Constructive Conflict Research Articles

Mindfulness, Conflict Strategy Use, and Relational Satisfaction: a Dyadic Investigation

Research suggests that the capacity to be mindful is positively associated with constructive conflict strategy use and negatively associated with destructive conflict strategy use when individuals experience disagreement with a romantic partner. Conflict interactions are inherently dyadic however, signifying the importance of investigating whether a person’s own capacity for mindfulness is associated with their partner’s choice of conflict strategy. This exploratory study investigated whether individual’s mindful awareness had an association with partner conflict strategy use for 169 heterosexual couples. We assessed couple member’s mindfulness, conflict strategy use, and relational satisfaction. Actor-partner interdependence models (APIM) suggested that male mindfulness positively predicted their likelihood of compromising during conflict. Male mindfulness was also positively associated with female relationship satisfaction. Female mindfulness, on the other hand, predicted a lower likelihood of male dominance and reactivity during conflict. Actor-partner mediation models (APIMeM) suggested significant actor-actor effects such that mindfulness was positively associated with one’s own use of compromise, which in turn positively predicted one’s own relationship satisfaction. In addition, female mindfulness predicted lower male reactivity, which predicted higher male satisfaction. Implications and future research are discussed from a dyadic perspective.

Normalizing vs. analyzing: Drawing the lessons from failure to enhance firm innovativeness

Executive summary The popular business press and academic articles have promoted the virtues of failure, particularly in the pursuit of innovation. Surprisingly, there has been very little systematic empirical study to support this belief. This article distinguishes two organizational approaches to failure: normalizing it (tolerating failure as a necessary part of the innovation process) and analyzing it (purposeful attempts to convert failure experiences into knowledge). A longitudinal study of 106 U.S. manufacturing firms indeed finds that mere tolerance for failure has no effect on firm product innovativeness. In contrast, firms that make deliberate efforts to analyze past failures introduce more innovative new products. Further, this effect is contingent on a climate of constructive conflict within the firm. Hence, to foster firm innovativeness, organization members need to extract lessons from failure, and such analysis must take place in a climate of constructive conflict that enables open and honest discussion.

Promoting Constructive Conflict from a Conflict Transformation Perspective: The Case of Community-Based Collaboration in Korea

ABSTRACTThis article focuses on developing constructive conflict management in community-based collaborations for macro social workers. Using a conflict transformation perspective as a conceptual framework, we identified significant factors and their dynamic relationships in promoting constructive conflict in the context of 5 community-based collaborations in Korea. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that responsive coordination was a strong predictor of increased perceptions of constructive conflict. Further, a multiple mediator model indicated that open communication was indirectly associated with perceived constructive conflict by enhancing both equal decision-making and responsive coordination. We conclude by highlighting practical implications of our study.

Deliberative multi-actor dialogues as opportunities for transformative social learning and conflict resolution in international environmental negotiations

The format for formal international negotiations on environment and development sometimes prevents negotiators from truly listening to each other and adapt pre-existing positions to realize constructive conflict resolution. In this paper we present and analyse “Multi-Actor Dialogue Seminars” (MADS) as an approach to contribute to transformative social learning and conflict resolution, and the contribution to tangible and intangible outcomes in formal negotiations. Unlike negotiations, the objective of MADS is not to agree on a text, but to identify areas of agreement and disagreement, build trust and understanding and identify policy options that are tailored to different cultural-political and value systems. As a case study we use the breakdown of the negotiations at the formal Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Conference in 2010 regarding “innovative financial mechanisms,” and subsequent two international Quito Dialogues using the MADS approach. Through a composite of methods this article reveals the effects of the Quito Dialogues on formal CBD negotiations. The Quito Dialogues contributed to bringing actors out of their deadlock and thereby paving the way for constructive results in the formal CBD negotiations, evident by references in CBD Decisions adopted by 196 CBD Parties. We discuss key design and implementation factors which were decisive for these effects including the importance of a bridging organization, trust building, exploration of both convergences and divergences, involvement of participants with diverse and conflicting views early in the planning, promotion of active listening and addressing diverse knowledge systems and power asymmetries.

Hand-in-Hand Combat: Affectionate Touch Promotes Relational Well-Being and Buffers Stress During Conflict.

Relational conflict has a considerable impact on relational and personal well-being, but whether that impact is positive or negative depends on how the conflict is managed. Individuals struggle to have constructive conflicts that protect their relationships and avoid excess stress, which can lead to declines in relationship quality over time. The current set of experiments tested whether a brief touch intervention would promote relational well-being and prevent stress during couple conflict discussions. Results indicated that engaging in touch prior to and during conflict was effective to improve couple-members' conflict behavior and to buffer stress in real (Experiment 1) and imagined (Experiments 2a and 2b) contexts. The results of these experiments suggest that touch may be a simple yet effective intervention for improving couple conflict discussions. In addition, we provide initial evidence that enhanced state security and cognitive interdependence serve as mechanisms underlying these effects.

Twelve tips for the introduction of emotional intelligence in medical education

Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage emotions in yourself and in others. EI has long been recognized as a critical component for individual and organizational success within the business realm, and there is emerging evidence that enhancing EI is equally important in the medical setting. EI can improve interpersonal communications, enable constructive conflict resolution, and promote a culture of professionalism. As healthcare becomes increasingly team-based, proficiency in EI will be required to build consensus among multidisciplinary stakeholders, and effect change in attitudes and behaviors that result in improved patient safety and clinical outcomes. Based on the existing literature and the authors’ experiences, these 12 tips provide practical suggestions on how to introduce EI into a medical curriculum. These tips have broad applicability, and can be implemented in courses on topics such as professionalism, leadership development, empathy, patient safety, or wellness.

Pragmatic Approach towards Constructive Conflict Resolution: Psychological Capital Mapping

Pragmatic Approach towards Constructive Conflict Resolution: Psychological Capital Mapping

Dyadic Relations Between Interparental Conflict and Parental Emotion Socialization

This study examined the effects of destructive and constructive interparental conflict on unsupportive parental emotion socialization behaviors ( N = 166 parents of toddlers). Both mothers and fathers completed measures of destructive and constructive interparental conflict and emotion dismissing beliefs and unsupportive responses to toddlers’ expressions of negative emotions such as anger, fear, and sadness. Multilevel modeling for the actor–partner interdependence model indicated spillover effect of destructive conflict and crossover effects of constructive conflict on unsupportive parental emotion socialization. In short, mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions of destructive interparental conflict were positively related to their own use of unsupportive emotional socialization behaviors. Mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions of constructive interparental conflict were (marginally/trend level) negatively related to the other parent’s use of unsupportive emotion socialization behaviors. These findings advance the literature on the associations between interparental conflict and parental emotion socialization, examining interdependence between mothers and fathers.

Marital Conflict Management of Married Men and Women

Abstract This study aimed to investigate constructive and destructive conflict resolution strategies used by married women and men, as well as the association of these strategies with sociodemographic and relationship variables. Participants were 750 heterosexual couples living in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, who answered the Conflict Resolution Behavior Questionnaire - CRBQ and 16 questions about sociodemographic data and relationship characteristics. Variance and correlation analyses were conducted in order to verify the differences and associations between the study variables. The “compromise” conflict resolution strategy was used more by men compared to women, and women used the “attack” strategy more often when compared to men. For both, religiosity was correlated with constructive strategies, whereas having children was associated with destructive strategies. Considering these findings, the aspects that can favor constructive management of conflicts by spouses are discussed.

Temporality of couple conflict and relationship perceptions.

Using 5 waves of longitudinal survey data gathered from 3,405 couples, the present study investigates the temporal associations between self-reported couple conflict (frequency and each partner's constructive and withdrawing behaviors) and relationship perceptions (satisfaction and perceived instability). Autoregressive cross-lagged model results revealed couple conflict consistently predicted future relationship perceptions: More frequent conflict and withdrawing behaviors and fewer constructive behaviors foretold reduced satisfaction and conflict frequency and withdrawal heightened perceived instability. Relationship perceptions also shaped future conflict, but in surprising ways: Perceptions of instability were linked with less frequent conflict, and male partner instability predicted fewer withdrawing behaviors for female partners. Higher satisfaction from male partners also predicted more frequent and less constructive conflict behavior in the future. These findings illustrate complex bidirectional linkages between relationship perceptions and couple conflict behaviors in the development of couple relations. (PsycINFO Database Record

CONFLICT COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE PROFESSIONALS IN STAFF MANAGEMENT

A high level of conflict competence is a crucial managerial proficiency characteristic in the staff management sphere, as constructive conflict and stress management positively contributes to the output of an organization. Research Objective: the rationale and development of methodological guidelines to improve conflict competence of master-students majoring in “HR management“, employees and executives; the creation of conflict counseling system. Research methods: surveys have been conducted to assess the relevance of conflict competence for the professional activities of HR managers. The paper contains the author’s concept of scientific methodological and educational support for the course “Conflict and Stress Management in an Organization”. The main problems of conflict competence development in the sphere of staff management are identified. Special attention is paid to the introduction of innovative active and interactive teaching methods that require motivational, methodological, technological, methodical and expertise willingness of the university lecturer. In this research study, the interrelation between the structural components of the lecturer’s methodical competence and the quality characteristics of master’s training programmes on staff management is revealed to prove their determinism. The paper provides the examples of various training assignments as well as the conflict competence development course description.

Marital Conflict Behaviors and Parenting: Dyadic Links Over Time

To assess the effects of marital conflict on parenting practices for mothers and fathers and to examine whether these effects differ for within-person and cross-person links in parental dyads. Existing findings are mixed regarding the nature and magnitude of the association between marital conflict and childrearing behaviors. Little is known about parental role differences in this regard between fathers and mothers and the mutual influence on the other's responding. A sample of 235 families (fathers, mothers, and their kindergarten children) participated in the study over a 2-year period. Fathers and mothers independently reported on constructive and destructive marital conflict tactics, as well as on their parenting behaviors in scenarios of children experiencing negative emotions. Results indicated cross-person and within-person relations. For example, fathers' destructive conflict predicted mothers' distress reactions to children's negative emotions, supporting a spillover hypothesis. Mothers' destructive conflict behaviors predicted less unsupportive maternal parenting, supporting a compensatory hypothesis. Fathers' and mothers' marital conflict behaviors may have different implications for their own and their spouse' parenting. Intervention and prevention programs that target improving marital conflict interactions may also help promote positive parenting. The findings also support that both fathers and mothers should be included in these programs to increase the beneficial effects on parenting practices.

Using a worldview lens to examine complex policy issues: a historical review of bushfire management in the South West of Australia

ABSTRACTThe scale and intensity of bushfire activity in Australia is likely to increase as a result of climate change. Effective bushfire management policy measures are therefore essential to minimise the interrelated social, environmental and economic impacts of fire in the landscape. This paper presents a historical review of bushfire management in the South West of Australia (SW): a bushfire prone and biodiverse region. Using a worldview framework to analyse key policy documents and literature, the paper demonstrates that the evolution of complex policy sectors such as bushfire management, is influenced not only by scientific and technical developments but also as a result of changing worldviews. Adapting the Integrative Worldview Framework (IWF), seven worldview categories that dominated particular periods of history in Australia are presented. These worldview categories are then used to examine the evolution of bushfire management practice, policy and institutional arrangements relevant to the SW. The argument presented herein is that a better understanding of worldviews and how they influence complex and contentious policy fields such as bushfire management, is useful for policy analysis, reflexive practice and research. The paper suggests an integrative worldview approach, which enables opportunities for exchanges and constructive conflict between stakeholders and agencies with diverse worldviews, could contribute to creating more sustainable bushfire management. Finally, it is argued that opportunities for Indigenous and Western worldview exchanges in the bushfire management sector, through collaborative knowledge partnerships could assist the sector in both management practice and policy formulation.

Managemen Konflik Mahasiswa: Destruktifkah?

Conflict is a condition that characterized by the pull of interests. Conflict is not always result a negative effects on the individual. Accuracy in regulating the conflict determines the effects of the conflict. Johnson & Johnson (2014) divides conflict management into two major classifications, such as, constructive or destructive conflict management. The aim of the study is to know the conflict management tendence in university student. The study involved 164 college students. The measurement done with conflict management conflict scale. The results showed that subjects generally have a tendency constructive conflict management. This can be shown from the average of constructive conflict management style more than in the management destructive conflict style. It means students tend to be more able to address and deal with its conflicts well. However, after review of the differences the study period, the first year students was a student of conflict tend to have a more destructive force than the students who entered the second or third study. It reveals that study in campus can be good for ability of conflict management.

Parental Postconflict Explanations: Implications for Children's Adjustment Outcomes

The Post Conflict Explanations (PCE) scale is a compilation of behaviors commonly seen in parent‐child postconflict communications. Following exploratory factor analysis, the PCE emerged as a four‐dimension scale with adequate subscale internal consistency and intercorrelations: Dismissive (α = 0.86), Emotion Dysregulation (α = 0.85), Constructive (α = 0.97), and Blaming (α = 0.77). The PCE and its subscales were further validated through moderate‐to‐strong associations with established scales of family conflict, emotional security, and adjustment outcomes. The identification of these postconflict explanations represents a step forward in distinguishing constructive and destructive conflict behaviors.

Emulating Parental Levels of Taking Conflict Personally: Associations with Behavioral and Mental Health Outcomes in Adult Children

ABSTRACTTaking conflict personally (TCP) is a construct that measures individuals’ tendency to perceive conflict as a personal attack and focus less on the content of a conflict. This study examined parent–child transmissions of the six dimensions of TCP, as well as the relationship between adult child TCP and their conflict communication, depressive symptoms, and anxiety. Data were collected from 110 (N = 330) mother–father–child triads. The results showed significant links between father-child reports of persecuted feelings (i.e., belief that others intentionally provoke conflict) and stress reactions (i.e., psychological reaction) during conflict. There were also significant links between mother–child reports of positive and negative relational effect (i.e., belief that conflict benefits/damages relationships). Adult children’s reports of four of the six TCP dimensions were associated with their depressive symptoms and anxiety, and the results showed significant indirect effects from parent TCP to adult child verbal aggression, constructive conflict, depressive symptoms, and anxiety.

Scale-Specific but Inter-Linked Strategies for Managing Forest Resource Conflicts in Ghana: Forest Professionals’ Views

Constructive conflict management strategies according to forest professionals have the potential to minimise the prevalence offorest resource conflicts at different levels of scale in Ghana’s high forest zone. The paper therefore employed mixed methodsin gathering data on conflict causes, prevailing and alternative conflict management strategies from forest professionals’perspectives. Results revealed multifaceted forest resource conflict causes such as: i) weak implementation of policystrategies and actions; ii) absence of guidelines on crop damage compensation payment; iii) boundary disputes; iv) farmlandscarcity; and v) local elite capture of social responsibility agreement negotiation process and benefits. It was also ascertainedthat prevailing conflict management strategies are diverse but strategies used are based on case-by-case approaches whichlack clearly defined conflict management mechanism to redress the numerous grievances in the sector. It is in view of that theforest professionals recommended scale-specific but inter-linked strategies to be institutionalised in the forestry sector.

Enhancing Chinese college students’ transfer of learning through service-learning

ABSTRACTService-learning (SL) is a form of experiential education which promotes student learning through community service and critical reflection. This study aims to examine the effect of SL on Chinese college students’ transfer of learning and to explore the psychological mechanism of such effect. In Phase 1 with 186 Chinese college students, the SL group performed better in the quality of transfer but worse in the quantity of transfer than the traditional group. In Phase 2, survey data from the SL group demonstrated that constructive cognitive conflict had positive effects on behavioral engagement and transfer of learning; behavioral engagement fully mediated the relation between cognitive conflict and transfer of learning; and gender moderated the relation between cognitive conflict and behavioral engagement. This study answered whether and why SL could promote Chinese college students’ transfer of learning. It has significant implications for promoting SL in reforming current teaching practice in China.

How Do the Normativity of Headquarters and the Knowledge Autonomy of Subsidiaries Co-Evolve? Capability-Upgrading Processes of Chinese Subsidiaries in Belgium

To successfully compete with advanced market multinationals (AMNEs), emerging market multinationals (EMNEs) have to access higher innovation capabilities from their autonomously operating advanced economy subsidiaries. There are two competing schools of thought on how EMNE subsidiaries obtain capability-upgrading autonomy from their headquarters. The first school of thought embraces a knowledge-based, boundedly rational perspective on headquarters’ delegation of capability-upgrading autonomy. The second argues that normative stakeholder priorities pervade headquarters’ capability-upgrading logic, with a “headquarters knows best logic” standing in the way of knowledge-based subsidiary autonomy. This paper adopts a process perspective to understand how EMNE headquarters’ logics and subsidiaries’ mandate for capability-upgrading co-evolve over time. Drawing on the case of Chinese multinational subsidiaries (CMNEs) in Belgium we find that subsidiary managers’ ability to challenge normative expectations is a condition to headquarters acting in a knowledge-based manner. We contribute to the literature on EMNE capability-upgrading by developing several propositions on how autonomy negotiation processes between headquarters and subsidiary evolve over time; depending on the historical imprinting of home success values, the socialisation in how to respond to failure and the emergence of constructive conflict.

China’s Mediation Efforts in the Middle East and North Africa: Constructive Conflict Management

Mediation diplomacy has emerged as one of the central pillars of China’s foreign policy objectives and practice, with Beijing deliberately positioning itself as a peacemaker in the MENA region. This study evaluates China’s role as a regional peacemaker by examining Beijing’s growing engagement with bringing about a peaceful resolution to the MENA disputes. Specifically, this study seeks to examine whether or not China’s mediation efforts in the MENA region augur a shift in China’s non-intervention principle and practice. The study findings show that China’s mediation role is part of a carefully devised strategy that suits the country’s non-intervention policy framework. Therefore, China’s mediation efforts in the MENA conflicts are mostly aimed at constructive conflict management rather than conflict resolution.