Observation Techniques: Film Analysis This week, you will analyze a three- to five-minute segment of a movie or a television episode depicting aggression, conflict, and peacemaking. Aft

Conflict and Peacemaking.html

Conflict and Peacemaking

"Is conflict good or bad for an organization or group?" can be an interesting research question for this lecture. However, you need to define conflict before analyzing this question.

The conflict we are talking about here is not inner conflict—the dilemma of a person trying to make a decision. We are talking about the difference between the actions or goals of two or more individuals—this difference, too, is defined as conflict. The question that arises then is, "Should conflict between two or more individuals be considered an argument, and should conflict between two or more neighboring countries be considered a war?" The answer to this question is "not necessarily."

Myers (2008) defines conflict as a "perceived incompatibility of actions or goals." Conflict occurs as a consequence of a disagreement when there is a threat (perceived or real) to the interests, needs, or wants of the individuals involved (Office of Quality Improvement & Office of Human Resource Development, n.d.).

If you composed a working hypothesis stating that “Conflict is necessary to the success of an organization,” would this statement sufficiently explain if conflict is good or bad for an organization?

Expert’s Opinion

Andrade, Plowman, and Duchon (2008), in an extensive literature review of past studies on conflict, concluded that conflict should not be thought of as bad or a failure of the organization’s management. They stated that “Rather than needing reduction or elimination, conflict is the fuel that drives system growth, enables learning and adaptive behaviors, and makes innovation possible” (p. 23).

If managed correctly, conflict in groups and organizations seems to enhance and transform organizations into learning environments where new ideas are developed and implemented. However, if conflict is not managed correctly, it can result in increased hostility and poor organizational performance.

Andrade, L., Plowman, A., & Duchon, D. (2008). Getting past conflict resolution: A complexity view of conflict. Emergence: Complexity and Organization, 10(1), 23–38.

Myers, D. (2008). Social psychology (9th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Office of Quality Improvement & Office of Human Resource Development.(n.d). About Conflict. Retrieved from http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/onlinetraining/resolution/aboutwhatisit.htm#index

Aggression – Hurting Others.html

Aggression – Hurting Others

Aggression in the workplace is an important issue. Some of the most common acts of aggression include:

• Criminal acts perpetrated against employees.

• Violence between employees in an organization (for example, aggression between supervisors and employees).

• Violence between employees and consumers of services (for example, aggression between health care professionals and residents of nursing facilities).

The two studies below will help you understand the basis of workplace violence. 

Inness, M., Barling, J., & Turner, N. (2005). Understanding supervisor-targeted aggression: A within-person, between-jobs design. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(4), 731–739.

 Rugala, E., & Isaacs, A. (Eds.). (2004). Workplace violence: Issues in response. Quantico, VA: Critical Incident Response Group, National Center for Analysis of Violent Crime, FBI Academy.

View the PDF transcript for Basis of Workplace Violence