Many people have disagreements on a daily basis. Each of us has unique values, priorities, and habits, which can lead to misunderstandings or even conflict. A lack of control over disputes can result in poor judgement, confrontations, or harassment if left unchecked. This leads to poor teamwork, plummeting morale, and projects coming to a standstill. Businesses suffer from the loss of valuable employees, reduced attendance, and a rise in attrition.
However, just as the origins of conflicts vary, so do the resolutions. There are several factors that influence whether a dispute is swiftly settled or escalates, including the circumstances, the behaviour of those involved, and what caused the issue to begin with. In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of conflict resolution as well as provide an overview of one of the most widely used models for conflict resolution today: Friedrich Glasl’s 9 Stages of Conflict Escalation.
The Importance of Conflict Resolution
When people have different interests, perspectives, and mental processes and are unable to compromise with one other, conflicts are bound to happen. Instead of arguing and fighting, it’s better to accept a concession and look for a way out. Here are some of the benefits of conflict resolution:
● Cultivating connections: Unresolved conflicts can have a negative impact on both personal and business relationships. Resentment and aggressive conduct may ensue if two parties cannot resolve their differences peacefully.
● Accomplishing goals: An ongoing dispute can get in the way of getting things done, especially in business. Workplace performance generally suffers when confrontations break out. Addressing these issues at their source will increase efficiency and help you meet your goals.
● Improving the level of commitment: Conflict resolution relies on working together rather than blaming each other for the problems at hand. This approach is a smart reason to improve the commitment of both parties to the process while avoiding sentiments of defensiveness.
● Exploring new perspectives: As vital as it is to find a solution to a problem, the conflict must also be considered. Having different viewpoints can lead to fresh ideas and breakthroughs.
9 Stages of Conflict Escalation
This conflict resolution paradigm was developed by Friedrich Glasl, an Austrian organisational consultant and researcher. The phrase “escalation level” is used to describe the progression of a conflict. There are nine steps to the escalation process, according to Glasl.
For Glasl, escalation does not represent an ascension to greater heights but rather the descent into the deep, dark chasm of human morality. By the time you reach the last level, the opponents’ strategies have become increasingly crude and inhumane.
Knowing the escalation stage allows the parties to analyse their conflict better and react accordingly. Glasl’s conflict escalation model is ideal for student disputes, spousal or divorce issues, business disagreements, and even full-blown state conflicts.
Glasl classifies the nine stages of conflict into three levels. They are as follows:
● Level 1: Win-Win: During the first three stages of conflict escalation, both parties can walk away without any harm done and maybe even benefit.
● Level 2: Win-Lose: At this level, the conflict has reached the point where there are clear winners and losers. However, this doesn’t mean that the disagreement can’t be settled.
● Level 3: Lose-Lose: When things get to the third escalation level, every person entangled in the conflict loses. It’s a lose-lose situation.
Using Glasl’s stages of conflict model, we can not only see how conflict escalates but also how to de-escalate and resolve it in the long run. As such, this paradigm is very important for leaders to understand. Conflicts can be assessed objectively, and if outside assistance is required, they should be sought as soon as possible.
The Bottomline
Whether personal or professional, any healthy relationship is bound to have its share of conflicts. However, they can lead to terrible repercussions when they are not managed properly. That’s why learning conflict resolution is crucial for leaders in an organisation.
Glasl’s stages of escalation model is an excellent diagnostic technique for conflict mediators. However, it may also be used to educate individuals about the dynamics of conflict escalation. With this knowledge, people will become more aware of the actions that should be avoided in order to keep a conflict from getting out of hand.
Before we learn about fixing conflict, we may need to understand how it begins. In the next instalment of this series, we begin to understand how conflict arises — check back to learn more!
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