Turing Walls into bridges TOPIC 8 Flashcards
Conflict and Interaction
• Although it is not possible to eliminate conflict from our lives what we can do is to manage it
Conflict Definition
The interaction of interdependent people who perceive incompatible goals and interference from each other in achieving those goals → so it encompasses the notion of interaction of interdependence and of perception. All of these are key features.
Components of conflict
- interdependence is key to the development of competence in managing this challenging aspect of communication
- Conflict can be positive (eg a constructive clash of ideas) Or it can be negative (eg a destructive clash of personalities)
- It can proceed in a robust but productive way
- It can also escalate and become destructive to both parties with no useful outcome
The potential of conflict in interaction
- The conflict of ideas is different to the conflict of personalities.
- The conflict of ideas can happen in the context of sports and business and in almost every aspect of our lives.
- It has the potential to contribute greatly to creativity
- When different ideas come together and work through conflicting goals constructively, the outcome can be a combining of different kinds of knowledge leading to innovation
Potential positive outcomes from conflict
- Where conflict is managed positively Stronger relationships can develop.
- Important issues can be aired so that understanding from both sides are impressed.
- Effectively manage conflict can reduce tension it can result in a: Re-evaluation/clarification of goals and missions of both parties.
- It can pave the way for social or organisational change
- The effective management of conflict is an extremely valuable, productive and transferable communication competence
As we manage conflict we need to:
- Acknowledge both its positive and negative aspects
- Recognize movements towards constructive or destructive directions as they happen.
- Understand specific behaviours and interaction patterns that occur in the context of managing conflict
- Be aware of the forces that influence these patterns
Key points to remember
- Conflict is based in interaction
- The parties are interdependent
- One thing that differs is their perception. They perceive incompatible goals
- They perceive each other as interfering with achievement of their goals
- Communication is vital – since it shapes perception and guides behaviour
- Conflict not only involves communication but also a difference of interest → important thing to remember, communication is vital in managing conflict but it’s not the only thing involved in conflict. Remember there is also a difference of interest.
Another dimension of difference in conflict is realistic vs unrealistic. What is realistic conflict?
• Realistic conflict is associated with differences in the means to an end and/or in the ends themselves → more related to contents.
Another dimension of difference in conflict is realistic vs unrealistic. What is unrealistic conflict?
• Unrealistic conflict focuses more on the intention to defeat and/or hurt the other party → more closely associated with feeling. That draws our attention to an important aspect of communication of all kinds. Communication and the language is a symbolic representation operates on a number of levels simultaneously. Two of those are:
1. the contents level 2. and affective or feeling level
Another dimension of difference in conflict is realistic vs unrealistic
• Both are very powerful but we need to be aware that both are distinct. And we need to know that we can manage them.
Resolution and outcomes - Productive Conflict
- Productive resolution of conflict depends on flexibility and the belief that the goals of both parties can be attained → so flexibility and belief…these have more to do with the affective → the feeling part of communication.
- Productive conflict resolution results in a satisfactory or acceptable solution for both parties → this doesn’t mean that the road is necessarily easy.
- It is sometimes competitive as people work to preserve power and to save face
- Productive conflict means there is greater clarity on the position of the other party → sense of increased understanding for both parties.
Resolution and outcomes - Destructive conflict
- Destructive conflict is characterised by inflexibility and the belief that one side must win and the other side must lose → affective aspect of communication is associated more again with feeling.
- Destructive conflict is sometimes associated with fear of losing and or fear of loss of self-esteem and loss of face, loss of position, loss of identity.
- Parties may become polarised and more strongly defend non-negotiable positions
- Many conflicts however exhibit both productive and destructive interaction
- Either way conflict is fundamentally interactive
Conflict as fundamentally interactive
- Since each party makes comments with some awareness of the likely response this is somewhat predictive
- This underpins a strong tendency for cyclic or repetitive communication behaviour in the management of conflict. An engagement of conflict.
- It draws attention to the dynamic nature of interaction and its complexity, since it is more than just the individual contributions that matter - the interaction takes on what the text terms ‘a life of its own’ → indeed interaction does. It draws our attention to the dynamic nature of context.
- The context is impacted by each ‘move’, each conservational, interactional move and it can go one way or another at any time.
- Our predictions in making the move may not be right – the other person or party may not respond as we expect
- It is impossible to calculate all the possibilities in the ‘spiral of predictions’
- This reminds us of the concept of nexting mentioned in earlier chapters, and the notion that we can only be responsible for our own next move → that reminds us that the management of conflict is in our own hands, we have the chance to change it, to make it more positive, and to stop the negative form getting out of hand.
What is ‘A communication spiral’?
- a communication ‘spiral’ in which the actions of each person magnify those of the other
- With each person’s contribution the interaction gathers momentum and feeds back on itself → hence the notion of a spiral which expands and feeds back as it goes along.
- Wilmot explains that ‘closeness and harmony build more closeness and harmony’ whereas ‘misunderstanding and dissatisfaction create more misunderstanding and dissatisfaction’ (p 401)
Elements of communication spirals
• participants’ meanings intertwine and relational synergy both builds on itself and accelerates → you can see this In the comment ‘it takes on a life of its own’
