Conflict

Conflict Order Description 1) Image that your in" rel="nofollow">interest in" rel="nofollow">in conflict processes was brought to the attention of a powerful friend who operates a midsize pharmaceutical company. After hearin" rel="nofollow">ing you expostulate on the nature and dynamics of conflict processes, she requests that you assist with a problem in" rel="nofollow">in her organization that in" rel="nofollow">involves conflict. She explain" rel="nofollow">ins that her company of 4,000 employees develops and markets drugs related to heart disease. The company has turned a profit for several years largely because of an aggressive promotions department and sale force. Until recently these two functions were housed in" rel="nofollow">in separate divisions, but last quarter promotions and sales were merged, creatin" rel="nofollow">ing a sin" rel="nofollow">ingle unit. Sin" rel="nofollow">ince in" rel="nofollow">integration of the divisions, conflict has been the order of the day. It seems every time she turns around she is asked to settle a dispute in" rel="nofollow">in the new ?marketin" rel="nofollow">ing? division. She characterizes the situation as in" rel="nofollow">involvin" rel="nofollow">ing open hostility and suspicion. This animosity is most apparent between managers, but also occurs with frequency between managers and subordin" rel="nofollow">inates. She could understand that situation more easily if the split existed along former division lin" rel="nofollow">ines, promotions versus sales, but in" rel="nofollow">in her view the conflict does not discrimin" rel="nofollow">inate. Given your in" rel="nofollow">interest and expertise, she asks that you assess the conflict and offer recommendations as to how it should be managed or resolved. Granted, this is a complex problem, one that requires more background and context for in" rel="nofollow">intelligent study. But for the purpose of our discussion, let us say you work with the facts at hand. Obviously, you cannot in" rel="nofollow">intervene until you can accurately assess the situation and understand the reasons for the conflict. In addition to determin" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing the root causes of or contributors to the conflict, discernin" rel="nofollow">ing the effects of the struggle is also paramount. After all, the conflict may be producin" rel="nofollow">ing productive as well as destructive outcomes. So, where do you start? Where do you search for reasons and outcomes? A series of choices is apparent. 2)Makin" rel="nofollow">ing a reasonable assessment of a conflict is a rational task, one that requires a series of conscious decisions. The choice of which data are to be in" rel="nofollow">included in" rel="nofollow">in the analysis and which will be ignored or deemed impractical for study is called punctuatin" rel="nofollow">ing the conflict. Conflict is like a flowin" rel="nofollow">ing river. One cannot enter or exit the river at more than a sin" rel="nofollow">ingle location at any one time. What counts as the source of the river and its delta depends on the perspective and/or theory one uses. The only sure bet is that the punctuation decision of when to begin" rel="nofollow">in and end the assessment cannot be avoided. One must enter and exit the river ---begin" rel="nofollow">in and ed the analysis -- to make an assessment. Because conclusion are drawn based on observation or learnin" rel="nofollow">ing, how a conflict is punctuated is highly consequential, shapin" rel="nofollow">ing conclusions much more than one would readily admit. By makin" rel="nofollow">ing this choice an active and conscious decision, the observer can avoid missin" rel="nofollow">ing relevant data or feedin" rel="nofollow">ing the urge to contin" rel="nofollow">inually collect more and more data before an assessment can be drawn. As noted, any assessment or explanation of conflict requires punctuation, and one?s perspectives guides this choice. Do you agree? 3)A conflict can be viewed from many different angles, many different perspectives. Perspectivism posits that we know no fact without in" rel="nofollow">interpretation, hold not claim of reality in" rel="nofollow">independent of belief. Perspectivism also holds that there are many ways to viewin" rel="nofollow">ing a phenomenon, many angles that offer promise to the viewer There is not best perspective, only a field of choices from which to select. A perspective colors one's world, guidin" rel="nofollow">ing the search for answers, determin" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing which questions are worth askin" rel="nofollow">ing, evaluatin" rel="nofollow">ing what data are worth collectin" rel="nofollow">ing. Takin" rel="nofollow">ing a perspective on conflict or any social phenomenon mush like adoptin" rel="nofollow">ing a style of pain" rel="nofollow">intin" rel="nofollow">ing. Through the years, pain" rel="nofollow">inters have represented objects in" rel="nofollow">in very different styles of visual representation. Sometimes the same object, the Eiffel Tower, London Bridge, a garden, a bowl of fruit, has been pain" rel="nofollow">ined in" rel="nofollow">in realistic impressionistic or cubist styles. Different styles reveal different features and aspects of these objects much like perspectives reveal aspects of the same social phenomenon. Perspectivism main" rel="nofollow">intain" rel="nofollow">ins that one cannot view a phenomenon without relyin" rel="nofollow">ing on a catalog of assumptions that in" rel="nofollow">influence that view. Selectin" rel="nofollow">ing a perspective however is not a irrevocable decision. Perspectivism also means believin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">in the value of multiple perspectives. After exhaustin" rel="nofollow">ing the potential of a particular perspective, it can be temporarily abandoned for another, allowin" rel="nofollow">ing one to see dynamic and dimensions that were previously hidden. Although the choice of one's usefulness, not of right or wrong. A good perspective is one that enables that viewer to explain" rel="nofollow">in the product or process in" rel="nofollow">in question and act on that explanation. Thoughts?