Week Sixteen: Conflict in the Organization
Communication is a crucial to resolving misunderstandings and conflicts, both of which can drastically hinder the functioning of a group, relationship or organization. While misunderstandings and conflicts may seem similar on the surface, they are in essence quite different. A misunderstanding can involve one or both parties and is predominately internal, meaning that the issue is not discussed openly. In contrast, a conflict is an external, social experience, which may begin as a misunderstanding but is then discussed openly to involve the entire organization or community.
Conflict occurs in many different ways. Modaff and DeWine outline the following conflict styles: avoiding, accommodating, competing, confronting and compromising (163). Once a conflict occurs between two or more members, an organization can respond in a number of ways. Aggressiveness, authoritativeness and observability are the most common stances an organization will take toward conflict.
Conflict styles and resolutions are intimately connected to the underlying metaphor around which the organization is formed. The three metaphors examined in this class include those of classical (machine), humanistic (emotion) and system (reason) theories. These correspond to three ways (or metaphors) of thinking about conflict: conflict-as-impotence; conflict-as-war; and conflict-as-rational-process (Modaff and DeWine 169).
- JOURNAL 16 -
For your final journal entry, please examine a conflict that you have been involved in; this can be a conflict at work, home, school or a social organization. Explain the conflict styles used, how the organization responded and the underlying metaphor
structuring the conflict.
posted by Jen at Saturday, May 13, 2006
3 Comments:
stephanie
blog#16
i had a conflict with a nure at a HIP CENTER,She arrived in the office at 8:30 am, i was waiting with my daughter who had a asthma attack and her breathing was getting any better. the nurse said i had to wait for the doctor's to come in at 9:00 o'clock, i said do you want me to go to the emergency to be seen and tell them that the nurse from the HIP CENTER,sent me. she immediately called somebody on the phone and a doctor from another part of the HIP CENTER ARRIVED,to give my daughter some assistance. my daugher went on the breathing machine for one hour and her lungs became opened along with her breathing.
conflict sytle:
the nurse reponded to me in a agrgressive and humanitic approach and the conflict ended up with compromising to the patients needs,and my daughter recieved medical treatment for her asthma.
HARLEM USA, STEPHANIE
May 14, 2006 1:01 AM
Bessie said,
My conflict of war involves two of my co-workers who became fast friends. They did everything together until Barbara met a man and started leaving Donna behind. Donna started saying nasty things to Barbara and tried to ignore her because she was older than Barbara.
I started getting phone calls from both and I tried to help, but Donna continued to interfere with Barbara life.
Barbara called me and asked if I would go to breakfast with them to see if I can help the solve their conflict. At breakfast I could not believe how mean Donna was to Barbara, but I saw it with my own eyes.
Although,I tried to help resolve this conflict both were too angry to work it out. They are polite to each other, but I think the friendship they had is dead.
May 17, 2006 3:29 PM
Last week I had a coflict with on of my coworker because he felt that he was my boss. He felt that I was suppose to finish my paper and then help him out with his. I would not mind if he was doing his work throughout the day instead of talking to everyone else.
Maureen
May 17, 2006 8:18 PM
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