Organizational Communication Research FInal

8/4/2019 Organizational Communication Research FInal

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Josh Kane

Josh Kane

Organizational Communication

Comm. 305

Final: Conflict



Josh Kane

Conflict within any organization inevitably occurs and as a result may lead to

drastic changes within. According to Putnam and Poole conflict is defined as; “the

interaction of interdependent people who perceive opposition of goals, aims, and

values, and who see the other party as potentially interfering with the realization of

these goals” Conflict may also be defined as a “prolonged armed struggle or an

incompatibility between two or more opinions, principles, or interests.”(New

Oxford American Dictionary).

Conflict in any organization may have positive or negative effects. Central

Michigan University Assistant Professor of Logistics Management , Lieutenant

Colonel Russell Pierre states conflict “can be positive when it encourages

creativity…the clarification of points of view, and the development of human

capabilities to handle interpersonal differences”. Lieutenant Colonel Russell Pierre

also insists conflict “can be negative when it creates resistance to change,

establishes turmoil in organization or interpersonal relations, fosters distrust ,

builds a feeling of defeat , or widens the chasm of misunderstanding”. How conflict is managed is important and needs to be properly addressed in

order to ensure a profitable return. Uncontrolled conflict is harmful for any

organization. It cannot be avoided or suppressed, such as approaches to

management of conflict will leave underlying issues unsettled.



Josh Kane

Throughout history, conflict is solely responsible for drastic changes within

our government and society. The Civil Rights, and Women’s rights movement’s are

both a result of underlying conflict that went suppressed for years and as a result

was abruptly addressed, changing the face of the workplace and society itself .

The film, Remember the Titans, is an artifact I have chosen to analyze; how

conflict is present , how it is managed, and how the management of the conflict leads

to change. In the film, different types of conflict are present and different

individuals approach the management with unique styles and strategies.

In Remember the Titans, the production highlights the integration of two

Virginian high schools that are ethnically diverse. These suburban schools had been

segregated for generations and due to new federal law were to become one. The

population of one school was white, the other black . Conflicts arise when the two

ethnic groups must come together and play on the same football team. After

continued struggle, the team is able to come together. However, the community is

as quickly converted.

In the 1970’s Segregation was built into the culture of all organizations.

Whether or not , individuals felt it was fair it was still enacted in all phases of society.

Upon the integration, those whom had been raised and taught this was a way of life

experienced interpersonal conflict , based on the conflict style in which they



Josh Kane

unconsciously follow due to their up bringing. Conflict style refers to a “person’s

characteristic manner or habitual way of handling disputes” (Putnam and Poole).

Herman Boone, played by Denzel Washington, is black male that is appointed

head coach of the T.C Williams High School football team. Boone is faced and

challenged with the task of bringing together culturally diverse individuals to create

a team and he must also can the support of his community in order to ensure their

success. Due to binding arbitration, the situation or integration cannot be avoided.

It is important to deal with and gain acceptance to the new situational culture.

Binding arbitration is when “an arbitrator as an external third party makes binding

decisions concerning organization’s internal policies. The arbitrator’s job to make

an interpretation of the organization’s policy, not to judge it’s fairness or offer

creative solutions”(Papa, Daniels, Spiker). The arbitrator in situational context is

the U.S government that made a binding decision concerning organizational policy

toward segregation, implementing integration within organizations.

In the attempt to gain support with the conflict of the new imposed policy,

Coach Herman Boone used a distinctive conflict management style. The conflict

management style used is known as the “Collaborating Style”. The collaborating

styles is when “the collaborator has high concern for personal goals and for the

relationship. The collaborator (Boone) faces the conflict directly and works toward

an integrative solution. An integrative, or “win-win”, solution embraces the goals of



Josh Kane

both parties in the conflict . Hence, the collaborating style often is viewed as the

ideal in conflict management . Since this approach addresses the conflict directly, it

is sometimes referred to as the confrontation style”(Putnam and Poole). Coach

Herman personally felt a high need to achieve his goals of bringing the team

together, and gaining the support of the T.C Williams community. Coach Herman

Boone also held high regards in building the relationships between; player to player,

player to coach, player to community, and coach to community. In a time where the

policies were fresh and mildly objected, individuals viewed his style as

confrontational due to the fact they felt changes was being forced upon them.

The community and football team were now a joint group, conflict was

eminent and necessary. The diverse parties were now all part of the same

organization. Intergroup conflict was experienced throughout; intergroup conflict is

“conflict between different groups or units within the same organization”. With the

newly constructed diverse integrated community, it was important in order to

progress that there is concerted member actions within the new organization.

Concerted member action is “an integral part of the definition of coalitions is that

they must act as a group, either through group action…or through orchestrated

member action”. In the organization, if there is none or minimal group orchestrated

action individuals will act alone not conforming to necessary group norms.



Josh Kane

On a sports organization, the primary focus is on the success of the team.

Wins and loses determines how successful the organization is perceived. The T.C

Williams High School football team, could not focus internally on what needed to be

done to win a football game until the external focus placed on the current cultural

divide in their society was addressed, the individuals needed accept and adapt to

the change. With the external environment the players faced, hierarchy used their

external focus on the adapted culture to bring them together, to create a unified

team. External focus is “created in order to get … organization members or groups

to yield to its purposes through persuasion, coercion, and other means of influence.”

(Papa, Daniels, and Spiker).

Kevin Barge’s theory of Dialogic culture may be directly implied and further

understood through relating it to the plot within Remember the Titans. A dialogic

culture “promotes collective thinking, respectful relationships by recognizing

multiple voices, valuing otherness, pursuing a richer understanding of the conflict ,

generating new possibilities for meaning, and transcending polarization by moving

beyond hostile discourse to seek the commonalities that link people together.”

Barge also states that dialogue is “a way of being and living together recognizes the

differences that exist among members of community and highlights possibilities for

collaboration.” In a time when relationships needed building, opposing values to be

understood it was imperative multiple voices were heard. Understanding values,



Josh Kane

and building relationship would allow involved parties to understand the conflict in

ways that were not feasible prior to it’s understanding. An established dialogic

culture will provide a way for the diverse community to live together and recognize

that these cultural differences will generate opportunities for creative collaboration

among new integrated cultural organizations. If a side or, position goes unheard it

makes it nearly impossible to understand. Lack of understanding will lead to the

remained presence of the conflict .

The transition to an integrated society, experienced more difficulty based on

one’s regional location. In the south, it was long embedded white and blacks were

not to co-exist and that blacks were the lesser of the two races. The cultural context

was established through previous generations and it was lead to believe “this is how

it was supposed to be”. Papa, Daniels, and Spiker state “The cultural environment in

which one lives influences the type of social construction that unfolds with respect

to particular communication processes such as conflict management” (pg. 334).

Individuals raised in the south were socially constructed to follow, accept

segregation making the transition to integration more difficult , and at times very

resistant .

An exert from the publication of “Conflict Management and Organization

Development” by Willem Mastenbroek , professor at Free University of Amsterdam

states that conflict management is a “method of applying social knowledge and

social skill in order to improve structural and cultural conditions in organizational



Josh Kane

units”. (Conflict Management and Organization Development ) Mastenbroek also

suggests “parties” or individuals act out of their cultural behavioral tendencies or

dynamics. Conflict , tension, and problems exist between parties “often

unconsciously”. The 1970’s society was resistant due to change because of their

embedded structural and cultural conditions. Their society unconsciously objected

to the opportunity to progress, and created conflict between parties.

When interpretively looking at Conflict one is required to concentrate on the

subjective meanings that organizations members develop on the basis of their

experiences in engaging in conflicts. Ones experiences give meaning to the

situational conflict . Interpretively one looks at why an individual thinks the way

they do and what experiences are responsible for the development of such

assumptions or feelings.

Conflict , critically examined focuses on power relations between members of

the organization. These relationships may create an oppressive environment for

individuals. Some may be privileged over others. It is likely the oppression has

been embedded in the system’s language and meaning. Minorities in the south were

placed in oppressed environments. These environments were created due to the

control and power of other parties. It is to be examined how this power has

established and how it came to be embedded in the cultural context , language, and

meaning.



Josh Kane

The community of T.C Williams during the respected time of the 1970’s

experienced conflict with the integration of racially diverse groups, that prior had

been kept segregated. Their beliefs, and values were challenged and they were

forced to alter their embedded culture. With the necessary alteration from what

previously was embedded, the society and parties involved were entangled in

constant conflict. With conflict present, the management fell on the responsibilities

of Coach Herman Boone. Properly managing the conflict, lead the creation of a state

champion football and through the success of their new hometown football a

community was able to come together. Put aside previous culturally embedded

differences



Josh Kane

References:

Conflict Management and Organization Development. By Willem F. G.

Mastenbroek. Chichester: Wiley. 1987. Pp. 166.

Lieutenant Colonel Russell Pierre, Initials. (n.d.). Conflict: good or bad?.

Retrieved from

http://www.airpower.au.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1976/nov-

dec/peppers.html

Yi-Hui, H., & Bedford, O. (2009). The Role of Cross-Cultural Factors in Integrative Conflict

Resolution and Crisis Communication: The Hainan Incident. American Behavioral

Scientist, 53

Papa, Daniels, Sp iker, . (1997). Organizational communication:

perspectives and trends. Thousands Oaks, California: Sage Publications.

http://www.airpower.au.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1976/nov-dec/peppers.html





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