COMM 122 - CH. 9 (Conflict in Organizations)

perceived conflict

One or more parties perceive that their situation is characterized by incompatibility and interdependence

conflict frames

cognitive representations of the conflict and the way the conflict is enacted during interaction and involves perceptions of self, of others, or of the conflict itself

conflict aftermath

conflict episode has both short-term and long-term effects on individual, their relationship, and the organization

collaboration

conflict management style high concern for others and self

compromise

conflict management style medium concern for self and others

accommodation

conflict management style shows high concern for others and low concern for self

competition

conflict management style shows high concern for self and low concern for others

avoidance

conflict management style shows little concern for self or others

negative feedback

difficult to deliver by the supervisor - give fewer negative comments (1 or 2), but more specific about each, give less frequently. Do it in a timely matter, do it in private, ask permission to give feedback, indicate your intentions, be specific, indicate how you feel about behavior/performance and how it affects the team, tell how much you value him/her, tell specifically what to do in the future, check out your message

lens model of conflict

each person has a view of him or herself, the other person, their relationship - all influence how the conflict is resolved

positive feedback

from the supervisor - serves as an incentive, enhances recipient's competence, increases job motivation

Constructive Criticism

- Statement of Problem (being as objective as possible) - Expression of criticizer's own feelings - Suggestion for change - Provision of reasons for change - Solicitation of feedback - Five components (D. "When you . . ." (Describe other's behavior), E. " I feel . . ." (Explain how other's actions affected you), S."and I would like you to . . ." (Specify behavior you wish other to perform), B. "because . . ." (offer Benefits of and/or reason for behavior you seek), O. "Okay?" (Check other's response.

three I's of conflict

1. Incompatible goals - can involve many different issues in the organizational setting, can disrupt organizational procedures, conflict might stem from different value orientations 2. Interdependence - behaviors are entwined 3. Interaction - conflict involves the expression of incompatibility

manifest conflict

Conflict is enacted through communication; interaction might involve cycles of escalation and De-escalation as various strategies are used

pseudo-conflict

Exists when people actually agree on something, but perceive themselves as disagreeing. Guidelines: concentrate on eliminating distortion, verify perceptions of conflict through communication, make sure your messages are clear and check out your understanding of the messages of others' communication.

latent conflict

Grounds for conflict exist because parties are interacting in interdependent relationships in which incompatible goals are possible

felt conflict

Parties begin to personalize perceived conflict by focusing on the conflict issue and planning conflict management strategies

mediation

Third parties from outside the organization assist in settling disputes. The mediator attempts to help the parties facilitate the dispute but holds no decision power. The arbitrator makes decisions based on the proposals and arguments of the parties involved in the conflict.

ego-conflict

When people's need to defend their egos become involved in the disagreement; most personally damaging form of conflict. (ego - who you are) When an organizational conflict gets personal. Guidelines: Often requires third party intervention, give people chance to bring out relevant concerns, rather than explaining conflict, merely describe it: Ask what happened, rather than why; attempt to see the conflict from the other's perspective, look for ways to collaborate or compromise

simple/content conflict

When two people clearly understand what each other wants, but neither can get what s/he wants without preventing the other from getting what s/he wants. Guidelines: Keep the conflict issue oriented, avoid emotional language or implying that you have made up your mind, wait to cool off before discussing the conflict, clarify issues and get all relevant facts, emphasize cause and results as mutual.

levels of organizational conflict

interpersonal level (individual members of the organization perceive goal incompatibility, intergroup conflict (people within an organization as parties in the conflict. inter organizational conflict (disputes between two or more organization)

conflict

is inevitable, brings problems to the surface, helps people clarify their goals, helps us learn about each other

integrative bargaining

the conflicting parties are trying to maximize gains for both parties, the bargainers discuss issues that could lead to a more creative solution to the problem at hand, outcomes are often solutions that allow both parties to benefit, and communication tends to be marked by open disclosure, careful listening, and multiple communication channels

conflict as gendered practice

negotiation is a gendered in that bargainers (e.g. competition, objectivity, individuality, etc.) are linked to masculinity, those attributes typically labeled as feminine (eg. community, subjectivity, intuition, emotionality, etc.)

dimensions of feedback

sign/valence, timelines (how soon after are you getting feedback), specificity (how specific is the feedback), frequency, usefulness/utility

dissent

when an employee has a disagreement with the organization or supervisor and chooses to voice that disagreement through dissent

distributive bargaining

work to maximize their own gains and minimize their own losses, bargaining centers on limited resources that must be divided in the negation, win-lose compromises, communication is marked by withheld info., deception, and attempts to learn as much as possible about the other party's position