University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
Work With Me!
Book

Work With Me!

Resolving Everyday Conflict in Your Organization

Gini Graham Scott
Davies-Black Publishing, 2000
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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Well Structured
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

Gini Graham Scott presents a model for handling any type of conflict using the ERI - emotions, reasons, and intuition - model. With this model, Scott calls for controlling negative emotions (E) and getting them out of the way. Then, she suggests understanding the reasons (R) for the conflict and the different conflict styles that might be used in dealing with it. The last step is and using the intuition (I) to come up with alternatives to choose the best approach. This book is well written in a clear, easy-to-understand style. The illustrations, charts, and fill-in-the-blank questions are especially helpful in showing how to apply the model in your own organization. getAbstract recommends this book for executives and managers, although it can be applied by others in the workplace and in everyday life to deal with any kind of conflict.

Summary

The Pervasiveness of Conflict and Using the ERI Model to Resolve It

Conflicts and other difficult situations occur naturally and inevitably in every organization and work environment, since individuals have different interests, goals, and priorities. Conflict also occur due to limited resources, communication problems, struggles over power, incorrect assumptions, mistaken perceptions, and personality clashes. Additionally, some people are just very difficult to work with as a matter of course.

However, you can do a better job of resolving these conflicts and other difficulties, whatever your role is at work, by treating them as problems to be solved. To reach a solution, use the three-step ERI - emotions, reasons, and intuition - model. This model includes these three steps:

  1. First, you seek to "calm the emotions" in the situation, whether these emotions are yours or not.
  2. Next, you "use reason to assess, understand, and evaluate the situation and the personalities caught up in it."
  3. Finally, you "use intuition to think of possible solutions and alternatives." Add in a dose of reason to evaluate your possible options, and use your intuition ...

About the Author

Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D., J.D, is a nationally-recognized author, organizational consultant, speaker, and seminar leader in the areas of conflict resolution, organizational development, social dynamics, and creativity. She is the author of the classic Resolving Conflict and, most recently, Making Ethical Choices, Resolving Ethical Dilemmas. She has written more than thirty books on a variety of topics, including conflict resolution, business law, groups and organizations, social dynamics, lifestyles, and creativity. She is founder and president of Changemakers and of Creative Communications and Research.

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