On page 2, the book states: “Many organizational cultures place a premium on conflict avoidance, whereas others reward accommodation or compromise. A number of highly competitive corporate cultures give high marks for aggression. Most possess a subtle set of rules regarding who can behave how, with whom, and over what.”
I would say that this is mostly correct. However, in my opinion none of the 3 options listed above (avoidance, accommodation, aggression) are really the right answer to dealing with conflict. To me, accommodation is the best case scenario if only given those three options, but being mature and handling the conflict face-to-face with the other side of the debate and resolving the conflict is the way it should be handled. I understand that a lot of corporations and organizations like to maintain a happy face and do so by sweeping the conflict under the rug. Truthfully, that probably works in the short term, but eventually it will boil over, or there will be some monstrous conflict that cannot be ignored that will overtake the company and its employees because none of them know how to deal with conflict because they have been told to just avoid it. Compromise usually leads to one side still being slightly jealous of the other side, and aggression can lead to an extreme sense of unfairness and hostility. I will use this knowledge to formulate a strategy in my future place of employment that does not resemble what was stated in that excerpt from the book, but instead encourages conflict resolving.
