By Kyle Huff/reporter
Society is full of conflict, and more than 55 percent of all conflict starts without ever saying a word, the NE student support coordinator said recently.
Kateeka Harris discussed personal and professional conflict situations during Conflict Resolution, a student success seminar, March 4 on NE Campus.
“Conflict is inevitable and a natural part of life,” she said. “Conflict is useful, a way to grow and a way to communicate more effectively.”
Conflict has several key ingredients: needs, perception, power, values, feelings and emotions, perceptions and problems, Harris said.
“When feelings and emotions get involved, not the best time to try and engage in a resolution,” she said.
When one is engaged in a conflict situation, it is a good idea to recognize which of the four conflict copying styles to use: avoidance, accommodation, competition or collaboration, Harris said.
“Avoidance is not appropriate if the issue is very important,” she said.
Compromising and competing both result in one party walking away from the situation on the short end of the stick, Harris said.
“Collaboration is always the ultimate way to resolve conflict, if you can,” she said. “Collaboration doesn’t work if there isn’t enough time to build trust, communication and respect.”
To manage the inevitable conflict that one will deal with on a day-to-day basis, one must deal with one, and only one, issue at a time, Harris said.
