Differences and Similarities

Conflict management involves first detecting the conflict and then solving it. One best practice is to look at the conflict as a process not to concentrate on conflicting parties. Warner presented a conflict management process with building blocks such as conflict management plan, conflict analysis, capacity building and implementation. 

Pierce et al., have given a conflict process originated by the individual's experienced frustration, individual's conceptualization of conflict, conflicting style (all three influenced by other person's behavior), followed by conflict resolution and conflict aftermath. Aswathappa has adopted a conflict process from Stephen P Robbins' Organizational Behavior, which has four stages such as potential opposition, cognition and personalization, behavior and outcomes. 

Sutterfield et al.,. has described a conflict process with stages such as incompatibility or potential opposition, personalization and cognition, intentions, behavior and outcomes. They also gave a project conflict management framework with steps such as identification of conflicts, classification of conflicts such as interpersonal, task, or process based, setting conflict strategy selection criteria, identification of alternative conflict handling intention strategies, selection and implementation of conflict handling intention strategies. 

Ng et al., have given dispute resolution steps including prevention, negotiation, standing neutral, non-binding resolution, binding resolution, and litigation. Trust can impact the conflict and negotiation process. Mosaic in their white paper has given a conflict management process with steps such as assessment, acknowledgement, attitude, action and analysis. According to them, the keys to conflict management process are acknowledging the facts and keep calm and listen to the other party. 

The conflict management process has steps such as identify conflicts, analyze conflict, identify alternative solution, apply conflict resolution technique, choose the best alternative, implement the solution and review the impact (Figure 3). 

The factors impacting the conflict management process are the personality differences, values, social and economic context and subjective individual and group preferences. According to Stoner.et al., Conflict management process also involves communication, power and persuasion. In the next section, the reasons for conflicts in projects are identified.

Figure 2: A Model of Conflict Management

Figure 3: Conflict Management Process