Organizational Sequence And Constructive Management Of Conflict Talk

Conflict is an expressed struggle for incompatible goals, scarce resources between at least two interdependent parties when interference exists. Conflict talk is not restricted to a single speech act or a single turn sequence or a single topic. The essence of conflict talk is that interdependent participants take oppositional positions on the same issue. Conflict talk is an inevitable phenomenon in people’s interaction. It has constructive effects as well as destructive effects depending on contexts and communication moves in managing conflict talk. If both parties are not satisfied with the outcome and think they have lost as a result, the conflict talk can be termed as destructive conflict talk. If a desired outcome is reached in the end of the conflict talk and conflict talk plays an important role in the development of healthy relationships, conflict talk can be termed as constructive. It takes the problem that has existed into consideration of both parties. Constructive conflict talk can help people clear out resentments and understand each other better. Scholars have done a lot of research on Chinese conflict talk and English conflict talk respectively, and little empirical research has been done on conflict talk on a larger base incorporating both Chinese and English. Moreover, constructive management of conflict talk is rarely touched upon by scholars. Based on Chinese conflict talk and American conflict talk, this thesis summarizes common structures of initiation stage, maintaining or escalation stage and termination stage of conflict talk and explores some differences. In addition, based on the outcomes of conflict talk in Marriage Battle and Desperate Housewives, the thesis explores constructive management of conflict talk in the framework of classification of conflict talk styles by Kilmann and Thomas. Styles and tactics are taken into consideration in the management of conflict talk.By using qualitative and quantitative analysis, some conclusions are reached:1. Chinese conflict talk and English conflict talk can be seen as a three-stage development:the initiation stage, the maintaining or escalation stage and the termination stage. In the initiation stage. Chinese conflict talk and English conflict talk can be generalized into a three-sequence organization prototype:a triggering event, first dissenting turn and second dissenting turn. In the maintaining or escalation stage, opposition moves can be categorized into two types—argumentative and non-obedience. In the termination stage, four formats of termination can be identified—submission format, compromise format, withdrawal format and third-party intervention format.2. In managing conflict talk, five styles are identified:avoidance, accommodation, competition, compromise and collaboration. Tactics in every style are investigated. In essence, Constructive conflict talk management requires a flexible adaptation to these styles and tactics.Two hypotheses are put forward by the comparison between Chinese conflict talk and American conflict talk:1. Withdrawal format as an avoidance strategy is used more often by Chinese than by Americans and Americans tend to seek a resolution by submission more often than Chinese in the conflict talk. This thesis tries to explain this by a high-context culture and low-context culture comparison.2. Chinese females are less competitive and less dominant than American females in conflict talk between couples. Confucianism influence plays an important role in forming role positioning for Chinese females.