individual’s face to understand what they say may form the basis of miscommunication (Hargie, 2016). Therefore, one of the communicating parties assumes the intention of messages leading to disputes. Communication behaviors such as facing the eyes of the audience create assumptions that there is something you are hiding and can lead to disagreement. The tone used when sharing ideas determines the nature of communication and reaction from the audience. Taking control of the communication tone forms the basis for agreement and minimizes the outcomes of the discussion.
Communication Behaviors Influence Interpersonal Relationships
Communication style employed by an individual plays a critical role in determining the outcome of a discussion. Some communication styles, such as aggressive approaches have been associated with the occurrence of conflict. According to Chłopicki (2017), people demonstrate dynamic communication by expressing opinions and ideas in a manner that violates the rights and interests of their colleagues and vigorously defend their suggestions. Therefore, an aggressive communication approach is characterized by forcing opinions to other people and attacking or humiliating colleagues for their views. In circumstances where one of the communicating parties tries to dominate the discussion and humiliate other members, differences will arise and require the intervention of a third party for it to be addressed. Therefore, if parties tend to dominate each other, there is always an absence of agreement and disputes may occur as each party defends their opinion.
Conflict resolution can be solved by using particular communication styles while avoiding some behaviors. The assertive communication approach can be applied in promoting positive outcomes from a discussion by addressing the possible consequences of conflict. Chłopicki (2017) stated that people practicing assertive communication tend to give opinions and ideas demonstrating consciousness of the interests and rights of the other party. Therefore, they defend their rights and try to respect those of the other party. However, assertive communicators create chances to be corrected and adopt new ideas. Assertive communication accompanied passive style tends to be the most effective approach for resolving conflict because people understand the benefits for respecting others and the positive outcomes to be achieved from a discussion.
Impacts of Individual Differences on Interpersonal Conflict
People have different values, beliefs, and principles that govern their interactions with colleagues. In circumstances where people have a strong belief in their personality and ideologies, there is a possibility for creating interpersonal conflict. Occasionally, people tend to misinterpret the behavior of a person associating such actions with disrespect. As a result, these actions spark reactions such as closing the communication to avoid further sharing of ideas. Failing to communicate effectively contributes to misunderstandings due to individual differences causing conflict because of the absence of agreement on personal beliefs and values. On other occasions, people tend to have adverse perceptions about taking new ideas while others are interested in learning new ways. For example, some people are open-minded, while others are conservative about receiving ideas from other people. These differences form individual personalities and may form the basis for misunderstanding leading to interpersonal disputes.
Recommendation for Resolving Interpersonal Conflict
Different strategies have been employed to solve the interpersonal conflict. For instance, negotiation, arbitration, collaborative strategies are some of the approaches that have been applied in minimizing the level of conflict at individual, social, and organizational levels. These approaches have a common objective for reducing conflict and promoting collaboration. However, negotiation interpersonal conflict resolution strategy is the most effective way to encourage cooperation and reduce differences between communicating parties. The negotiation strategy involves rational decision-making and a psychological approach to address the gaps and reach a collaborative stage (Coleman, Deutsch, & Marcus, 2014). At rational decision making, there is a focus on understanding the individual opinion that contributes to dispute. However, the emotional approach considers how each party perceives or misinterprets each other, thus creating a plan for ensuring that the conflicting parties reach a consensus. The effectiveness of this strategy is that it reaches win-win outcomes and promotes transparency.
Individual differences and behavioral practices are the primary elements that contribute to interpersonal conflict. Social interactions and business environments create an opportunity for people to demonstrate their traits and show different communication approaches, thus leading to misunderstandings. People have different values, beliefs, and personal characteristics that shape their behavior in public. Some use aggressive, assertiveness, or passive communication strategies. The more an individual defends his or her opinion, the more they are likely to create conflict. Disputes worsen in circumstances where there is a misinterpretation of symbols or meaning made by one person. Negotiation strategy is the most effective approach for reaching a collaborative outcome. This strategy determines the ability of people to understand the source of conflict and use emotional strategy to reach an agreement.
References
Chłopicki, W. (2017). Communication styles: an overview. Styles of Communication, 9(2).
Coleman, P., Deutsch, M., & Marcus, E. C. (Eds.). (2014). The handbook of conflict resolution: Theory and practice (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Giles, H. (2016). Communication accommodation theory. The international encyclopedia of communication theory and philosophy, 1-7.
Hargie, O. (2016). Skilled interpersonal communication: Research, theory and practice. Routledge.
Hocker, J. L., & Wilmot, W. W. (2018). Interpersonal conflict (10th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
