Summary: Managing The Conflict Climate

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In Cahn and Abigail’s (2013-06-07) opening to Managing the Conflict Climate they state that no matter where you are, you’ll be in an environment that makes you feel either comfortable or uncomfortable, both mentally and physically. The five opposing concepts that make up the conflict atmosphere are individual decision making versus groupthink, supportive behavior versus defensive behavior, equality versus imbalance of power, cooperation versus competition and trust versus distrust. A nurturing conflict environment encourages mutually satisfying outcomes, openness, collaboration and assertiveness through trust, supportive behavior, equal power, and cooperation. The harmful conflict climate fosters avoidance/accommodation behavior, “chilling effect” and a competitive escalation cycle due to defensiveness, power abuse, distrust and competition (p. 135). I encountered both types of conflict climate while serving in the military. …show more content…

It wouldn’t serve well to attempt to stand up for ourselves during this time; because the drill sergeants made sure we wouldn’t win (competition). No matter what we did, the drill sergeants would yell and make us do pushups (power abuse). The constant verbal attacks and painstaking exercises made us very wary of the drill sergeants (distrust). Discipline was the goal of the drill sergeant, graduation was the goal of the trainee

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