Collaborative conflict and consensus is a win-win scenario where each member of the group is open, contributes, and listens as they work to combine their ideas and compromise in order to come to a solution that everyone agrees with. At the end, everyone feels more empowered and unified. I was part of a collaborative conflict resolution in a group project for class last year. For our project, we were assigned to create a video, but our group wasn't equipped with the necessary materials or skills. No one had a video camera, and none of us knew how to edit video or do any of the fancy stuff that makes these kinds of assignments look good. After putting our heads together, we found a way that we could make a video and still stay within ourselves as a group. We created a power point presentation with music, pictures, and YouTube video clips, along with a brief skit that we filmed with an iPhone.
In contrast, competitive conflict resolution has a win-lose nature, driven by self-interest rather than the interest of the group. However, the book says competitive conflict strategies can be constructive. This is especially true for groups when that are working with limited time. Using competition works well in this situation because the people involved treat it like a race, an attempt to accomplish the task as quickly and efficiently as possible in order to win. We did this in one of my classes last year too. Each group had to decide on a topic to debate about, and each person had to choose a different perspective to debate from. There were a couple people in my group that wanted to take the same stance, so they ended up doing research where they essentially raced to find the three best sources. The so called "loser" had to chose another topic. This was helpful for the group because the people involved found good material right away.
While both methods have their merits, I prefer collaborative conflict resolution because I think it is more unifying. I like the idea of everyone contributing their ideas and working towards a common goal.
Thank you for sharing. I enjoyed reading your blog on Collaborative and Completive Conflict. I agree that the ultimate goal of each member is to be open, to listen, and be willing to compromise. I believe that when there are members of the group who can’t do these tasks then that is where conflict arises. I also agree that Competitive conflict resolution is a win-win situation, because all members of the group win. In competitive conflict resolution all members of the group are able to contribute, therefore all members are happy.
ReplyDeleteCompetition conflict resolution is what you described, as a win-lose situation. Whenever members of a group are not working together but instead working against each other or competing; then people may lose sight of the group’s goal.
I think you understood this material very well, and gave great examples. I really enjoyed your blog and think your did a wonderful job. Thank you again for sharing.