In the Gainesville Sun’s article Ways to Handle Unavoidable Workplace Conflict, they list off multiple tips on how to deal with conflict. In COMM 292 we learned about functional and dysfunctional conflict. Functional conflict benefits the company whereas dysfunctional conflict harms it, which is what this article is discussing.

The most important solutions this article gives are …

1. Be specific about the issue
2. Deal with one issue at a time
3. Schedule a time to  discuss conflict

I think number one is important because if you want to address and issue or something a coworker is doing that bothers you, generalizing it isn’t going to help. If you want a specific action to be dealt with you need to say exactly that. By talking about issues in a general way the person you are talking to may interpret it differently.

Suggestion number two is also important because addressing too many issues at once can become overwhelming. The person who you are talking to can become overwhelmed with everything being said and even get defensive. Also, the issue can lose meaning and significance if you are trying to cover too many problems.

Finally, I think number three is very important in trying to avoid mass conflicts. If you are constantly talking about issues that are present you show that it is okay to talk about problems. Therefore, decreasing built up conflicts in the future and you deal with them as soon as possible.

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References

Ways to handle unavoidable workplace conflict. (2017, March 30). Retrieved April 01, 2017, from

http://www.gainesville.com/news/20170402/ways-to-handle-unavoidable-workplace-

conflict