Conflict Management Plan

Start with these exercises:

• Write the word conflict in the center of a blank piece of paper and draw a circle around it. Quickly jot down all the words and phrases you associate with the word conflict by arranging them around your circle. Review your list of associations and categorize them as positive, negative, or neutral. Count the total number of positive, negative, and neutral associations, and calculate the percentages that are positive, negative, and neutral. Did you have more than 90% positive? Did you have more than 90% negative? What do your associations with the word conflict indicate about your views about conflict and your approach to conflict?

• Complete this Conflict Management Survey and determine the conflict management style that best characterizes you:

Competing Avoiding Accommodating Compromising Collaborating

Review Memo formatting - its in the Canvas Module labeled BSTEC 110 Refresher

Now write a memo (from you, the student to me, the instructor) that shares your answers to the following:

1) What are your views about conflict? What is your approach to conflict? What is your comfort level with conflict? What is your conflict management style?

2) What changes would you like to make with how you approach conflict? What conflict management skills do you need to work on developing?

3) Write an individual conflict management plan. This will be a plan that discusses how you will think and behave when a conflict develops. There are three steps to making a conflict plan.

First, write down what physiological responses you have when you know you are in conflict (e.g., my palms are sweaty, my heart is racing).

Second, write down what thoughts you typically have when in a conflict (e.g., I want to hurt him; I want to just get away from her).

Finally, list 48 steps you can follow to help you manage your thoughts and emotions in a productive way to manage/solve your conflict (e.g., 1. I will take a deep breath; 2. I will think about how I want to respond, etc.

These steps have to be thoughts or behaviors that can be realistically done. The literature shows that, if we can identify we are in conflict and can then implement a conflict management plan, our opportunity for resolution of the conflict increases significantly. We identify we are in conflict by identifying our physiological responses when in conflict and by identifying thoughts and feelings we are having that trigger us to realize that we are experiencing a conflict. . (http://www.foundationcoalition.org/publications/brochures/conflict.pdf)

Document Design (Review BSTEC 110 Guidelines)

• Single-space/left-justified/double-space between paragraphs (no indent)

• Set up as a business memo

• 300-400 Words

• Write using bullets/tables/short paragraphs. Use section headers.

• Use correct grammar and spelling