Lecture 16, Assessing The Character-Conflict Management-Lecture Notes, Study notes of Conflict Management

Download Lecture 16, Assessing The Character-Conflict Management-Lecture Notes and more Study notes Conflict Management in PDF only on Docsity! 59 Lesson 16 ASSESSING THE CHARACTER OF THE CONFLICT I Quotations: "There are two educations, one should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live" John Adams “Nothing is given to man on earth - struggle is built into the nature of life, and conflict is possible - the hero is the man who lets no obstacle prevent him from pursuing the values he has chosen.” Andrew Bernstein  Conflict is either Constructive or Destructive  Constructive Conflict  Transforming Competitive Conflict into Comparative Conflict In this lecture we will try to examine the four components of Morton Deutsch’s theory of constructive and destructive conflict. Why Morton Deutsch thought that cooperation is more likely than competition to produce constructive conflict? Why conflict has the amazing capacity to become what the disputants think it is? Why it’s easier for a cooperative conflict to become competitive than vice versa? What is the criterion for assessing a conflict as cooperative or competitive? What are the strategies and tactics for turning a competitive conflict into a cooperative one? “Grief and disappointment give rise to anger, anger to envy, envy to malice, and malice to grief again, till the whole circle is completed.” How can we break this cycle? We will learn, cooperation is better than competition. Perception becomes reality in cooperation and competition (“Deutsch’s crude axiom”). Morton Deutsch’s Theory of Constructive and Destructive Conflict Deutch’s ideas about what makes conflict constructive and destructive are well summarized in his 1973 wok, “The Resolution of Conflict: Constructive and Destructive Processes”. 1. Conflict is either cooperative or competitive. 2. Cooperation tends to be constructive, and competition tends to be destructive. 3. Cooperation and competition tend to be self-fulfilling prophecies: Perception becomes reality. 4. Cooperation easily turns into competition, but not vice versa. Premises of Deutsch’s Theory 1. Cooperative conflict A conflict in which the disputants believe that, when one disputant helps him- or herself, the other disputant is also helped. 2. Competitive conflict A conflict in which the disputants believe that, when one disputant helps him- or herself, the other disputant is humble or quite or less powerful. 3. Autistic hostility A phenomenon in which hostile feelings promote a lack of communication, leading to negative attributions about the acts, attitudes, and motivations of the other person is termed as autistic hostility. Because of the lack of effective communication, neither disputant is able to correct misperceptions. docsity.com 60 4. Reactive Devaluation A phenomenon present in escalating conflict, in which a suggestion made by one disputant, or members of his or her team, is met with suspicion by the other disputant, or members of his or her team may be described as reactive devaluation. 5. Meta-Conflict (meta-dispute) An interpersonal conflict (dispute) over the way another interpersonal conflict is being handled. Premises of Deutsch’s Theory How the conflict is characterized in the minds of the disputants. Since a cooperative conflict is perceived as promotively interdependent, the disputant perceiving a conflict as cooperative will tend to see the conflict as a joint problem to be solved i.e. if the problem is solved for one disputant, it will also tend to be solved for the other. Communication in cooperation and competition Since the disputant in a cooperative conflict sees the goals of the other disputant as promoting his or her own interests, it appears to be in his or her best interests to share as much information as possible. Cooperation is characterized by open, honest communication of relevant information. In contrast, since the interests of disputants in a competitive conflict are seen to be in opposition, competition is characterized by efforts on the part of the perceiving disputant to avoid open and honest communication. In competitive conflict, disputants tend to be suspicious of one another, fearing that information they share will be used against them. Coordination of Effort in cooperation and competition Since a disputant who sees the conflict as cooperative believes that the other disputant’s efforts will help him or her, the disputant will tend to try to coordinate his or her efforts with those of the other disputants. Efforts of the disputants on One Another’s Behalf Obviously, a disputant who believes that meeting the other disputant’s interests will meet his or her own interests has good reason to help the other disputantants: it will help him or her as well. Responses to the Suggestions of the other disputant The reactions of one disputant to suggestions by the other disputants are controlled by the attitudes engendered by their perceptions in cooperative conflict, a disputant will tend to see the suggestions of the other disputants as motivated by a sincere desire to help, since everyone’s goals are perceived to be complementary. Conflict, suggestions tend to be welcomed, approved of, or at least taken at face value Feelings of the Disputants for one another There is a great deal of evidence from social psychological research indicating that disputants in a cooperative relationship tend to develop feelings of friendliness and positive regard for one another. Effect of Cooperation behavior on the disputants’ Egos In a cooperative conflict, cooperating with the other disputant is a comfortable outgrowth of the self interest of each disputant. The feelings of friendliness that tend to grow out of a cooperative relationship further motivate the disputants to be helpful to one another. Perception of Similarity and difference The positive and negative regard that cooperating and competing disputants hold for each other have indication for their perceptions about one another. People who like one another tend to focus on, and even inflate, mutual similarities, while they tend to ignore differences. docsity.com