Course

Interpersonal Conflict: Advanced Practices

Faculty
Language, Literature & Performing Arts
Department
Communications
Course code
CMNS 3316
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15
Max class size
20
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
This advanced course supports students’ development in managing interpersonal conflict with particular emphasis on one-to-one and multi-party disputes. Active problem-solving with an eye toward negotiation and mediation is emphasized. Students explore how conflict emerges in groups, and the roles and responsibilities of leaders to influence, prevent and manage interpersonal conflict.
Course content
  1. What is Interpersonal Conflict?
    1. productive and destructive conflict
    2. categories and sources of conflict
  2. What Theories Inform Our Understanding of Interpersonal Conflict?
    1. Uncertainty Avoidance
    2. Social Exchange     
    3. Human Relations Perspectives
    4. Systems
    5. Intergroup Conflict
    6. Coordinated Management of Meaning
    7. Confrontation Episodes
  3. What Are Some Advantages of Experiencing and Managing Interpersonal Conflict?
    1. promoting facilitative and diminishing debilitative beliefs
    2. increasing resilience
    3. enhancing intrapersonal and interpersonal effectiveness
    4. inoculation against future conflict
    5. improved workplace relation
  4. What Are Some Common Emotional Responses to Conflict?
    1. defensiveness
    2. anger
  5. What Do We Need to Know and Do to Effectively Manage Interpersonal Conflict?
    1. approaches to conflict
    2. selecting conflict approach
    3. shifting conflict approach
    4. conflict tactics
      • threats and promises
      • caucusing
      • coalition formation
      • metacommunication
      • integrative tactics
  6. What Processes Address Complex Intangible Interpersonal Conflict? 
    1. negotiating: competitive and cooperative
    2. mediating: formal and informal
    3. arbitrating: binding and not binding
    4. alternative dispute resolution option
  7. What Are Some Key Concepts in Principled Negotiation and Mediation?
    1. aspirations, bargaining, equifinality
    2. points of resistance and/or status quo
    3. pre-meetings, credibility and rapport
    4. opening statements
    5. issues, positions, interests, common ground
    6. agendas, rules and standards for managing disputes
    7. written agreements
  8. What Skills Are Essential for Resolving Disputes?
    1. micro communication skills
    2. creating constructive communication climates
    3. questioning and probing
    4. reframing and reframing
    5. empathizing
    6. defusing anger
    7. managing defensiveness
  9. How Do Power Dynamics Influence Conflict?
    1. types of power
    2. relational views of power
    3. power tactics
    4. relinquishing and balancing power
    5. balancing power
  10. How Does Interpersonal Conflict Manifest in Groups?
    1. recognizing group dysfunction
      • sub-optimal group mix and personality conflicts
      • time-wasting
    2. sources of conflict in groups
      • nature of the group
      • complexity of the task
      • differing agendas, standards and levels of commitment
      • variations of ability and participation level
      • distribution of power
  11. How Can Conflict be Managed in Groups?
    1. selection of appropriate team members
    2. strategies for managing conflict in groups
      • acknowledging and clearly defining a problem
      • moving from individual positions to group interests and needs
      • shifting paradigms
      • moving from judgement to curiosity
      • acknowledging and honouring differences
      • recognizing and building on similarities
  12. What is the Relationship Between Conflict and Leadership?
    1. terminology and important concepts
      • definitions of leadership
      • expectations and responsibilities
    2. perspectives on leadership
      • leadership traits and style
      • emergent leadership
      • motivational leadership
  13. How Do Leaders Influence Conflict?
    1. knowledge of workplace culture
    2. leadership skills
    3. leadership style compatibility
    4. adaptability
  14. How Can Leaders Prevent and Manage Conflict?
    1. managing self and clarifying a personal vision
    2. defining a philosophy of leadership
    3. managing others
    4. articulating a vision for the workplace
    5. building a supportive environment
    6. inspiring workers
    7. preventing and managing crises
  15. What Are Some Ethical Considerations in Interpersonal Conflict?
    1. neutrality and impartiality
    2. equidistance
    3. competence
    4. dual-role relationships
    5. authority to negotiate.
Learning activities

This course is highly interactive. Working individually or in small groups, students will discuss, analyze, interpret, practice, evaluate and provide feedback to others about advanced interpersonal conflict skills and strategies. A discussion-based teaching model is used with the expectation that students will actively prepare for, participate in and extract meaning from case studies and simulations.  Simulations may be videotaped for the purposes of informed group and self-evaluation.  

Means of assessment

This course will conform to Douglas College policy regarding the number and weighting of evaluations.

A sample of possible assignments is suggested for instructors to use or adapt at their discretion:

Assessment, analysis and discussion of current conflict management functioning within one-to-one or multi-party disputes

 15%

Personal conflict management statement and action plan for improved conflict management functioning

 20%

Analysis and discussion of a conflict: Application of course concepts

 20%
Skills application:  
  • Video-taped skills demonstration
 15%
  • Analysis and self-evaluation
 20%
Attendance, participation and professional conduct 10%
  100%
Learning outcomes

Knowledge:

By the end of the course, the successful student will be able to:

  1. recognize the nature and outcomes of different conflict resolution approaches
  2. explain the differences among negotiation, mediation and arbitration
  3. articulate the steps of collaborative problem-solving
  4. describe attributes of functional and dysfunctional groups
  5. identify common sources of conflict in groups
  6. explain how leaders influence, prevent and manage conflict.

Skills:

By the end of the course, the successful student will be able to:

  1. select the most appropriate conflict resolution strategy for single and multiparty disputes
  2. display core and advanced interpersonal skills for principled negotiations
  3. demonstrate core and advanced interpersonal skills for mediating interpersonal conflicts
  4. engage in self-management behaviours during interpersonal conflict
  5. employ leadership skills that prevent, assess and manage conflicts
  6. apply ethical standards when resolving disputes with others.

Attitudes:

By the end of the course, the successful student will be able to:

  1. account for the challenges associated with managing interpersonal conflict
  2. appreciate the effects of power dynamics
  3. identify personal “triggers” that interfere with conflict resolution
  4. take into account the importance of ethical practice when managing interpersonal conflict

 

Textbook materials

Sample of textbooks and materials appropriate for CMNS 3316 to be purchased in current edition by students:

  • Cahn, D., and Abigail, R. Managing Conflict through Communication. Boston:  Pearson Education, Inc.
  • Fisher, R., and Ury, W. Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. New York: Penguin Books
  • Folger J.P., Polle, M.S., and Stutman, R.K. Working Through Conflict: Strategies for Relationships, Groups, and Organizations.Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
  • Hocker, J., and Wilmont, W. Interpersonal Conflict. Dubuque, IA: Brown and Benchmark.
  • McCorkle, S., and Reese, M.J. Mediation Theory and Practice. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
  • Coursepack (prepared by the instructor) 

 

Requisites

Prerequisites

CMNS 1316

Corequisites

None

Equivalencies

None

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca

Institution Transfer details for CMNS 3316
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) KPU CMNS 3XXX (3)
Langara College (LANG) LANG ARTS 2XXX (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) SFU CMNS 347 (3)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) No credit
Trinity Western University (TWU) TWU SOCI 3XX (3)
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) UFV CMNS 140 (3) or UFV PACS 1XX (3)
Vancouver Island University (VIU) No credit

Course Offerings

Winter 2025

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
20
Currently enrolled
8
Remaining seats:
12
On waitlist
0
Building
New Westminster - South Bldg.
Room
S1620
Times:
Start Time
9:30
-
End Time
12:20
Section notes

CMNS 3316 001 - Students who have completed CMNS 2316 are eligible to take CMNS 3316. Any students interested in the course are encouraged to request enrolment access by emailing neimant@douglascollege.ca.