AN

ASSIGNMENT
OF
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
ON
Rural Strategists and their functioning

Submitted By:
Chitrangada Gautam
MBA-RD
4th-semester
 CONTENTS

1. Participative Management
2. Community Leadership
3. Roles and Functions of Rural Strategist
4. Change and Conflict Management
 PARTICIPATIVE MANAGEMENT
“Participative Management is an approach, which gives everyone in the organization
an opportunity to contribute their skills, knowledge and talent to improve the organization”

Participative (or participatory) management, otherwise known as employee involvement or

participative decision making, encourages the involvement of stakeholders at all levels of an
organization in the analysis of problems, development of strategies, and implementation of
solutions. Employees are invited to share in the decision-making process of the firm by
participating in activities such as setting goals, determining work schedules, and making
suggestions. Other forms of participative management include increasing the responsibility of
employees (job enrichment); forming self-managed teams, quality circles, or quality-of-work-life
committees; and soliciting survey feedback. Participative management, however, involves more
than allowing employees to take part in making decisions. It also involves management treating
the ideas and suggestions of employees with consideration and respect. The most extensive form
of participative management is direct employee ownership of a company.

Four processes influence participation. These processes create employee involvement as they are
pushed down to the lowest levels in an organization. The farther down these processes move, the
higher the level of involvement by employees. The four processes include:

1. Information sharing, which is concerned with keeping employees informed about the
economic status of the company.
2. Training, which involves raising the skill levels of employees and offering development
opportunities that allow them to apply new skills to make effective decisions regarding
the organization as a whole?
3. Employee decision making, which can take many forms, from determining work
schedules to deciding on budgets or processes.
4. Rewards, which should be tied to suggestions and ideas as well as performance.

BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATIVE MANAGEMENT

A participative management style offers various benefits at all levels of the organization. By
creating a sense of ownership in the company, participative management instills a sense of pride
and motivates employees to increase productivity in order to achieve their goals.

Employees who participate in the decisions of the company feel like they are a part of a team
with a common goal, and find their sense of self-esteem and creative fulfillment heightened.

Managers who use a participative style find that employees are more receptive to change than in
situations in which they have no voice.

Changes are implemented more effectively when employees have input and make contributions
to decisions.
 Participation keeps employees informed of upcoming events so they will be aware of potential
changes. The organization can then place itself in a proactive mode instead of a reactive one, as
managers are able to quickly identify areas of concern and turn to employees for solutions.

Participation helps employees gain a wider view of the organization. Through training,
development opportunities, and information sharing, employees can acquire the conceptual skills
needed to become effective managers or top executives.

It also increases the commitment of employees to the organization and the decisions they make.

Creativity and innovation are two important benefits of participative management. By allowing a
diverse group of employees to have input into decisions, the organization benefits from the
synergy that comes from a wider choice of options. When all employees, instead of just
managers or executives, are given the opportunity to participate, the chances are increased that a
valid and unique idea will be suggested. Here we summarize the benefits of Participative
management-

1. Increase Productivity (Effectiveness and efficiency)

2. Better Decisions
3. Improved job satisfaction
4. Greater Commitment
5. Faster Adaptation to Change
6. Greater trust
7. Better Communication
8. Better Teamwork
9. Employee Morale

REQUIREMENTS OF PARTICIPATIVE MANAGEMENT

A common misconception by managers is that participative management involves simply asking
employees to participate or make suggestions. Effective programs involve more than just a
suggestion box. In order for participative management to work, several issues must be resolved
and several requirements must be met.

First, managers must be willing to relinquish some control to their workers; managers must feel
secure in their position in order for participation to be successful. Often managers do not realize
that employees' respect for them will increase instead of decrease when they implement a
participative management style.

The success of participative management depends on careful planning and a slow, phased
approach. Changing employees' ideas about management takes time, as does any successful
attempt at a total cultural change from a democratic or autocratic style of management to a
participative style. Long-term employees may resist changes, not believing they will last. In
order for participation to be effective, managers must be genuine and honest in implementing the
program. Many employees will need to consistently see proof that their ideas will be accepted or
at least seriously considered. The employees must be able to trust their managers and feel they
are respected.

Successful participation requires managers to approach employee involvement with an open

mind. They must be open to new ideas and alternatives in order for participative management to
work. It is important to remember that although the manager may not agree with every idea or
suggestion an employee makes, how those ideas are received is critical to the success of
participative management.

Employees must also be willing to participate and share their ideas. Participative management
does not work with employees who are passive or simply do not care. Many times employees do
not have the skills or information necessary to make good suggestions or decisions. In this case it
is important to provide them with information or training so they can make informed choices.
Encouragement should be offered in order to accustom employees to the participative approach.
One way to help employees engage in the decision-making process is by knowing their
individual strengths and capitalizing on them. By guiding employees toward areas in which they
are knowledgeable, a manager can help to ensure their success.

Before expecting employees to make valuable contributions, managers should provide them with
the criteria that their input must meet. This will aid in discarding ideas or suggestions that cannot
be implemented, are not feasible, or are too expensive. Managers should also give employees
time to think about ideas or alternative decisions. Employees often do not do their most creative
thinking on the spot.

Another important element for implementing a successful participative management style is the
visible integration of employees' suggestions into the final decision or implementation.
Employees need to know that they have made a contribution. Offering employees a choice in the
final decision is important because it increases their commitment, motivation, and job
satisfaction. Sometimes even just presenting several alternatives and allowing employees to
choose from them is as effective as if they thought of the alternatives themselves. If the
employees' first choice is not feasible, management might ask for an alternative rather than
rejecting the employee input. When an idea or decision is not acceptable, managers should
provide an explanation. If management repeatedly strikes down employee ideas without
implementing them, employees will begin to distrust management, thus halting participation. The
key is to build employee confidence so their ideas and decisions become more creative and
sound.

CONCERNS
Participative management is not a magic cure for all that ails an organization. Managers should
carefully weigh the pros and the cons before implementing this style of management. Managers
must realize that changes will not take effect overnight and will require consistency and patience
before employees will begin to see that management is serious about employee involvement.
Participative management is probably the most difficult style of management to practice. It is
challenging not only for managers but for employees as well.
While it is important that management allows employees to participate in decision making and
encourages involvement in the organization's direction, managers must be cognizant of the
potential for employees to spend more time formulating suggestions and less time completing
their work. Upper-level management will not support a participative management program if
they believe employees are not meeting their daily or weekly goals. Some suggestions for
overcoming this potential problem are to set aside a particular time each week for workers to
meet with management in order to share their ideas , or to allow them to work on their ideas
during less busy times of the day or week. Another idea that works for some managers is to
allow employees to set up individual appointments to discuss ideas or suggestions.

Managers should remember that participative management is not always the appropriate way to
handle a given situation. Employees often respect a manager that uses his or her authority and
makes decisions when it is necessary. There are times when, as a manager, it is important to be
in charge, make a decision, and then accept the responsibility for the choices made. For example,
participative management is probably not appropriate when disciplinary action is needed.

When managers look upon their own jobs as a privilege instead of as a responsibility, they will
fail at making participative management work. They will be less willing to turn over some of the
decision-making responsibility to subordinates. Another reason that participative management
fails is that managers do not realize it is not the same as delegating or simply shifting
responsibility. Participation alone has no value; it is only an effective tool if it is used to solve
problems and meet goals. Some managers believe that inviting employees to join in meetings
and form committees will create a successful participative management program. However, these
measures are only successful when employees' ideas are accepted by management and
implemented.

The larger the organization, the more difficult it becomes to institute a participative management
style. Large organizations have more layers and levels, which complicate effective
communication and make it difficult to register the opinions and suggestions of a diverse group
of employees and managers. Critics argue that unions are often more effective than participative
management in responding to employee needs because union efforts can cut through bureaucratic
organizations more quickly.

Participative management programs can be threatened by office politics. Due to hidden agendas
and peer pressure, employees may keep their opinions to themselves and refuse to tell a manager
if they feel an idea will not work. Managers also play a part in politics when they implement
participative management programs to impress their own bosses but have no intention of seeing
them through.

Many companies have experienced the positive effects of participative management. Employees
are more committed and experience more job satisfaction when they are allowed to participate in
decision making. Organizations have reported that productivity improved significantly when
managers used a participative style. Participative management is not an easy management style
to implement. It presents various challenges and does not succeed overnight. Managers will be
more successful if they remember that it will take time and careful planning before they will see
results. Starting with small projects that encourage and reward participation is one way to get
employees to believe that management is sincere and trustworthy.
 COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP

What is Community?
The word "community" is derived from the Old French communité which is derived from the
Latin communitas (cum, "with/together" + munus, "gift"), a broad term for fellowship or
organized society.

In biological terms, a community is a group of interacting organisms sharing a populated

environment. In human communities, intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, risks, and a
number of other conditions may be present and common, affecting the identity of the participants
and their degree of cohesiveness.

A number of ways to categorize types of community have been proposed; one such breakdown
is:

1. Geographic communities: range from the local neighbourhood, suburb, village, town or
city, region, nation or even the planet as a whole. These refer to communities of location.
2. Communities of culture: range from the local clique, sub-culture, ethnic group,
religious, multicultural or pluralistic civilisation, or the global community cultures of
today. They may be included as communities of need or identity, such as disabled
persons, or frail aged people.
3. Community organizations: range from informal family or kinship networks, to more
formal incorporated associations, political decision making structures, economic
enterprises, or professional associations at a small, national or international scale.

Communities are nested; one community can contain another—for example a geographic
community may contain a number of ethnic communities.[28]

What is leadership?
Leadership is the process of influencing the subordinates so that they co-operate enthusiastically
in the achievement of group goals.

Leadership is a psychological process of influencing followers or subordinates and providing

guidance to them. It is always related to situation which means a leader may be effective in one
situation while ineffective in another. To be effective , a leader should change his leadership
style depending upon the requirements.

Qualities of a good leader-

1- Intelligence
2- Maturity
 3- Vision and foresight
4- Acceptance of responsibility
5- Self confidence
6- Human relation attitude

What is a community leader?

A community leader works within the community as part of a team. A community leader will be
able to do at least one of these things

 Explore new ideas

 Motivate others and prioritise issues
 Organise activities
 Keep groups together and maintain harmony
 Implement ideas and act on plans
 Manage and welcome change

Often people are acting as community leaders without realising it. For example

 a Family and Child Health Nurse may identify a local need for a support group for young
mothers
 a volunteer hospital board member may want to find new volunteers

These people are undertaking community leadership work...even if they don't use that
terminology.

What are some qualities of successful community leaders?

You don't have to be a perfect human being to be a community leader, either. That's good, since
none of us are. But it might be helpful for you to know a few of the characteristics that successful
community leaders often have:
• Integrity: To trust you, people have to know that you say what you believe and act
accordingly. If people trust you, they may follow you to the ends of the earth.

• Courage: It's okay to shake in your boots, but someone has to go slay that dragon, and it
might as well be you. Leadership means that you show others the way through the dark, scary,
forest. Go ahead and speak the truth--even when it's not popular.

• Commitment: You have to stick with a task through the good times and the bad. Your
commitment will serve as a model.

• Ability to care about others: People will follow you if they know you care about them and
about others. The greater your ability to care about all types of people, the more confidence
they will have in you.
• Creativity and flexibility: Every situation will call for a different response. Be ready to
change
and come up with new solutions.

Community Leadership

“...Community Leadership involves working in partnership with local people and

organisations to create a shared vision of the future for the locality and then
making it happen…”

Community Leadership Critical Success Factors

• Awareness – good local intelligence

• Focus and prioritisation – clear vision, targeted activity.
• Working together – joined up internally & externally
• Clarity of roles
• Building leadership capacity – support, empowerment, talent spotting, social capital,
training & development

What styles of leadership are there?

There is no "right" or "wrong" style of leadership, but some leadership styles work a lot better
than others in particular situations. Our style of leadership will depend on our personality,
attributes and communication skills.

Our leadership style might be:

 Directive
 Democratic
 Non-Directive
Or a combination of two or more, depending on the circumstances

Leadership Styles

Directive Democratic Non-Directive

Authoritarian/Autocrati Participative/Facilitativ
Delegative/Laissez-Faire
c e
Prefers tasks Prefers to weigh it up Keeps out of it!
Likes talking about
Likes acting  
"How" to do it
 Task behaviour Relationship behaviour Defers to others
Leads/Facilitates Refuses to make decisions
Initiates actions
discussions for others
Uses silence in the group
Asks questions to involve
Structures activities until someone in the group
others
contributes
Gives non-verbal
Encourages others to take encouragement to others
Motivates others
on responsibilities who show positive
leadership
Gradually fades out of the
Voting for consensus
Delegates responsibility group when others show a
decision-making
willingness to take over

There is room in this world for more community leaders. The model of one leader at the top with
everyone else at the bottom just doesn't work for communities. One or two leaders can't possibly
solve all the complex problems that our communities face. With more community leaders, our
communities will do better. The more people become leaders, the more problems we will solve.
We need community leaders to think about and organise around many issues: youth
development, economic growth, substance abuse, crime, the environment, health care -- the list
goes on and on. Each issue will require a troop of skilled leaders to handle them. We need
leaders who are women, young people (we were all young once), low -income people, people
with disabilities and many others have been told that they should follow others, not lead. We
need leadership from all walks of life in order for ours to be a truly democratic society.
How will all those leaders work together? Well, that is a skill that community leaders need to
learn. We all have to learn to co-operate. We all need to put aside longings for turf, status, and
greed in order to achieve goals that benefit everyone. Here are some community leadership
examples:
• A citizen speaks up at the city council open meeting. Her words reveal the key issue regarding
a local problem; the resulting discussion leads to a workable solution.

• A few people in the neighbourhood successfully organise to protest public drinking.

• A family member generates a plan to help a loved one to stop abusing alcohol, enlisting the
Support of other family members
.
• A young person organises a football match in a field in the neighbourhood.

To sum it up:

It's just possible that community leadership is a job that is made for us. Remember , we are the
one, and the only one, who can decide what kind of responsibility we would like to take to make
sure things go well in our corner of the world. Go ahead and dare to take hold of your dreams
and do the work that is meaningful to you. You have the ability to make significant changes in
the lives of the people with whom you work, live, and play.

ROLES AND FUNCTIONS OF STRATEGIST

ROLE DEFINITION

Can use both convergent and divergent analysis to envision the direction in which the
industry and competition are moving and put in place long-term plans and unit capabilities to
position the organization for future success. Knows how to evaluate external threats and
capabilities, internal strengths and weaknesses, and logically establishes a path forward that
is consistent with both vision and reality. Able to adjust actions and decision-making for
focus on critical initiatives and issues.

PRACTICE ACTIVITIES

1. Schedule time with a leader in the organization who you respect as a business strategist.
Discuss the issues this person is confronting, and how he or she is going about dealing
with strategies to confront them appropriately.
2. Ask your supervisor or another experienced leader to include you in discussions on
strategic planning. Spend time after these sessions discussing what happened and why.
3. Ask a mentor to ‘look over your shoulder’ and offer suggestions as you try out a new area
of strategic analysis and decision-making.
4. Look for opportunities to join a strategic planning session or team, and study some of the
thinking of others there.
5. Ask your business unit members to analyze which of their operating concepts and views
are potentially obsolete or no longer credible. Dialogue with them about what needs to
change.
6. Explain your strategy for business success to your supervisors at least twice each year.
Make sure that they realize this is an opportunity for them to add to the strategy planning
and that you are eager to get their feedback. Carefully review their thoughts and include
what is most important in your planning. Then, review the re-calibration of the strategy
with them so that they can share it with the rest of the business unit.
7. Avoid solving the immediate problem only. Look for ‘root causes’ for the problem and
solve that issue. Get another’s point of view so that you are not so quickly locked into a
single perspective or ‘mental model’ of the problem or issue. This other manager should
be someone with different functional experience or a different management style to make
sure a broader perspective is contributed.
8. Identify an area for strategic analysis or decision making with which you are
inexperienced and arrange to ‘shadow’ or observe a more experienced member of the
organization as he or she works through a risky decision.
9. Periodically assess your group’s contribution to achieving corporate strategy and goals.
Work as a team to imagine new initiatives you can undertake to strengthen the company’s
position in the industry.
10. Undertake a ‘gap analysis’ with your team to identify which skills and resources are
currently missing within the team or organization that would be necessary to have in
order to implement the new ideas and initiatives identified above.
11. For every decision, try to generate a list of alternatives or options. It may help to see
more than one possibility if you keep all stakeholders in mind; make sure that facilitation
of your discussion ensures every team member’s contribution.
12. Try to include in each decision-making session, thinking around contingency planning.
For each decision that will result in some action, think through what competitor reactions
might occur, how internal and external customers will feel, and what kinds of
adjustments will be required from suppliers. By thinking through what consequences will
follow from each decision, it may be possible to make optimal choices from all the
alternatives you generate.
13. Set up meetings with key customers and interview them about their current and future
requirements of your organization. Translate this learning into strategic objectives for
your organization, and communicate your findings and strategy to your organization.
14. Visit another business unit or another company well known for displaying creative
strategy. Spend time with a leader from that organization discussing his or her approach
to strategy formulation.
15. Participate in formulating the “spring and fall” strategic business plans for your
organization.
16. Schedule a discussion at your next meeting about the strategic direction of your
organization.
17. Agree with your peers to read a book or article on strategy, then schedule time to discuss
key learning’s from the material.
18. Pass around articles from current periodicals, and allow time during your team meeting to
discuss key points.
 CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Adoption of a new idea or behavior by an organization.

 Organizations need to continuously adapt to new situations if they are to survive

and prosper

 Constant change keeps organizations agile (alert)

Indicative of “learning” organizations.

Forces of change
1. World politics
2. Globalization
3. Shifting demographics
4. Technology
5. Economic shocks
6. Competition
Types of Changes:

1) Planned
2) Accidental

Planned Changes
• Changes in products and services
• Changes in administrative systems
• Changes in organizational size or structure
• Introduction of new technologies
• Advances in information processing and communication

Accidental Changes
• Changing employee demographics
• Performance gaps
• Governmental regulations
• Economic competition in the global arena
 Types of Planned Changes
Two Types
 Operational Change
Based on efforts to improve basic work and organizational processes
 Transformational Change
Involves redesign and renewal of the total organization

The Process of Change Implementation

CHANGE OBJECTIVES

Information Gathering
CHANGE OVERVIEW

Information Assessment
CHANGE BLUEPRINT = IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

Information Dissemination
CHANGE IMPLEMENTATION

Information Monitoring, Stabilization and Feedback

A Model for Change -Lewin’s 3 step Change process

Lewin’s Three-Step Process

 The first step, “unfreeze” involves the process of letting go of certain restricting attitudes
during the initial stages of an outdoor education experience. 
 The second step, "change" involves alteration of self-conceptions and ways of thinking
during the experience.
 The third step, "refreeze" involves solidifying or crystallizing the changes into a new,
permanent form for the individual
1.Unfreezing Techniques
people are taken from a state of being unready to change to being ready and willing to
make the first step

 Evidence: Cold, hard data is difficult to ignore

 Challenge: Inspire them to achieve remarkable things.
 Education: Learn them to change
 Visioning: Form Visions. Visions work to create change.

2.Changing Techniques
Once you have unfrozen the people, the next question is how you keep them going.

 Coaching: Psychological support for executives

 Facilitation: Use a facilitator to guide team meetings.
 First steps: Make it easy to get going.
 Involvement: Give them an important role.
 Open Space: People talk about what concerns them.
 Step wise change: Break the work into packages.

3. Refreezing techniques
People are taken from a state of being in transition and moved to a stable and
productive state

 Burning bridges: Ensure there is no way back.

 Evidence stream: Show them time and again that the change is real.
Institutionalization: Building change into the formal systems and structures.
 Reward alignment: Align rewards with desired behaviors.
 Socializing: Build it into the social fabric

Overcoming Resistance to Change

No matter how well designed and planned your change program is, not everyone will be
singing its praises.
 Employees resist change for a wide variety of reasons, ranging from a straightforward
intellectual disagreement over facts to deep-seated psychological prejudices.

Some of these reasons for employee resistance may include:

 belief that the change initiative is a temporary fad

 belief that fellow employees or managers are incompetent

 loss of authority or control

 loss of status or social standing

 lack of faith in their ability to learn new skills

 feeling of change overload (too much too soon)

 lack of trust in or dislike of managers

 loss of job security

 loss of family or personal time

 feeling that the organization is not entitled to the extra effort

 CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

Meaning of Conflict Management

 Conflict is “an
--expressed struggle
--between at least two interdependent parties
--who perceive incompatible goals, scare resources, and
--interference from others in achieving their goals” (Wilmot and Hocker, 1998)
 Conflicts exist whenever incompatible activities occur.

Benefits of Conflict
 Conflict can be desirable.
 Conflict helps eliminate or reduce the likelihood of groupthink.
 A moderate level of conflict across tasks within a group resulted in increased group
performance while conflict among personalities resulted in lower group performance.
 Opens communication between people
 Replacement of old goals with more relevant ones
 Increase innovation through a greater diversity in view points
 Groups and individuals achieve greater awareness of their own identities
 Leads to innovative solutions
 Strengthens relationships
 Improves problem solving skills
Sources of Conflict
 Conflicts may originate from a number of different sources, including:
• Differences in information, beliefs, values, interests, or desires.
• A scarcity of some resource.
• Rivalries in which one person or group competes with another.
• Role ambiguity
• Communication problems

Types of Conflict

1- Interdependence Conflicts. A person's job depends on someone else's co-operation,

output or input. For example a sales-person is constantly late in putting the monthly
sales figures which causes the accountant to be late with her reports
 2- Differences in Style. People's style for completing a job can differ. For example, one
person may just want to get the work done quickly (task oriented), while another is
more concerned about having it done a particular way e.g. artistic or by including
other people in the project.

3- Differences in Background/Gender. Conflicts can arise between people because of

differences in educational backgrounds, personal experiences, ethnic heritage, gender
and political preferences.

4- Differences in Leadership. Leaders have different styles. Employees who change

from one supervisor to another can become confused, for example one leader may be
more open and inclusive whilst another may be more directive

5- Differences in Personality. This type of conflict is often fueled by emotion and

perceptions about somebody else's motives and character. For example a team leader
jumps on someone for being late because she perceives the team member as being
lazy and inconsiderate. The team member sees the team leader as out to get him.

Five main types of conflict management styles are :

1-Cooperative Problem Solving

 Choosing a cooperative problem-solving style enables people to work together so

everyone can win. Using this style, people try to find a solution that will help
everyone meet their interests and help everyone maintain a good relationship.
 A dolphin usually chooses a cooperative problem-solving style. Dolphins use
whistles and clicks to communicate with each other to catch food cooperatively
and to summons help. For example, when a dolphin is sick or injured, other
dolphins will help it to the surface so it can breathe.
 Although the dolphin usually chooses to be a cooperative problem solver, it can
also choose other styles depending on the situation. For example, if a dolphin has
a baby and a shark is in the area, the dolphin will choose to use a competitive
style to deal with the shark. Continuing to use its favorite style of cooperation
would greatly endanger the life of the baby dolphin.
2- Competing

 Choosing a competitive style means that a person is putting his/her interest before
anyone else's interests. In fact, sometimes people who use the competitive style try so
hard to get what they want that they ruin friendships.
 A lion can be a symbol of a competitive style. The lion's roar helps the lion to satisfy its
interests. For example, if the lion's family is hungry and needs food, the lion may use
its strength and loud roar to get the food because it is important for the family.
 However, the lion can also choose to use a compromising or accommodating style
when playing or resting with a lion cub.

3- Compromising

 People choose a compromising style when it is important for them to satisfy some of
their interests, but not all of them. People who compromise are likely to say "let's split
the difference" or "something is better than nothing."
 A zebra can be a symbol for the compromising style. A zebra's unique look seems to
indicate that it didn't care if it was a black horse or a white horse, so it "split the
difference" and chose black and white stripes.

4-Avoiding

 People who chose the avoiding style do not get involved in a conflict. A person
choosing the avoiding style might say "you decide and leave me out of it."
 A turtle is a symbol for the avoiding style because it can avoid everything by pulling
its head and legs into its shell to get away from everyone.
 A turtle also chooses other styles at times. It does not always choose to stay in its shell,
because it would miss out on everything from eating to swimming.
 A turtle is a symbol for the avoiding style because it can avoid everything by pulling
its head and legs into its shell to get away from everyone.
 A turtle also chooses other styles at times. It does not always choose to stay in its shell,
because it would miss out on everything from eating to swimming.

5-Accommodating

 People who choose an accommodating style put their interests last and let others have
what they want. Many times these people believe that keeping a good friendship is
more important than anything else.                            
 A chameleon is a symbol of the accommodating style because it changes its color to
match the color of its environment. By changing its color to accommodate its
surroundings, the chameleon fits quietly into its environment.
 Although the chameleon may always change its color to accommodate its
surroundings, it may choose other styles when it is hunting for food, taking care of its
young, or hiding from enemies.

Turning Styles into Strategies

To most effectively resolve a conflict, we should use the strategy that is most
appropriate for that particular conflict situation. There are a few key variables that
define conflict management situations and determine which conflict management
strategies are likely to be effective.

   Time pressure is an important variable--if there were never any time pressures,
collaboration might always be the best approach to use. 
 Issue importance - the extent to which important priorities, principles or values are
involved in the conflict.
 Relationship importance - how important it is that you maintain a close, mutually
supportive relationship with the other party.
 Relative power - how much power you have compared to how much power other
party has.

When we find our self in conflict over very important issues, we should normally try to
collaborate with the other party.  But, if time is precious and if we have enough power to
impose our will, forcing is more appropriate.  Realize that we might need to repair the
relationship after using a forcing strategy if the other party feels that we did not show
adequate consideration for their concerns.  Again, collaborating is normally the best
strategy for handling conflicts over important issues. When dealing with moderately
important issues, compromising can often lead to quick solutions.  However, compromise
does not completely satisfy either party, and compromise does not foster innovation the
way that taking the time to collaborate can.  So, collaborating is a better approach to
dealing with very important issues. When we find our self in conflict over a fairly
unimportant issue, using an accommodating strategy is a quick way to resolve the conflict
without straining our relationship with the other party.  Collaborating is also an option,
but it might not be worth the time.