COM 350 1nd EditionExam # 3 Study Guide Lectures: 13 - 19Lecture 13 (October 23)Chapter 10: Conflict- Communication-centered definition of conflict- interaction of inter-dependent people who perceive incompatible goals and interference from one another in achieving them- Awareness can help us manage conflict productivelyo Of behavioral patterns we generally use to approach conflict: Styleso Of phases of conflict that become more and more tangible as the conflict develops.o Of logics we apply for self preservation that can prevent us from seeing others’ points of view: Attributional biaseso Of stories we tell to make sense of conflicts: Accounts. These are also biased in our favor.- Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Management Styles: (look at graphic)- Conflicts occurs in phases, becoming more and more concrete and realo Latent: interdependence, possible incompatibility existso Perceived: Conflict is cognitively recognized (this is something that is out there that I should be aware of…)o Felt: Conflict is personalized (this is affecting ME and it’s crisis time!)o Manifest: Conflict is communicated through words or behavior. People go through cycles to cope with the conflict.o Aftermath: Effects and repercussions on individuals and organization- Attributional biases are logics we use to understand conflicto Others do me wrong – it’s a flaw in their charactero I do others wrong – it’s because of the outside circumstanceso I do right – it’s my good character- Attributional biases are automatic, for self preservationo Fundamental attribution error: “She’s a mean person and she just does mean things.”o Actor-observer bias: e.g., “Your career failures are your fault; mine are due to my disadvantages.” o False consensus effect: e.g., “Nobody in their right mind would ever disagree with this proposal.”o Self-serving bias: e.g., “We will get a low grade only if the instructor is a jerk because I am an A student.”- Accounts are stories we tell to make sense of conflictso Accounts are always based on attributions – impossible to completely avoid.o The “Big T” Truth – the notion that absolute truth or objective truth exists. The idea that we can discover the “real” story of what happened.o Accounts – based on our “little t” truths – our perspectives, never paint the whole picture. Biased in our favor!o Recognize when we think about our conflicts or tell about our conflicts, we are giving accounts that are always biased in some wayo Importance of Framing in accounts: “you flew off the handle” vs. “you yelled” vs. “you felt that what I did was unfair and so you told me so.”- Consider how your conflict management styles, attributions, & accounts affect the aftermath or outcome of conflict or whether it escalates past the perceived phase. o Consider the relationshipo Consider the importance of issueso Consider the consequences – what will happen if this is not resolved?Lecture 14 (October 28)Chapter 11: Change- Organization as “in flux”- Intro to changeo Big business – gurus, fads, consultantso Dialectic exists: change vs. stabilityo Our definition: “Succession of differences in time within a persisting identity”- Types of changeo Technologyo Administrationo Products & serviceso Human resourceso Any of the above can be: discursive or substantive- Degrees of changeo 1st order: minor and incremental so as to maintain the status quo; everyone agrees (lizard analogy)o 2nd order: total transformation, becoming a whole new thing; out of the box (butterfly analogy)o Judging the degree of change depends largely on how members view the change- Reasons why people resist changeo Threats to self-interests—relationships and rewardso Threats to self-esteem—especially if care is not taken in communicating the changeo Uncertain outcomes—most of us are risk averse Fear loss, biased toward status quoo Too frequent changeso Distrust of management- Resistance plays a role in any organizational changeo Can be overt or covert (remember EVLN, hidden transcripts and symbolic resistance)o Resistors are often portrayed as difficult or disruptiveo Key concerns for leaders How to reduce resistance vs. are there potential advantages to resistance? o Ex: Jamie Oliver’s food revolution resistanceLecture 15 (November 4)Change continued- Theories of communicating change:o Programmed change (Larkin & Larkin) Communicates facts only, not values—employees wont believe them and don’t want to be told how to feel Communicate face to face—no memos Let direct supervisors communicate with their employees (more trust) It is practical and efficient but the main problem is that people want to know whyo Lewin’s “Water Freezing” model of change Unfreeze- get employees to recognize need for change Vision- develop plan Move- implement plan and get people moving Refreeze- plan become the new normalo Adaptive Change (Beer) Mobilize commitment through joint diagnosis Develop shared, agreed-upon vision Allow the people to spread the ideas (not the CEO) Institutionalize change through new policies & structures  Monitor & adjust strategies as neededLecture 16 (November 6)Change continued- Changes rarely go as plannedo Time intensiveo Abandonment (70% fail)o Change escalation—scope grows, changes in one are affect others because organizations are systems- Change always bring some unintended consequenceso No one knows where change will have effectso Do the costs of change really exceed the benefits (only 30% result in bottom line improvement that exceeded the cost of implementation)- Fidelity of adoption is one way to judge the success of a changeo Did employees use the change as the leaders had intended?- Uniformity of adoption is another way to judge the success of a changeo Did the adoption of the changes take root in all sectors of the organization?- Judging the success of change implementationo In the adaptive school, fidelity & uniformity less important as long as org members USE the changes for a purposeo Goal may be purely experimentation or improved efficiency (ex: employee wellness programs)- Closing thoughts on changeo A good idea is not enougho Communicate often and earlyo Change takes time – John Kotter says allow 10 years for major, 2nd order change (minor)Chapter 12: Technology- Technology = change!- Theories of media adoption and use in the workplaceo The social influence model