Chapter 13 : interpersonal, group and workplace conflict

What is the meaning of interpersonal conflict?
It is when people are :

1. interdependent
2. mutually aware that their goals are incompatible 
3. perceive each other as interference in their goals

Online conflict 

1. spamming
2. flaming
3. junk mail 

Workplace conflict

1. procedure conflicts - disagreement on who is in charge 
2. people conflicts - battle for control or people who are not willing to participate

4 principles related to workplace conflicts : 

1. preserve dignity and respect of all members
2. listen emphatically
3. seek out and emphasize common ground 
4. value diversity and differences 

4 Principles of conflict : 

1. conflict can center on content and relationship issues

• content conflict : centers on objects, events and persons 
• relationship conflict : centers on relationship only; example, siblings, parents and children 

2. conflict can be negative or positive 

• negative aspects : increases negative regard of opponent
• positive aspect : forces you to examine a problem and work towards a solution 

3. conflict takes place in a context 

• physical context : privately or publicly 
• sociopsychological context : friendly or hostile 
• temporal context : timing 
• cultural context : collectivist culture or individualist culture 

4. conflict styles have consequences

• competing 
• avoiding 
• accommodating
• collaborating 
• comprising 

 Preliminaries to conflict management 

1. before the conflict 

• fight in private 
• be sure everyone is ready to fight 
• know what you're fighting about 
• fight about problems that can be solved
• consider the beliefs that you hold that may need reexamination 

2. after the conflict 

• learn from the conflict 
• increase exchange of rewards 

3. influences on your choice of conflict strategies 

• goals
• emotional state
• cognitive assessment 
• personality and communication competence 
• family history 

4. stages of conflict management 

• define and analyze the problem 
• establish criteria for evaluating solutions 
• identify productive solutions 
• evaluate solutions 
• select the best solution 
• test the selected solution 

Conflict management strategies 

1. Win-Lose and Win-Win strategies 

2. Avoidance and active fighting 

• non-negotiation 

3. Force and talk 

4. Blame and empathy 

5. Gunny-sacking and present focus 

6. Manipulation and spontaneity 

7. Personal rejection and acceptance 

8. Fighting below and above the belt 

• belt-lining 

9. Face-detracting and face enhancing strategies 

10. Aggressiveness and argumentativeness

• verbally 

Chapter 12 : Organizational Communication

1. Organizations defined as an organized, group of people, who work together to achieve compatible goals.
2. Organizational Messages

• Process of sending a non-verbal and verbal messages that convey meaning. 
• Formal communication : Upward, Downward & Lateral communications
• Informal communication : The Grapevine
• Organizational networks : Circle, Wheel, Y, Chain & All-channel. 

     3. Organizational Relationships

• Sexual Harassment
• Bullying 
• Mentoring
• Networking

Chapter 11 : Members & Leaders

Members in Small Group Communication 

1. A popular classification of small group member roles divides them into group task roles, group building and maintenance roles and individual roles.
2. There are 12 group task roles : 

• Initiator-contributor
• Information seeker
• Opinion seeker
• Information giver
• Opinion giver
• Elaborator 
• Coordinator
• Orienter
• Evaluator-critic
• Energizer
• Procedural technician 
• Recorder

   3. There are 7 group building & maintenance roles :

• Encourager
• Harmonizer
• Compromiser
• Gatekeeper-expediter
• Standard setter
• Group observer & Commentator
• Follower

  4. There are 8 individual roles :

• Aggressor
• Blocker
• Recognition seeker
• Self-confessor
• Playboy/playgirl
• Dominator
• Help seeker
• Special interest pleader

Leaders in Small Group Communication

1. Approaches to Leadership

• Functional Approach
• Transformational Approach 
• Situational Approach

    2. Functions and Skills of Leadership 

• Be ready
• Activate group agenda (keep tasks on track)
• Promote group interaction (communication among the members)
• Maintain effective interaction
• Empower group members
• Keep members on track (having discussions & informing members every details) 
• Ensure member satisfaction (ask opinion from everyone)
• Encourage ongoing evaluation
• Manage conflict
• Follow Up

Membership, Leadership & Culture

1. Individualism & Collectivism 
2. Member Roles
3. Belief Systems
4. Leadership Style 

Chapter 10 : Small Group Communication

Chapter 10 : Small Group Communication 

In the chapter we will explore these major topics:

1. Small groups and Teams

- The Small Group

•    A small group is collection of individuals who are connected to one another by some common purpose, are interdependent, have some degree of organization among them, and see themselves as a group. The small group stage are five : opening, feedforward, business, feedback, and closing. Beside  that, Small group also have some formats such as: round table, panel, symposium, and symposium-forum.

- The Team

• A team is a particular kind of small group. As such it possesses all of the characteristics of the small group, as well as some additional qualities. Drawing on a number of small group researchers in communication and organizational theory, we can define the team as a small group constructed for a specific task, whose members have clearly defined roles, whose members are committed to achieving the same goal, and that is content focused.

- Virtual Groups and Teams

• Virtual groups and teams can define as small group and team interaction also takes place online, among geographically separated members who communicate as a group via computer or phone connections.

- Power in the Small group

• The six types of power covered in the self-test are legitimate, referent, reward, coercive, expert, and information or persuasion power.

    2.  Idea-Generation Groups

• The idea-generation groups are small groups that exist solely to generate ideas and often follow a pattern called brainstorming. Brainstorming is a teachnique for bombarding a problem and generating as many ideas as possible. 

         - Brainstorm Rule 1 : Don't Criticize

         - Brainstorm Rule 2 : Strive for Quantity

         - Brainstorm Rule 3 : Combine and Extend Ideas

         - Brainstorm Rule 4 : Develop the Wildest Ideas Possible

    3. Personal Growth Groups

• The Encounter Group 

         - Encounter groups, also known as "sensitivity groups" or "T[Training]-groups," for example, constitute a form of  psychotherapy; these groups try to facilitate members' personal growth and foster their ability to deal effectively with other people.

• The Assertiveness Training Group

         - The assertiveness training group aims to increase the willingness of its members to stand up for their rights and to act more assertively in a wide variety of situations.

• The Consciousness-Raising Group

         - The consciousness-raising group aims to help people cope with the problems society confronts them with the members of a consciousness-raising group all have one characteristic in common ( for example, they may all be women, unwed mothers, gay fathers, or recently unemployed executives ).

     4. Information sharing groups

• Educational or Learning Groups

        - the members pool their knowledge to the benefit of all, as in the popular their knowledge to the benefit of all, as in the popular law and medical student learning groups.

• Focus Groups

        - A different type of learning group is the focus group, a small group assembled for a kind of in-depth interview.

     5. Problem-Solving Groups

• Step 1 : Define and Analyze the Problem

        - Duration, Causes, and Effects

• Step 2 : Establish Criteria for Evaluating Solutions

        - Practical criteria and value criteria

• Step 3 : Identify possible Solution
• Step 4 : Evaluate Solutions
• Step 5 : Select the Best Solution