Page 320 - Effective group discussion theory and practice by Adams, Katherine H. Brilhart, John K. Galanes, Gloria J

Managing Conflict in the Small Group 303

Recap: A Quick Review

mall group conflict comes in many forms and is managed in a variety of styles, all of
Swhich differ in their effectiveness and appropriateness.
1. When groups engage in task-related conflict, they are engaged in substantive
conflict. This intrinsic conflict is beneficial to the group if managed well.
2. Affective conflict emerges over interpersonal clashes between members and is
extrinsic to the task. This kind of conflict is rooted in power and status struggles
between group members.
3. When group members engage in conflict over how to proceed and their work
responsibilities, they are involved in procedural conflict. Procedural conflict can
mask affective conflict.
4. The unequal distribution of work and member contributions to the task is fertile
ground for small group conflict. The stress from the inequality often leads to the
formation of coalitions that often battle each other and move the group away from
its central task.
5. Groups using computer-mediated communication should take time to get to know
each other and the computer technology; this helps reduce the amount of affective
and procedural conflict that can occur early in these groups compared to face-to-
face groups.

Conflict Management Styles and Tactics
Your perception of the conflict situation is a major determinant of how you are likely
to deal with the conflict. Elements of the situation include your perceptions about
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whether the conflict is repetitive, the degree to which you and the other party have
mutual goals, how certain you are about how to solve the problem, whether you
believe the other party is the source of the conflict, and the degree of negative feelings
you have for the other. Jurors, for instance, will shift their preferred conflict style
depending on whether they are deciding a person’s guilt or the penalties they should
give the person. The specific conflict style you choose is a product both of how
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cooperative and how assertive you wish to be, as illustrated in Figure 11.2. 43
As you can see, each style represents a general pattern of behavior developed over
time. Specific communication choices that people make in particular situations as
they manage conflict will be referred to as conflict tactics. The key difference between
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a style and a tactic is the degree to which a person is aware of his or her behavior.
Generally, we are less aware of our styles than our tactics, but competent group mem-
bers are aware of not only their own preferred style and tactics but also those of other
group members. This awareness is a key factor in changing unproductive patterns of
conflict in a group. As we discuss each of the general conflict styles, we will also
introduce you to common tactics that group members may use relevant to each style.
These styles and representative tactics are summarized in Table 11.2.

gal37018_ch11_291_320.indd 303 3/28/18 12:38 PM