Transcript Identifying Levels of Conflict

Identifying Levels of Conflict
Chapter Overview
1. Identifying Levels of Conflict
2. Steps for Problem Solving
3. Building Consensus
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Lesson Overview
•
What are problems and conflicts?
•
What are types of problems in groups?
•
What are levels of conflict in groups?
•
What are patterns of reacting to conflict?
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Quick Write
Think about the last group or team project
you worked on
Write a brief paragraph about how the
group performed
Did the group have any problems? If so,
what were they? How did the group resolve
them?
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Solving Problems and Conflicts
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When a group of people works together
toward a goal, many obstacles can fall in
its path
A problem is a difficulty that a group
experiences in pursuing its goals
A conflict is a clash among people
Conflicts are caused by internal forces;
problems come mainly from the outside
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Types of Problems
Problems with Relations
Problems with Direction
Operational Problems
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Problems With Relations
• A problem with relations is a difficulty in
the way people get along with each other
• Problems with relations usually are
caused by personality differences among
team members
• Such differences can create obstacles to
group work
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Problems With Relations
Personality types that can cause problems
with relations include:
• overbearing members
• dominating members
• reluctant members
• feuding members
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Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Problems With Direction
• A problem with direction occurs when
team members want to pursue different
goals
• Floundering—floundering teams may
have trouble at all stages of a project
• Wandering—wide-ranging, unfocused
conversations are common in a group that
is wandering
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Operational Problems
• An operational problem is a difficulty
that is linked with conflicts over
procedure, method, or approach
• Problems with operations may arise when
team members want to pursue the same
goals, but use different means
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Operational Problems
• Rush to accomplishment is common to
teams that are pushed by one or more
members who are impatient for results
• Many teams will have at least one “do
something” member who is impatient
• These members urge the team to make
hasty decisions and discourage further
discussion
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Levels of Conflict
•
Problems with relations often result
from conflicts in perspective
•
Problems with direction are frequently
tied to conflicts in purpose
•
Operational problems involve conflicts
in practice
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Conflicts in Perspective
• Conflicts in perspective involve what people do
and why they do it
• They have to do with team members’ differing
beliefs and values
• If people try to solve perspective-level conflicts
by ignoring or working around them, the
conflicts will continue
• That’s because the participants have not
addressed the underlying issues
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Conflicts in Perspective
• Conflicts in perspective are difficult, and
sometimes impossible, to resolve
• At times, people must agree to disagree
and work out the best compromise
possible
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Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Conflicts in Purpose
• Conflicts in purpose involve what people
want to achieve
• For example, one team member might say,
“I don’t care what grade we receive on
this assignment. I just want to get it
done.”
• Another member might say, “I want us to
put together an A+ presentation so that I
will keep the highest GPA possible.”
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Conflicts in Practice
• Conflicts in practice have to do
with the team’s processes and
procedures
• If members can’t agree on when
the team will meet, where it will
meet, or who will lead the
meetings, they have conflicts at
the practice level
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
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Patterns of Reacting to Conflict
• People react to conflict in a group or team
setting in one of two ways: fight or flight
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Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Fight
• Some people fight when they perceive a
conflict
• They become aggressive
• At their worst, they lash out, explode,
argue, and become competitive
• At their best, they express their own
perspectives, yet continue to work with
team members to arrive at a solution
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Flight
• When faced with conflict, other people
will resort to flight
• These people are passive
• At their worst, they pout, withdraw,
passively resist, and avoid working
through conflicts at all costs
• At their best, they thoughtfully reflect on
the issues at hand and offer their ideas to
try to resolve them
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Methods of Handling Conflict
• Most people have developed strategies for
handling everyday conflicts
• Experts have identified four main ways
people handle conflict:
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retreating
standing still
detouring
encountering
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Retreating
• Retreating is blocking or moving away from a
problem or conflict
• People who retreat don’t want to confront
conflict head-on
• Some people who retreat simply refuse to
defend their point of view
• They may give up without even trying
• They may try to place the blame on others
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Standing Still
• Standing still is
avoiding a problem or
conflict by using
defense mechanisms
• Some people prefer to
stay in one place
rather than to risk
defeat or rejection
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
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Standing Still
• A student with great potential who stands
still takes the easiest courses, so that he or
she doesn’t have to work very hard
• An adult who prefers to stand still might
say, “It was good enough for my parents,
and it’s good enough for me—why change
now?”
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Detouring
• Detouring is moving around, or avoiding,
a problem or conflict
• People who constantly avoid important
issues may think they’ve dealt with a
problem, but the solution is temporary
• The problem is bound to arise again
• Displacement is a detouring behavior
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Detouring
• Compensation is another way of
detouring
• It involves substituting traits or attributes
that give you a more pleasant picture of
yourself than your undesirable traits do
• A rejected or insecure person may
compensate by showing off, being
sarcastic, or misbehaving—just to get
attention
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Encountering
• Encountering is the best way to handle
problems
• Encountering is facing a conflict head-on
and reaching a solution
• The person who faces problems stands a
much better chance of solving them than
the person who avoids or ignores them
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Encountering
• You must compromise;
adjust to those around
you
• To function in society,
you must learn to meet,
encounter, and resolve
those problems and
conflicts
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
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Review
• A problem is a difficulty that a group
experiences in pursuing its goals
• A conflict is a clash among people
• Conflicts are caused by internal forces;
problems come mainly from the outside
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Review
• A problem with relations is a difficulty in
the way people get along with each other
• A problem with direction occurs when
team members want to pursue different
goals
• An operational problem is a difficulty
that is linked with conflicts over
procedure, method, or approach
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Review
• Problems with relations often result from
conflicts in perspective
• Problems with direction are frequently
tied to conflicts in purpose
• Operational problems involve conflicts in
practice
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Review
• People react to conflict in a group or team
setting in one of two ways: fight or flight
• Most people have developed strategies for
handling everyday conflicts
• Experts have identified four main ways
people handle conflict—retreating,
standing still, detouring, and encountering
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Summary
• What are problems and conflicts?
• What are types of problems in groups?
• What are levels of conflict in groups?
• What are patterns of reacting to conflict?
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
Next
• Done—identifying levels of conflict
• Next—steps for problem solving
Chapter 6, Lesson 1
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