Resolving Conflict Creatively as a Community of Learners!

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Resolving Conflict Creatively as a Community of
Learners!
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Dr. Loucrecia CollinsThe University of Alabama
at Birmingham

• Promoting Collaborative Learning Communities

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Herman Melville

• We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives
  are connected by a thousand invisible threads,
  and along these sympathetic fibers our actions
  run as causes and return to us as results.

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Purpose Statement

• The purpose of this presentation is to review
  how conflicts emerge in university settings and
  discuss strategies to resolve them creatively.

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Gathering Activity

• If CONFLICT were a color..
• Conflict Web

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Conflict Defined

• The interaction of interdependent people who
  perceive opposition of goals, aims, and views,
  and who see the other party as potentially
  interfering with the realization of these goals.
• Putnam Poole (1987, p. 352)

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Conflict in Universities

• As the role of universities emerge, there exits a
  change in the role of faculties that is setting
  the stage for conflicts. These changes are
  related to intergenerational differences and the
  rapid development of social media. Collins, 2014

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Communication

• ILAC
• The Power of Social Media
• I am LOVABLE and Capable
• How do we strengthen Communication among faculty,
  Department Chairs and the Administration to move
  the work of the University forward?

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How Can Faculty and the Administration Benefit
from the skills of reflecting on Conflict
Resolution?

• Further Develop Analytical Skills
• Reframe Main Issues
• Identify issues in Conflicts
• Develop Empathy in others
• Increase Faculty Productivity in Pubs and Grant
  writing

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Conflict Occurring in Universities

• Within an individual
• Between individuals
• Among faculty members and the Dean
• Between groups within the larger faculty
• Between the Department Chair, Dean and central
  administration

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The Nature of Conflict

• Conflict can be functional or dysfunctional.

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Functional Conflict

• When conflict is functional, the university
  benefits there is a win-win attitude, and
  harmony exists.
• Owens (1995)

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Dysfunctional Conflict

• When conflict is dysfunctional, there is a
  win-lose attitude and hostility is produced.
• Owens (1995)

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Types of Conflict

• Interpersonal
• Intergroup
• Interorganizational
• Role

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Types of Conflict

• 1. Interpersonal--conflict that exists between
  individuals within a group
• Barge (1994, p. 163)

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Types of Conflict

• 2. Intergroup--conflict that exists between two
  groups within an organization
• Barge (1994, p. 163)

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Types of Conflict

• 3. Interorganizational--conflict that exists
  between two organizations
• Barge (1994, p. 163)

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Types of Conflict

• 4. Role--Incompatibilities between the
  expectations individuals hold for other
  individuals as they perform various functions in
  departments.

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Main Causes of Conflict

• Competition for scarce resources
• Desire for autonomy
• Divergence in goals
• Jealousy

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Conflict Resolution

• A Challenge
• for Universities

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What is Conflict Resolution?

• Conflict Resolution refers to strategies that
  enable faculty to resolve conflicts peacefully
  and cooperatively. This is an active process!

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Correlates of Conflict Resolution

• Cooperation
• Communication
• Appreciation for Diversity
• Responsible Decision Making
• Healthy Expression of Feelings

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I Messages

• A strong and powerful way of expressing how we
  are feeling is through an I message
• Alleviates anger, blame, and putting down of
  others, while keeping communication open.
• Pair share
• Trio practice..

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Conflict Management Defined

• Conflict management is the process of resolving
  and minimizing the disagreements resulting from
  perceived or real differences
• Greenhalgh (1986)

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Strategies for Managing Conflict

• Avoidance
• Smoothing
• Bargaining
• Power struggle
• Problem solving(Conflict Resolution)

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Strategies for Managing Conflict

• Avoidance--used when the leader wants to maintain
  a rational climate and avoid hostility (does not
  resolve the conflict)

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Strategies for Managing Conflict

• Smoothing--The leader wants to maintain positive
  interpersonal relationships and attempts to
  minimize differences of opinion.

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Strategies for Managing Conflict

• Bargaining--The leader shows moderate levels of
  concern for both task and relationship (disputing
  parties make concessions neither party wins nor
  loses completely).

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Strategies for Managing Conflict

• Power struggle--The leader shows little concern
  for interpersonal relationships. The major focus
  is on task accomplishment. Power and force are
  used to break down the opposition, regardless of
  the consequences.

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Strategies for Managing Conflict

• Problem solving--The leader displays a
  collaborative approach to managing conflict. The
  primary concern is accomplishing the task in a
  manner that is rational and allows a positive
  climate to be maintained. (Conflict Resolution)

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The Reality of Conflict in an Intergenerational
World

• Conflict is an inevitable and all-pervasive
  element in universities.
• Conflict can be a positive, if handled in the
  right way The way being to actively seek a
  solution.

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Next Steps..

• How can you infuse Conflict Resolution into your
  work as a ?
• What do you see as the role of communication in
  conflict?
• How does intergenerational differences impact
  conflict?
• The one thing I want to change about how I deal
  with conflict is

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Closing

• Mr. and Mrs. Wright..
• The one thing I want to change about how I deal
  with conflict is..

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References

• Barge, J. K. (1994). Leadership Communication
  skills for organizations and groups. New York
  St. Martins Press.
• Greenhalgh, L. (1986). SMR forum Managing
  conflict. Sloan Management Review, 27, 45-51.
• Owens, R. G. (1995). Organizational behavior in
  education (5th ed.) Boston Allyn and Bacon.
• Putnam, L. L. Poole, M. S. (1987). Conflict and
  negotiation. In F. M. Jablin, L. L. Putnam, K.
  Roberts, L. W. Porter (eds.), Handbook of
  organizational communication (pp. 503-548).
  Newbury Park, CA Sage.