If you tend to be conflict avoidant, the following tools can help you move towards a more collaborative style of conflict resolution. It can help you save your energy for conflicts that matter and buy time, but long-term goals may not be met when you use avoiding style and the issues in conflict will probably crop up later.

Using the avoiding style to manage conflict has both positive and negative aspects. When you aren’t concerned about maintaining the relationship.When the situation isn’t a top priority.When you need time to formulate a response.There are scenarios in which the avoiding style is appropriate to use, such as: They can’t work on the incorrect plates, but can you find them something else to make progress on in the meantime? Find a collaborative solution to keep the iron workers moving on their work.And then investigate from that point forward. Be assertive when explaining the facts: The updates were made, they were distributed, but the execution didn’t happen.To resolve the situation, you would need to do one or more of the following: In this situation, as with most others, the avoiding style won’t solve a conflict. It’s the vendor’s fault for not reading the update, you say.

You respond by saying you updated the information in the system and sent the correct information along to the vendor, so you did your part. Now an angry ironworker wants to know why he can’t complete his work because of incorrect plates. The vendor who manufactured the plates missed your update.

Weeks pass and the plates are delivered, but they’re incorrect. You update the plans in your system and send the new plans to your team. Imagine working on a construction site and there’s been an update on the drill hole locations on plates for structural steel. A better and more effective strategy is to collaborate on a solution that works for everyone.Įxample of the avoiding style in practice And it can strain a relationship since it will seem as if you don’t care about the outcome. It’s a risky approach, because doing nothing doesn’t make the conflict go away. You avoid confrontation and leave the other party hanging. When you employ the avoiding conflict style, you don’t deal with a conflict at all.

Quotes on avoiding conflict