COM3621: CONFLICT MANAGEMENT September 11, 2018 Class Agenda ■ Productive and Destructive Conflict ■ Phases of Conflict: – Differentiation – Integration Productive & Destructive Conflict Interaction ■ Coser (1956) ■ Realistic conflicts – Focuses on resolving underlying incompatibilities – Rely on negotiation, persuasion – Conflict is a means to an end ■ Nonrealistic conflicts – Focuses on defeating or hurting the other party – Rely on aggression, coercion – Conflict is an end in itself Productive & Destructive Conflict Interaction ■ Productive conflicts depend on flexibility – Participants engage in a variety of behaviors ■ Destructive conflicts are premised on the belief that one side must win and one side must lose Phase 1: Differentiation ■ “The pattern of interaction that sharply distinguishes opposing positions” (Putnam, 2010) ■ Parties become aware of how goals and perceptions differ ■ Benefits: Understanding, Acceptance, Motivation ■ Requires acknowledgement of incompatibilities ■ Common responses: Escalation, Avoidance, and Rigidity Escalation ■ Occurs when conflict is highly personalized and directed away from the underlying issue ■ Causes emotional intensity increases over time Symptoms of Escalation Issue takes longer than anticipated to confront The same argument is offered repeatedly Threats are used to “win” arguments Tension is present and felt Name calling and personal arguments Sarcasm or humor is used as release Heated disagreements about trivial issues Parties overinflate consequences of not reaching an agreement Avoidance ■ Refusal to acknowledge a conflict – “Don’t Talk About It” conflict ■ Can lead to acceptance of an unsatisfactory solution Symptoms of Avoidance Decrease in commitment to solve conflict Quick acceptance of suggested solution Parties stop themselves from discussing controversial aspects of conflict Tuning out of an interaction Discussion centers on safe aspect of a more explosive issue Little sharing of information Outspoken people are more quiet than usual No plan is made to implement a solution Escalation or Avoidance? Cardi B, Instagram “The other night I was part of something so mortifying and so humiliating to go through in front of a bunch upper echelon… people who have their life together…I was in a Gaultier gown — off the motherf—ing runway — and I could not believe how humiliated it all felt…I just want people to know that Onika Tanya Maraj has never, will never… speak ill on anyone’s child. I am not a clown. That’s clown s—.” Nicki Minaj, People Rigidity ■ Tendency to enact the same conflict repeatedly ■ Requires alternative responses to overcome inflexibility Phase 2: Integration ■ Conflict focus transitions from difference to negotiation and cooperation ■ Conditions – Parties acknowledge differences as legitimate – The “standoff” – Neither party is willing to give in completely to the other side – Parties are rea.

1. COM3621:
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
September 11, 2018
Class Agenda
■ Productive and Destructive Conflict
■ Phases of Conflict:
– Differentiation
– Integration
Productive & Destructive
Conflict Interaction
■ Coser (1956)
■ Realistic conflicts
– Focuses on resolving underlying incompatibilities
– Rely on negotiation, persuasion
– Conflict is a means to an end
■ Nonrealistic conflicts
– Focuses on defeating or hurting the other party
– Rely on aggression, coercion
– Conflict is an end in itself
Productive & Destructive

2. Conflict Interaction
■ Productive conflicts depend on flexibility
– Participants engage in a variety of behaviors
■ Destructive conflicts are premised on the belief that one
side must win and one side must lose
Phase 1: Differentiation
■ “The pattern of interaction that sharply distinguishes
opposing positions” (Putnam, 2010)
■ Parties become aware of how goals and perceptions differ
■ Benefits: Understanding, Acceptance, Motivation
■ Requires acknowledgement of incompatibilities
■ Common responses: Escalation, Avoidance, and Rigidity
Escalation
■ Occurs when conflict is highly personalized and directed
away from the underlying issue
■ Causes emotional intensity increases over time
Symptoms of Escalation
Issue takes longer than anticipated to confront The same
argument is offered repeatedly
Threats are used to “win” arguments Tension is present and felt

3. Name calling and personal arguments Sarcasm or humor is used
as release
Heated disagreements about trivial issues Parties overinflate
consequences of not
reaching an agreement
Avoidance
■ Refusal to acknowledge a conflict
– “Don’t Talk About It” conflict
■ Can lead to acceptance of an unsatisfactory solution
Symptoms of Avoidance
Decrease in commitment to solve conflict Quick acceptance of
suggested solution
Parties stop themselves from discussing
controversial aspects of conflict
Tuning out of an interaction
Discussion centers on safe aspect of a more
explosive issue
Little sharing of information
Outspoken people are more quiet than usual No plan is made to
implement a solution

4. Escalation or Avoidance?
Cardi B, Instagram
“The other night I was part of something so
mortifying and so humiliating to go through in
front of a bunch upper echelon… people who
have their life together…I was in a Gaultier
gown — off the motherf—ing runway — and I
could not believe how humiliated it all felt…I
just want people to know that Onika Tanya
Maraj has never, will never… speak ill on
anyone’s child. I am not a clown. That’s clown
s—.”
Nicki Minaj, People
Rigidity
■ Tendency to enact the same conflict repeatedly
■ Requires alternative responses to overcome inflexibility
Phase 2: Integration
■ Conflict focus transitions from difference to negotiation and
cooperation
■ Conditions
– Parties acknowledge differences as legitimate
– The “standoff” – Neither party is willing to give in completely

5. to the
other side
– Parties are ready to enter integration at the same time
Possible Responses to Differentiation
Differentiation
Rigidity
Rigidity
Escalation
Avoidance
Integration Problem Solving
COM3621:
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
September 27, 2018
Class Agenda
■ Defining Conflict Styles
■ Six Characteristics of Conflict Styles

6. Conflict Styles
■ Conflict styles are behavioral orientations that people can
take toward conflict
■ Avoidance
■ Accommodation
■ Competition
■ Compromise
■ Collaboration
Conflict Styles
http://www.edbatista.com
Characteristics of Conflict Styles
■ Disclosiveness
■ Empowerment
■ Activity
■ Flexibility
Conflict Styles:
Avoidance (“Lose-Lose”)
■ Low level of concern for their own interests and others’
interests
■ Low level of activeness, low disclosiveness, low flexibility
■ Variations

7. – Protecting
– Withdrawing
– Smoothing
Conflict Styles:
Accommodation (Lose-Win)
■ High concern for others; low concern for self
■ Highly flexible, low activeness, low disclosiveness
■ Variations
– Yielding
– Conceding
Conflict Styles:
Competition (Win-Lose)
■ High concern for self, low concern for others
■ Variations
– Forcing
– Contending
■ Bid for control can breed aggression
Conflict Styles:
Competition (Win-Lose)
■ Passive aggression
– When a communicator expresses dissatisfaction in a disguised
manner
– Tactics designed to punish another person without direct
confrontation

8. Conflict Styles:
Competition (Win-Lose)
■ Direct aggression
– Attacking the character of a person in order to show power
over them
■ Severe impact on the targeted party
Conflict Styles:
Compromise (Negotiated Lose-Lose)
■ Gives each party at least some of what they want, although
both sacrifice part of their goals
■ Moderate activeness, flexibility, disclosiveness, and
empowerment
■ Variations
– Firm compromising
– Flexible compromising
Conflict Styles:
Collaboration (Win-Win)
■ High degree of concern for self and for others
■ Conditions
– Vested interest in outcome of the conflict
– Belief that conflict can be resolved in interest of all involved
– Willingness to set aside hostility
■ Collaborative problem solving is rare

9. – Requires time, energy, creativity
COM3621:
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
September 6, 2018
Class Agenda
■ Communication principles
■ Defining conflict
■ Conflict contexts
■ Communication media and conflict
■ Communication is a process that is uniquely created and
involves mutual influence and interdependent behaviors
■ Content and relation dimensions
■ Intentional vs. unintentional
■ Irreversible
■ Unrepeatable
Communication Principles
Defining Conflict
■ Conflict is the interaction of interdependent parties who

10. perceive incompatibility and the possibility of interference
from others as a result of this incompatibility.
Conflict Interaction
■ Verbal and nonverbal
– Verbal communication
■ Linguistic
– Nonverbal communication
■ Gestures
■ Facial expressions
■ Emoticons
■ Expressed or suppressed
Interdependence
■ The dependence of two or more parties on one another
■ Determines parties’ incentives in a conflict
– Cooperation
– Competition
– Most conflicts involve both cooperation and competition
■ More interdependence = more significant consequences
Incompatibility
■ Being so opposed in character as to be incapable of existing
at the same time
■ Perception is key

11. Conflict Contexts
■ Interpersonal settings
■ Group/team settings
■ Organizational settings
■ Intergroup settings
Interpersonal Settings
■ Uniqueness
■ Irreplaceability
■ Interdependence
■ Disclosure
■ Intrinsic rewards
Interpersonal Settings
■ Family
■ Friends
■ Roommates
■ Co-workers
■ Neighbors
Group/Team Settings
■ Individuals working with one another to come to a common
understanding and to make decisions that affect one

12. another to some degree.
Group/Team Settings
■ Families
■ Work teams
■ Group projects for a class
■ Social groups
■ Clubs and sports teams
■ Support/therapeutic groups
Organizational Settings
■ An organization coordinates the behaviors of its members
so they can work collectively
■ Context for interpersonal and group conflicts
■ Organizations constrain conflict behavior
■ Organizational conflicts may have implications for the
organization as a whole
Organizational Settings
■ Academic institutions
■ Non-profits
■ Private companies
■ Government agencies

13. Intergroup Settings
■ Focuses on individuals as representatives of social groups
rather than unique individuals
■ Relationships among teams, groups, organizations
■ Relationships among groups defined by social categories of
race, ethnicity, gender identity, class
Commonalities Across Settings
■ Interaction [communication] processes form the foundation
of conflict management in interpersonal relationships,
groups, organizations, and between groups
– Outcomes are affected by actions and reactions;
communication
strategies; perceptions and interpretations
Communication Media &
Conflict Interaction
■ Media richness theory – Media vary in terms of their ability
to transmit information that will change understanding in
others
■ Richness depends on a medium’s ability to:
– Handle multiple information cues simultaneously
– Facilitate rapid feedback
– Personalize the message

14. – Utilize natural language
COM3621-B Personal Conflict Analysis (75 points)
Due October 11
This short paper assignment (3-5 pages) asks you to examine a
conflict that you have
experienced in your own life and apply a concept discussed in
class and/or the textbook. Be sure
to consider: 1. How setting (interpersonal, organizational,
group, intergroup) constrains the
behaviors and/or relationships of those involved; 2. How
conflicts can be productive or
destructive (and most times, both), 3. How perception impacted
your interpretation of the
conflict at the time it occurred.
The paper should follow the organizational format below:
(1) Introduction (one paragraph): The introduction includes a
statement of purpose for the essay
and identifies the conflict management concept from class that
best explains what is occurring in
the chosen conflict.
(2) Analysis (two-three pages): The analysis section of the
paper argues how the chosen concept
helps to explain the conflict and should include:

15. ● Specific examples drawn from the conflict at hand.
● Definition of one concept from the text that you believe
explains what is occurring.
Paraphrasing and quotes from the textbook must be cited.
● An explanation of how the concept sheds light on the conflict
(your thoughts that tie
everything together).
(3) Conclusion (one page): A brief summary of what was
accomplished in the paper and
concluding thoughts, opinions, and takeaways.
The analysis does not need to offer a solution or figure out a
way to make a different outcome to
the conflict. Nor is it a criticism of any one party’s behavior, or
speculation about different
outcomes. The analysis should focus on how the concept you
have chosen explains the conflict
that you are discussing and reflections on how the concept
opens up new insights into the
conflict.
This is a formal paper, and college-level writing is expected.
Points will be deducted for
grammar, punctuation, and syntax errors. All papers must
include the following format: your
name, date, title, numbered pages, 1/2” margins, and a
reasonable font size (i.e., 11-12 point
in a style such as Times New Roman or Palatino). Cite all
references engaged in your work other
than your own (APA or MLA format may be used). Since you
will be using a concept from the
class, the analysis must include at least the textbook in your
reference list and in-text citations

16. (with page numbers/e-text sections). Papers turned in late will
be penalized one letter grade for
each day late —this includes holidays and weekends.
Please visit the Writing Center for additional support with
writing, editing, and formatting. The
Purdue Online Writing Lab is also a good source for help with
references.
http://www.merrimack.edu/writingcenter
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html
Analysis Rubric
Sophisticated Competent Needs Improvement
Subject
Knowledge
(30 pts.)
The analysis demonstrated
knowledge of course
content by integrating
concepts and applied the
concepts appropriately and
accurately.
The analysis demonstrated
knowledge of course
content by integrating
concepts and applied the
concepts with minor
errors.

17. The analysis did not
integrate course
concepts or integrated
the concepts
inaccurately.
Composition
(20 pts.)
The analysis was well
organized and clearly
written. The logic was
clearly articulated and easy
to follow. Words were
chosen that precisely
expressed the intended
meaning and supported
reader comprehension.
Sentences were
grammatical and free from
errors.
The analysis was
organized and clearly
written. In some areas, the
flow of ideas was difficult
to follow. Words were well
chosen with minor errors.
Sentences were mostly
grammatical. A few
spelling errors were
present but did not hinder
the reader’s
comprehension.

18. The analysis lacked
overall organization.
The reader had to make
considerable effort to
understand the flow of
ideas. Grammatical and
spelling errors made it
difficult for the reader
to interpret the work.
Citations
(15 pts.)
Sources were accurately
and appropriately cited in
the text (including page
numbers/e-text sections).
The analysis included a
properly formatted
reference page.
Sources were cited but not
accurately or appropriately.
Reference page was not
formatted properly.
Sources were not cited
and therefore could not
be evaluated. No
reference page was
included.
Organizatio
n
(10 pts.)

19. The analysis followed the
recommended format,
including: an introduction
with thesis and preview; an
analysis section that uses
specific examples and
makes connections between
the concept and examples;
a conclusion with summary
and final thoughts.
The analysis followed the
recommended format
(introduction, analysis, and
conclusion) but was
missing suggested
elements (e.g., thesis).
The analysis did not
follow the
recommended format.