Conflict

Collaborative conflict resolution:  I got into conflict on email with another parent of my older daughter’s class recently.  It happened so that I had signed up for volunteering in my daughter’s class for an ABC program.  I was in touch with the class teacher and we scheduled a date for the session.  When emails went about the session, this woman came out of blue and emailed me asking for cancelation of the session because she had signed for volunteering as well and she could not make it on that day.  I was annoyed for where was she all this while, when I was in communication about the program with our class teacher.   She kept sending emails explaining when she had signed up, and finally asking me to go ahead by myself coz she would back out. At this point instead of making the situation worse, I collaborated with her by giving her an option that will work perfect with both of us.  I told her we could take alternate sessions if we cannot make it on each other’s timings and that way we get to volunteer with breaks.  She immediately agreed with me on this and we resolved our conflict collaboratively.

Competitive conflict resolution: Last year when I was travelling to my home country, a gentle man in the flight kept all his hand carry luggage above my seat without leaving any space for my bags.  When I came to get my seat, my overhead shelf was full.  I asked who’s stuff was it and tried to move it, but he did not claim his bags.  So I called the stewardess and she started helping me remove those bags to put my bags in.  When she asked whose bags where those to put them in the lofts in the back of the plane, this guy started yelling at me.  The flight stewardess told him the space above your chair is ideally yours and anything else you can try and fit towards the end of the flight.  He had to go back to put his bags behind.  I felt happy about wining the conflict.