Chapter 13 Interpersonal, Group, and Workplace Conflict

-Relationship and small group conflict occurs among people who are connected but who have    opposing goals that interfere with others’ desired goals. Conflict may occur face-to-face or on the  Internet, through e-mail, in newsgroup, and in other contexts.
- Conflict normally occurs when people are:
(a) interdependent, which mean that what one person does has an impact or an effect on the other person.
(b) Are mutually aware that their goals are incompatible, which mean that they have different goals.
(c) Perceive each other as interfering with the attainment of their own goals.

Online and Workplace Conflicts(1) Online conflict
Online conflict is sending commercial message to those who didn’t request them often creates conflict. For example, junk mail, this mail will slow down entire Internet system. Besides, spamming also often causes conflict. Spamming is sending someone unsolicited mail, by repeating sending the same email or posting the same message. Moreover, flaming is sending messages that personally attack another user.

(2) Workplace and Formal Group Conflicts
Disagreement in the workplace group present a specific set of issues. In this case, there are two types of conflicts which are procedural conflicts and people conflicts. Procedural conflicts are the disagreements over who is in charge, what the agenda or task of the group should be, and how the group should conduct its business. People conflicts occur when one member dominates the group, when several members battle for control or when some members refuse to participate. In those conflicts, normally is the leader’s responsibility to manage conflict.  The strategies including:
(a) Preserve the dignity and respect of all members
(b) Listen emphatically
(c) Seek out and emphasize common ground
(d) Value diversity and differences
 
 

Myths about ConflictIn many cases, the common problem many people have in dealing with conflict is that we may be operating on the basis of false assumptions about what conflict is ad what it means. It’s not much conflict that creates problems but the way in which we approach and deal with the conflicts. For example, some ways of approaching conflict can resolve the difficulties and also improve the relationship. In contrast, some way may hurt the relationship and thus the problem cannot be solved.  Therefore, it’s not about to create relationships or groups that free with conflicts but rather to learn appropriate and productive ways of managing conflict.

Principle of ConflictThere are some general principles:
(a) Conflict can center on content or relationship issues
Content conflict- centers on objects, events, and persons that are usually, but not always, external to the parties involved in the conflict.
Relationship conflict-  concerned not so much with external objects as with the relationships between individuals.

(b) Conflict can be negative or positive
Negative Aspects- conflicts involve unfair fighting methods and are focused largely on hurting the other person.
Positive Aspects- conflicts forces us to examine a problem and work toward a potential solution and the relationship may well emerge and become stronger than before.

(c) Conflict takes place in a context
Conflict takes place in a context that influences the way conflict and conflict resolution are carried out. Here includes the physical, socio-psychological, temporal context, and also cultural context.

(d) Conflicts Styles Have Consequences
The way we approach and engage conflict has consequences for the resolution of the conflict and also the relationship. There are five basics way :
(1) Competing (I win, You lose)- involves great concern for your own needs and desires and little for those of others.
(2) Avoiding ( I lose, You lose)- relatively unconcerned with their own or with their opponents’ needs or desires.
(3) Accommodating ( I lose, You win)- sacrifice our own needs for the needs of the other persons.
(4) Collaborating ( I win, You win)- address both our own and the other person’s needs.
(5) Compromising ( I win and lose, You win and lose)- concern for our own needs and some concern for the other’s needs.




Preliminaries to Conflict Management(a) Before the conflict
-try to fight in private and when all are ready to fight. We have a clear idea of what we want to fight about, and be specific.

(b) After the conflict
- assess what we’ve learned, keep the conflict in perspective, let go of negative of negative feelings, and increase positiveness.

(c) Influences on your choice of conflict strategies
-Factors influence the strategies we choose to manage our interpersonal conflicts. The factors are goals, emotional state, cognitive assessment, personality and communication competence, and also family history. It’s better to understand these factors because it may help us to select more appropriate and more effective strategies to manage conflict.

(d) The stages of Conflict management
(i) Define and analyze the problem
(ii) Establish criteria for evaluating solutions
(iii) Identify possible solutions
(iv) Evaluate solutions
(v) Select the best solution
(vi) Test the selected solution

Conflict management strategiesThe strategies including win-lose and win-win strategies, avoidance and active fighting, force and talk, blame and empathy, gunny sacking and present focus, manipulation and spontaneity, personal rejection and acceptance, fighting below and above the belt, face-detracting and face enhancing strategies, aggressiveness and argumentativeness. We can cultivate constructive argumentativeness, treat disagreements objectively and avoid attacking the other person, reaffirm the other’s sense of competence, avoid interrupting, stress equality and similarities, express interest in the other’s position, avoid presenting your arguments too emotionally, and also allow the other to save face.