A) My primary conflict handling style is collaborating, a time when I used this style of conflict handling was my most recent employer. I was hired on to take over an A/R and A/P position for a small construction company. When I initially took over I started to perform an audit on prior invoices which had been paid out by the employee I had replaced. When I stumbled across many over charged invoices which had already been paid for. I proceeded to contact the vendor which had invoiced the company. We began to collaborate together to resolve the issue in the best interest of both.
B) The best benefit in collaborating is obvious as it’s a win-win situation both parties are satisfied and at the end they are working together for a common purpose to keep each other’s business. Although you must at times be firm with your stance on things I never lost sight to my ultimate goal which was resolving the overpaid issue.
C) The biggest disadvantage to this conflict handling style would be that one party is not willing to collaborate for the same goal. One party would want the benefit for both and the other would just be interested in their own benefit. Leaving the other party to make a decision as to what should be done and ultimately may lead to damaging a relationship.
D) My second conflict handling style is compromising. My own experience in this situation was also at my previous employer. I had to negotiate my working schedule as I was receiving state benefits at the time for my children and myself and when I began to work full time my benefits got cut. I had to compromise with my former boss to keep receiving such benefits. So we came to an agreement that I would work only four days which left me working 32 hours therefor, was able to still keep my state benefits and work.
E) I feel that the one I should use more often than I do is avoiding. I have prior experience where this type of conflict handling style would have benefited me more than arguing my point to show my merits of my position. As I had a conflict with one of my old coworkers on politics which is never a good thing. I argued my point so that she could see that our current President wasn’t as bad as she thought. I explained to her that most of the funding that the company was receiving was due to the current stimulus plan Obama had passed. Giving million dollar contracts to small minority construction businesses’ was help that company stay alive.