CONFLICT MANAGEMENT The Psychology of conflict and conflict ...

3. COMMUNICATION PROCESSES AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT 87
Putnam & Wilson, C. E., 1982; A. Rahim, 1983, M. A. Rahim, 1986; Richmond,
Wagner, & McCroskey, 1983).
Combining Styles
Because the dual concern model assumes that the choice of a style is
strategic (rather than dispositional), it suggests that individuals combine
or change approaches in order to reach an agreement. The literature indicates
that conflict styles can be combined either sequentially (over time) or
simultaneously (at the same time) to improve outcomes.
Sequential Combinations. The dual concern model considers the perceived
feasibility of a given strategy, that is, the extent to which a strategy
is capable of achieving the concerns that give rise to it and the costs
anticipated from using it (Pruitt, 1983). If a potential strategy seems infeasible,
then parties shift to the next best approach, based on the perceived
common ground between the parties, level and firmness of each party’s
aspirations, faith in one’s own problem-solving ability, and readiness
for problem solving. In this section we review three factors that trigger
changes in conflict strategies over time: compliance versus noncompliance
with requests, likelihood of settlement, and gender.
First, the degree of compliance or noncompliance with an initiated
strategy influences the choice of follow-up approaches. In two separate
studies, researchers examined the use of a contending strategy over time.
Supervisors who initially used collaborative strategies switched to contending
when faced with subordinates who did not comply with initial
requests (Conrad, 1991). Second, parties shifted their strategies when
reaching an agreement seemed less likely to them. Those disputants who
typically began conflict encounters with problem-solving approaches
shifted to inaction and finally to contending when agreements were not
reached (McCready & Roberts, 1996). Nicotera (1994) reinforced this finding
in a Markovian analysis of written responses to conflict episodes. In
this study, the emotional valence of the conflict moderated shifts from
contending to problem solving and vice versa. Third, shifts in the use
of conflict strategies differed depending on the gender composition of a
dyad. Coding strategic choice during three 5-minute time periods of a
conflict episode, Papa and Natalle (1989) observed that male/male dyads
employed high levels of contending across the three intervals while male/
female dyads relied on compromising in the first two time periods and contending
in the last segment. Female/female dyads shifted from problem
solving and contending in the first two periods to compromising toward the
end of the conflict. Thus, organizational members shifted in strategy use
from initial to follow-up stages of conflict management, based on whether
the other party accepted or rejected their initial approaches, the perceived
likelihood of success of a strategy, and the gender of their partners.