BC465: Negotiation and Conflict Management

Credit Hours:
3
Estimated Hours Per Week:
12

Overview

This course presents a comprehensive process for conflict management, from needs assessment to final program evaluation. Students will explore topics such as:

  • Assessment of various dimensions of conflict, including structural, psychological, and interactional
  • Conflict intervention strategies, including negotiation, conversation, problem solving, dialogue, mediation, and arbitration
  • Evaluation of conflict management programs and strategies

The course project, Conflict Assessment Report: Analyzing and Managing Organizational Conflict, engages students in identifying an organizational conflict, assessing its dimensions, analyzing it from three theoretical perspectives, determining what interventions strategies have been attempted, recommending strategies for managing the conflict, and proposing options for evaluating the success of their conflict management plan.

Course Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Describe the patterns and features of constructive and destructive conflict.
  • Consider the various dimensions along which a conflict situation can be assessed, and the implications of assessment strategies for conflict management options.
  • Evaluate the influence of structural features such as power, culture, and organizational context in a conflict situation.
  • Evaluate the influence of psychological features such as emotions, attribution, and framing in a conflict situation.
  • Evaluate the influence of interactional features such as conflict styles, positioning, and metaphor use in a conflict situation.
  • Analyze the value and impact of direct conflict management strategies, including conversation, problem solving, and negotiation.
  • Analyze the value and impact of third party intervention processes in the management of conflict, including third party assistance, third party decision-making, and organizational dispute systems design.
  • Write a comprehensive report on an organizational conflict that includes a conflict assessment, theoretical analysis, recommendations for conflict management, and a plan for the reflective evaluation of these recommendations.
ENROLLMENT
To enroll in this course, please complete the online application.

Required Texts
BC465 texts are available from the JIU/Follett Bookstore