Example Of Research Paper On Conflict And Conflict Management

(Institutional Affiliations)

Nature of relationship

Having moved to my current apartment sometime last year, John played a significant role in helping me to settle. He was no ordinary person; he was the landlord. Although he was way older than me, he respected me that we always shared some of the moments and free time together. Being the master of the apartments, I benefited because I would at times pay my rent late without facing the penalties other tenants were subjected to. In return, he always advised me to behave maturely and act as the perfect role model to his children who were growing. Although not at a professional level, the respect John had to me was so special that at times, he would invite me to his house for a meal. He was more of a father-figure too, always helping out whenever a problem arose. Despite this, problems always arose in various occasions. Last month, I hosted a couple of friends for my birthday celebrations. As expected, we drunk, dined, danced and made a lot of noise in the compound, the extent to which other neighbors sought redress. According to the neighbors, it would be prudent if I was evicted. Despite the landlord’s intervention that I cut short the celebrations, I was hesitant to do so because I was under the influence of alcohol. Ever since the occasion, the landlord has always treated me with less respect. Clearly, there needs to be communication between us to resolve this conflict, or else matters will turn to the worst scenario.

Johari windows (Me)

Explaining the above Johari window
The above johari window explains the relationship between me and the landlord as viewed through my perception (Brooks, 2008). The open area, as expected, refers to the things about me that are known by both the landlord and I. In our case, this would include my behavior when I am sober, the understanding the landlord has about me. The history of our relationship also comes in. In essence, the landlord does not know everything about me. Apart from the basic information, he does not understand most of my behavioral traits and guiding principles.

Blind area

This represents things that people know about me without my understanding. In essence, people know my attributes more than I can appreciate them. These may include aspects such as rejection and antisocialism. According to our relationship, I faced rejection from the neighbors because of my selfish interests and failing to take into account their affairs. By making a lot of noise, there is no doubt I interfered with their freedom, hence they could reject me easily. To add up on this, I never freely socialized with them.

Hidden area

Unlike the above areas, this represents my personal view, or rather what I know about myself without others understanding me. In my case, I always felt confident, something my neighbors would not agree with.

Unknown area

This would refer to things that neither one nor others know about an individual. With this, it is difficult to understand this quadrant because it would be impossible to discuss something not known to one-self or their friends.

Johari window (Landlord)

Open area
Represents things about the landlord that are known to both him and me. For instance, e is jovial, understanding and very wise.
Blind area
Things that I know about the landlord without him knowing. Include attributes such as him being strict and emotional.

Hidden area

Refers to things the landlord knows about himself without me knowing. It is difficult to understand them because they are viewed from his perspective.

Unknown area

Like the hidden area, it would be impossible to understand aspects that fall within this scope, since they are unknown to any o the parties in question. This makes it impossible to discuss them.

Assessing my listening patterns

Checking a statement that I made
Reflecting on the matters that took place during the birthday celebrations, it is clear that I used a number of vulgar words that I would never use when I am sober. Although alcohol is a defense in certain situations, this does not apply to a communal setting. The fact that most of my friends were drunk too summarizes all; we did damage and destruction that would be difficult to heal or recover.

Assessing my win-win method and a record of what happened

During the conflict-solving process, it is advisable that every party should reduce or humble themselves. This is the trick I effectively used, meaning we arrived at a situation that can be described as being win-win. For instance, I accepted most of the criticisms that were associated with me and I promised such would never happen again. At the end of the day, we found an amicable solution which was a win-win scenario.

Implementation of the plan

When engaging in a conflict-solving communication, it is essential to understand the other party. By this, one will be in a better position to understand what to expect from them and how to deal with such scenarios. Failure to have such understanding is detrimental as one will not be in a position to negotiate effectively. It is important to understand the extent to which the adversary can be moved; hence one can plan how the communication process will be carried out.

Analyzing the result of the implementation

As a matter of fact, the conflict-solving communication we had proved to be successful at the end of the day. This was mainly due to the fact that the parties involved lowered themselves and wanted to find a solution to the problem. This would have not been the case had each party aimed to emerge top. Listening and communication skills played a significant part in ensuring the solution was arrived at effectively. Without this, the conflict could get out of proportion.

Obtaining better results in the future

The type of results yielded depends on the approach employed. In our case, we employed the best approach possible. However, in future, there is need to involve more parties when solving such problems. This is the only way that better results can be achieved.

References

Brooks, W. D., & Emmert, P. (2006). Interpersonal communication. Dubuque, IA: W.C. Brown Co.
Emmert, P., Emmert, V. J., & Brooks, W. D. (2004). Interpersonal communication. Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown.