Professor Tom Anastasi and HHHP Director Jack McCarthy Lead Session on Conflict Resolution
On November 27th, Adjunct Assistant Professor Tom Anastasi joined BU HHHP Director and Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior Jack McCarthy in leading the Fellows through an engaging introduction to conflict resolution.
Dr. Anastasi has taught courses in the departments of Organizational Behavior, Marketing and Operations at the Questrom School of Business for over twenty years. He previously served as Interim Dean of Graduate and Continuing Studies at Daniel Webster College and managed the MBA Program as well as a number of other programs. He has completed research and authored books on negotiation and conflict resolution, interpersonal dynamics, international relations, and entrepreneurship.
Dr. Anastasi first provided an introduction to some basic models for thinking about conflict resolution. He explained, for example, that all conflicts result in one of five outcomes:
- win-lose
- lose-win
- lose-lose
- compromise
- win-win
Also, he explained that there are five styles of conflict management:
- Collaborating
- Competing
- Avoiding
- Accommodating
- Compromising
Dr. Anastasi emphasized that none of these strategies is superior in and of itself—that how effective they are depends on the context in which they are used.
Following Dr. Anastasi’s brief lecture, the Fellows completed the Conflict Management Styles Assessment, and then Dr. Anastazi facilitated a discussion of the results. During the discussion, he noted the influence of sociocultural bias and explained that the U.S. is considered to have a culture that emphasizes compromising and avoiding styles of conflict management.
In closing remarks, BU HHHP Director Jack McCarthy underscored the critical value of this activity to the Fellows’ leadership development.